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Our Republic and Our Free Republic
9-6-02 | Joe Phillips

Posted on 09/06/2002 8:17:16 AM PDT by BADJOE

History teaches some very good lessons. They are hard to learn but our forefathers did a great job.

From the beginning of time man has overthrown one form of centralized government only to re-establish another one in its place. Our forefathers understood this far better than anyone ever had. They said governments are the eternal enemy of free men. They said that in order for man to remain free it would take a bloody revolution every other generation, unless you bound down (bastard) government with the chains of the constitution.

On another site this week a poster asked if anyone else hated government as much as he did. I replied to him

"Hell !! I thought you were not a good American if you didn't love our country and hate our government.

At least that is how I have always felt about it"

I think our forefathers had the same attitude that I have now. And I think it is inherent in the average Americans attitude to distrust and have disdain for any government, including ours. One of the hardest conclusions I had to arrive at as a young man, after having been a product of the public school system, was that our government was not on our side. As James Forrestahl, former secretary of the Navy, who suffered a mysterious death, once said about our State Department's foreign policy, " Stupidity is never a mark of consistancy. If they were merely stupid, they would occasionally make a mistake in our favor".

Newt Gringrich put it in a humourous manner when talking about the attitude of Europeans. He related the following story. If you go to Europe and drive on the Autobahn, you feel pretty good cruising down the highway at 100 mph when some some German passes you doing 140 mph. Now he said if the Bundestag passed the 55mph speed limit law, every German would dutifully obey that law, untill the next election. They would vote the 55 mph crowd out of office and the no speed limit crowd in. In America Newt said "A speed limit sign is a benchmark of opportunity.

It is obvious that Yankees and Euros have entirely different attitudes about government's edicts. There are darn few Americans who do not break the speed limit laws everyday.

Now we come to the Free Republic. Once a free wheeling, joyful site for news and discussion of politics, economics, philosophy, ethics and morals. I could not understand the transformation that has taken place in the last six months. Camaraderie, the sense of family, and cooperation seems to have disappeared. Are the Freepers exhibiting the same disdain for the new FR as Americans have for our government?


TOPICS: Heated Discussion
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To: Indy Pendance
careful indy, the last guy who bitched about pings ended up with about a 1400 post thread ...

paging Arthur

1,161 posted on 09/06/2002 7:22:54 PM PDT by tomkat
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To: BADJOE
If Jim relents and "fires" the two moderators will those longtime freepers return with their money?
1,162 posted on 09/06/2002 7:22:59 PM PDT by Texasforever
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To: Chad Fairbanks
Okay then. You'll need this:


1,163 posted on 09/06/2002 7:23:17 PM PDT by DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet
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To: BADJOE
Sorry, Joe. We're not buying it. It looks like a personal POLITICAL vendetta to MOST of us.

Jim already told you that they are doing what HE says; now, since he said that publicly to you more than once, if you've got a problem, it's with Jim, so stop blaming it on the moderators.

90 percent of us here are satisifed with them and how this place works.

1,164 posted on 09/06/2002 7:24:02 PM PDT by Howlin
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To: Miss Marple
LOL... I love the Far Side... :0)
1,165 posted on 09/06/2002 7:24:08 PM PDT by Chad Fairbanks
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To: DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet
Only 2,000? Whomever wrote THAT book is the piker ;0)
1,166 posted on 09/06/2002 7:24:59 PM PDT by Chad Fairbanks
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To: Texasforever
I'm a little confused myself. There was this vile thread where some airhead named "grlfrnd" was absolutely obsessed with a FR "Gang of Four". It was comical. FR fitness guru tpaine, however, identified you, Roscoe and Cultural Jihad as a "gang of three" earlier in this thread. So, there may be two gangs ... or the gang is dynamic. But I do know this - I'm thinking Mao, Deng Xioaping and Chou en lai .. that's the era we harken back to with this kind of labeling. "Gang of Four" LOL!

What dipsticks.

1,167 posted on 09/06/2002 7:25:09 PM PDT by ArneFufkin
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To: DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet
A piker I can be
A piker I can be
Hi Ho the dairy-O
A piker I can be

S'Ok.......I should have started posting long ago. I've been here since 1999.

DOIJV..........we need mentors. Do we choose? Or do we wait to be selected? :-)
1,168 posted on 09/06/2002 7:25:50 PM PDT by justshe
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To: Texasforever
I would hope so and I would ask them to do so.
1,169 posted on 09/06/2002 7:25:53 PM PDT by BADJOE
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To: tomkat
I read a lot, I'm not Arthur. hahahaha
1,170 posted on 09/06/2002 7:25:57 PM PDT by Indy Pendance
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To: BADJOE
Jim owns the site, not you, not "100's of longtime Freeper donors who have pulled their monthlies". Apparently one of the Libertarian principles says that people can force their opinion of what is good for another onto another, eh?
1,171 posted on 09/06/2002 7:26:00 PM PDT by Cultural Jihad
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To: BADJOE
Name them.
1,172 posted on 09/06/2002 7:26:20 PM PDT by ArneFufkin
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To: BADJOE
Cheese and moose...I still don't get it and don't care to.

foreverfree

1,173 posted on 09/06/2002 7:27:42 PM PDT by foreverfree
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To: BADJOE
Very bad according to who? You? The ones who have been 'victimized'? Isn't it inevitable that any moderator is going to catch hell for, well, doing their job?

This is what I don't understand, BJ. You make a post a few weeks ago that leads to an amiable conclusion between you and JimRob. Now, because JimRob hasn't released mods from duty- even with the 'new' rules, you are PO'd again?

I have a very simple question... who's forum is this? And is JimRob supposed to make everyone else miserable just to make you happy?

Perhaps it’s the drugs, but I am very confused as to why you would remain part of something that you obviously have very deep differences with. Is it to continue to foster discontent in hopes that FR will become what YOU see fit, or is it to continue to encourage division in the hopes that you will be the next martyr?

1,174 posted on 09/06/2002 7:27:48 PM PDT by rintense
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To: BADJOE
How many total monthly donors does FR have right now, Joe? You claim 100s have withdrawn. That's a pretty big bite. I remember the lists of monthly donors that were always published during the Fund drives, and there didn't seem like many hundreds or thousands. Could you elaborate on that as long you are throwing around inside info so cavalierly?
1,175 posted on 09/06/2002 7:29:24 PM PDT by ArneFufkin
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To: rintense
Did you miss THIS post?

It is tough to understand why anyone would shoot their funding in the foot unless alternative funding was in place.

Has FR been bought by the GOP behind the scenes? Are the two gung ho GOP moderators the go between to oversee and direct FR to be the power internet arm of GOP politcos?

Is there any other explanation?

1 posted on 9/6/02 11:17 AM Eastern by BADJOE

Imagine insinuating that about Jim Robinson!

1,176 posted on 09/06/2002 7:30:15 PM PDT by Howlin
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To: BADJOE
It is about two very bad moderators that Jim refuses to remove.

Have you tried holding your breath until you turn blue?

1,177 posted on 09/06/2002 7:31:02 PM PDT by Interesting Times
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To: Texasforever; BADJOE
If Jim relents and "fires" the two moderators will those longtime freepers return with their money?

Tex .. I doubt it very much

Badjoe I thought that matter was settled

1,178 posted on 09/06/2002 7:31:43 PM PDT by Mo1
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To: ArneFufkin
I think I'm on that a$$wipe list too :-)
1,179 posted on 09/06/2002 7:31:47 PM PDT by MJY1288
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To: ArneFufkin
How many monthly donors FR has should be between Jim and whoever is now going to take over the credit card donations. It couldn't happen fast enough to suite me.

And isn't the point that BJ is using "inside information" to give the impression that HE is making demands on Jim?

Tell me the last time you saw a BUSH BOT post something like this crap we've seen for the last few weeks?

1,180 posted on 09/06/2002 7:32:52 PM PDT by Howlin
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