Posted on 11/21/2002 12:16:16 AM PST by Marine Inspector
Nope, its not me. I've never heard of him. I've heard of the Rockford Institute, but I'm not familiar with their magazine.
What makes this a "trash story"? It has a lot of positive things to say about FR. Sure, it offers some criticisms, too. But no one is above criticism, and there is always room for improvement no matter what the endeavor.
There is no such thing as bad publicity.
How coy.
"...where members can post articles from anywhere and comment without interference from the thought police or fear of Siberian banishment."
Why don't you wait to whine about posts being deleted until it is done and not anticipate such?
I see your prediction didn't come true (except you claim for a few minutes early on).
Another chance to cry "censorship!" lost. Oh, well, better luck next time!
Ummm .. Did she work for Paul O'Neill in 1999 .. did Paul O'Neil work for the the Airports in 1999??? .. Did he work for the Government in 1999??
As for covering your butt .. umm I think is also called and investigation and gathering as much evidence as a person can to present as evidence when making a case ..
Like I said before .. I think there is more to this story then what is reported in that article
I don't know. You looking for a gig? From their website: mailto:tri@rockfordinstitute.org. Maybe you should write a response to this article and submit it to them.
In 1996, Fresno, California, resident and internet surfer Jim Robinson had a problem: His posts on Prodigy message hoards and chat rooms, particularly his strong criticisms of President Bill Clinton, were being censored by Prodigy's administrators. So he started his own web siteFree Republic (www.freerepublic.com).
Free Republic was more than just an ordinary message board in the early settlement of the internet. Surfers could post whole articles from publications and make them topics of discussion and debate. And it was more than just another chat room. Free Republics likeminded members could be connected from across the country to organize activist projects and events. ln 1998, when many Republicans wanted to ignore Kenneth Starrs report on the Clinton scandals rather than deal with its charges, Free Republic members (or "Freepers," as they call themselves) lit up the congressional phones and organized demonstrations that influenced Republicans in the House to vote for articles of impeachment. And it was the Freepers, not the GOP, who organized the demonstrations of conservatives down in Florida during the 2000 presidential vote recount.
Over 60,000 people have been registered members of Free Republic, the largest conservative-oriented website in the world. Members are a diverse lot: independents, Republicans, libertarians, (large "L" and small), neocons, paleocons, Buchanan Brigaders, Keyes supporters and everything in between. Even such prominent pundits as Justin Raimondo, Ann Coulter, Barbara Olson, and Lucianne Goldberg (known by her Freeper handle, "Trixie") have made frequent posts.
Yes, the article offers some criticisms, but on the whole I'd say its pretty favorable.
Good idea.
Criticisms? Flaming falsehoods.
Sorry, you don't get off that easily. The "blatant lie" could not be produced, so now you change it around to being ambiguous and implied. You're wrong. It's ok. You can admit it. It won't hurt.
The chronology is thus:
At reply #55 at LibertPost:
http://www.libertypost.org/cgi-bin/readarticle.cgi?101+6114#C187
Marine Inspector states he sees his FR account has been reactivated. He then receives comments from other posters who clearly assume he had been banned and reinstated. That understanding was never corrected my Marine Inspector. In fact he assures one respondent that "this" (meaning Liberty Post for those of you who can't follow trains of thought) is his home now. In fact, I just re-read some of that thread and that impression was cultivated by Marine Inspector, though he does not explicitly say he was banned. There is no way to deny that is the impression he wanted to convey.
Then you get to his reply #105 on that same thread where he says:
I just posted this on TOS.
Lets see how long it lasts. And how long I last.
Now, clearly he wanted to stir the pot over here. Fine and well, but what's with the wide-eyed "I only want to stir discussion" garbage? Plus he again implies he'll be banned, thus massaging his earlier implication that he was reinstated now after a banning.
See?
This is the crux of Sean Scallon's argument. He laments the closing of the "frontiers" of Wild West-style Internet discussions by the settlers--in other words civilization has taken root.
But he explains it away as Jim being motivated by money, not as trying to advance a political agenda.
Those whose political ideas get beaten in the arena rarely wish to acknowledge that their ideas (or themselves) are at fault. The profit motive or self-aggarandizement is always a convenient excuse to smear the victors with.
Jim's goals for Free Republic have been consistent. The author is right that FR is "the 800lb. gorilla" of conservative Internet boards and gives high praise by comparing FR to the National Review. Like NR, FR started out quite small. FR has grown into the "800lb. gorilla" it is by steadfastly pursuing its goals and maintaining standards that make the achievement of those goals possible.
Without those standards, FR would be a marginal political effort. Instead it is a respected, influential force in national politics--just ask Al Gore and his political advisor Karenna Gore Schiff.
You don't think Bush is doing a good job?
She hasn't worked since.
There's no way to 'cover your butt' in U.S. Customs or TSA. Congress has removed protection for 'whistle-blowers'in those agencies.
You blow the whistle and you're out of a job. What's worse is members of the public you were trying to protect will keep saying, "There's more to this story than meets the eye." Just as if you really were guilty of something you should have been fired for.
The U.S. Customs Dept. made an example of this woman and your response is she probably did something to deserve it.
When you get an opportunity to blow the whistle someday, let us know how it turns out.
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