[Dales]

You won't have to wait too much longer. As a matter of fact, I can fill you in on most of it. You see, I am at the core of much of it.

Shortly after 9/11, I got a freepmail from some account called "Lead Moderator". The mail asked if I would be willing to help the forum out as a volunteer. The mail said that if I agreed, he would reveal himself to me and I would laugh because it was someone I had a friendship with.

I agreed. And it was someone I had a friendship with; someone I had exchanged mails with several times over activism issues. He asked me to join the moderating crew.

And so it began.

Lead Moderator (LM from now on) set the lead, along with Jim. There were several others. I was the newbie, and was given the "Sidebar Moderator" designation.

After several months, Jim and LM promoted me to Admin Moderator (there are several Admin Moderators).

I have seen some posts by Joe, where he says that LM never wanted me to be a moderator, that he objected to it from the start. That does not jibe with what I saw, including several times where LM went out of his way to not only back me up on some decisions, but go much further. It does not jibe with the many discussions LM and I had, both before and after I became a moderator. But Joe says LM told him it, so I guess it comes down to if you believe Joe at what he claims or not, since LM is not around any longer.

Through some circumstances, Jim invited Joe to be able to view the moderators' discussion boards (we call them the AR boards for "abuse reports" boards).

Joe became quite upset one day when I pulled an article from a website called "Strike-the-root.com", a website for anarchism. We argued over if anarchism was leftist or not, with Joe taking the position that the founding fathers were anarchists.

Jim decided that he didn't want anarchism to be promoted on Free Republic.

Joe then decided that he was going to try to force changes. He revealed my onscreen name, as well as one other moderator's name. He told Jim he wanted us gone, or else. He made lots of threats. He continues to make lots of threats.

He also said several things which turned out to not be quite true. He told Jim that other current moderators had mailed him saying they agreed with him. All of the other current moderators denied doing so. Joe has subsequently said that unless they back him up, Joe will reveal their Freeper identities. Now his threat is unless I was removed, and one other moderator removed, and the stuff you see posted every day on Liberty Post but not here (tax evasion schemes, tin foil conspiracy theories, anarchist propaganda) be allowed here, that he would use what prestige he had here to try and destroy the site.

Jim has his opinions of Joe, which he has shared. Everyone else will have to make up their minds as to what to believe. Myself, I used to think like most of those who are expressing a certain amount of admiration for Joe. I now have seen him to be deceptive, to have reprehensible poltical views, and to be someone who actively seeks to do me harm.

When the ordeal went down, I told Jim that I was going to step down. He asked me not to. I went back and forth with it for quite some time. Eventually I decided to kiss my Dales name goodbye.

So here I am. One of the fabled Texas Chainsaw Moderators, which always struck me as a laughable bit of demogoguery, since I tend to be hands-off. I can't remember the last time Jim had to overturn one of my decisions, other than to pull something I left up.

Maybe this website should be used for the promotion of anarchism. I don't know. If so, it wouldn't be a site I would be comfortable being a part of. But the important thing, Jim said he didn't want it to be that, and I acted in concert with those wishes.

Thanks, AM

[jjbrouwer]

I've only glanced at Strike the Root once or twice. What exactly is "anarchistic" about it? It just looked like a run of the mill Libertarian/ Conservative website to me.

[NittanyLion]

I've been wondering what happened to Dales. I always respected you and a few other posters (sadly, a most of those no longer post here) when I first discovered this site.

[Neets]

Hi Dales!!

I have known you for a very long time and consider you to be a man of your word, a loyal and trusted friend and quite honest with people even when that honesty could hurt.

I think I have no other option than to take your word on how things happened.

I am glad and honored to call you my favorite freeper friend.

Neets.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

Here you go.

Good egg? Or someone who wanted to take over FR from Jim, and continues do so?

I think the owners at LP would be watching their backs with the likes of BadJoe around. Then again, they seem to all have allot in common over there.

Dales, thanks for the post. I think more developed as time went on due to BJ's bitterness. He would have done well to let it drop; it wasn't worth it

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

Thank you, Dales.

[eddie willers]

Hi Dales!

So good to see you back.

[Willie Green]

with Joe taking the position that the founding fathers were anarchists.
Jim decided that he didn't want anarchism to be promoted on Free Republic.

Hi Dales!!!

Give JimRob an A+ for common sense: The Founders were revolutionaries, not anarchists.
Anarchists don't write constitutions to form legitimate and stable governments.

[Howlin]

that he would use what prestige he had here to try and destroy the site.

Well, that was worked well for him, didn't it?

For the record, I believe every word you say, because I know you and your credibility.

I'm proud to stand with you.

And you are greatly missed at this site.

[Willie Green]

So here I am. One of the fabled Texas Chainsaw Moderators, which always struck me as a laughable bit of demogoguery

That was you?

Oooo.. Oooo... I bet I know who the other one is!

I bet it's that Hugh Akston. I haven't seen him post for a while either!

[Nita Nupress]

DALES! You were one of my ol'timer buddies around here! I always wondered what ever happened to you.

Nice to see you again! I'm hardly ever here anymore so I'm glad I saw your post. Take care!

[ladyinred]

Thanks for sharing your story, that was certainly enlightening to say the least. Anarchists are the LAST thing I would ever want to see promoted on FR, nor do I think most of us would. One has only to go to one of their websites, which unfortunately lately, I have had to, but that's another story, to see that they are the very thing this site stands against.

The fact that Jim says such nice things about Joe in spite of all of this is the evidence of his good character which those of us who know him are fully aware of.

[nopardons]

I believe you.

Anarchism and tinfoil don't belong here and Jim has repeatedly said so; nothing at all new in his positions re that.

[MonroeDNA]

Wow.

[Ben Bolt]

Interesting story and thanks for sharing it Dales .

[blackie]

an·ar·chism ( P ) Pronunciation Key (nr-kzm)
n.
(1)The theory or doctrine that all forms of government are oppressive and undesirable and should be abolished.
(2)Active resistance and terrorism against the state, as used by some anarchists.
(3)Rejection of all forms of coercive control and authority: “He was inclined to anarchism; he hated system and organization and uniformity” (Bertrand Russell).