Poohbah's Opus

Vanity of vanities, all is vanity, sayeth Qohotoleth... | 01 April 2005 | Poohbah

[Poohbah]

First, this is NOT an April Fool's joke.

I am leaving Free Republic.

Over the past two years, civility and thoughtful discourse has vanished from this site, replaced with demands for ideological conformity that are straight out of Stalinist Russia or China's Great Cultural Revolution, and unrelenting uncivility if said conformance is not forthcoming. This trend began with the California recall election, where certain posters were allowed to flame the living beejezus out of those who didn't wholeheartedly support Tom McClintock, or thought that he wasn't running a campaign capable of winning. It extended into the Keyes campaign last year, where any critique of Keyes' campaign strategy was shrilly flamed, despite the obviously flawed execution of his campaign.

(Aside: one person who flamed me during the Keyes mess later said that he hadn't intended to start a fight with his remarks that accused me of homosexuality, pedophilia, and other evils; I was instantly reminded of the time I had to bail one of my Marines out of the local lockup. "Honest, Sarge," this Marine told me, "I didn't mean to start a fight when I called that Army Ranger a faggot." My response was not [and still isn't] suitable for public consumption.)

Since then, the Terri Schiavo case has pushed FR over the edge. We had posts calling for people to ensure that "accidents" to befall Schiavo and Judge Greer. We had posts praying that Iran would soon develop nuclear weapons, so that they could destroy the United States. And until the FBI started making arrests, those posts were allowed to stay up, completely abnegating Free Republic's standards.

We had people on both sides of the issue point out that the Schindlers were associating with some people of extremely low character, and that our uncritical embrace of these parties would not rebound to our favor. Rather reasonable attitudes to take, actually; but the loudest of the loud were in no mood to think.

My personal favorite was the following exchange:

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To: Old Professer

Is being a christian identity sympathizer, a white supremicist, a neo-nazi, a racist or an anti-semite illegal activities in themselves?

The issue is not legality, but public opinion. Which will not be helped in this case if the pro-Terry side becomes associated in the media with Christian Identity, white supremicists, neo-nazis, racists and/or anti-semites.

212 posted on 03/17/2005 11:05:13 AM PST by malakhi

[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 211 | View Replies | Report Abuse ]

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To: malakhi

There is absolutely nothing wrong with Terri's fight being associated with Christianity. That is unless someone is a radical leftist.

229 posted on 03/17/2005 12:02:29 PM PST by Diva Betsy Ross

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Diva Betsy Ross made a valiant attempt to...ahem...whitewash Christian Identity, but it didn't work.

To top things off, we had people embracing as some sort of conservative icon, to the extent of posting a fundraising link.

I always thought that conservatism valued thinking over feeling, careful contemplation of facts over wild-eyed repetition of every damn rumor to come down the pipe, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. For a while, Free Republic met those criteria in spades.

Those days are long gone, and I have serious doubt as to whether or not they're coming back.

I know that many of the usual suspects will cheer this on, as their longtime nemesis is leaving them the field.

Be careful what you wish for; you are in the process of getting it. You may succeed in driving the folks who disagree with you from the site; but you will end up being just another collection of shrill voices in Bedlam. When everything is an over-the-top scream, no one will be heard.

Farewell.

[malakhi]

Is being a christian identity sympathizer, a white supremicist, a neo-nazi, a racist or an anti-semite illegal activities in themselves?

[Diva Betsy Ross]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with Terri's fight being associated with Christianity. That is unless someone is a radical leftist.

[thoughtomator]

When will you guys wake up to the fact that an increasing percentage of your own posts are not contributions to discussions, but potshots at other posters?

A review of packrat35's posts shows that rather than slinging mud, he's contributing to discussions.

[Arthur McGowan]

Well, that's true. But I don't see what it has to do with pinging.

[Luis Gonzalez]

See you in the trenches, I'm afraid I'm right on your and hutch's heels on this.

[myrabach]

Perhaps it would be opusi?

[TheRedSoxWinThePennant]

Freepmail me if you want my email address.

I thought you were leaving.

[sinkspur]

He contributed nothing to this thread but a personal attack.

Don't whine when you get back what you threw in the first place.

[savedbygrace]

Quitter.

[anniegetyourgun]

You are too kind.....

[thoughtomator]

An opus is an invitation to needle to opuser. Surely you've had enough experience with these to know that.

[Cultural Jihad]

Maybe it isn't a case of taking FR too seriously, but those who take whatever their issue is, and make serious discussion about it difficult because their considered opinion is the only one that is right (in both senses of the word). Their issue may be important, but they take their role in it much too seriously. Those people lead me to avoid whole classes of threads.

Well said. The whole fate of Western Civilization rests upon the shoulders of the single-issue True Believers, regardless of which single-issue the True Believers hold. Watch out when their humanist ideologue ethics include "the ends justifies the means."

[Allosaurs_r_us]

"We shall miss you, poohbah, and your thoughful posts. Hopefully, you will get withdrawal symptoms and return soon.      PS. Why don't you just ignore the a*holes?"

 

This says it all. I do not understand why, after running up against a brick wall with a few idiots that some FReepers take this to be the whole of FR. I stayed completely out of the Schiavo thing because of my past experiences in the hospital have tainted my opinion and I could not or would not agree with the die-hard purists.

 

What is the current membership here at FR. Doesn't anybody realize how many morons can spout their opinion in a group this large? It's the same old treatise of letting one or a few individuals spoil it for the rest of the majority. This is liberal, leftist, DemonRat behavior. It is what we are against. Why is it so difficult for some to just move away from an argument that has gone down the tubes and cannot be won or lost?

 

What ever happened to "Never Forget" or "Never Give Up" or "From My Cold Dead Hands"?

 

I am still a "Newb" by any standard of the definition, but have been around long enough to see this is starting to be a trend.

 

Don't let the few influence the many. If you do you are giving in, and turning into what you hate.. The one thing I thought we here at FR would never do. It is the reason I joined.

[griffin]

"I know that many of the usual suspects will cheer this on, as their longtime nemesis is leaving them the field."

Not sorry to see you go in the lest. I'm sure this will result in an overall improvement of the site. You're self pontification and agrandizment made me ill. Even when you were caught dead in a lie/story fabrication you still played the egotistical, know-it-all a$$hole bit to a T.

Happy to see know-it-all poohie falls. Later chump.

[Palladin]

DITTO!

[DCPatriot]

Well said. The whole fate of Western Civilization rests upon the shoulders of the single-issue True Believers, regardless of which single-issue the True Believers hold. Watch out when their humanist ideologue ethics include "the ends justifies the means."

Wish I'd said that...can I borrow it someday? ;^)

[sinkspur]

An opus is an invitation to needle to opuser.

Fine. And I'll use a scalpel on the needler.

[thoughtomator]

I'm afraid your scalpel is too blunt from overuse to break skin.

[jocon307]

"Please tell him I said so."

Thanks, I will. He'll be pleased!

[MeekOneGOP]

The morning of [Terri's] death, somebody posted the wise advice on the main thread that we all needed to get AWAY from our computers for awhile. It was good advice that too few of us took.

Sounds like good advice for some, alrighty. :)

[Dog Gone]

I'm afraid your scalpel is too blunt from overuse to break skin.

If that were true, there'd be no cries of complaint and you wouldn't be having this conversation.

[thoughtomator]

I'm just getting tired of people who post attacks on other FReepers just as often as all their other posts combined. It's wearisome.