System challenge or attack?
In my estimation, the prolonged downtime was almost certainly the result of a malicious, planned attack. The infrastructure of FreeRepublic is in San Jose, an area populated by extreme liberals and atheists. Although leftists lack true wisdom (which derives only from God), they're not necessarily stupid when it comes to technology. The left fears FR, especially in an election year, and will take extreme measures to silence of Constitutional Conservatism. My personal preference would be that the server farm be relocated to a region less gripped by liberals with easy access to the computing infrastructure.
I think Texas would be proud to host FreeRepublic and our state would impose a less burdensome regulatory environment. For all of his warts, Glenn Beck sized up the situation and found that the Lone Star state was the place to be. Similarly, Rush Limbaugh found it prudent to leave liberal New York.