Yep, I see it now. Had to clear my browser cache, restart the browser, change the bookmarks in the bookmark library, restart the browser, and THEN add the 'S' on the main forum page. At that point all the links on that page became HTTPS.
Prior to that, although the address bar URL was HTTPS, all the A HREF links on the page were still HTTP. Must have been a browser cache issue of some sort; can't think of any other explanation for the symptom. Anyway, better now. :-)
Thanks again.
However, my FreeRepublic GreaseMonkey script tool for posting comments stopped working. Seems the default "Script Settings" only included the HTTP addresses. So in Tools -> AddOns -> User Scripts -> FR Posting Form Enhancer -> Preferences -> User Settings, I added the HTTPS equivalents of the URLs listed in the "Script Settings" tab. Et Voila! Eet ees working again!