[mountaineer]

There is an ominous cloud hanging over the First Amendment at the "Free" Republic.

Off to remedial civics class with you - the First Amendment doesn't apply to a private entity like FR.

[Clinton Is Scum]

If the government ever tried to force Jim to repeal his ban on VDare postings, I would be the first to object. Like I said above, Jim has the right to censor whatever he wishes. But I always felt that the spririt of the First Amendment--i.e., a commitment to freedom of speech--was a core tenet here. That spirit is one of the things that prompted Jim to start the site in the first place. It is what drew me to Free Republic four years ago.

I fear that spirit is no longer here. Commitment to some kind of "party line" has apparently come to be valued more highly than open debate, as in Cuba, China, and North Korea.