Not so ‘Free Republic’: The Shot Heard Around the Net

The Conservative Voice ^ | Feb 11, 2005 | by William Gheen, President, Americans for Legal Immigration PAC

[Jim Robinson]

The shot heard around the Internet has been fired on FreeRepublic.com The owner Jim Robinson and his moderators have launched a sniper style purge against members that disagree with the President’s ‘guest worker’ amnesty or support more control of illegal immigration. Free Republic is an amazing tool for those looking for a good debate and news from around the country.

The problem for the administration of the site is that their creation is allowing the participants to learn that the Bush immigration record and plans are shockingly out of line with the views of most conservatives. The management’s answer to this conflict between the majority of conservatives and the influence of the White House on their Web site has become electronic executions and censorship.

Members and readers of Free Republic would be surprised to know that many members of their community have fallen silent on the discussions about illegal immigration lately because free speech is an illusion on FR.com. They are silent because they have been banned from the Web site without warning, cause, or explanation in most cases. For weeks the moderators have been suspending and banning new members that chimed in quickly on the immigration debates.

Now this trend has broadened as the first groups of long-term users were suspended or banned this past week. Although Robinson and his staff removed many members of the Free Republic community in the first few days of the purge, those that religiously support President Bush’s immigration plan, open borders and approve of public benefits for illegal aliens remain on the forum. Those that were banned were the members that wanted more done to control illegal immigration and a strict observance to the President’s Oath of Office.

[NTegraT]

I oppose anything that is illegal. I also support heavy documentation for foreigners working and visiting in my country. If borders are open, then they're not borders at all. There, I've said it.

I feel very FREE to express my viewpoint on a respectful, privately owned website. Thank you, Jim. You are the best!

[Once-Ler]

Can you point to specific statements?

Tancredo's ties to Team America PAC, and his insistence on equating illegals with terrorist are good enough for me.

[FITZ]

All I'm doing is pointing out that the real force behind this massive movement of people is terrible corruption and injustice for them in their own country. We don't need unlimited cheap poorly educated suffering workers (and the non-workers coming in with them). We cannot indefinitely keep Mexico propped up because it doesn't choose to change. It's time for them to get a society that can promote a middle class, to develop the wealth and resourses of that big very blessed country.

[johnwayne]

"In any case, he was living dangerously."

Maybe you are correct.

However, don't you agree that a list of journalist who's articles are banned from this site should be listed somewhere? This would make it on easier on moderators because they wouldn't have to deal with such posts, or at least with less of them.

Remember, when someone makes the effort to post an article of interest, they often include a few followup paragraphs of their own thoughts about what was said. No one likes the effort they put into something to be summarily erased without a known reason.

[Once-Ler]

Do you see a solution to the illegal alien invasion, or do you not even see it as a problem?

I see it as a problem as do most people including Dubya. I favor increasing the border patrol and cracking down on businesses that hire illegals after an increase in legal immigration to eliminate the demand for illegal workers. If the demand for workers is reduced then there will be less incentive for illegal workers to cross the border. I believe the guest worker program could be successful in identifying a large number of illegals without having to hunt them down.

[Mr. Buzzcut]

I actually find the internecine discussions here to be quite spirited and open ... I'm certainly more inclined to entertain opposing arguments offered by other conservatives than I am to those of whacked out Moonbats.

At the very least, I am certain the conservative with a viewpoint that opposes mine has the best interests of America at heart. Can't say that I believe that the "loyal" opposition does.

[TheSpottedOwl]

Hi Jim,

Thank you for posting a reply to this article. Unfortunately there are a small number of people here who do seem to favor open borders. That small number inflicts 90% of the chaos and name calling on these threads. Newer posters are unfamiliar with "baiting tactics" employed by certain posters, and so they fire back and get banned or suspended.

Illegal immigration and border security has taken on a whole new importance since 9/11. Many of us are completely frustrated with our fellow posters who fail to see this problem in today's terms. Besides national security issues, we have Asians and Eastern Europeans, as well as Hispanics, being used as slaves...in America! That needs to come to a stop, as does the dumping of cargo containers full of human beings, and car chases where many lives are lost and endangered.

Laws are supposed to be obeyed by all of us, no matter how inane or senseless they might seem to be. Entering this country illegally is against the law, and so is hiring an illegal entrant. If I must obey the laws, then everyone else should too.


As for Stormfront, I cannot comment because I have no interest in viewing their site. However, I have been to Alipac, and I consider the site to be informative and not racist or reactionary in any way. Others might disagree, only because the site posts statistics on crime committed by illegals, articles dealing with those crimes, and the cost to the American taxpayer.

Once again, thanks for clarifying your personal position on this issue.

TSO

[dennisw]

How come you think his post is not inane?

[Osage Orange]

Sorry, I'm not very good at the PC shit.

Uh..I wouldn't have taken you for a Apple lover...

; )

FRegards,

[Luis Gonzalez]

"They will be used and exploited by employers and all for the sake of profit while Americans pay the social costs."

There was a discussion earlier this year in FR about a US/Mexico totalization agreement which would co-ordinate the Social Security plans of the two nations and pay benefits to those Mexican citizens who came here legally, worked legally, and moved back to Mexico to retire.

The article posted claimed that this program would pay billions of dollars to illegal aliens who worked in the US and returned to Mexico; the exact figure was roughly $432 billion in pay outs. The "close the borders" advocates were SCREAMING about the idea that billions of Social Security dollars would be paid to illegal aliens, and even went as far as suggesting that Bush should stand trial for treason.

Their arguments begged several questions, and gave strong indications about the dishonesty that seems to surround any discussion about immigration:

• The Social Security system is a pay to play system; if you don't pay into it, you can't collect benefits...so this was an open admission by those who normally argue that illegal aliens project a negative impact on our economy that they in fact have had a positive impact on it by paying billions into Social Security that they never expected to collect?
• Surely then, and following their argument to its logical conclusion, illegals who paid billions into Social Security (let's not forget that it was they who argued that the cost of illegal immigration was higher than it's benefits to the economy) MUST have also paid trillions in Income Taxes that they were never able to collect.
• Either their first argument (illegal aliens pay no taxes) is wrong, or their second argument (a totalization agreement with Mexico will cost the US billions of dollars in benefits paid to illegal aliens from Mexico) is wrong.

Which is is, and why then are they lying?

[DoctorMichael]

I've been following this exchange. Can I chime in?

A few years back I would post a Rall article once in a while just to illustrate the mind-set of those we're up against. At some point in time I had one pulled and was instructed not to post these anymore, they "aren't welcome here".

I stopped posting them. They ARE odious, fetid pieces of Far-Left, Anti-American crap.

The Mods made a request, I complied. Duh!

Hopefully everyone here knows who this clown is by now.

[Cultural Jihad]

The part that galls me in our post-9-11 world are those who whine that the President's plan for separating out the lawful and productive guest workers from the nefarious and those who are up-to-no-good will result in something really, really terrible: People will be (gasp!) jumping in line ahead of visa applicants, and gosh darn it all, that is naughty and not nice to do! They think it better to prevent line-jumping than to stop al-Qa'eda terrorists and other violent criminals, but then their skewed values are one reason no one ever plays 'Hail to the Chief' when they enter a room.

[Osage Orange]

I didn't know there were swamps in Missouri.

Just in Columbia..........

[bayourod]

I'm sorry, I must have misunderstood some of you old posts or confused you with someone else who had close ties with Mexico.

.

"We cannot indefinitely keep Mexico propped up because it doesn't choose to change."

But we don't want a guest worker program for the purpose of propping up Mexico; we want one to address our own needs and problems. At least that's what I perceive everyone's agenda to be.

We can disagree over the extent of the problem and the correct solution, but it won't accomplish anything as long as your interest is in reforming Mexico and ours is solving Americas' problems.

[Once-Ler]

"It doesn't have to be a monsterous fence! 2 12' chain link fences 100 feet apart should do the trick, with signs in both english and spanish.

A shorter fence will make it easier for stupid children to climb over. Good one. You ever own a dog and watch it dig under a fence? Didn't think so.

Property values on the border are already horrible because of the crime and streams of illegals. You'd think that ending it with a chain link fence could only improve them.

I disagree that land mines will increase the property value. If I'm buying a house and in the distance I hear an explosion just before I'm are pelted with entails, I'm going to look for a different house.

Like I said...common sense really covered it already. The whole idea of locking ourselves in a prison has little appeal to me.

[Luis Gonzalez]

FITZ...if you want to reform the Mexican government, move to Mexico.

I want to deal with the immigration, labor, and economic issues in the US.

[Luis Gonzalez]

LOL!!!

[Once-Ler]

I asked you first...Can't you express why you think a post is inane? Is that too hard for you?

[UCANSEE2]

Haven't crossed paths lately.

May it happen more often.

[FITZ]

that it was they who argued that the cost of illegal immigration was higher than it's benefits to the economy) MUST have also paid trillions in Income Taxes that they were never able to collect.

If they paid trillions or even thousands into income taxes it was because they committed felony decument fraud crimes to obtain the good jobs that Americans are glad to do. The guy raking leaves for $50 a week or the lady cleaning a house and acting as full-time baby sitter for $80 a week, getting paid in cash under the table are not turning around and finding ways to pay income taxes on it. When you commit a felony crime to get your money, you are not entitled to anything.