Believe that.
Posted on 02/11/2005 10:55:36 AM PST by 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.
Believe that.
Is Rebel Base trying to befriend you or is he trying to draw you out into the field of fire? A friend wouldn't ask you to reveal a previous identity (if you had one) in such an overt manner.
Disguises are falling all over.
You OBLs/secret Democrats posting here are all on notice and will be put on report upon identification. Fall upon your swords now and save your families the onus of your shame (figuratively speaking).
JimRob has had a policy since Day One that no racism is allowed at FR. I am vehmently opposed to illegal immigration and think Bush is crazy on many levels for pursuing his immigration agenda. However, having said that, I have followed the debate closely enough to realize that some individuals who are against illegal immigration are doing so for racial reasons as much as for legal or economic reasons - and those individuals, when they state such an opinion, have been show the door for some time, along with those who keep posting material from sites deemed unsuitable for FR under the same guidelines. And for every responsible border group like American Patrol, there are over-the-top nutbars like Ranch Rescue who discredit the anti-illegal movement.
I still see a very robust debate on FR over immigration - but it will stay within the boundaries that have always been here. It's a big, bad, internet out there, and those who find JimRob's rules too restrictive are free to go and set up their own websites with their own rules and say whatever viewpoint they want. But for some reason they demand the right to post those views here - could it be because of the forum's visibility? Of course, one reason the forum is successful is because of JimRob's rules, not despite them - but I don't expect the critics to ever acknowledge that.
See this from earlier in this thread.
You said: "The rest of you, seemingly unable to think clearly and approach the issue without engaging your emotions, just want to cast aspersions on those of us who wish to do something other than post idiocies about mining borders and shooting "invaders"."
But, no, this is not the post to which I was referring when I said what you quoted. Apparently I misattributed something somebody else said to you. This was not intentional.
This failure due to political cowardice and calculation, greed and sheer stupidity can one day pose a military threat via "fourth generation warfare" to this nation. The Mexican government through its meddling in our internal affairs is promoting a nonmilitary invasion with the people they wish to dump. The "Reconquest" types are over here in the form of MEChA and the brown supremacists of "La Raza". I have seen the third world- over there and increasingly over here. This is not Brazil. Deport them all, secure the border with the U.S. Armed Forces and try all employers who willfully hire these criminals under the R.I.C.O. Act.
That will not work. The U.S. military falls up under the President. When he/she/it is a Democrat, the military is moved off the border.
Just that simple.
Technology and a vast beefing up of the BP is what is needed for border enforcement. What you said about going after businesses who hire illegals is spot on, however.
I'm listening to the morning conservative guy here in Sacramento. Does he support the MoveAmericaForward demonstration tonight at those "free speech" advocates' house where they had an effigy of a U.S. soldier hanging by the neck? No.
It's a promotion for that mob (his word) and an unnamed talk show competitor in town, he says.
There's more time condemning the unnamed talk show competitor's "promotion" than condemning the outrage against the U.S.
Any vigil should be by the neighbors not a mob of outsiders, he says. I guess that means: you out there is America! Don't look, move along. This is none of your business.
It did not start out this way days ago when the outrage first appeared at the little house on Marty Way. Nor was there this kind of "self" in the beginnings of our ILLEGAL immigration discussions.
What if this FR hubbub, like some conservative talk shows, has simply become all about egos, in other words?
The morning guy has done mostly a great job since coming from Ohio though he says that opponents of the President's guest worker plan (again, that other talk show host) are knuckle dragging, pot and pan bangers, and worse -- Ohio, where ILLEGAL immigration is those "hillbilly, clod hopping briars" from Kentucky. This ego / commercial thing is boooooooooring.
I've never heard the guy say "hillbilly, clod hopping briars" but he does a great hillbilly voice demanding that those illegal immigrants be put into trucks and dumped over the border. We be the knuckle-dragging hillbillies.
That's not anything close to my saying anything about the Minuteman Project, rednecks, or anything that you attributed to me.
Ping me when you talk about me.
You guys attribute thing to me that I've never said, then you go condemning me for them...that's outright despicable.
BTW...are you claiming that comments about shooting border crossers have not been made in FR by your side?
"BTW...are you claiming that comments about shooting border crossers have not been made in FR by your side?"
I've said it. I consider any illegal alien crossing the borders (either North or South) to be a potential terrorist or terrorist aide.
I've also suggested mining the border and building a giant fence (both North and South).
IOW: "If the 'Rats won't enforce our laws, why should we?"
Hmmm... where have I heard that before?
Oh, I know... "If the 'Rats won't balance the budget, why should we?"
Pretty lame excuse, IMHO.
If by "my side" you mean those concerned about border security and the problems with illegal immigration, then I assume that you are on the "other side" and you're NOT concerned about border security and the problems caused by illegal immigration.
No, I don't agree with the triple-S crowd as you have implied.
BTW...are you claiming that comments about shooting border crossers have not been made in FR by your side?
I don't suppose you see any irony in what you've said here, Luis?
...lolol.
Oh! - what a tangled web a De-constructionist weaves...
I find it appalling that 'sides' are drawn up - when the Constitution has already mandated to our elected officials HOW they are to behave regarding the defense of our sovereign borders.
Phony, anti-Constitutionals running around masquerading as Conservatives...that's no way to go through life.
...still laughing...
"IOW" my butt. Don't intentionally misstate what I said and use your own version of what I said to attack me. My post was expressed with crystal clear English. If you can't understand that, that's your fault.
Sickening isn't it? It's all there in black and white (so to speak) and yet they think it should be ignored.
I know the people in both groups that you mention. While American Patrol is the most responsible of the private groups active on the border, they're certainly not perfect and they do have a few skeletons in their closet. And Ranch Rescue is pretty bad, but not as bad as they've been made out to be in the media. I tend to agree with what you're saying, there are a few nutbars out there who can discredit the immigration reform and border security movement. But there are whackos that glom onto just about every movement which could make it look bad. The whole debate here was because a couple of whackos mention the Minuteman Project on a racist website, suddenly Jim is prohibiting any mention of the Minuteman Project and banning people who have anything to do with it or are angered by his prohibition. Of course it is Jim's forum but that sure didn't seem fair.
...If you can keep it...
Well, I'll do some research into this from home, don't want to stumble into the wrong site now. If you have any links that would help, please freepmail them to me.
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