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Free Republic mentioned in "Chronicles" magazine article.
Chronicles, A Magazine of American Culture ^ | Dec 1, 2002 | Sean Scallon

Posted on 11/21/2002 12:16:16 AM PST by Marine Inspector

PALEOCONSERVATIVES often refer to "the limits of permissible dissent" in describing the struggle to hold on to their views in the realms of the media and academia against the censure of both the left and the "mainstream" right. Now, this struggle has been extended into the realm of the internet, the supposed last frontier of unregulated speech and capitalism. Indeed, we may be witnesses, as Frederick Jackson Turner would say, to the closing of this frontier, not just because of the collapse of the dot-com economy but because of the new limits imposed on speech and content, which will only become more pronounced as the War on Terrorism progresses.

In 1996, Fresno, California, resident and internet surfer Jim Robinson had a problem: His posts on Prodigy message hoards and chat rooms, particularly his strong criticisms of President Bill Clinton, were being censored by Prodigy's administrators. So he started his own web site—Free Republic (www.freerepublic.com).

Free Republic was more than just an ordinary message board in the early settlement of the internet. Surfers could post whole articles from publications and make them topics of discussion and debate. And it was more than just another chat room. Free Republic’s likeminded members could be connected from across the country to organize activist projects and events. ln 1998, when many Republicans wanted to ignore Kenneth Starr’s report on the Clinton scandals rather than deal with its charges, Free Republic members (or "Freepers," as they call themselves) lit up the congressional phones and organized demonstrations that influenced Republicans in the House to vote for articles of impeachment. And it was the Freepers, not the GOP, who organized the demonstrations of conservatives down in Florida during the 2000 presidential vote recount.

Over 60,000 people have been registered members of Free Republic, the largest conservative-oriented website in the world. Members are a diverse lot: independents, Republicans, libertarians, (large "L" and small), neocons, paleocons, Buchanan Brigaders, Keyes supporters and everything in between. Even such prominent pundits as Justin Raimondo, Ann Coulter, Barbara Olson, and Lucianne Goldberg (known by her Freeper handle, "Trixie") have made frequent posts.

As in any frontier boomtown, however, with rapid growth came predictable problems. Some of the articles posted on the site came from racist or antisemitic web sites. Conspiracy theorists also made use of Free Republic. Leftists began to infiltrate the site, posting articles or posing as conservatives to act as agents provocateurs. "Vanity posts" became more frequent, and flame wars among members became more intense, as the site split into factions during the 2000 presidential election. Overall, civility degenerated. Some members became concerned that Free Republic had become a virtual hangout for kooks. Matters came to a head in early 2000 when Robinson (or "JimRob") speculated on George W. Bush’s connection to the airport in Mena, Arkansas where drug and gun-running allegedly took place during the 1980’s. Matt Drudge then dropped Free Republic’s link from the Drudge Report, and Goldberg took 2.000 members with her to start her own Lucianne.com.

Robinson decided to clean up his website and, like any good sheriff, deputized a posse of site moderators to remove offensive posts, threads, and articles and to ban those who posted them. But they did not stop there. Soon, they had banned the posting of any articles from certain websites that they deemed taboo, such as VDare.com ("too divisive"), LewRockwell.com, DixieNet.org (the League of the South’s website) , and the Free State Project’s website (www.FreeStateProject.org)

It would be easy to conclude that Robinson and his monitors simply went overboard in an effort to clean up the excesses of Free Republic, but there is more to it than that.

Because of its significant growth, Free Republic costs $240,000 annually to maintain. As a non-profit, Free Republic depends on donors, large and small, for its survival. No doubt the embarrassment of being dropped from the Drudge Report and Goldberg’s public break with the site concerned Robinson, and lie feared that funds might dry up if his site were perceived to he on the fringe. In addition, the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times sued Free Republic for copyright infringement. The case was settled out of court. It was only natural for Robinson and his site administrators to want to look good for prospective donors.

With so many posters banned, the diversitv of thought on Free Republic has been reduced to the musings of neoconservatives, Zionists, Republicans who act is if Free Republic were an annex of GOP headquarters, those who consider George W. Bush a demigod and offer daily prayers to him, and other sycophants and cheerleaders, Robinson has made it clear where he stands: "I see that the only Party capable of blocking arid defeating the evil Democrats is the Republican Party. I see that many races are so close hat as little as a one percent siphon of conservative votes to a third party could be the difference between success and failure. I see allowing a Democrat to remain in power when it could have been prevented as a triumph of evil."

Many banned Freepers have turned to such sites as Liberty Post (www.libertypost.org) and Liberty Forum (www.libertyforum.org) where members can post articles from anywhere and comment without interference from the thought police or fear of Siberian banishment. But Free Republic will still remain the 800-pound gorilla of conservative websites for some time, just as National Review has been for conservative magazines, despite being watered down. Frontiers, whether on land or in cyberspace, cannot survive when developers start plotting out the fencerows.

—Sean Scallon


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To: Roscoe
I guess globalists are just figments of that guys imagination.
41 posted on 11/21/2002 1:05:57 AM PST by Texas_Jarhead
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To: Texasforever
You know why I posted it.

To stir up the nest and liven this place up.

Also to prove a point, which I did.

42 posted on 11/21/2002 1:07:32 AM PST by Marine Inspector
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To: Sabertooth
Look, just say that you don't, as usual, agree with what I've posted and be done with it. LOL
43 posted on 11/21/2002 1:08:10 AM PST by nopardons
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To: TLBSHOW
No, Republican landslide in '04! We're gonna pull out all the stops and retire the RATs from the political landscape!
44 posted on 11/21/2002 1:09:01 AM PST by Jim Robinson
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To: Texasforever; Marine Inspector
I thought you left?

I thought so too .. had to take a double look at the date .. LOL

45 posted on 11/21/2002 1:09:09 AM PST by Mo1
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To: Roscoe
Accurate? Like his claim that Free State Project articles are banned?

And you know for a fact the Free State Project articles were never at one time banned?

When I got here, VDare articles were allowed, but not anymore.

The rules change like the wind around here.

46 posted on 11/21/2002 1:10:00 AM PST by Marine Inspector
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To: Jim Robinson
Thanks for leaving this thread up, Jim. I love the 'give and take' and your enthusiasm. I also like being associated with an 800-pound gorilla.
47 posted on 11/21/2002 1:10:18 AM PST by leadpenny
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To: Marine Inspector
I guess arator is mighty proud of you.

You will get the anti-freeper whiner weeper award of the week. Well if someone will take it over for me. LOL
48 posted on 11/21/2002 1:12:43 AM PST by TLBSHOW
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To: Marine Inspector
How do YOU have a copy of this so called article, outside of the magazine ? Someone asked if it was written by a friend of your's and you demurred. It isn't on line, you claim you have a " hard copy " oustide of the magazine; yet, you didn't write write it / don't know the person who did ? Are you an editor on Chronicles ?

Honest ? You don't appear to be all THAT honest, when talking about this POS.

49 posted on 11/21/2002 1:12:46 AM PST by nopardons
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To: Roscoe
Like his claim that Free State Project articles are banned?

LOL ... I've heard of that plan before .. just did know it was Free State Project

Wow .. look at all the things I learn here at FR

50 posted on 11/21/2002 1:14:21 AM PST by Mo1
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To: Jim Robinson
No, Republican landslide in '04! We're gonna pull out all the stops and retire the RATs from the political landscape!


and send em to stone age! and FReeped but GOOD!
51 posted on 11/21/2002 1:14:53 AM PST by TLBSHOW
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To: Marine Inspector
To stir up the nest and liven this place up.

I hope you are better at nabbing illegal aliens than "stirring up the nest". As to “proving” your point a point has to be made first. All you have done is use someone else’s words as flame bait. BTW, why did you not answer my points concerning the threads running as we speak? Now go back LP and talk about FreeRepublic.

52 posted on 11/21/2002 1:15:09 AM PST by Texasforever
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To: Mo1
just did know it was Free State Project = just didN'T know it was Free State Project

Now if I can only learn to type ..geez
53 posted on 11/21/2002 1:15:12 AM PST by Mo1
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To: TLBSHOW
Sean's latest:

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=6130421&BRD=1263&PAG=461&dept_id=159940&rfi=6
54 posted on 11/21/2002 1:15:13 AM PST by Roscoe
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To: nopardons
Have you ever heard of a copy machine and a fax machine.

I and many other people in the world have both.

Do you need me to explain how they work?
55 posted on 11/21/2002 1:15:42 AM PST by Marine Inspector
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To: Marine Inspector
The rules change like the wind around here.

No, your story is changing like the wind.

56 posted on 11/21/2002 1:16:24 AM PST by Roscoe
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To: nopardons
Its on line and fresh from the guys computer over at Liberty Post. It took him awhile to dig it up I hear!
57 posted on 11/21/2002 1:16:57 AM PST by TLBSHOW
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To: Marine Inspector
that is a tall tale!
58 posted on 11/21/2002 1:17:38 AM PST by TLBSHOW
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To: Marine Inspector
Have you ever heard of a copy machine and a fax machine.

Have you ever heard of a cover story?

59 posted on 11/21/2002 1:18:02 AM PST by Roscoe
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To: Marine Inspector
You " proved " a point alright ... why you evidently got banned.

If FR is so terrible, that you just have to post a thread like this one, then why don't you just stay off it ? The " article " is full of lies and you have been far less than " honest " , in posting it. As far as I can tell, from your own word : " You know why I posted it. To stir up the nest and liven this place up. " , you have shown that all you are is a disruptor.

60 posted on 11/21/2002 1:18:53 AM PST by nopardons
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