Free Republic's Roots

Private Web Site ^ | 11/01/05 | Hopeful Patriot

[HopefulPatriot]

Free Republic's Roots

Founded in 1996 by Jim Robinson, what is FreeRepublic about?

What is our mission? Free Republic is dedicated to reversing the trend of unconstitutional government expansion and is advocating a complete restoration of our constitutional republic. Listed below are some of the issues we feel strongly about...

• Somehow, over the years, our guiding principles of law, as set forth in the Constitution, have been eroded to the point that the federal government now has total control... leaving the states impotent and the people as captive servants to the federal government. This must be reversed if we are to survive as a free Republic and a free people.
• We call for the repeal of the 17th amendment..
• We call for the repeal of the 16th amendment and to abolish the income tax and the IRS.

A return to a strictly Constitutional form of federal government will automatically repeal and abolish all unconstitutional federal involvement in states issues such as: crime, health, education, welfare and the environment...This will also require that social programs such as Social Security, welfare and Medicare be repealed. ~~ Jim Robinson, March 1999

Statement by the founder of Free Republic:

In our continuing fight for freedom, for America and our constitution and against totalitarianism, socialism, tyranny, terrorism, etc., Free Republic stands firmly on the side of right, i.e., the conservative side...We oppose all forms of liberalism, socialism... Posted on 03/22/2004 6:22:17 PM PST by Jim Robinson

Free Republic's Next Triumph

    The excerpts above were taken from existing or former webpages posted by Jim Robinson. Having been a member of FreeRepublic before the 1996 election, the mission statement once included the impeachment of Bill Clinton as one of FreeRepublic's goals, a goal the House Managers credited FreeRepublic with achieving. Now, after ten years of false starts and misfires, the second and third goals as stated in FreeRepublic's Mission Statement above, ²reversing the trend of unconstitutional government expansion and ³complete restoration of our constitutional republic, are finally within reach. Over the next several weeks, various Freepers will be posting the thinking and the mechanics behind this effort.

    Those of you who have been Freepers long enough know that FreeRepublic played a pivotal role in generating the momentum and emotion that led to a successful vote in the House to Impeach then President Bill Clinton. Reversing the trend of unconstitutional government expansion and bringing about the complete restoration of our constitutional republic could depend on how effective Freepers and FreeRepublic prove to be in generating the kind of momentum and emotion that FreeRepublic produced during impeachment.

    Jim Robinson and the members of FreeRepublic are owed an immense debt of gratitude by Freedom loving Americans. You are all Patriots in the true sense of the word. We thank you; we Salute you. And now we ask for your help in undertaking the most important part of FreeRepublic's acknowledged mission.

Our Challenge To You:

    If you don't believe or cannot accept the idea that this plan can and will work, the burden of proof is on you to either improve it or put forward a replacement that is better. FreeRepublic has a long overdue mission to complete. In spite of some readily apparent Republican and conservative gains, it can be argued that we are not measurably closer to the objective than when FreeRepublic was founded. Those who would take issue with this claim should stop and consider that the unconstitutional entitlements are poised to grow exponentially over the next two decades. Get out your ping lists, start reviewing your address books and email lists, and start thinking about the people with whom you want to share this series as it unfolds or with whom you want to share it after it is complete and you are convinced.

Our Pledge to You:

    And for the support of this mission, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, We, as members of We the people pledge to the members of FreeRepublic and mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[writer33]

Frankly, I think FR does a better job getting action than this person or persons.

I'd say you're right. Of course...FR didn't start out with over 200,000 registered users in the beginning either.

And for the record, I don't believe this person(s) is asking anyone to send in any money.

[308MBR]

Jeez.... I thought I was a radical just wanting the BATF and DEA to go away in a waterlogged magnesium fire. I didn't know I joined an outfit who wanted to do away with the IRS......

Oh WTF...no taxation without representation as well as no legislation without representation (DEA drug "categories" and BATF "rulings")

What a bunch of subversives we are for believing in the obvious and enumerated limitations of the Commerce Clause.

[Judith Anne]

I find it interesting that the links to the next article, which the blogger used to have at the end of each article, appear to have been removed.

As I recall, the blogger stated that he wanted to publish them one at a time, to give FReepers time to digest them and talk them over before proceed down the ... er ... garden path or whatever.

I guess it's a good think I printed them all out on that other thread, the one from Oct 15.

I think I'll just run back and get a link.

[writer33]

Yeah. Get a link, JA. I'd like to see it.

[Judith Anne]

Here's the link:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1504142/posts?q=1&&page=1

Free Republic and Freedom

I'll be back, when I get the link to the article with the big plan.

[Judith Anne]

Now I remember! We were all going to donate money and everyone join in a big campaign to get Rush Limbaugh to speak for us, or something like that...and thereby change the country.

Because of course, FR and Rush aren't doing the job well enough without the big plan.

Sheesh...Of course, I don't remember Rush Limbaugh posting on that thread....or Jim Robinson...

[nopardons]

HUNH?

What is this drivel, newbie?

[Judith Anne]

And I refer you to my post 52 on that thread, repeated here for your convenience:

____________________________________________________________

Thanks for the ping. I took a look at this thread yesterday, and declined to participate due to the anonymity of the author, who seems to want to lead a movement but not identify him/herself.

Furthermore, parcelling out details of this plan on the installment contract doesn't interest me, either.

There's an old old sales technique that involves getting the "customer" to say yes to incremental commitment to buy.

I'm immune, since I was exposed by a Kirby salesman. Didn't buy that either.

____________________________________________________________

And the writer continues to remain unidentified, along with his/her/their "group."

Sorry...at least with the Kirby, the guy actually offered a vacuum cleaner, not that I wanted one with a lifetime guarantee.

[nopardons]

This smells trollish.

[nopardons]

Which flame wars ? There have been multiple ones.

Oh, so you're a damned retread. How many times have you been banned and how many times have you been back with a new nic?

[AGreatPer]

"I already tried pledging my fortune...didn't work."

Pledges accepted here: BillB@SaveYourSoul.whatever

Good to see you Bob, hope all is well.

[Bob J]

All is AOK, good to see you still kickin' around!

[HopefulPatriot]

"And for the record, I don't believe this person(s) is asking anyone to send in any money."

For the record, nobody is asking anybody for money. This series is about recruiting and electing people with political views that are similar to those of Ronald Reagan and the Founders. This effort will be even more effective if our candidates take the seats held by RINO's instead of seats already in the hands of conservatives. And if this targeting is part of a formally announced strategy, it will be effective even against RINO's that have not yet been targeted; after all, they will recognize they could be next. You will be amazed at how many moderate or even liberal Republicans will adopt conservative views when they realize they could be targeted for defeat.

The same targeting strategy will work against Democrats as well. By getting our conservative candidates to run specifically against the most liberal Democrats, it will only take a few victories by our candidates to convince the remaining liberal Democrats that they don't want to be next.

The unseating of only a couple of RINO's could have a dramatic effect on the RINO's remaining in office. It will probably take more than a couple of defeats to convince liberal Democrats, but each seat that falls will register much louder on remaining incumbent Democrats. When nobody wants to be the next target, the impact of defeating only a few socialists, could have a dramatic effect on the behavior of other incumbent socialists. And less obvious, but still a factor, it will have an effect on new candidates seeking office.

"Frankly, I think FR does a better job getting action than this person or persons."

Better is a relative term and does not necessarily represent praiseworthy merit, as in "better than nothing". For the record, government and socialism have grown continuously despite the best efforts of giants like President Reagan and Newt Gingrich. At best, all conservatives, all Republicans, and yes, all Freepers combined, have only succeeded in slowing the rate of growth of government and socialism. And in spite of everybody's best efforts, the costs of socialism are set in law to begin growing significantly in the fall of 2008 when the boomers start becoming eligible to draw Social Security instead of paying into it. Worse, the costs of socialism will begin to grow exponentially when the boomers start becoming eligible for Medicare.

For the record, all democracies end in bankruptcy or hyperinflation whenever the public learns to vote itself benefits from the public treasury. For the record, Gokhale and Smetters have estimated the excess of cost over and above revenue for Social Security and Medicare to be an amount that is roughly equivalent to the current total estimated private net worth of the United States. For the record, how can this shortfall be funded in view of the following realities?

The record is that total spending in the United States (all governments, all corporations, all businesses, and all individuals) has exceeded total income for the past two years and the annual shortfall is increasing. All this is true with the "good economy" that we have enjoyed. The excess of spending now totals more than $2.5 billion dollars every day. This is money that we have to borrow from foreigners to meet our current cash flow needs. The Comptroller of the Currency is on record stating that our economy has never grown at a rate that would be needed to fund the excess liabilities of Social Security and Medicare for the boomers. Where exactly, is the money going to come from when the boomers are drawing benefits instead of paying into the system and add an additional need for $1.5 trillion every year?

Socialism is unconstitutional. Will you take The Pledge?

[HopefulPatriot]

"You two ever meet?"

I know Reaganghost outside of Free Republic and consider him as a conservative mentor, but I got him to join FR.

[Judith Anne]

Here it is from your own pen(s):

Freepers can start and keep the Constitutional Restoration ball rolling by taking a series of small logical steps. Each step forward, makes it possible to take the next step. It is the Reagan Wing of the Republican Party that will defeat left-leaning Republicans and Democrats. It is the defeat of these two groups that will make it possible for conservatives to restore the Constitution. By targeting left-leaning Republicans and far-left Democrats, both parties will shift progressively to the right without having to defeat large numbers of Democrats and without having to cater to moderates.

It is the unique method of funding political campaigns that makes recruiting of our Reagan Wing candidates possible. Rush Limbaugh is the one person ideally positioned to tap two different sources of funding that are capable of providing at least $600 million in every Congressional election cycle to fund the campaigns of our Reagan Wing candidates freeing them completely from the onerous task of campaign fund raising. While there is nothing that would preclude others from being able to tap these or other funding sources, it is difficult to envision that anybody can do so as easily as Rush. Equally important to our Reagan Wing candidates there is nobody that can provide anything comparable to Rush's three hours of air time every day, his political expertise and analysis, his sense of humor, or his conservative rightness that has attracted the allegiance and loyalties of his 22 million listeners. In short, the single step of recruiting Rush Limbaugh to this effort virtually guarantees its success. That might not be true for any other conservative leader or leaders.

The first step is making either Rush or David Limbaugh aware of this effort. Contacting celebrities is difficult. At least five years of unsuccessful private attempts have already gone into this effort. Since Rush, David and people close to Rush occasionally peruse the pages of FreeRepublic, sustained and repeated exposure of this effort on FreeRepublic could attract Rush's attention through his or related parties' screening of the FreeRepublic.com website Freepers can actively email other conservative leaders or icons about the existence of this effort and ask them to not only make Rush aware, but also ask them to help convince Rush that this is the right thing to do.

There it is in black and white. You want Rush Limbaugh to get people to send in 600 million dollars, and you want FReepers to talk him into it.

You want to use FReepers to advance your idea to elect TRUE conservatives instead of RINOs, and you think you need hundreds of millions of dollars and Rush Limbaugh to do it.

Whoever you all are, you're charlatans.

[Soaring Feather]

Yer welcome writer33!

[Osage Orange]

Trust me, I was flame-proof before you got out of diapers, but that is all beside the point. Lol!!

Maybe, maybe not.

Smarter man than you and I once said..."Trust, but verify". It's good advice.

Trust your judgment as opposed to looking to others to validate what you think or believe.

You might have much to offer me in the way of advice. But your whole reply post was basically a "judgment" of me...based on a wink and a grin post. You've no idea...based on one post what I believe, what I value, or think. And I don't know much of you either....You could be a great and upstanding person. I dunno....

All I was pointing out...was your Flame War claims..didn't jive with your personal "born on date".

If my quick comment offended you....Please accept my apology.

FRegards,

[HopefulPatriot]

"If my quick comment offended you....Please accept my apology."

Apology accepted and please consider this a vice-versa apology.

Your trust and verify comment together with some of the comments by other Freepers lead me to believe that there is still an issue that needs some clarification.

We are taking it for granted that many Freepers are unhappy about the growth of government, the loss of our freedoms, and the entrenched unconstitutional actions now being practiced by government. And in spite of the conservative heroes of our republic like President Reagan, Newt Gingrich, Rush Limbaugh, and countless others including FreeRepublic, the trends in the growth of government and the growth of socialism continue unabated and are going to increase dramatically in the decade ahead because of current law and the coming retirements of the boomers.

Given the long odds against the success of any proposals to cut government down to size and end socialism, no matter who we are there is not going to be anyone who has a track record of success. The best record that anyone can have is that they have made a failed attempt to cage the beast.

What we are trying to do here is launch a discussion to determine why the efforts of President Reagan, Newt, and everyone else have not produced real results instead of simply delaying the inevitable. What can we learn for our past experiences? How can we profit from them and turn the past failures into future real gains? Our goal is exactly the same as FreeRepublic's mission.

We are also trying to convey the fact that our group has already gone through the exercises outlined above. We have drawn some conclusions and devised a plan that we believe is better than any other plan that has been put forward since the 1994 Republican Revolution and Contract with America did not achieve term limits or a balanced budget amendment. Our findings are predicated on what we believe is terribly significant fact. The Contract with America completely revolutionized the power configuration of Congress.

However, there have been five elections since 1994. In every single election since 1994, Republicans have held their collective breaths regarding the balance of power in Congress and Democrats have anticipated recovering power in one or both houses in every single election since that pivotal turn in 1994. When sports teams discover a winning play, they keep running it at every opportune time. When all conservatives understand why the Republican Party has not had another Contract with America, we believe that We the people will realize that conservatives need to chart a different course of action than just blindly trusting the Republican Party. It is not our little group that you need to verify. We are putting forth ideas and thoughts that your can judge for yourselves. What we are suggesting is that it is the Republican Party that needs verification before it can claim the conservative high ground and be trusted to restore the Constitution.

Will you take The Pledge?

[Osage Orange]

Apology accepted and please consider this a vice-versa apology.

Fair enough.........

FRegards,

[getmeouttaPalmBeachCounty_FL]

You have said exactly how I have felt throughout this re-thread as well as the other one from a few weeks ago.

It is most uncomfortable to me to see newbies/previous FReepers/outsiders trolling here for membership over in their camp regardless of the cause.

IMHO, there are magnificent minds right here on FR, and if something needs to be done about anything, then I have no doubt the FReepers will get it done. "Why reinvent the wheel?" as they say. "Why fix it if it ain't broke?"

This effort to lure FReepers to something new and exciting and groundbreaking seems to be counterproductive. All it will accomplish is the scenario of division.

But this is simply one FReepers' opinion.