Posted on 12/30/2010 7:05:50 AM PST by exit82
Today is my 12th anniversary as a Freeper.
I came across Free Republic in the summer of 1998 as a lurker, troubled by an increasingly lawless President Clinton, and what was happening to our country. I lurked for about four months, reading every day and being amazed at the group of talented and knowledgeable people on this site.
When Jim Robinson put out the call for people to come to Washington, DC to attend the March for Justice Rally on October 30, 1998, I came from NJ on my own, not knowing a soul there, because someone was finally calling for the impeachment of President Clinton. Four thousand plus people from all over the country showed up that Saturday. That call was about the first Internet call for a political gathering--the equivalent then of a flash mob meeting today, albeit much slower in execution.
This is my 19th thread and my 16,000th post. Many have far more than me of both--good thing, too. In 12 years of posting, I have come across the finest group of Americans I have ever known-- a community of kindred spirits--alike in our love for America, its founding documents, and its exceptionalism, and as different from each other as we are in our individual points of view.
So to all of my fellow Freepers who helped to educate me and to whom I have conversed over these 12 years, I say thank you. To Jim Robinson and to John Robinson, I say thank you for allowing me the privilege of being a Freeper, and for providing a home on the Internet where conservatives can gather. I am not a model Freeper, so to those with whom I have disagreed, or have been short with, I ask your forgiveness.
I wrote a vanity titled "We Have Found The Enemy, and The Enemy Is Us" on February 2, 2008 at a time when it became apparent that the Republican primary was going to be decided in favor of John McCain. That disheartened me, but I think I am most proud of what I said that day of all my posts. More of it came true than I would have dreamed.
But more importantly, it contained a warning for the future of what we , as conservatives who love this country, would face not only later in 2008, but in the future years as well.
A turning point in history has been reached by America. I think we all feel that. The new Congress, with its Republican-led House, and a lessened Democrat majority in the Senate, will begin its work on January 5, 2011. This will either be the high water mark of progressivism and socialist thought in America or it will be the high water mark of conservatism and a return to limited Federal government. It could go either way. We all sense it. A country as big as ours cannot turn on a dime. A historical shifting point, like the one we are living in today, is realized over time, maybe over years. The years of 2011 and 2012 will be even more critical than 2010, even though without the historic rejection of Democrat policies that took place in November, 2010, the future that could be realized could not even occur.
Election Day 2010 proved, in my opinion, that an Angel still rides in this whirlwind. The idea that is America, and the freedom bequeathed to us by our parents, the WW2 generation, does still exist in the hearts of our countrymen. However, it must be fought for and protected by each of us.
And we must teach our children and grandchildren that great legacy we have received and of which we are now the guardians for future generations. It is our time to sacrifice for freedom.
In 12 years so much has occurred, and Free Republic has played a role, that I cannot recount it all here. Some of it is recounted in the vanity that follows. History was influenced because of us, and the future will be also.
I want to wish you all and your families, and posterity, a very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year in 2011. May God bless us, every one.
C’mon over here and say hello. Some old FRiends showed up.
Thanks, proud2be!
And thanks for keepin’ on in old NJ, where I hailed from.
Gov. Christie sure knows how to lay them out. He’s the best thing to happen to Jersey in a long time.
You have a wonderful New Year.
For a hunk of decaying flesh, you do all right around here!
Happy New Year to you, and may 2011 re-animate you!!!
Hey! Thanks for the ping and CONGRATS! WOO-HOO!
Don’t you know I am a n00b...lol? I had webtv in ‘98!
I got a real computer in ‘99!
As for the next year or so, Presidential Silly Season to look forward too. Always fun to see that happen from FR's front porch. :-)
You beat me by three days!
Onyx, you are a jewel of a Freeper!
Wow, WebTV—I haven’t heard that term in ages.
I’ll bet you have like 88 million posts in eleven years, right?
Our first computer was a Tandy 1000 in 1990! The mice inside that powered the thing had to be constantly fed. What a pain!
Happy New Year to you!!
Hey there Joe PB!!
Thanks for the tassle-it’s beeyoutiful!!
I like your posts too, you seem like you been here a lot longer than 2008.
Happy New Year to you!
Noob!
A whole lot longer ;-{)
Back home no though and continuing recovery...with the periodic checkups to make sure they got it all.
It'll be my 13th anniversary in July of 2011. Been a heck of a ride and we have long ways to go...but thank God, and I mean that literally, that Americans are waking up and saying no and getting more and more actively involved in standing up physically to stop the slide. I have great hope in 2012 and beyond as a result.
...but we will have to work and fight for it, and it is worh fighting for our liberty and way of life...worth dieing for...for our families', friends', neighbors' and future generations' sake if necessary.
Jeff, you have no idea how I thank God that you are here to answer this thread.
What a year 2010 was for you! We all were with you and Gail in your treatment.
Your work here is not yet done, my FRiend. God bless you and Happy New Year to you, Gail and your lovely family.
Looks like we’ve both been here since the last century!
Good to “see” you. I have been posting an anniversary for a few years, and it is always fun to be called a “noob”.
Happy New Year to you.
Faith in, and a free will adherance to the techings of our Savior by the people of our nation is the key to liberty, peace, prospearity, and success in America...no matter what else may befall us or what we may be called to face. I know this is true for individuals, and I know it is true for entire people's and nations. To it, I humbly and sincerely testify.
"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11: 28-30
Can we still check our number of posts? I'd hate to know...lol.
Sure, onyx, you can check by going to the top of thepage and clicking on “Account”. It will tell you how many threads and how many posts you have. I checked it until it got 15,999 and let this thread’s first post be number 16,000. Let us know.
And it was a Radio Shack, Big bucks too, at the time. Son #1 was in his glory. Four years later, he says, Hey Dad we need a new computer, this one is obsolete!
So, sez me, Really, well you need to write up the specs for a new one. Ah that will keep the teenager busy for a month or more.
Fat chance—Next morning there is neatly printed spec sheet for the new computer. Foiled again.
Say, put me on the Sarah pinglist will ya?
Bigun has posted a total of 200 threads and 9,525 replies.
Oh and ...You've posted a total of 350 threads and 144,810 replies.
144,810 posts!
So you’re the one who makes FR slow down!
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