And you are comparing corporate systems with an unlimited budget with a grassroots system with member donations. FR is TRULY grassroots. Btw, how many attacks do you think those other systems fend off on a daily basis? You are comparing apples and oranges.
According to Alexa Free Republic is ranked 4,325 most hit site.
http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/freerepublic.com
At any rate, web traffic seems about the same. Do you have any proof that attacks have spiked or is it just the 1 down Server. This was the ONLY site that has been doing this as of late. Never was much of an issue before.