Agreed. I have strongly suspected this since about 2000. I cannot recall a specific instance, but I do remember seeing editorials, articles and such using the exact words or phrases seen in replies on FR. Not to mention slogans that became bumper stickers, breaking scandals that went nationwide, under-reported stories that got legs and mentions of FR on Rush, Hannity, etc.
I have resigned myself to the idea that I may have a knock at my door one day because I am a regular visitor to FR.
Example: I started saying "I'd hit it" and then it became an internet meme.
:)
No but seriously: I've actually started a meme or two. I remember when Giulani was running, and someone said something that you would kinda have to stretch, to make it an antiItalian slur, but stretch I did, and lo! and behold! In 24 hours it was on Rush. Shortly after that, Giuliani did his Victimy Lap, and he got some traction with it.
Until or unless we go completely down the dictatorship rathole.....don’t expect a knock unless you say something particularly threatening, especially to the POTUS (doesn’t matter who he is).
Well I suppose that just in case Fr is being read my more people than we realize, i should say up front that i wish Obama to be safe and protected and be able to finish the rest of his term without any danger or attacks on him and I recognize that any assaults on him, no matter how strongly we may object to his domestic or foreign policies, is an assault on the united States of America regardless of who does it and why. I want him to peacefully finish his term and then enjoy the rest of his life as a well known public figure just like Bill Clinton has done.
Incidentally, i had posted before about a list of sites that DHS started profiling, presumably because they are high priority. http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/privacy/privacy_pia_ops_publiclyavailablesocialmedia_update.pdf Freerepublic is not explicitly on here. I am aware there are probably other lists that we dont know about, but this suggests there are actually other internet forums that the feds consider significantly more important for whatever reason. And the list as you can see is extensive and includes forums from all sides of the political spectrum. If they have a profile on FR posters, they probably have a profile on anyone who posts on a site dedicated to political, social and/or economic issues. Ergo, they have profiles on possibly over 100 million people at this point. So for now I presume we should make sure to keep everything civil and nonthreatening and respectful. It is always possible it may change, if at some later time Americans consciously decide to become a dictatorship-since that would happen only if we uniformly consented to it.