Posted on 03/27/2018 1:00:28 PM PDT by The Citizen Soldier
My journey with Free Republic began in late 1998. It was near the end of the Clinton Presidency, and there seemed to be a new wave of hope and a sense of renewed patriotism as we gathered to defeat Al Gore and elect George W. Bush. But, on the whole, we lacked a platform, a vehicle, whereby we could gather together and speak with a common voice.
Jim Robinson provided that platform, utterly unique at the time, a place for conservative voices to sing out, to proclaim their views, to unite, and to encourage one another that we were not battling alone.
I would meet FRiends when I traveled to Washington D.C. in January 2001 to attend the inauguration of George W. Bush, the 43rd President of the United States. I’ll never forget the joy and the celebration of that day; a new day, a new hope, a new opportunity.
Along the way I lost my Free Republic password, and there was no way to recover it. And so I started anew as The Citizen Soldier on November 26, 2002. Over the past twenty years, Free Republic has been my go to site to confirm conservative stories, to read thoughtful and insightful conservative comment, and generally “lurk.” Actually, evidenced by my relatively few posts over the years, I would categorize myself as a life-time lurker at Free Republic.
In 2016, in the run-up to the election of Donald J. Trump as the 45th President of the United States, I began to detect the seeds of dissension and disharmony at Free Republic, ala the “Never Trump” crowd that emerged. Less and less, I frequented the site because it seemed that every thread was a mini-battle, not with liberals and socialists—I would have welcomed that—but with ourselves; conservatives and libertarians taking off the gloves, continually entering the battle royal.
Oh, I participated now and then, but I tired of fighting our own side, and found new online homes where I could find more consistent support for our new President. Through it all, Free Republic has remained bookmarked and like a magnet it has continually drawn me back. I lurk again and again. But lately it has all become too much. Every move our President makes is scrutinized and criticized, often with the reminder, “I’ve always been a never-Trumper,” either voiced or implied. The thought of a Hillary Clinton Presidency, and the CERTAIN destruction of our great nation that would have brought, makes me cringe to this day, now into the second year of the Donald Trump's Presidency. But I feel like a voice in the wilderness, as the criticism of Donald Trump and his administration escalates week by week.
I’m not leaving. I’m 70 years old now, and I’ve moved from California to Arizona to enjoy the “sunshine years” of my life. Recently my 46 year-old son visited and before he left he said, “Dad, please don’t ever stop fighting.” And I won’t. But, my dear FRiends, Free Republic must recapture the spirit of independence and conservatism.
As a Christian, I end my comments with a paraphrase from Bob George’s, “Classic Christianity.”
“The answer is not simply calling someone wrong or proving yourself right. The real issue is what answer can we give to those who desperately need to hear the message of conservatism?”
Ain't THAT the truth !
Better late than neglected >> Welcome to FR :-)
You've apparently NOT been holding yer breath .. LOL
>> In 2016, in the run-up to the election of Donald J. Trump as the 45th President of the United States, I began to detect the seeds of dissension and disharmony at Free Republic, ala the “Never Trump” crowd that emerged ... <<
Curious. As a Ted Cruz supporter I found FR was becoming a Trump-only site and any view contrary to the Trump candidacy was bashed - often based on feelings over fact. I told Jim Robinson of my concerns at the time that FR was heading down a highly partisan path. The day Cruz lost the Indiana primary and dropped out, I immediately became an active Trump supporter and never looked back.
FR can get frisky at times, but it’s my go-to site for news commentary since 2001. I hope you extend your lurking.
Hi. I hope you are doing well.
In the fwiw dept, there have been flame wars here for ever.
5.56mm
You are expecting an apology from the Cruzers?
You’ve obviously forgotten there venomous attitude towards anyone other than Ted Cruz.
The Japanese will apologize for the Bataan Death March before the Cruisers apologize
ditto that
That guy is an excellent example of what I’m talking about.
Before the Iraq war we had few to none of those types. Come the war, in came the power worshippers.
It took a different breed to sign up here when you had to be a dissident to have any interest. That group was a hell of a lot more Constitutionalist, and yes, libertarian, than what came after.
When I got my first home computer in late 1997 the first conservative website I found was World Net Daily and maybe The Drudge Report and a few others. I soon found Free Republic and spent a few nights checking into it. Seems like I remember comments about how great Colin Powell and other so called black conservatives were and it turned me off. I totally forgot about Free Republic for almost ten years or so and then in 2008 when Obama was about to get elected I stumbled across it again. Makes me mad I wasted all that time!
It's a website...!!
I must have missed those open border threads....
Sure. This is an important social forum for conservatives, so it is bound to attract the interest of those who would try to direct opinion in ways which serve the deep state. The great thing is that the official narratives for events like Newtown, Vegas, Parkland (etc) are being brought into question, even in some cases by more mainstream people on our side. Truth is good. Sunlight is good.
Agreed .. I was just joshing with hoosiermama with that post
Your post is good and explains the position of the electorate.
What it does not address is the movement of FR since it’s inception.
The original thread owner must understand that to keep a conservative forum off limits is not conducive to growth.
The political environment of the USA is quite fluid but the fundamental right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness is the cornerstone of FR.
Thanks Jim
That’s what I miss. I’ve been here since 04 lurked longer than that. I was sad to see conservatives throw out a lot of principles to vote for the populist shiny object in the primaries. I’m not a never trump I voted for him against Hilary. I am however not a fan of a lot of things including Ivanka in a position of influence, his coarse personal issues and his willingness to make a deal for the deals sake. It seems any criticism of trump brings out the never trump or pearl clutcher insults. A conservative site should allow free exchange of ideas or we are no better than the liberals who tolerate no deviation from the party line. I post here a lot less now and definitely miss the old free republic. All things evolve and move on and I’m sure the current climate suits other newer members better. That’s just the way it goes.
You’ve obviously forgotten there venomous attitude towards anyone other than Ted Cruz.—————————————
There sure is a lot of misremembering on this thread. How many Trump supporters got the zot? Aaaaaand how many Cruz supporters? There were so many rude Cruz supporters suspended they started their own website! I honestly don’t recall any mean nasty Trump supporters suspended, maybe I’m wrong, but the numbers of suspensions, Cruz vs Trump is not even close.
This doesn't make any sense. Can you clarify this?
One only has to look at the number of Romney supporters who were driven away by the mob mentality then blamed for the election of Obama by those who decided to stay home........Go figure..........LOL!
You'll be back, it's addictive.....
Funny. I remember the opposite. Any mention of Cruz would and still does bring a ton of invective hurled your way. If you want an apology how many Cruz supporters have you apologized to? I don’t recall calling anyone names or wishing them I’ll but I certainly had the names and adverse wishes for my eternal home sent my way. I haven’t had any apologies other than the almost yearlong soft bam I got for giving a realistic appraisal of trumps first debate performance was lifted without comment. Good thing I don’t expect or require apologies form those who act the way many on the trump train did and still do.
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