Posted on 06/25/2002 3:42:21 AM PDT by Jim Robinson
The following email is being circulated to our members by various disgruntled former FReepers:
Subject: The Future of Our Free RepublicDear Fellow Free Republic Member,
Many of us at Free Republic are distressed by the extraordinary level of censorship that has been so obviously going on. It is very obvious that individual posts, entire threads, and the entire work of members who have been highly regarded are disappearing into a Memory Hole.
Scores of us have organized an e-mail network that is independent of the communication controls presently, and sadly, being used at our Free Republic. We have carefully documented the unmistakeable evidence that most of the posts, threads, and posters that are vaporized completely are overwhelmingly targeted for their political stance on the Right. These are not Leftwingers. These are not even Middle-of-the-Roaders. These are not disruptors. These are not foul-mouthed delinquents. These are fellow patriots on the Right who disagree with the controllers of FR on specific issues that are now hotly debated by the Right. We have documented that FR will parade before you, as if to hide all of the great posters whose work has been destroyed, a straw-man delinquent that has been banned. This is deceptive.
Treating these fellow patriots on the Right so shabbily is not right. As shabbily as those banned into the Memory Hole are being treated, the most shabbily treated of all are all of the good folks on Free Republic themselves. We came here for honest debate. Free Republic advertised itself as a Forum for honest debate. Without that honest debate...everything at Free Republic becomes shabby.
We can do much better. As a measure of how intense the simmering feelings have gotten among members on this unjustifiable use of deleting, censoring, and banning please link to the following thread. You will notice that one simple and sincere plea from one of our finest members has spontaneously touched off a prairie fire of approximately 500 posts in a mere 18 hours. If it isn't Memory Holed this thread may shoot into the thousands.
If you would like to receive anonymous updates of information concerning the hundreds of Freepers who have networked via e-mail to restore the wonderful honest debate to Free Republic, just drop an e-mail of just one or two words if you like for extreme brevity to:
StopCensoringUs@hotmail.com
And, here's that link back to the snowballing thread at FR:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/704701/posts
Thank you so much for giving your thought to this vital matter for our Internet home.
Sincerely, StopCensoringUs@hotmail.com
It's so hard to tell what sex one is one the net, isn't it? After all, a former freeper thinks I'm a Jew.
Tom, I think we both know that the Fundys have always run this show and are sometimes joined at the hip by the Papal Nuncio and the Zionist cabal from the JDL.
Those of us who are secular are condemned to hades. It gives us Irish Jews a real image problem.
I can understand finding fault with Israel's actions, I can't understand the non-stop "Zionists pissed in my front yard" goobers.
That said, Liberty Forum is in it's infancy, and while there are only a few of those posters, they represent a loud and vocal minority in such a small community.
The doors will open to the GP at some point, and such posters will fade into insignificance. In the meantime, the best thing to do is to carefully and logically disect and destroy those opinion founded in nonsense.
I realize the tendency to run which such posts foster. I almost did the same thing. But it's the wrong response.
Second, no one believes your state elects 2 Jewish senators with a Jewish population of 1/2 of 1%. There must be some sleepers there somewhere.
HERBIE AND RUSS ARE JEWISH? Who knew?
Does this mean the state will have to go kosher? I'm going to have a tough time giving up bacon and shrimp.
What are disparte facts? Is that different from real facts?
"Folks, just ignore that huge putrid pile of maggot-infested ideology rotting in the middle of the room. After a while you become inured and calloused to its existence."
Like I said, I'm coming back when it goes GP - if for no other reason than to thank those who let me in privately.
Remember Jenin!
And unfortunately, they make the Liberty Forum their home. As does an increasing number of people that sound is if they aren't used to typing without their sheets on. You say, "I am taking part in a place that values freedom enough to let them be that way". I say "you are voluntarily choosing to associate with them, which you don't have to do, and they would be say what they want if you are there or not."
I don't understand why a libertarian would voluntarily choose to hang around with those who do not respect property rights, and those who are racists, and those who hate Jews. And I don't understand why a smart person can't figure out that just as your words do little to dissuade those from trying to pee in Jim's punchbowl, your words are unlikely to convince them of anything of importance, and the distaste that most people have for these creeps means that those you could win over with your persuasion are going to be elsewhere. They won't voluntarily choose to find your words amidst the crud.
Actually the House Republicans did not renege on the Contract With America. Eveything was voted on and all but one or two were passed. In reality it was the electorate of this country that followed Clinton relentless propaganda. They are the ones who reneged. Why should an R in a swing district give a rats *ss about balanced budget, when most of his constituents believed the media/Clinton propaganda? Your recall of history is wrong.
"A Jew, elected mayor of Dublin. Only in America!"
It has a nice ring to it... I think I'll keep it....
they would be say what they want if you are there or not."Kindly strike the word be there.
if you think of "she's" as "he" and you are a federal employee, then you must be ecstatic with todays news!
Won't work.
As I said, there are two different philosophies at play here. At LF, the philosophy demands that we be secure enough in our own beliefs to know that we will not shrivel up and die if exposed to nonsensical or radically dissenting opinion. We operate on the philosophy that each participant must be confident enough and capable enough to defend his ideas on their merits, and not rely on the benefit of some grand institutional watchdog to shut his oponent up if the going gets tough. The result is a forum in which ideas are truly and legitimately tested, and that clearly has benefits. But it comes at a price. Those who wish to cast such a forum in a bad light have no trouble cherry-picking comments, and attempting to misrepresent them as the opinion of the forum.
Conversely FR operates on the philsophy that certain opinions are simply unwanted, and that the boards moderation staff are free to apply their subjective criteria to prevent such content from being viewed. The obvious advantage to such a position, is that it is less likely that anyone will attempt to smear FR by trying to suggest that particular content represents FR. But the obvious drawback, is that the content which is allowed to stay, is incestuously sanitized, and truly untested by even a hint of dissent. (making it possible for an entire group of people to perpetuate myth and flawed ideas).
Two approaches... both with strengths and drawbacks.
I got fed up. I did not write an opus, and I did not demand that the owners (good Americans) of the site cater to my needs. I simply walked away, and only lurked yesterday because of the link provided. (If you don't believe me, ask tex-oma - I disagree with her on many issues, and I went to bat for her at LF, but she's of course no Neo-Nazi.)My situation is similar. Got an invite. Liked the guy, although I didn't really like for the way he went out here (which was after the invite). Went over.
I think I was invited over there after you, because I could tell almost immediately that those I respected were very much in the minority.
No opus, no animosity. It may be right for some, it just isn't right for me.
As for tex-oma, I don't think neo-nazi, I think anarchist in the Bakunin sense.
That brown one..? Around your nose?
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