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Posted on 12/21/2003 9:17:51 PM PST by calcowgirl
Edited on 04/12/2004 6:02:13 PM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
When he took the stage to help celebrate Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's commitment to local government Thursday, Controller Steve Westly gazed at all the police and sheriff's deputies gathered around him and joked that he hadn't seen that many guns since the last Terminator movie.
(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...
Uh, no it's not.
You are welcome to start a California forum on your own damned website!
But your directives carry no weight around here.
A good question. Something I hadn't thought about. Here's the answer.
In the mid 90's I found out about Free Republic because of my acquaintance with the Electronic Orchard here in Fresno. Like many others, I lurked for almost two years before joining in the late 90s. At the time I joined the forum the focus was still basically national and the individual state topics/forums weren't defined, if my memory serves me correctly. I didn't bother to change my home page when the topics began to multiply and specialize. I probably don't even know how.
This brings back old memories...
If I recall correctly, one of the reasons I didn't join earlier was that at that time all applicants were required to provide their email address as a condition of membership, which I assumed was publically accessible or at least discoverable by a the knowledgeably curious. I finally picked up the phone or sent an email to Jim at his business and asked him to accept a spoofed addy because mine would have been quickly recognized by my then employer, Pete Wilson.
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Fear not. I seldom wonder into the Texas forum. We have enough problems around here without stirring the pot in another state.
Above and beyond this ...
Merry Christmas to you and best wishes to you and your family during the holidays.
Probably not because my comments today were pointed at only one individual. There were many, more moderate members who participated on this forum during the recall with cordiality and respect toward their fellow Freepers. There were only a handful that constantly resorted to personal attacks instead of addressing the issues. One was chief among them. I observed, with some regularity during the recall, that this individual's corrosive style on a thread usually prompted a flame war with a broad range of more conservative, less party oriented adversaries.
I didn't mind the consensus building efforts of this small group of individuals, even those whom I suspected were Republican party shills. I did object when they typically and predictably reverted to personal attacks instead of addressing legitimate issues posed to them by more conservative members. That annoyance was compounded when there was every indication that this handful of individuals had little or no understanding of the discussion at hand because they hadn't bothered to do the research which in some cases was understandable because they didn't even reside in California. They were simply stirring the pot from without
These individuals were noticeably absent from the forum after the election, as if called elsewhere for a higher purpose, but have reappeared as our liberal media continues to snipe at Schwarzenegger using his recent track record instead of the vague innuendos and unproven character issues they dished out during the campaign.
I learned long ago that the control of the political machinery in California is beyond the scope of my abilities. Occasionally a grass roots effort will have some effect but this is usually diminished by the organized party structure. Ted Costa's efforts are a excellent example. I therefore don't approach FreeRepublic as a mechanism to sway broad political thinking but as an effort to inform the more moderate Republican party members this forum has attracted in the past few years.
I have no desire to throw out the baby with the bath water but I will make every effort to start the bath with clean water.
Merry Christmas to you and yours.
If Christmas is a time of peace, my wish for you is sweet release of Recall woes and former foes. The wounds cut both sides deep, Lord knows.
Warmest best to you and your family... Thank goodness your son was safe yesterday.
Word sincerely spoken and bearing my consideration. God bless you.
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