[Long Cut]

I'll start off with a few of my own Favorite FReepers, who've done so much over the years to educate, chastize, amuse, and challenge me. Do I agree with all of them all the time? HAAAAIIIILLLL, NO! But no matter what, their presence on a thread will get that thread a look and a thought from me.

In no particular order, some of MY Favorite FReepers...

68-69tonkingulfyatchclub: Tonk is the tireless Coastie who runs the Canteen threads. His heart and abilities are at all times tuned to the welfare and morale of America's military. He and his band of merry Canteeners have many times brightened this Sailor's day, and comforted me at dark times to numerous to count.

tpaine: tpaine can recite the Constitution from memory, or at least seems to be able to. He holds the line for the Libertarian/Constitutionalist FR contingent, and he always adds enough abrasiveness to his comments to assure that his victims spool up like a jet engine. Always a pleasure to read, even if one disagrees.

poohbah: Pooh is an amazing clear-thinker untainted by too much zealous ideology. Frequently his posts are a welcome breath of sanity on emotionally overheated threads, and he's not afraid to voice an opinion which might be counter to the "prevailing winds" of a thread.

archy: The best source on FR I've found for weapons and firearms information, pics, links, and historical information about same. I thought I knew a lot about guns, then I met archy. Not to mention, he is a perfect gentleman and has enourmous patience with those who know less than he. A great FR resource.

PatrickHenry: The ringleader of FR's evolutionist band of brigands, PH posts some wonderful scientific articles, and he and his lads and lassies, most especially Ichneumon and Vade Retro can provide what seems like thousands of links and evidence at the drop of a fossil. Many's the night I've watched them, over many hours, demolish nonscientific arguments and educate those who wanted to be.

Modernman: A libertarian-leaning legal eagle who I've watched defend the principle of individual liberty with good humor and impeccable manners in the face of flames that would make Godzilla proud, MM takes everything thrown at him and never seems to get angry. His debating skills are an example of how to win one.

MurryMom: One of the very exclusive club of hard-core Leftists with the tolerance of the famed and feared FR Moderators, MurryMom can be counted on to cause an instant spike in all FReeper's BP. As FR's resident liberal punching bag, her presence on a thread will attract many people who really don't care about the thread itself, but who line up to hurl abuse at her. In that, she performs a valuable service...as a target and a venting mechanism.

These are just a few of mine. There've been others, some have been banned in fact. IMHO, in most cases we are all the poorer when that must occur. FR is made so much better because of its more colorful members.

[Lancey Howard]

Thank you, thank you, thank you, to EVERYBODY who included me in the, "too many others to mention", and the, "I'm sure there's many I've forgotten", portions of your "favorite freeper" lists. Thank you all!!!

[Pan_Yan]

I didn't read the last 900 posts, so I might be repeating someone else.



Every once in a while one of the silent majority steps forward and makes a stand in an otherwise forgetable thread. Chances are it's a name you've only seen once or twice, or never before. They post seldom, and only come out for something that they feel very strongly about.

There are some wonderful regulars who seem to always be on the latest post page somewhere near the top. But this thumbs up is for quiet Freepers who are here to learn, not just to join in the great topical chat room.

[phenn]

My favorite Freepers are the ones this list is pinged to.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for your courage, kindness, dedication and devotion to a vulnerable young woman, to the disabled people amongst us, to our elderly citizens and to everyone who holds dear the belief that our compassion is our calling card.

You rock.
FL_engineer
cyn
FR_addict
windchime
Budge
Deo volente
nicmarlo
Ohioan from Florida
GWB and GOP Man
russesjunjee
amdgmary
a5478
T'wit
Pegita

Major shout out to my Freeps!

[mitch5501]

as an aside...maybe a thread on "where are they now?" would be a good read.

There are plenty of FReeper names I haven't seen for a long time and I often wonder how or why they left.

[expatguy]

Im saddened that I did not make the list.

[WFTR]

I may try to add to this list later, but I want to mention Irma. She was a really nice lady who made kind, intelligent, and encouraging comments. I haven't seen her in a couple of years, and I hope all is well with her.

WFTR
Bill

[Chani]

Darn Darn Darn...... I sincerely started out with the intention of reading every post to this thread (of course I was looking to see if I was mentioned.......oh, would help if I'd post more, huh? ). Wow......there's like over a million replies to read. I made it thru about 300. Now I think I could read War and Peace and get thru it quicker. Anyway......just wanted to thank my 'ping leaders' Salem; Alouette; Flyer; Gracey; Little Jeremiah. I need Evelyn Woods speed reading class. ;)

[MarMema]

ping to my favorite freepers....thank you for posts which are stunning, show perfect logic and/or deep intelligence, or make me really laugh, and thank you for your personal dedication to integrity and truth.

[al_possum39]

I guess my favorite freeper is/was the one on the gallows.

http://home.mchsi.com/~waltfj/fr.html

Don't get me wrong. I intend to vote for GW but I still wish that more of the base had voiced their displeasure with some of his actions.

[ezsmoke]

Let's see I'm a little late but, off the top of my head:

Travis McGee
harpseal - R.I.P.
Canoneer No 4
Lazamataz
wardaddy
archy
yonif
Squantos
Jeff Head
And many others. I hope that I spelled all of those correctly.

[Freedom2specul8]

Yet another group of classy freepers...it's so hard to pick just a few out of so many fine folks..

You guys mean a lot to me...and I just wanted to tell you that. ;-) Thank you for all of your contributions to FR!!!

[TOUGH STOUGH]

My favorite Freepers are the lurkers.

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

bobthenailer for a level head on investment discussions, Lazamataz for expertise in pure irritation, kattracks for immigration posts, Joe Hadenuf for immigration posts, FITZ for incredible insight into THE problem facing this nation -- illegal immigration. And, many, many others whose pseudonymns I can't remember at this moment, but who have posted priceless information. Thanks to all of you.

[stainlessbanner]

ClassyGreenEyedBlonde

[Xenalyte]

At great personal peril do I make such a list . . . if you're pinged, you're on it. Y'all ROCK.

[Modernman]

Modernman: A libertarian-leaning legal eagle who I've watched defend the principle of individual liberty with good humor and impeccable manners in the face of flames that would make Godzilla proud, MM takes everything thrown at him and never seems to get angry. His debating skills are an example of how to win one.

It's interesting to see how others perceive you. On this site, I've been called everything from a communist, a licker of jack-boots, a statist, a homosexual and a loserdopian.

I figure, considering that I've pissed off FReepers of every strain (from libertarian to theocrat), I must be doing something right!

Now, my favorite Freepers:

CobaltBlue: A fellow Old Dominion lawyer, Ms. Blue is the epitome of Southern grace, wit and charm. She knows the law and is one of the most intellectually honest FReepers.

exmarine: exmarine and I have engaged in some seriously heated debates. However, he has never gone whining to the admins. Unlike many FReepers, exmarine can not only dish it out, he can take it. I may not agree with him on anything, but I can respect the fact that he's a man who'll stick to his guns.

Motleygirl70: Fellow politically incorrect Simpsons fan.

cyborg: A sense of humor plus a Mardi Gras costume. What more can a man ask for?

Broncosfan: Former law school roommate and seeker of esoteric India/China/Taiwan/Africa military information and gossip.

nopardons: A die-hard Bush supporter and political pragmatist. nopardons is (in)famous for pointing out that, in the real world, political candidates are not, and never will be, ideologically perfect. Some people's heads pop off when they hear this bit of reality.

And, in the dearly departed file: Chancellor Palpatine, Honeygirl and f.Christian.

[jmc813]

Cathryn Crawford - Great writer, great attitude, great gal. Though what is up with the Washington Dispatch not wanting their columns posted on FR?

robertpaulsen - One of the very few vocal proponents of the Drug War who puts up formidable arguments. His sense of humor is a bit wacky, much like mine.

Lazamataz - Speaking of humor, this guy is friggin hilarious.

MrLeroy - Total bull$hit that you got banned. We miss ya!

Xenalyte - The only FReeper to put me on their "favorite FReepers" list thusfar. A large-L Libertarian who has a great head on her shoulders. I hope she is able to bring some sanity to the LP on some of their more irrational platforms. She's hot too.

JerseyHighlander - A few years ago, JH and figured out that we had grown up as neighbors, albeit a few years apart. Since then, we don't run into each other all that much on FR, but when we do, I'm always impressed with the quality of his posts. He also has a great profile page.

Dane - One of those FReepers who I agree with probably less than 50% of the time, but always enjoy engaging anyway. Plus, he's a pretty nice dude if you run into him on non-political threads.

Roscoe - A drug warrior from the past who hardly ever posts anymore. This guy was a brutal debater, never losing his cool, and relentlessly posting statistics and citations without any emotion or extraneous comments to make his point. It was nice to finally be on his side in debates when we both ended up supporting McClintock in the recall election.

Trampled by Lambs - Haven't dealt with this guy all that much, but anyone who chooses their FReeper name based on Phish lyrics must be pretty damn cool.

Travis McGee - Great source of firearms/2nd Amendment information, and a hell of a talented author.

Cultural Jihad - I am convinced that this guy is playing a FR "character" and is intentionally egnigmatic and contrarian, but I could be wrong. Regardless, he always makes threads interesting, and will never have a malicious word for you if you disagree.

cuzitainttheirmoney - Does a great job with the Survivor ping list

NormsRevenge - Does a great job with the NASCAR ping list.

SheLion - Is a great voice for the smokers-rights crowd, and comes from one of my favorite towns in the country, Limestone, ME.

okcsubmariner - I'm still trying to figure out why this guy was banned. His research into the OKC bombing was fascinating, and FR is a lesser place without him.

AxelPaulsenJr and DangerMouse - It's been over six months since the Big Brother 4 thread I ran ended, but I remember these two adding to the discussion on there quite a bit. See ya July 6th, guys.

[MotleyGirl70]

Thanks yall! Feelings are mutual!

I'd like two more of my favorite FReepers:

CAGEY & LARRY LUCIDO

You two guys always make me laugh!

(Cagey, how's that new palm pilot working out for ya? : )

[firebrand]

I couldn't possibly mention all my favorites, but my own chapter has to take the Gold for me: they come from far away and stand in the cold and chant and sing holding signs and flags till they're weak and hoarse. They are also tireless workers behind the scenes of every Tri-State freep, doing all the stuff that never gets seen on the forum.

[GWfan]

My list has remained about the same for a few years now.

You are all still here except MadIvan.

Thank you for the informative and funny posts, the wise observations and the great banter. I have learned more from you all than you will ever know. I am always lurking, although I don't post much anymore.