BONFIRE OF THE VANITIES! A plea to all FReepers... mostly new, a few old

FreeRepublic ^ | 11-7-04 | Red State Denizens & me

[cgk]

Now that the Election is over, and we've let the rest of the country know Loud and Clear where we stand, and who we stand behind... it appears to be a good time to get re-organized here on FR.

Perhaps it's the euphoria that isn't quite wearing off at the 5% mandate the President earned and was given voluntarily by all of us. Maybe it's the fact we picked up even more seats in both the Senate and the House. Maybe it's just knowing Sen. Daschle has been voted out.

Whatever it is... we need to get back to work. "W2" is just the beginning of our battle. If you've been over to DU lately... they're not exactly throwing in the towel, and neither should we.

HOWEVER - this seems to be a good time to remind everyone a couple of things. Flame away, I expect it, because I know I am by no means some kind of old-timer around here breaking my seniority out at every perceived slight. Then again, I've been waiting for one of those "since the 90s" FReepers to say this, and haven't seen it yet.

To those of you who found us after the Buckbeak/CBS Memo scandal... many of us (not all) do not consider FreeRepublic a Blog. Because the MSM has labeled FR as a blog, doesn't make it so. FreeRepublic is considered by most (from what I've read here since before the CBS debacle) as a Forum. A Blog has been commonly defined as a website hosted by one (or so) people - where they post their thoughts. An online diary. People comment or analyze on that person's thoughts sometimes. Sometimes not. Here on FR we comment on various articles, news events, editorials, and call out for action.

All that being said - because FR is not by common definition a "blog" - your every thought does not need, nor sometimes deserve its own thread. If you feel you really need to share something with everyone, it is best posted in the General/Chat forum.

Next... PLEASE PLEASE USE THE SEARCH FUNCTION! It can be found below, in its own link, and it is also found on the Main Forum page as a Handy little Box above all the current threads.

Hot tip: Searching for an exact title is less successful than typing in ONE keyword FROM the title of the article you're trying to post. Especially when people miss spelling errors in their titles, and change the titles of the articles. Searching for ONE word works, especially when it's by DATE.

We can all understand the excitement and confusion of Election Day, exit poll madness, and Arafat and his 72 lives.

There are pros and cons to duplicate postings.

• How many times have you clicked on an article you've never seen, only to see 2nd or 3rd in the comments "Already posted"?

• Suggested Solution: Notify the Admin Moderator or Sidebar Moderator about the Duplicate post by PROVIDING THEM THE LINK TO THE MAIN THREAD, so they can "lock" the thread and direct all future responses to the "Main" thread. This will help all of us from trying to follow news events on sometimes up to 8 or 9 threads. It stands to reason that if we help the Moderators out by providing the links for duplicates, things will proceed much more quickly and smoothly.

• Try not to abuse Topics when posting an article. If you want to get maximum exposure, it actually works if you post the thread where it belongs. I assume I am not the only FReeper who uses the Headlines page to gauge what the "Top Stories" are on FR. It's something else to see "Arafat Dead!" on every topic from "Breaking" (yes) to "FR" (no) to "California" (hardly) to "Anthrax" (source?). Not every story is breaking, especially those coming from unreliable sources. (Your own head comes to mind). Not every news story belongs in all 50 states. And no, not every thread from DU belongs in "News." (And if you're posting profanity-laced threads, clean it up please. We can all follow the original link, should we choose to expose ourselves to garbage.)

  ---

  I'm sure there's more others would like to add to the Bonfire... whether it's to agree or disagree. Long-winded I know, but much of it seems to be overdue. This seemed like as good of a time as any to gather all the valuable informative links and resources of FR and stick it in one place.

  I honestly am just trying to help out those who are new, and who are still riding the W2 wave. Let's not get sloppy.

  :)

  ---

  Recommended Bookmark/Starting Point:

  Your Headlines Page

  Main Forum

  Main FR Search Page

  ---

[E Rocc]

If you've been over to DU lately... they're not exactly throwing in the towel

More like chewing on it while beating their heads on the rubber walls.

-Eric

[Revolting cat!]

Oh no, another vanity, and, to make things worse, one about vanities. I think I'll start my own thread - a vanity complaining about vanities about vanities.

Seriously though, I don't understand why more of these one line vanities don't get pulled. I think, the top most idiotic vanity I ever saw was titled something like: "Rush is smoking today!" and the entire text it contained below the title was this: "x". If it were up to this cat posters who cannot form a thought into a complete paragraph would be banned outright. And then there are the militant university educated functional illiterates who cannot tell between "it is" and "its" and between "you are" and "your" (among other advanced English subjects.) There is one and there are many, got it?! Peeves. We could go on...

[WKB]

He is scheduled to die again at 0700 tomorrow.




How many virgins does he have now?

[WKB]

We need a Vanity to ban Vanities


Hank Williams, Jr. lyrics
LYRICS
This is a coalition to ban coalitions I ain't a politician but I've got views
Some folks want to ban cars some want to get rid of Fender guitars
Why don't you do your thing and we do our thing too
Now they want to take my cigarettes and all my good whiskey
And these damn coalitions they're after you and me
They want to get rid of my forty fours and all the R rated films
If they only knew how much we'd all love to get rid of them
And this is a coalition to ban coalitions the views of a musician yeah I've got some
Some folks want to ban cars some want to get rid of electricguitars
Why can't everybody else leave everybody else alone
Now the latest thing they want to stomp out is violence on TV
And the worst of all is that Oscar winning rabbit Bugs Bunny
Farewell Foghorn Leghorn so long Yosemite Sam
They're missin' with our heroes and we got to stop them now
And this is a coalition to ban coalitions...

[Fiddlstix]

Bump

[VOYAGER]

We should convince the Christians and Catholics that.....

Just curious what, is the difference between a Christian and a Catholic........?

Are they not one and the same?

OR......?

[cgk]

I think, the top most idiotic vanity I ever saw was titled something like: "Rush is smoking today!" and the entire text it contained below the title was this: "x"

LOL! I think I saw that one too... one of the many straws I collected. If you start your thread, ping me. And your peeves are mine too... I just bite my tongue.

Its a fact, their is no disputing it, Your awesome! (joke).

[cgk]

:)

[ChadGore]

Re: when quoting DU posts?
What do you mean *when* quoting DU posts?

DU posts are not allowed in this forum.

I recognize that after a victory such as W2 it's fun to watch them squirm, but as a rule, we should not cut and paste, cross link or otherwise promote "liberaldrivel.blah" in this fine conservative forum.

[ClancyJ]

I agree about the language. It really bugs me to be reading along and have to wade through trash talk, explicit sexual innuendos, trash gay descriptive language. Each and every time I see it, I think of "what if one of my friends came here and saw that after I had mentioned FR?".

I would be embarrassed. There is so much good here - why cheapen it all by throwing all in the gutter?

Frankly as much time as I spend here, I prefer a professional respectable place. So, when I run across this stuff - I hit the abuse button and let the moderators decide it if is worthy of FR or not.

Those that choose to use trash language must accept that others choose to use the abuse button.

[cgk]

THANK YOU!! I'd never seen that, but wish I had because it would've gone up top in my main post.

You nailed the way I have been thinking with this one post:

Posting VANITIES
changes the look of FR
and surfers see us
(and the mainstream can
dismiss us) as a right-wing
chat room just chatting . .

---

And I had to post this big long vanity just to get that very simple point across.

[cgk]

I'm happy Buckbeak was the "good guy" who took out the "bad guy"... you made a great comparison, thank you.

[asgardshill]

What do you mean *when* quoting DU posts? DU posts are not allowed in this forum.

Well, I've been seeing a ton of them posted here lately. They've been pretty entertaining, but you are correct - DU is not a news source.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

66 in '06!!!

[cgk]

I've seen a ton of them directly linked as well as the main source for entire threads, but I thought what ChadGore wrote... that they really aren't allowed. I assumed it was the election fallout we were all fascinated with, and it would be temporary. But I do still think, as long as they're allowing this to happen, those threads should be posted in... or shephered to... chat.

[asgardshill]

My hat is off to those brave Freepers who actually surf that cesspool for quotes. They are braver than I.

[Ryan Spock]

William Safire's Rules for Writers:

Remember to never split an infinitive. The passive voice should never be used. Do not put statements in the negative form. Verbs have to agree with their subjects. Proofread carefully to see if you words out. If you reread your work, you can find on rereading a great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing. A writer must not shift your point of view. And don't start a sentence with a conjunction. (Remember, too, a preposition is a terrible word to end a sentence with.) Don't overuse exclamation marks!! Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences, as of 10 or more words, to their antecedents. Writing carefully, dangling participles must be avoided. If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is. Take the bull by the hand and avoid mixing metaphors. Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky. Everyone should be careful to use a singular pronoun with singular nouns in their writing. Always pick on the correct idiom. The adverb always follows the verb. Last but not least, avoid cliches like the plague; seek viable alternatives.

[Krodg]

They are rather fun...in a sick demented way. I thought of sharing this one but I didn't want to start another vanity. These people really are crazy...


Sat Nov-06-04 07:29 AM
Original message
For 2 whole days, I layed in the corner drooling & making weird sounds
Edited on Sat Nov-06-04 08:11 AM by mopaul


When I awoke very early Wednesday morning, I remember making coffee and sitting down with a cup at the computer machine....then, everything turned bright white, then completely black. I felt a dull thud, and heard a sound like a pumpkin smashing against a side of beef.

Every few hours, I would drift back into lucidity, just long enough to realize I was laying in the corner of the living room with spittle running down my cheek and into a large puddle at my chin. and I could hear a weird voice off in the distance. I later realized it was my own voice, but I didn't hear words, only groans and occasional burps.

One time when I blurred back into almost consciousness, I saw my dear wife, Mrs. Paul, over at the edge of the room, but she looked like she was 20 miles away, and I remember that the sensation of time passing had vanished, and I seemed to be locked in a ripple between time and space.

I got the vague blurred impression that I was curled up in the fetal position, and I could see a dust bunny in the corner in great detail, but I knew that dust bunnies didn't talk, as this one did. It kept echoing a phrase or mantra that I couldn't quite make out...'mandate'...'exit polls'....'massive turnout'...'4 more beers, 4 more beers'.....then the silence of the grave.

Then, I began to regret that I hadn't just died, and I felt hot as hell, but shivering like a naked man in antarctica, sweating and trembling violently. I remember dear Mrs. Paul applying a wet towel to my forehead and saying sweet comforting things to me, and I remember she looked like an angel, wings and all. for a while, it looked like I might pull through.

But then, the fever dreams began, and I descended into hell, headfirst. I saw all the souls of all the disenfranchised voters in a lake of burning sulpher and I heard their terrible lamentations, and I remember wishing that I'd never been born with ears, or eyes to see their awful suffering.

Deeper, and deeper I fell into the stygian abyss, and I saw off in the distance what looked like a fiery throne, and it came into view and I could not close my offended eyes or rip them out and I saw the beast of stolen elections in all his bloody glory and I grew sore afraid.

'O Democratic God of justice, why hast thou forsaken me?' I wailed.
'Why must I look upon this horror of the ages with my mortal eyes?'

But I heard no reply to my plea, and no relief for my suffering soul, and I had no cool drink of salvation to quench my damned tongue, and no succor from my candidate.

After this I felt only blackness, cold and empty, where no shadows ever lived because no light had ever shone there. My eyes were open, as I later discovered, but I layed there like a dead man for the last hours of thursday night, stinking, burping, and generally bringing shame to my entire family.

Slowly, I began to recover from my affliction, my eyes cleared and my head too, but it still felt like spiders had built webs in there.
I found the strength to make a pot of joe, and lurched back over to the computer machine. I stared at it for about two hours, motionless, finally grabbing the mouse and braced myself and faced the music. I started to comfort myself, and forget the awful ordeal I'd just been through and the portentous visions I'd had.

And now, I'm gradually regaining my strength and composure, I've showered, put on clean clothes and burned the old ones, and apologized to my wife and my neighbors in the apt. above me.

That's my story, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who's been down this same road of despair and redemption, and in that, I find solace and strength. Two days lost forever. Two whole days of my life taken, never to be redeemed. Two days of hell, to steel me on my quest for a satisfying election night. Someday, my prince, or princess will come

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=2616344&mesg_id=2616344

[ChadGore]

Re: Well, I've been seeing a ton of them posted here lately. They've been pretty entertaining,

I agree that they are down right funny, and I've enjoyed reading a lot of them. As these next few weeks progress, I would hope FReepers hold off on cross posting stuff from our political adversaries.

I've never been interested in what liberals think, how they think, what delusion leads them to their conclusion, or what conspiracy drives their apathy.

"Know you enemy" is what I hear from most.

If you, yes dear reader I mean YOU, spend 1/2 your time consuming and forwarding the content spewed out by the American left, you've, in effect, become a conduit and forwarding service mirroring that content into this conservative debate forum.

Bad move.

Also, every cross post is, in effect, a plug, a free advertisement that my donations to FR are paying for and that's a real waste.

In short, we get enough of liberals crammed down our throte in the MSM, we don't need it here.

[macbee]

I've often thought that a "hippogriff" like Buckbeak (head, wings, and claws of an eagle, body of a horse) is a good image for our military. Smart, strong, proud, and capable of traveling great distances on the ground or in the air and doing a lot of serious damage when it arrives.