Posted on 04/01/2005 9:51:33 PM PST by Bob J
For those of you who don’t know, Jim and the mods treat old timers a little different than newbies. They get a little more slack, a few more mulligans than those who signed up in last four years or so.
I always wondered if that was a good policy. After all, why should the crusty buggers be treated any differently than someone who signed up last week? Are they more intelligent, are their arguments more cohesive…persuasive? Do they have any more or less to contribute to this community we call the Free Republic? Not necessarily.
But they do have one thing new participants don’t and that is perspective. In a way us curmudgeons can help provide a sense of continuity and historical perspective to events that newcomers cannot. Sometimes, we are the glue the bridges Free Republic from one crisis to the next. I believe the recent Sciavo issue is one of those times so I am going to ante again and prove to Jim that his investment is worthy of it’s returns. I ask other old timers to chime in and pull their weight as well.
The Forum has a history of going through upheavels in terms of political philosophy and/or cultural standards, this is not unusual for a community such as outs. The first thing we need to understand is that the conservative movement is made up of many individuals with different motivations. For example, some are economic minded, some are culturally based, some are second amendment supporters and others view their vision on religious principles. Sometimes these differences can cause us to reevaluate our alliances. But that would be a mistake. The left is counting on us tearing ourselves apart from within for that is the very philosophy upon which their strategy is based…foment division and hatred then attack at the breach. It has worked well for them in the past and they count on it working again for them now and in the future.
My humble opinion and suggestion to all is in these times of contention and confusion, that we remind ourselves who the real enemy is and where the battles ought to be fought. On more than one occasion I have had firefights on FR with individuals who later I found myself sitting next to in a foxhole when we were fighting the real enemy…the militant left. I berated myself for some of the things I had posted and wished I could take them back. For here was my true brother or sister, sitting in the foxhole with me, taking hits with me, helping to lead the bravest charge at our direst moment. How could I have been so thoughtless in my moment of indulgence?
We may divided, on occasion, but let’s not lose sight of the fact that we are all brothers and sisters fighting the good fight against those who would enslave us and our children into bondage for generations. Argue the good argument, stand on principle, but let’s not forget we are all ultimately on the same team. The man or woman you trash today might be the brave soul who saves your behind tomorrow.
Let’s keep out eye on the ball.
We'll get over it, just trying to minimize the need for triage. Hehehe....
Okay,I'll go check. :-)
I figure we will too. I'm thinking...the next time some bozo lib does something REALLY threatening...we'll circle the wagons like they won't believe.
I was sure I signed up in 1998. I got banned once and then my account was mysteriously reinstated about two weeks later. I wonder if I got a new start date?
Good to see you posting again, harrowup.
Thanks, Bob.
You otter sea whut I sez 'bout Maxine Waters at the super secret DU chat room...I am not popular there like here!
Now answered. :-)
"The basic rules of human civilization are universal and listed in practically every religion in the world. They also happen to be in the Bible."
If they are universal and listed in almost every religion then why do some insist that the Bible is America's exclusive guide? Should we reject the basic rules? No. My point is that I don't need the Bible to decipher what is good and what is not.
For what it's worth, there are times I am more inclined to read what harrowup says than some people on FR. We may disagree but I know when he speaks it comes from the heart, not the spin box.
Good points. Even though it doesn't matter what I think being a newbie and all.
Actually, I perused your posts going back a little ways and thought I caught a whiff of something. Besides being annoyingly contrarian and dismissive of Christianity, you don't like Ann Coulter? That's often a dead give-away.
I take it you're "in the middle" like Jim Jeffords or Hillary Clinton?
Don't bother answering. Have a nice life.
You missed the point. No one said newbies don't have cogent thoughts to add, they do all the time. In fact, without the fresh introduction of new thought and ideas, FR would die.
But old crusties can offer something newbies can't, reflection and perspective, as far as it relates to FR history.
I think that can be important.
I've been here just barely over 4 years...and I know the mods have probably cut me slack in the past.
Everyone gets in a funky mood sometimes and posts dumb off the cuff remarks.
I'm sure there are 1,000 times more "post removed by mod" incidents that people being outright banned.
I've been posting on the thread without saying thanks to you for your editorial. It's a good one.
I've stayed off the Schivao threads because the subject was and is too white hot.
As a kid of four or five I remember the first time I saw a Full Moon rising one winter. To me it looked twice as big as it should have as the atmosphere (or whatever) made it look that way coming up from the horizon. I remember feeling afraid. I thought the Moon was headed for the Earth and I was the only one who knew it.
Jump ahead twenty some years. I remember being on R&R in Hong Kong at the time the first heart transplant had been performed in South Africa. Something about the discussion of the day in newspapers and news magazines triggered the same kind of fear I had had when I was a kid. The fear probably came from all the talk about who was going to get who's heart and who would be making those kinds of decisions. Time and science has kind of sorted those things out.
I believe we are still way too close to the Schiavo fire and that our system of government will come to an acceptable conclusion (compromise). It always has before and we really don't have any alternative.
Agreed! It would be much more effective to do away with euthanasia. If MS couldn't hack it, I'm sure Terri's parents would have taken her home and cared for her. Much, much cheaper.
I agree with that, however, what I think outrages many people (including me) is that the situation was handled in a one-sided manner. There were some very serious questions that did not get a hearing so it seems that "the fix was in." It is a very serious situation when life or death decisions are handled in such a subjective manner. Rather than clarifying the issue of what is or is not acceptable in a civilized society it seems like the line has been blurred even more and that is dangerous.
This is nice, but there's no way in heck I'm going to be on the side of folks who directly support euthanasia, as has been expressed on this forum.
"Besides being annoyingly contrarian and dismissive of Christianity, you don't like Ann Coulter? That's often a dead give-away."
I'm not sure what contratian is. I'm not dismissive of Christianity. I understand it's importance in our society since most Americans are Christian. I don't like it that non-Christians (such as myself) are considered second class citizens by a lot of Christians. Ann Coulter speaks to her audience. I'm not convinced she believes her own BS.
"Don't bother answering."
Couldn't resist. Sorry, you never answered my original question.
"Have a nice life"
Insincerity will get you nowhere.
Bob,
You know me. I go back to 1998. I rarely post anymore. I have not changed. On the political scale I am exactly where I was in '98. It is FR that has moved to the Left of me . . .
That is sad.
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