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.
To: Junior_G
Hey, I was gonna say that! Blah blah blah...it's amazing to me that we FREEPERS just can't realize we are so different but SHOULD be united in just one central goal--BEATING DEMONRATS!!!
WE are supposed to be the GOP of the big tent etc...but as soon as we hit some bump in the road, all I see are peeps over-reacting and jumping ship...
Come on people! IT's not just one battle...it's going to be a long, long war!! We may not get everything we want, we will NOT get anything from the RATS without a fight. THEY took everything they stole over a 50 year or so period of time...the INCREMENTALLY have created this JUDICIAL Tyranny, such that WE THE PEOPLE can't change it in just 4 years...it will take ANOTHER Republican President and then ANOTHER and ANOTHER...and more REAL GOP Senators and Reps...not these stinking RINO's like the 5 or 6 well known ones like Snow and Specter...
Chill out, let's get what we can get this year, then the next and so on..
Leaving FR because we all don't have the exact same opine..sheesh, nose-meet the knife!
G
102 posted on 04/01/2005 5:04:09 PM CST by GRRRRR (America the Wonderful! Optimism beats Pessimism Every Time!)
Shouldn't have to be said, but the troops are always losing sight of the ball, failing to see the big picture, meandering around the straight course to victory, whining about chow, and other inane stuff, all reasons for leadership, sergeants, generals and such, to continually bring eyes that can't see back in to focus.
Never ever lose sight of who the real enemy is, and what happened to a certain general who divided his forces in the face of superior generalship, and a force who knew who the enemy was, and fought till none of the main force were left standing, including the general.
Stuff it.:)
Just kidding. I agree with you 100%.
Most of us can't make a coherent post at about midnight (CT). And here you are with a great thread...
big bespectacled baloney bump
I've stayed away from the Schaivo thing and probably won't make the MFJ II due to pressing work concerns, but I have noticed that there are certain folks on this forum that are arrogant and are allowed to remain so.
One person was suspended for a while and allowed back. She's as arrogant as ever and continues to make a complete ass out of herself.
I get no end of amusement from someone who perhaps has signed on less than a year ago telling someone with a 3/4 year history to "go back to DU."
All this being true, FR is still the best place on the net. I gained a wife out of it ;-). 'Pod.
If we did that we could no longer legitimately call ourselves Conservatives.
Unlike the DUers, we all have strong feelings concerning things we talk about, and I'd much rather see those strong feelings expressed than the canned responses of the liberals who have never thought through an issue or investigated an issue in their lives.
We just have to be smart enough to know that FR has evolved, and we have to put out our flame throwers a lot sooner than we did in the old days.
This forum is comprised of some of the brightest people on this planet, and if their views are not allowed to be expressed passionately, we will all learn very little which we didn't already know.
An alternative route, which I prefer, is for everyone to elect me king, and I will tell you what to think.
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?
Why YES they are! Well except for tomkow6. He's insane, well maybe insane is a bit...harsh, let's just say he lives in an alternative reality.
Crusty Buggers!
We do not bugger anything! Crusty or otherwise!
Bttt!
It wasn't.
LOL............that is so very true. The Schiavo case was but a skirmish compared to some of the flame wars I've seen here over the years.
Big problem I see on this forum is absolute intolerance for differing points of view.
Something I've been saying for a while now, SOME here seem to live in a world where there is only black and white, no shades of gray. Now (obviously) there is black and white, BUT there are also shades of gray. I admire people with passion, BUT (there's that darn word again) passion must be tempered with reason.
Example: Terri Sciavo case, some have said that because George and Jeb Bush didn't save her we've (america) lost the moral highground and can no longer make moral judgements as to how other nations treat their people.
(What utter nonsense)
I agree, Flyer.
Those friends you've battled with are the ones you can trust.
Wow. That was pretty good. I even read it twice, and I hardly EVER do that. :-)
>Fair enough, I will consider what you have posted.<
Oh, but how will we know the day old flame bait, if you remove the sign-up date?
I vote we keep it. Makes us old f@rts feel important.
ROTFLMBO! Guaranteed to blow the top off the "Views" counter.
Very well said. I have noticed over the last two week, that we tend to excoriate and spew forth hatred to those among us who take a different path on an issue. Dems very cleverly conceal these 'fights' so they appear to be 'as one' in their views.
I was distressed to be called names when I posted some thoughts. I am anti-abortion but can see room in the case of incest, rape or shown deformity.
I wanted Terri kept on the feeding tube but not at the expense of the rule of law.
Let's get back to defeating democraps!
Division on the right is always created by the frustrated right who lose patience and start trashing those in office who are trying to do something and fail. If immediate success is not achieved they trash those who try and fail. It is very counter productive. It teaches politicians not to try. The media unites the Right. It is the frustrated right that divides us.
The media can be beaten. Lots of people on the right have done so. But even the congress, a president, and a governor can't beat the combination of the left, the media, the RINOs, and the impatient right wing. Frustrated right wingers who demand that laws be broken drive the 20 percent in the center to the other side. They give the RINOs a valid reason to desert the conservative cause. Giving the frustrated right a loud voice just convinces reasonable people that the right is made up of dangerous law breakers. Reasonable people draw the conclusion that under no circumstances should such people be allowed to gain power.
The sad part is it tars all of us with that radical brush. The opinion formerly held by Sean Hannity is not a rare opinion of FR. It is what many believe. If I may quote Grandpa, if one goes to bed with the dogs one wakes up with flees.
I have never read anything that made me angrier than the trashing of Jeb and George W. Bush on Free Republic.
The staffs of Congressmen and Senators who know of the coming march have no doubt warned them of of running afoul of the Free Republic posters. My experience tells me they will advise them to be polite but not to get involved in any way. They will point out the nearly free ride Senators Chaffee, Snowe, McCain and other RINO Republicans got when they blocked strong enough legislation to save Terri's life.
The lesson we have taught elected officials is it is better to kill in the dark than to try to save life in the sunlight.
It will be interesting to see what impact the Free Republic March for Justice has. I wish it much success, but the odds are stacked against it.
I joined during the Elian Gonzalez 'upheaval'....and I had the minority point of view.
Took a LOT of hits...called more than a few names.
But....some of those who had the other view have become good friends and have found ourselves with the same view on lots of occasions.
We are all conservatives...we are all allies in the war against liberals.
redrock
ping
Tonk makes an excellent observation.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1375930/posts?page=186#186
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