[GretchenM]

To ohio and onyx, those who replied to them, and Dose hosts:

I have stayed away from threads that would raise my ire. All of life is full of crazies. FR, when I came upon it in 1998, had a craziness to it because of everything Clinton was doing to put it to the American people. FR had wild arguments, stupid accusations, massive anger, and thousands of truly ignorant people who were also belligerent, just as there are today. I come here for the news and to enjoy interacting with people whose posts stand out to me. I don't have the constitution for the rough and tumble, so I have avoided it.

The craziness created by Clinton passed as the course of time allowed us to clean the excrement from the Oval Office and the things Clinton did to soil the presidency, and the American culture.

I am counting on the same result here. In the interim, conservatives need a place where they can get information and post their thoughts. Just as every unit of society has its crazies and its injustices, so does FR. Wise visitors will be able to sort the wheat and chaff. This forum is widely read by people in every strata of political life and party. I don't understand much about what is going on here, except for this: The place is under attack and I will not abandon ship in this storm. I fully expect that this, too, shall pass, and until then, the conservative cause needs little old me to keep rowing with my one little oar. I believe I must know our enemy and stand to the ranks or risk being run over by those whose ideologies are repugnant to me, and, I believe, detrimental to this nation I love.

[ohioWfan]

I am not abandoning this place, Gretchen.

It has abandoned me.

Please freepmail me for where I can be reached. I will continue to lurk to find out how our dear Carrie is progressing.

Your friendship means more to me than you will EVER know.

[ohioWfan]

Gretchen.............just for a little further public info...........I was hanging around just to post on the Dose and to keep posting the Pray for President Bush thread.

That thread was invaded by louses today, and it made it very clear that God was leading me away from this forum altogether.

I have been fighting it.......and my husband's wise advice..........for some time now.

It is time to stop fighting.

[ThePythonicCow]

and until then, the conservative cause needs little old me to keep rowing with my one little oar.

Bless you, Gretchen. Well said.

[SnarlinCubBear]

Well said Gretchen and I agree. No cut and run for me.

So much about this craziness I do not understand, and Ohio, we will miss you and Onyx. Thank you for your invaluable contributions to this forum and may you have much success at WideAwakes.

[Lady Jag]

Couldn’t hve said it better myself, Gretchen.

I’ve been around for a hundred operas (opuses). Not much to say anymore except that I wish when they got over it they’d come back.

[Majie Purple]

Well put Gretchen!
& to ony & oWf & big sky FReeper etc...whom I have read via ping or The Dose read through...
I will miss your presence here.
Bye & Take care...
:(
There are countless blessings here and I want to stay and continue expierencing them all...

Most of the blessings have screen names attached...& My heartfelt Friendships;FRiendships are worth waiting while wading through any temporal turmoil...
Jesus is bigger than all of it.
He will hammer it out.

[swheats]

For now I’m standing still. Today was my last day of working outside the home so I hope to hang out more than I have been.

[goodnesswins]

HERE HERE...DITTOES! BRAVO@! I stay away from the stupidity also....I’ve learned so much here, however, that I’m too addicted to leave. I’m sorry to hear others are choosing not to be a part of FR.....but, times/priorities do change. FR is kind of like a NEIGHBORHOOD....where people move in and out....some we can get along with, some we cannot (believe me....if I could only tell you the stories of our new condo neighborhood!)

[jveritas]

Great post Gretchen. I greatly hope that our FRiends Onyx and OhioWfan will stay, they one of the best FReepers.

We must stand up and fight for any person who advocate surrender and defeat in the war on terror and to everyone who call President Bush a traitor as some are openly saying and spamming one thread after another uttering these horrible things in the last few weeks.

We will fight on, please stay with us.

[Admin Moderator]

Thank you for your vote of confidence in Free Republic. What your post says so eloquently is the reason we volunteers are back here trying to help Jim, trying to help Free Republic be a place where conservatives can share their thoughts, and maybe just maybe encourage someone to the conservative point of view. We are not perfect by any stretch but we try and we work very hard to be fair. If we can't read every post, we are concerned about the ones we miss, and about helping to keep Free Republic running smoothly.

We do our best as volunteers working hard at what sometimes feels like and occasionally is, up to 20 hours a day each. What you actually see us do is the tip of the iceberg for what goes on back here.

And that is actually the tip of the iceberg for what our boss Jim Robinson has done since the beginning. He continues to work hard every single day, without regard to himself but out of strong love and respect for our country, and conservative values.

John Robinson gives his time, his talent, his skill and his energy relentlessly to Free Republic, with small mention, very small credit considering the yeoman's job he does and all because of these similarly held beliefs.

It's a sacrifice for Jim Robinson, for John Robinson and for all of us Mods, but it is a sacrifice that we gladly make if only to provide a place of encouragement for conservatives, for grass roots activism, for patriotic encouragement and belief sharing.

Thank you Gretchen. Your comments mean a great deal to us and are most encouraging.