First of all, a little vernacular training: You do not present on 'Freep', you present on 'Free Republic'. The word 'Freep' is a verb, indicating the concerted efforts of one to N 'Freepers' to alter the results of an online poll, instigate a letter- or emailing-campaign, or doing a physical protest at a particular location -- often in protest of an idea, person, or group of people.
Secondly, not all ideas are welcome here. Try advocating liberal ideas.
Third, conservative ideas are welcomed here, but proper etiquette dictates one must categorize them correctly.
Now Laz, be nice or I’ll paintball your little black helicopter Red, White and Blue.
;^)
mornin’ t’you too, Laz ... haven’t seen ya’ for a while ... how y’bin ?
Fourth, there is a limited amount of tinfoil to go around. Conserve it.
I hate to be Clintonesque, but define "welcome." Do you mean that they will be silenced, or that they will be received with many, sometimes hostile, replies?
I'm pretty hard-core on free speech. If you are forcibly stopped from expressing yourself, that violates free speech. If you are out-shouted, that is just a bunch of other folks exercising free speech.
NB: I'm talking about free speech as a philosophical construct, not a constitutional issue. No one is talking about government intrusion here. And while I love a freewheeling debate, FR is a private site, and JRob and the admins can enforce whatever rules they see fit. As the old saying goes, if you want to exercise freedom of the press, buy a press; you're not entitled to the use of mine.
As a matter of philosophy, I prefer to engage in a free flow of ideas. If a site or any forum is too restrictive, I can opt out. In the marketplace of ideas, as in any marketplace, the market that is too restrictive sees folks taking their business elsewhere.
I don't see the FR restrictions as overly restrictive, and the volume of posts seems to indicate that I am not alone in that conclusion. The rules around here serve to maintain an atmosphere of relative civility -- spamming, trolling, bigotry and profanity are all subjective, but it's up to the mods to know it when they see it.
I hate to be Clintonesque, but define "welcome." Do you mean that they will be silenced, or that they will be received with many, sometimes hostile, replies?
I'm pretty hard-core on free speech. If you are forcibly stopped from expressing yourself, that violates free speech. If you are out-shouted, that is just a bunch of other folks exercising free speech.
NB: I'm talking about free speech as a philosophical construct, not a constitutional issue. No one is talking about government intrusion here. And while I love a freewheeling debate, FR is a private site, and JRob and the admins can enforce whatever rules they see fit. As the old saying goes, if you want to exercise freedom of the press, buy a press; you're not entitled to the use of mine.
As a matter of philosophy, I prefer to engage in a free flow of ideas. If a site or any forum is too restrictive, I can opt out. In the marketplace of ideas, as in any marketplace, the market that is too restrictive sees folks taking their business elsewhere.
I don't see the FR restrictions as overly restrictive, and the volume of posts seems to indicate that I am not alone in that conclusion. The rules around here serve to maintain an atmosphere of relative civility -- spamming, trolling, bigotry and profanity are all subjective, but it's up to the mods to know it when they see it.