>IOW, lay the blame right here. It is FreeRepublic, and places like it, that are supposed to require much of our own- If we do not, no one will.
But then, it is so much easier to attack the other side, and falsely inflate our own...<
Here I was thinking I was the only one saying, “Look in the mirror first.”
I think that is our most critical job as Freepers- To hold our own to the truth, and to make certain that they are kept to a high standard. Without that high standard, we are no better than our opposition, and the OP's words apply in triplicate.