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Most of the people who were putting themselves out there during the formative years of FR are reluctant to publicly offer details of their experiences because they don't want to appear self serving or fishing for compliments and for the most part feel they are personal.

My opposition on this thread found it necessary to repeatedly post that pic of me at a street FReep and although I didn't feel it necessary to address it after they posted it three of four times with what I considered to be a negative connotation I felt compelled to respond. Since you have asked me to elaborate, I will.

I was one of a small group of people who wanted to team up with Jim after he launched this website. My registration number is around 50 and it's only that high because the day he started registration I had to work and couldn't get to it until I got home after 5pm PST (;-]). I was one of four “first FReepers” who met Jim for the first time at his home in Fresno on July 4th, 1998. I suggested and organized that “first contact” and it was the first time Jim met any of his website fans in person. Jim and I became friends and have remained so. Jim will be the first to acknowledge that we disagree on some issues but our respect for each other transcends all other bounds. I trust Jim and I believe he trusts me. I have always valued that trust throughout my FR experience.

I was one of six people that organized our first “National FReep” in October of 1998 in DC dubbed “The March for Justice”. I then organized the subsequent “Judgment Day Rally” on the Capitol steps the day Clinton was impeached and then and “House Managers Rally” to support those Congressman who put their careers on the line to see justice done to Bill Clinton.

I helped put together the first functioning FR activism chapter in Los Angeles then created the non-profit “Free Republic Network” that acted as an management and organizing organization for all our fledgling chapters.

At that point we hit the radar of the left. I as well as others experienced things such as;

1. Personal investigations into our backgrounds.
2. Private investigators parked outside our home.
3. Personal information posted on the internet.
4. Our addresses and maps to our homes posted in the internet with suggestions for violence (one asked people to rape my wife).
5. Attempts to have us fired from our jobs.
6. Attempts to destroy our credit.

So when you talk about having an assault at a FReep, that was child play. Of course we were always at risk for that and people would get into our faces constantly and stuff like bottles would be thrown at us, but I was lucky and never had a fist into my face or a bottle into my head.

Others weren't as lucky, like my good friend Racebannon. At one rally of his a lib jumped onto a truck and started throwing fists. He ended up suing Race and others which took about 3 years to wind it's way through the court system and cost tens of thousands of dollars.

That was why one of the first things we did in the Free Republic Network was secure a “Managers and Directors” 1 million dollar liability policy that would offer protection to all our chapter leaders against this type of harassment. We understood that good honest people while well intentioned were not going to put the financial security of themselves and families at risk to promote FReepersdom...no matter how worthy.

The FRN quickly grew to over 50 chapters with maybe another 100 “gestating” (there were standards to be an “official” FR chapter ;-])

I hope that answers you r question. I agree I got a little long winded but there is so much history it's difficult to put it all in a couple sentences.