Posted on 01/19/2011 10:00:05 AM PST by Jim Robinson
Edited on 01/19/2011 10:21:38 AM PST by Jim Robinson. [history]
I'm placing this in breaking news, because there have been several breaking news complaint threads recently. Guess there are a lot of people not understanding the facts about FR, or what we stand for, where we're going, etc.
First of all, who reads FR and how many accounts do we have? I honestly have no idea and the exact number does not concern me. We currently have over 369,000 registered accounts on FR, but as someone pointed out yesterday, not all of them are active and I have no idea how many are active.
Many years ago we had less than 30,000 accounts registered. Then we hit a hundred thousand, a hundred fifty thousand, then two hundred thousand and three or four years ago we approached and went over 300,000. Every few years as we hit a major milestone in registered accounts, I updated our home page with the current number of accounts on FR. I'll probably do it again after we go over 400,000, then 500,000, etc, and maybe I won't. The number of registered accounts doesn't really mean much. And our growth in the last few years has tapered off anyway for various reasons.
Who actually reads FR? Again, we have no idea, but there are hundreds of thousands maybe even millions of readers. All kinds of people read FR. News hounds, liberals, conservatives, politicians, talk show hosts, religious types, atheists, you and me brother and everyone in between. We serve over 1,000,000 pageviews per day.
So why has our growth tapered off? Well, probably the primary reason is we've narrowed our point of view lately as we've moved away from just talking about the issues and have actually started becoming constitutional activists.
The time for talking is over. Now we need to walk the walk. Our focus has become closer to working on our primary goal which is a return to constitutionally limited government and a full restoration of our God-given unalienable rights.
We can't do that by being big tent, all things to all people, non-principled, two-talking politicians. If we are truly interested in advancing our traditional conservative pro-God, pro-family, pro-life, pro-country, pro-liberty principles and positions then we must reject the politicians and people supporting the other way.
As an organization, we cannot be both for and against homosexuality, abortion, big government, border and national security, etc. I don't know about others, but if we must choose, I choose to be on the right side of each and every issue. Why should FR use its limited resources to allow liberals, homosexualists, abortionists, big spenders, big taxers, big government solutions advocates, gun grabbers, pacifists, isolationists, environmentalists, open-borders lobbyists, etc, ply their trade on FR? Well, more and more lately, we don't. And, apparently, that has pissed off a lot of big tent, true blue RINO types and the herd is stampeding. Let them go.
We who share our common traditional conservative principles, values and goals will be better off in the long run. We need to build on our strengths and attract more traditional conservatives to our viewpoints than to water down and weaken our own. It just doesn't make sense to me to support politicians like Giuliani, Romney, Gingrich, et al, who have RINO/liberal track records. It doesn't make sense to allow abortionists, homosexualists, gun-grabbers, big-government solutionists, etc, to have free rein on FR to target and lambast us daily with their repugnant bile. Let them go.
FR will continue on the traditional God, family, country, life and liberty path. If it means fewer accounts or less growth, so be it. If it means we receive fewer in donations, so be it. We will adapt, improvise and overcome and I believe prosper (God willing) in the long run. And, hopefully, someday we can say that we helped restore our beloved republic and our Liberty!
several griping items in Breaking lately?
FoRum abuse is an ugly thing, better to stamp it out now.
Decorum Decorum Decorum I always say. ;-)
Giddyup.
(For clarification: JimRob “owns” it. He can do whatever the heck he wants. This is his private property, and I recognize his full property rights!)
Proud to stand with all of you (so many Vets!)...and clicking on the DONATE button right now. Thanks for all you do, Jim.
This decision to narrow and focus the direction and thrust of FreeRepublic will take this site from being another political blog and make it a force for good in a country which craves such clear and unambiguous direction.
Well done, Jim. FreeRepublic will flourish as a result of this, and America will have a steady, reliable voice speaking (like Sarah Palin) unerringly on the wisdom of the constitutionally conservative truths that made us the greatest nation in the history of the world.
God bless you, Jim, and may God bless FreeRepublic and the great Godly nation which FreeRepublic serves.
;-\
I have no problem with people posting left wing articles and left wing comments. I have no problem debating with people who direct their lives by the twin principles of premeditated ignorance and practiced irrationality. I have no problem searching out the original truths proving the sound bites liberals use for their points are no more than mantras chanted for a godless orthodoxy. As far as I am concerned, bring it on. I and others will bury them.
Ping!
I must admit my jealousy. Sarah is obviously well aware of FR and not only did Jim Thompson get a handshake from our Sarah, he also got a kiss on the cheek!!
Amen Brother!
I am SICK of the leftist crap that is continually espoused by supposed “conservative” FReepers. A pox on them.... and good riddance.
Bookmark.
Couldn’t agree more. RINO’s just drag the place down.
Bravo and Amen, Jim. Let’s get on with the tasks at hand! God bless you, FR and God bless America.
Excellent Jim. Thanks for the post. We will stick with your vision for FR, and the country as it’s ours too.
Thank you Jim. This site means a lot to me. I spend waaaaaay to much time here :) But that’s not time wasted. I enjoy being informed and up to date. I recommend FR to all my conservative friends.
>>Who actually reads FR?<<
I suspect many more people than will admit to it!
Amen.
I am PROUD to be a citizen of THIS republic!
As a financially strapped newbie, I agree with your statements. I was just wondering where this site stood on certain issues...../sarcasm.
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