“How on earth would being registered at Free Republic ever become known to a prospective employer?”
If you say you don’t in writing on an application and they find out later, lets say they look at your internet use, or they hear you mention “well, I posted that on FR”, you can get canned for lying on your application.
If you have a TS clearance and they ask, you say no, then later you get that as a polygraph question, you are toast.
Basically if you lie you might get caught lying.
Monthly donor? If somehow they audit your credit card bill (happens for some clearances and the thread article is for the Corrections Department) you’ll get caught.
This is why I am self-employed.
I work for me, not for somebody else.