Posted on 05/02/2012 5:23:35 AM PDT by xzins
We are the Free Republic Pre-War on Terror Class of Freepers.
Having been a freeper for over a decade, and having experienced both a pre 9/11 presence here and a post 9/11 presence, having experienced the Hanging Chad Wars of GW's first election, Sore Loserman and all, what stands out for you regarding the growth of Free Republic over the years.
What are your thoughts on the independence of Free Republic, and Jim Robinson's decision to go advertisement free all these years. My first thought is that his financial independence is what has freed him to tell the GOP-E to stick it in their ear this year.
If he had to worry about sponsors dropping him, or well-heeled pubbies supporting him, that might have intimidated a lesser man.
We've been blessed these many years. What stands out for you in your decades plus experience on Free Republic?
TV manufacturers worldwide echew the day that Free Republic went online. TV breakage dropped drastically.
Laptop manufacturers celebrated, though, due to spewage onto laptop screens from ROTFLMAO moments on FR!
LOL!
01/23/1998. Lurks, occasional poster and now a monthly supporter. When I want to know what is happening I stop here first.
Thank God for the freedoms we have and hopefully he will forgive us as a nation from straying from his word. More important is personally keeping his word.
Thanks Jim Rob for your outstanding work and commitment to the founding principles of this country.
The DSL was necessary in the pre-Google days to find stuff quickly. I do wish though we had some organized listing of Obama's downside legacy - there's too many phrases to remember to take advantage of Google, Bing or whatever.
Blessings on you, pcpa, for sharing the load, for not just talking the talk but walking the walk.
Due to freep-a-thons, Free Republic is NOT a bought and paid for subsidiary of the GOP-e.
Support Your Freep-a-Thon now!
I also remember lurking around during the Elian Gonzalez mess and the Janet Reno assault to take him back to Cuba. Also the Black Hawk down in Somalia. Clinton working the crowd somewhere and was chewed out by a conservative woman for allowing our military be put in that situation. the news media wouldn’t hardly carry it but it was all over this website. Those were some sad times, kind of like now and the 70’s No wonder I love the 80’s so much.
I think I’m Halloween, 1998. Doesn’t seem like almost 14 years but that’s what it is if my math is correct.
,,,that full-page ad in the Washington Times...still have my copy.
what became of her?
uhhhm, ‘she’ apparently wasn’t
Well, since you asked...
I’ve been here almost every day for more than a decade. I read far more than I post. FR is far and away the most important web site for me. Nothing else comes close.
Having said that, I would like to see FR financed with ads. I have donated in the past but have no plans to do so in the future. I just don’t like the NPR style of raising funds. Capitalism is good.
Another thing. It seems to me that there are far more overtly religious postings than there used to be. I am not anti-religious, in fact as a former Christian, I still have an affinity with Christianity, especially as it relates to culture and politics. However, I find myself irritated by the growing number of overt religious threads, that, it seems to me, do little more than use up bandwidth.
Having said all that, I fully recognize that this is Jim’s forum and he can run it as he chooses.
financial independence allows philosophical independence
JMHO....but I think I’m right.
Lots of small donations lessens the impact the withdrawal of any one donor might have.
Huge sponsors with ads can threaten withdrawal and to keep the site going they would have to receive concessions.
I don’t think FR is as religious as it used to be. ALL religious threads used to be on the open forum. Surely you remember.
There was a religion forum created to handle religious threads....those that weren’t also related to actual news. (The Catholic Contraception ObamaCare Controversy, for example)
Apparently, "she" was actually a "he" ...
What’s your story. How did you find this place?
Indeed. Thank you, dear pcpa!!!
Free Republic allows me to make any article that appears on the site mine. I can read it and if I think it is important enough or I have something significant to add I can do so. No other media outline provides this to me.
The news is no longer some impersonal pixulated image on a flat screen backed up by a nice voice and some cool graphics!
Free Republic also tells me that my opinions aren't out in left field somewhere. In fact, the reports from the LMSM are the ones away out in “left” field not me.
1. The Bill Clinton statue I won at the North Texas Freeper get-together at Pappadeaux's in Euless/Bedford many years ago.
2. Sore Loserman: we still have the signs safely stored away.
Anti-Semitism has been against the rules of FR from the very beginning, so all these vermin were in open violation of the rules. JR is very patient with everyone, and while this sometimes lets undesirable elements remain longer than they should, it's better than having a hair-trigger temper and banning people at the drop of a hat.
I think Jim has done everything right. While the site is down from time to time, it's never been hacked and is open to all. Accepting ads may eventually become necessary, but Jim has avoided it because he doesn't want his political positions to be unduly influenced by anyone he might be beholden to.
And I'm personally very grateful to him for putting up with me, a neanderthal troglodyte Theocrat from the Bible Belt who spent most of his life searching for The Truth and when he found it, found it alienated him somewhat from some traditional American concepts. I hope he'll continue to put up with me on the grounds that I am upfront and honest about my "heresies" (and that I alone am responsible for my outrageous opinions) and find FReepers to be the most well-informed and intelligent community on the Web for discussing these things.
May FR endure until it is no longer needed (if such time ever comes), and I hope I will always be indulged by being permitted to post my often outrageous comments here.
We’ve lost a lot of amazing Freepers over the years. I was here during the whitewater years and then signed up Jan 98. Whatever Jim decides to do I trust will be the best.
I don't remember you being outrageous.
(I'd use the word "incendiary" instead :-)
I don't remember you being outrageous.
(I'd use the word "incendiary" instead :-)
But I'm such a nice boy!
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