Posted on 08/30/2013 9:01:53 PM PDT by The Bat Ladys Husband
My involvement with Free Republic began around 2000 when my wife began her vigil around the Texas governor’s mansion in support of GW against the challenge of Al Gore for the presidency. I generally provided the livelihood for the Bat Lady to be able to protest and surround the mansion against the leftists who were kept at bay across the street. While she was registered in order to post after action reports I was a lurker on the site.
Over the years we have attended rallies and protests and meetings. Other groups of freepers nationwide also held rallies, attended protests, and held vigils- activities that were organized and coordinated through the Free Republic site. After action reports were posted almost daily, report after report from across the country from different freepers describing their activities. Even the term "freeper" came to mean one who actively engaged the left to fight against disinformation. We considered ourselves patriots. While we did not risk our “lives, fortune or sacred honor”, we suffered the slings and arrows of a hostile left in the cause of freedom.
With a few exceptions, the “freeper” of today is merely a couch potato who is content to amuse himself by making snide comments and repartees about current news. Few even support the site monetarily. Free Republic appears to barely be able to keep its head above water and its so-called member freepers are such a non-factor of dissent that unlike in the early year, Rush Limbaugh rarely references the site (although he seldom mentioned it).
Early freeper were the ones who got up off the couch, made their signs and used the leftist tactics of street activism against the left itself. Michelle Malkin, Ann Coulter, and Jonas Goldberg are example of early famous freepers, but Free Republic also had the likes of Basil (Second Amendment Sisters), True black man, Jimmy Valentine’s Brother, Kristin, the entire DC freeper contingent and so many other activists making a difference for conservative causes.
At some point in time, a subgroup, “The Pajama Patrol” arose within Free Republic. What a sad day that was. The mindset of Free Republic turned to the couch potato mentality referred to earlier.
The most current after action report I have seen was my wife’s, The Bat Lady’s report on the May 2013 Tax Day protest. One of the protesters with us was a 90-year-old lady with her handmade sign. If she can do it, why can’t you?
All you new Freepers need to get up off your butt and get out and make a difference. Where are you at the Impeach Obama overpass events? Why aren’t you organizing anti-Syria bombing protest? Why aren’t you marching over Benghazi, the NSA, the IRS or ObamaCare? If you are there why aren’t you posting your reports to inspire and motivate others? You are not the only reader of FR in your city. Find the others and get together. Act in concert. After 13 years, the Bat Lady and I are still in contact with those we met on the front lines.
DC Freepers maintained vigils at VP Gore's house, and prevented code pink from vilifying our troops at Walter Reed every week for years. Freepers once actively protested the left and got Clinton impeached. Some even say we were the Paul Revere of the TEA party,
Is your barcalounger so dear or American Idol so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it Almighty God.
It is time for freepers to rededicate themselves to the vision that Jim Robinson created. All the clever comments you attach to the threads are less than useless. It is time once again to become a large thorn in the side of those who do not strive for the American Ideal and be the activists we once were. If you cannot post an after action report “go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. …May posterity forget that ye were our countrymen.”
“It does not take a majority to prevail ... but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men.” Samuel Adams
In answer to my own question: yes it is worth saving if its members make a difference.
There are dozens and dozens of Viking Kitties on at least five different ping lists.
There are men and women on the lists.
You may want to call The Big Cat, Jim Robinson, or his assistant cats, The Moderators, if you think that someone deserves a ZOT.
[smiles]
“LOL! And yours did?”
At least I don’t narcissistically whine about what I do and demand everyone else do it, too, or else I call them a bunch of names.
“How’s that for a thread hijack?”
At least something useful came from your post. This thread didn’t have any thing else to offer.
I have tried to review this LONG thread. I am ready to respond now.
FR does not need saving, it is alive and well. Can we help to improve and enlarge it? SURE!
How about joining me and adding Free Republic.com to the bottom of all your signs and communications? It works for me and I am often asked about the site. My signs, hand done, often make it into news reports or photos. You can do this too!
Consider making some business cards with FR on them and your “name”. Invite people you meet to visit the site and say hello to you. Keep a list of contacts and follow up with pings of interest to YOUR newly recruited FReepers. (this is a new project for me)
Many of us have more energy to give than just FR. The Tea Party, Constitional support groups, 9-12 and many other organizations use our talents and are supported by lots of FREEPERS.
Why not mention FR at your meetings? Newcomers to political causes are often unaware of FR. Tell them to visit for their news and our opinion on current events.
Wear FR hats, shirts, jewelry, and buttons...explain them to those who question them and give them a card which will help them to find us!
I have been to almost all of the events you mention...I still am on the front line of every gathering I hear about. Free Republic is not sleeping.
THAT MEANS FREE REPUBLIC IS AT EVERY EVENT I ATTEND!
Please, ALL FReepers, don’t be negative. Be positive and add your suggestions!
This is excellent advice, I used to have cards and some of my signs did say FR’s site, sad to say not all of them. I will get better.
As for my hubby, he has answered but as a new poster his comments are withheld till reviewed, so it’s coming soon.
Have a great weekend, ya’ll
I hope you will not say that about the next entry after yours.
Rush Limbaugh rarely references the site (although he seldom mentioned it).The way I remember it, whether he mentioned it or not we could read on a subject at FR DAYS before Rush would even mention it.
Now we read about what Rush talked about within minutes of him metioning it...in multiple posts.
No fault of their own but for me FR lost it's luster when you could no longer post an entire article.
Parenthetical comments in the titles really helps a lot to spark interest in an article by the way.
I have been called insane before and it did not “crush “ me. I am secure about my actions. My head matches my heart.
I would gladly meet for a drink, and a good argument, but the other “stuff”, NO.
I agree with that. He’s been on 21 flights already and 4 helicopter rides.
3 times I’ve had him on float planes off water in Alaska and there was no issue.
In the case mentioned about Hawaii the pilot was aggressive. He was in the back seat on that curve and being young IMO gives you a higher chance of getting car sick.
In most cases he is a trooper all the way and nothing stops him from anything.
>> Not that it is any of your business
Hello? Y’all made it my business when you brought it up in that dishonest, unfair, whiny self-righteous rant.
>> I am not going to apologize to you or anyone except maybe JimRob. But why should I? My hubby has the right to his opinion. bla bla bla bla
It’s funny how you and hubby are one unit “joined at the hip” when it suits you — like when you’re ‘splainin why he’s really been a freeper just as long as you even though he signed up yesterday! Goes to all the events! Rah rah!
But then you’re separate individuals each with their own disjoint opinion when THAT suits you — like when you’re disavowing his broad brush tar job as HIS opinion.
That’s hypocritical. It’s one or the other.
I wasn’t born yesterday, so I think I’m going with the “you’re in it together”. Hubby speaks for you too; you can’t run away. Heck, you were probably reading it over his shoulder patting him on the back when he pressed SEND.
By the way, where IS the old man? Out protesting somewhere? In this heat? What a true blue conservative stud. The rest of FR is truly unworthy of such a one as this.
Thank you very much, vetvetdoug!! God bless.
Well we were on the way to Italy and many other fun places, but ships can rock and roll and if you are the one not effected you get more load on you.
My lack of sea sickness was my penalty.
Thank you very much, 3D-JOY!! Great work as always!!
What a firestorm I created!
I have replies to some individual post as indicated. Many of the replies were quite vitriolic. But I agree with
Darksheare
“What was your previous handle?”
Didn’t have one
“Who was this poster before today? Do they have another handle? If so, then they are a coward for using a sock puppet.
I think my legitimacy has been established as the The Bat Lady husband
The Bat Lady since Dec 1 2000
NERVOUS TICK
“ This noon won’t ever admit making any mistake.
Note that this noon hasn’t had the cajones to make a SINGLE response on the thread, period.”
The article was not posted until after 11pm. As noted by others we work for a living. I needed my sleep.
“A cowardly hit-and-run.
“BLH is hiding behind BL’s spandex tights. We won’t be hearing any more out of him.”
Hey Bat Lady, is this clueless douchebag really your husband?
Did you put him up to this?
There’s some clue-getting that needs to be carried out by one or both of you.”
Snide Comment if there ever was one.
In reviewing Nervous Ticks responses in other topic posts He seems to relish personal attacks. Name-calling is certainly a mature response. And he was wrong about not hearing any more out of me.
“I think BL and BLH BOTH owe this forum a personal apology, frankly.”
In the absence of reasoned debate by nervous tick and his insulting comments I don’t owe him squat.
“I think there are some very unfair attacks in your post, and I also don’t think that you take into account the fact that over the course of FR’s history, the Republican party has sold its soul to the liberals and basically functions as a rubber stamp in Congress, outside of a few like Cruz and Paul. It’s incredibly difficult to work with the GOP when they hate Conservatives and are working to keep Conservative candidates out of the primaries or getting a chance at the White House.”
I don’t believe I mentioned the Republican Party once in my post. Nor does effective protest require the GOP.
“Most of us work for a living, which makes it more difficult to do street-protests, and when we do them, they are at critical moments and often large in number. But it’s not anything that can be sustained like the Occupy crowd can - because we work to produce and cannot afford to take sabbaticals and let our businesses and employers hold down the farm on their own.”
Agreed, I too have my own businesses and employees. You do what you can. I never said you have to be on the streets 24/7. Much of my involvement was providing materials and logistics for people who could be on the street at an event.
I don’t believe I made any recommendations on improving FR. Did not recommend ads, format changes or revenue proposals.
I hope you do not think that any of my post was directed at you or the Free Republic site. I am ecstatic that FR is doing well financially. One motivating factor in my post was the strident tone regarding the freepathon goal in the breaking news sidebar. You more than anyone have made a difference simply by creating and maintaining this site.
“Look at the picture in my profile and look at the date. I bet I've been in this fight a lot longer than you have.
I still have my original Tyranny Response Team T-shirt.
And the people whose names you invoked would probably like to have those names spelled properly.”
Not by much. I still have my Sore Loserman shirt as well- so what?
What have you done lately?
Spelling is certainly more important than content, but I apologize for the mispellings
MR. K
I did not complain about the “endless begging for money” it just seemed that the response to the freepathon plea was not there
Lancey Howard
“Free Republic is a lot more than a site for "snide comments" as you insinuate. Free Republic is a place where relevant news from numerous sources is thoroughly analyzed by thousands of people daily and gets widespread dissemination. That is an important role.”
Not if the information is not acted on
“You seem to think Free Republic should be a control center for street rallies and marches, etc. Sure, FR can still serve that function, and likely WILL serve that function in the future. August in an election off-year is not exactly the prime time for that kind of activity. Remember, most conservatives get up and go to work every day. We don't have the luxury of the Democrats, who can always have their union thugs bus in the welfare rent-a-crowds.”
FR did serve that function and still does in some chapters I work too, See above. It is always the time for protest in defense of Liberty
Edpc
“I was about to do a dozen different things you mentioned, but I got sucked into this ridiculous thread and its comments. So, I blame you.”
LOL
Luke 21
“I don't know this cat, but he is typical of the Don Quixote Freeper battalion, who lecture us on doing this and that and that and this, and we aren't doing our part if we don't take their orders.
I live in an insane Democrat district, where awful doesn't begin to describe who these batdung crazy fools elect. There is no freaking way this place will ever elect anyone close to sane, and at the state level we have McCain and Flake, two traitors. I haven't voted for McCain since 1992. I darn near didn't vote for Flake, but you know the old argument.
But these Quixote types want me to march up and down banging a drum or some such rot, getting laughed at and spat on en route to another electoral slaughter next election. Yeah that's the ticket. Just brilliant. As brilliant as nominating Mitt Romney (and John McCain) which is what the side we are supposed to march for commonly does.”
With your defeatist attitude we should all give up.
As a newbie my latest post to this thread has been submitted for review. In that post I stated that I had made no recommendations for changes in FR or the site. Allow me to make one suggestion. As a newbie I have tried to pay scrupulous attention to the content of my post. On the posting page it says:
Please: NO profanity, NO personal attacks, NO racism or violence in posts.
Perhaps when messages are posted that violate this request as in the case of Nervous Tick the poster should have his future posts reviewed for a period of time.
Thank you very much, Mr. and Mrs. Bat Lady!! Well done.
And thank you very much to all the posters!!
FReepers ROCK!!
God bless.
Thanks. By the way, have removed the newbie restriction from your account.
>> As noted by others we work for a living. I needed my sleep.
So you threw a bomb, and then went to bed. Sweet. Well, you clearly are a cut above all of the rest of us, so your needs DO outweigh common decency. Oh! Sorry! Was that snide?
My comments were intended to be snide and personal. I’m happy they came off that way. After spraying shrapnel into the crowd and then running away like you’re above the fray, it’s all you deserve.
And... debate? With a ghost? How?
We’ve had fakers before.
Seems legit though.
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