I suggest anyone who wants to regard this as a forum that actually lives up to the audacious name of Free Republic should start respecting Freedom of Speech of others and not just for themselves, simply bypass postings by authors one does not like, allow others to read what they like, and, last but not least, not encourage self-appointed, repeatedly vulgar, occasionally obscene, and usually off-topic, hall-monitoring trolls of limited erudition like humblegunner.
But he’s SO cranky ALL THE TIME!!!
We all owe a debt of gratitude to freerepublic, it having been the first major conservative message board on the internet. For years and years this site enjoyed a sterling reputation, a trace of which still survives.
It was the first, the biggest, the best.
It was, in fact, a pretty happy place to be. But with the constant toleration of old grouches, even those who build fraudulent "about" pages implying they've been banned, I've seen lots and lots of good people drift away.