[Leroy S. Mort]

Those were the "Good Ole Days" to be sure.....I realize that more and more these days.

[In Search of Freedom]

I remember those days when you posted and article it stuck. It wouldn't get pulled like a loose thread from a spindle.

[kcpopps]

At first, I didn't post, there were self appointed post police that would tear you a new one, if you didn't hold your mouth just right.

(Some things never change)

Your story is similar to mine. I got a cable modem primarily for faster Freepin. Couldn't imagine a phone modem now.

[cynicom]

odd...

Some of the self appointed posting police are still around, that was bad enough, but now we have hall monitors to contend with...Oh well...

[B Knotts]

Yeah, I found FR from the Drudge link, too.

I remember lots of flame-wars between DonMorgan, Mojo, Navigator, Deb, OneWhoKnows, and others.

And, of course, Ash!

[weston]

Freepin' has come a long way....I found it way back through Prodigy.
My 1st computer was soooo slow and had almost no memory. When someone posted a picture, it tied the machine up for half an hour and made you say AAARGH!

I was immediately addicted...Should have gone to rehab...

[untenured]

For old time's sake, I just tried to post a link to a "Newsweek Kills Story on White House Intern" thread, but it's vanished. In fact, I just noticed that the link to the "Old Topics List" that used to be on the main FR page is gone. I assume most of the posts that are from 1998 or earlier are gone, which is too bad.

If anyone has a link to a file to an original Drudge Lewinsky/Newsweek story thread that has not been lost, that would be nice to go back and look through.

[ken5050]

oh the fun before the "self-search" function was added....

[Sungirl]

My mother told me about this place through Drudge. She's been lurking everyday but won't sign on...you out there mom?

I don't know what year it was...but I wrote an email to Drudge and asked him to change the link from WhiteWater...to Free Republic. I don't think it was a coincidence...but it was changed that day!

[prognostigaator]

I'd like to think that it was through the freepin efforts of the the early members of Free Republic that Fox News became available on local cable outlets.....

[Mr.Clark]

I found it through Drudge too. Those were the days, the Clinton scandals were a lot of fun. Good times.

[afraidfortherepublic]

I first found Free Republic through Drudge Report.

Me too, but I think I heard about Drudge on C-span.

[AuntB]

Oh dear. I'd like everyone to forget I was here then. I had never been in any kind of forum group before FR, had only used the 'puter for research. I'm sure I did everything wrong. I wonder what ever happened to Don Morgan?

[SamKeck]

Does anyone else remember freepin back then?

Yes, and I remember the various subtexts, covert agendas, disrupter alerts, long, rambling "good bye forever" posts, and the vicious internecine wars that were characteristic of that early period too.

Hey, wait a minute! Guess the "good old days" are still with us today in a certain sense. Regards,

[Dan from Michigan]

I lurked in late 1998 and posted in mid 1999, mostly on the Mena threads.

And I still haven't forgotten about Mena.

[185JHP]

I remember that "Huertgen Forest" guy - he coulda been a contenda in a Doonesbury strip if Doonesbury were clean and honest. Strange, Carlos Castanedaesque postings. I had some serious health issues, and didn't read FR for over a year - and when I got back - he was only a memory. I understand he was bogus in some way, but he was something else. I'm not sure he wasn't Hunter Thompson in a place where he couldn't get any drugs...

[tiki]

How long has FR been around?

[Some hope remaining.]

I can't quite remember how or when I found FR. I registered in early 1999 but lurked for some time before that.

I do remember that before FR I used to check the Washington Times "Whitewater" link every day for stuff about Clinton.

[fuquadukie]

Those were the days. I lurked from Jan-Jul98. Joined officially Jul98. Remember the Whitewater days? Quidam. Trident/Delta. Whitewater Archives.

Free spirited discussion. A LOT less BS and a LOT less vanities. Some of the newbies just don't get it.

[BFO]

My first cyber crush was Deb. Sigh, she is, as Bill O'Reilly might say, pithy. I also liked to read posts from Penny, wonder where she's gone. Haven't seen Wallaby around in quite a while, but then again, I don't freep as much as I used to. Still my favorite VRWC site, tho.