Is Free Republic a Fraud? Is it time for Free Republic to go away?

Free Republic | 11/28/01 | Jim Robinson

[Reagan is King]

A fee on this thing will kill it deader than a Texas road killed skunk.

I think FR should stay donor supported, not subscription. Perhaps you misread my post or are you just giving your opinion on the subject? I just didn't want you to confuse my post urging donations for a request for a subscription site. I agree that a subscription site would not work, IMHO.

[Howlin]

From: Sam Spade (OBHACKENBUSH) Jun-3 6:18 pm
To: Arator (5 of 43)
558.5 in reply to 558.1

With those who have said to not say anything conclusive until facts are proven and truths are known, I would agree with them 100%.
As to whether this is the real Howlin or not, I don't have the slightest idea. But to say that live out in a forum without any real evidence to back it up is to me an example of a grave personal attack, one which you ought to delete immediately or face the well-intentioned wrath of club members.

Therefore, my suggestion would be to delete the prior thread which said that Howlin is an impostor and leave this one up which asks a harmless question and doesn't come to any rash conclusions.

Just my two cents, but one of the key things as moderator you need to be willing to acknowledge is YOUR mistakes and deal with them in a manner with which you would treat any posting member on the forum.

Otherwise, you are JimRob....
BOOGA BOOGA BOOGA!!

Okay, big boy, where is YOUR proof of your accusations?

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Could you please inform me and others what the Eschoir suit was about. Thanks in advance.

BigMack

[Inspector Harry Callahan]

So what, exactly, is inaccurate about Arator's post?

[diotima]

Do you and Arator want your own radio show....I see alot of potential....;^)

[Inspector Harry Callahan]

"Could you please inform me and others what the Eschoir suit was about. Thanks in advance."

Ask Bob.

ROFL!!

[Howlin]

I'd rather not be seen with known liars. Now, I'll do one with you and RightOnline!

[A Navy Vet]

I'm "Banned man Walking".

I'd say more like poor little persecuted *Victim Man Walking*.

[Nita Nupress]

Actually, my lovely, gracious, beautiful, 6' tall, former-farm-girl-and-strong-as-an-ox, former Texas State judo champion, wonderful mother of my seven children would start with mine................:)

Yes, and she would have way too much unspent energy left over to finish off the job!

Hugs to you both, my dear. (And kiss the new cutie pie for me!)

[Inspector Harry Callahan]

Hello there, ANV.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Ask Bob.

?

BigMack

[davidosborne]

Jim,

Thank you so much for freerepublic, and I will do whatever I can to support this site.. In addition I have nominated you for the Ronald Reagan award, as I am sure many other FReepers have.. God Bless you, and God Bless FReeepublic..

I may not agree with you all the time, but I respect your right to run YOUR site as you see fit, and I will do my best not to post anything that would jeapardize my priviledge to participate in YOUR site..

David

[Inspector Harry Callahan]

In #1759, Bob claimed that Arator was "full of it" concerning the Eschoir suit. We're all waiting for Bob to tell us what, exactly, Arator was wrong about in his post.

So far, CRICKETS.......

[JSteff]

Freerepublic is a beacon that keeps many of us sane in those tough times for the republic. What would many of us do with out it? Where can we get the input of the of so many voices and presentations of events as occurs here? What would we have done without Freerepublic when times looked bleak?

Freerepublic helped to keep us sane throught the bleak years of the corrupt Clinton administration, through the travesty of the dimpled chads, and continues to be the only place true believers in the republic can go for hope. Jim, you provide a service which most of us can not do without. You ask the question "Is it time for Free Republic to go away?", the answer is no. The only fraud is with those who won't admit how vitally important Freerepublic is.

Please don't go away. Please don't end our lifeline. Please to cut the only link many of us have to sanity.

God bless you Jim, and God bless Freerepublic. Thank you. <

[Arator]

Honestly, I don't mean to overreact, but I'm just not used to seeing such grandiose thinking and such eloquent prose go hand in hand. It's perfect for fund-raising purposes.

Don't forget: Show up at least once a quarter. You're great for business.

LOL. I aim to please. ;^)

[RightOnline]

Little dude got four.........count 'em............four shots today. Boy, is he feelin' just ducky-poo..............

[michigander]

Let Jim Robinson know how YOU feel.

After reading (most of) 1771 replies.

Holy FReepin' Cow!
I need another drink!!

[Z2]

The suit with Eschoir was about intimidation and self promotion. It cost $105,000 and the same outcome could have been achieved for the price of a certified letter. It was the brainchild of Clarity, FR's former attorney, acting in concert with God only knows who. Clarity left FR at the end of July, at which time these facts were revealed on a thread called "Where's Clarity", posted by yours truly. The thread has since been flushed.

[airborne]

Still hangin' in there, eh Inspector? Good for you!

"All that is gold does not glitter,

Not all who wander are lost..."

[Jim Robinson]

"1. What arrangements are being made to pay the $105,000 Winston & Strawn bill in the Eschoir matter? Did you have any idea the bill would be this large?

2. What is the status of the appeal in the LAT/WP matter? Who is FR's attorney, now that Clarity has left the case?

3. Why is it costing twice as much to run FR today as it did last March, what with all of John's bandwidth improvements?

4. Did FR raise $7,300 for non-profit filings? If so, how was that money spent?

5. Who owns the forum software?

6. How is FR's revenue reported for state and federal tax purposes?

I have many more questions, but these will keep you busy for awhile. Thanks in advance for your answers, and the opportunity to question you!"

1. We are paying them $3,000 per month. I had no idea the bill was going to be so high.

2. The case is on appeal. We are waiting to hear from the court. David Flyer is our new attorney.

3. Our contract with our provider was for one year - ending next month. The improvements John made will allow us to have more users online without impacting the service as much. We will continue to contract for a 10mbps line, but we are negotiating a new contract at lower rates. We hope to bring our bandwidth costs down a couple thousand dollars per month next year.

4. Yes, we raised money for filing for three new 501(c) corporations and we paid $7,300 (or thereabouts - I don't remember the figure to the penney) to an attorney to file the necessary paperwork. The project ran into many snags and was eventually abandoned.

5. I own the original forum software. I developed it myself and John and I improved it over the years. John is now working on totally new forum software. He dropped our of Free Republic a year ago and formed a new corporation. He is developing his new software from scratch. He is a much more capable programmer than I am, and his software will be far superior to my own design.

6. FR is organized as an LLC. The taxes on an LLC are paid by the individual members (of the LLC). I am the majority owner and therefor pay the lion's share of the taxes on my personal return.

Not saying that I am willing to answer every question you may have, but I will answer all I can.