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Is Free Republic a Fraud? Is it time for Free Republic to go away?
Free Republic | 11/28/01 | Jim Robinson

Posted on 11/28/2001 7:31:29 PM PST by Jim Robinson

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To: Ratatoskr
You can whine all you want on this thread, at least so long as you don't get banned. If you get banned, you can whine somewhere else. But to say that you have a right to say anything on this site whether the owner or those he designates as moderators like it or not, is just nonsense. Well, actually, you can say whatever you like. He can also delete it, and delete your account, and does not owe anyone an explanation for anything he does here. He can also delegate the job to someone else. I'm just pointing out that whining is rude and obnoxious even on invitation. It's also futile nad convinces no one.

What IS the point? Jim Rob isn't going to give them what they want, nor is there a reason for him to do so. So what are they trying to accomplish? Are they just secretly trying to increase the donations for him? If so, they're doing a good job so far... at the expense of losing all their credibility. (Assuming they ever had any.) Maybe they are helping him that way on purpose. If not, then they're shooting themselves in the foot.

They're too bitter to be secret assistants, though. So far, they haven't managed to convince anyone of anything, nor have those who claimed the site was a fraud or that the donations are 'misused' managed to prove or support their points. They haven't presented anything of note in thousands of posts but some lame come-backs... and more whining. Instead, they just make unsupported allegations, or complain of their hurt feelings, make weepy-eyed appeals for sympathy, feign 'persecution,' pretend to be martyrs, pretend to be 'for the children (other freepers)' all with exaggerated claims of their 'rights' being usurped when they have no 'rights' on this site to begin with.

They came, they complained, they accomplished nothing.

No one has 'rights' on this site but the owner. None of them have managed to justify why the owner should not run the site as he pleases.

We've heard one try to make a 'one of the guys' appeal by feigning concern for the owner's well-being... demanding a right to know the site's funding information so as to prevent the owner from being 'abused.' What a joke! Does anyone think Hillary Clinton was collecting FBI files for the benefit of the people whose were the subjects of those files?

One went on to try to justify his demands by claiming he was doing it for the sake of people who might be spending their limited little incomes on donations... and could somehow be bilked. An amusing claim, to say the least. Definitely not a claim a conservative would make. Very illogical as well, because the person would be out of the money whether the donation was public information or not. The site isn't selling products, and then not delivering. Perhaps the 'genius' who thought up that argument should spend his time investigating people who try to sell meat to people in neighborhoods out of the back of their trucks.

They claim to want 'what's best' for the site. But who asked them to run the site OR be the determinants of what is 'best' for it? What business is it of theirs? What right do they have to be heard here? They only have a right to be heard here so long as the owner wants them to be heard here. Period.

What is right for the site is whatever the owner wants to do with it, whether he wants to make it grow or even if he wants to utterly run it into the ground. It's his right, because it is his site, entirely his site. He can put whoever he wants in charge of the sideboards, and they are accountable only to him. He can do it all himself if he wished to do so. He doesn't have to answer to you, or to me, or to anyone else when he does do what he wants here. He doesn't HAVE to tell us why he bans us, or a post was deleted. He doesn't have to justify his actions to us in any way. We can only ask. And once we ask, we can vote only with our feet- if we don't like it, we can leave.

Until these jokers prove that it isn't his site, or that they are managers and shareholders, they have no case.

Now, some folks who have been banned didn't go and whine about it, and didn't set up sites devoted to ruining the reputations of the owner of this site. Those people still have respect, and Jim Rob generally lets them come back after a time. That doesn't mean they are immune from getting the boot again.

Most of the people whining here have in fact been banned, which is why they whine. They HAVE been asked to leave by the owner of the property. Even when asked, some of them simply changed screen names and came back aboard. That was unethical and shows that they have no respect for the owner's right to run his own site.

Others attempted to set up their own sites and that was wonderful- that was the respectable way to behave and still excercies their rights. The owner of FreeRepublic didn't go on their sites and whine like they do here, because he respects their rights more than they respect his. I sure don't go to their sites and complain about them. their sites have nothing to offer or interest people- if they did they'd be getting lots of hits and their owners wouldn't have time to come and bash the owner here for doing what is clearly within his rights to do.

People of high character go hang out where they're wanted and respected. They don't whine. You can whine all you want on the whiner's thread, but If you get banned, respect the property owner's rights and stay that way.

2,761 posted on 12/01/2001 2:34:35 PM PST by piasa
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To: the_tisha_girl
Come over to the fundraiser thread, we have lots of fun and you can get to know some really great freepers. Plus, you can ask questions or make mistakes and we won't tease you too bad... ;-)

Freepathon Holidays are Here Again: Let's Really Light Our Tree This Year


Click on the FreeRepublic eagle for secure credit card donations,
or Snail Mail:
FREE REPUBLIC, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 9379


2,762 posted on 12/01/2001 2:36:19 PM PST by WIMom
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To: piasa
Well said.
2,763 posted on 12/01/2001 2:43:34 PM PST by WIMom
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To: piasa
Yow! That's not a reply, it's a term paper.

But to say that you have a right to say anything on this site whether the owner or those he designates as moderators like it or not, is just nonsense.

It sure is. Who said that?

I'm just pointing out that whining is rude and obnoxious even on invitation.

Check. So the next time anyone asks for feedback around here, I should understand they don't mean it. Unless the feedback is vigorous butt-smooching. Got it.

Do you realize you used "they" (without specifying who "they" were) 31 times in that little treatise of yours? I assume "they" is anyone who doesn't agree with you and says so.

You've got some serious issues there, cowboy.

2,764 posted on 12/01/2001 2:55:05 PM PST by Ratatoskr
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To: the_tisha_girl
I don't get the feeling that this is a very friendly place.

This is like a street corner, barber shop, corner saloon and neighborhood park. There are far more likeable folks than not and every once in a bit, some hooligans ban together wishing to control the operation. That is when the likeable folks act like the red-blooded 'marecuns we are and kick the hooligans in the butt. Some of us nice guys have been known to aim for the groin when we are sorely tested. And that is when it is nice to have friends.

Now, don't be afraid of Howlin...many conservatives are touchy. I, on the other hand, am an old fashioned liberal who strongly believes that Democrats run better local government and Republicans run better federal (since Republicans are by and large, bossy, rich and cliquish). The one thing we all have agreed on is that the Clinton years and the Clinton Crimes were abominable and we must do everything in our power to rid the country of their evilness. I will continue to try to pry them from their control of the Democratic Party and Howlin will continue to win the House and the Senate and maybe go after them again. We also almost all agree that we are in a struggle against terrorism and regardless of political posturing we should stand together to whack the bums one up the side the head.

Now, I see you've been invited to tea with the ladies and I will depart from any further encouragement just in case the tea is too sweet.d

2,765 posted on 12/01/2001 2:56:16 PM PST by harrowup
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To: the_tisha_girl
Actually, it is a friendly place, if you are friendly to others, and don't go off to other web sites and slam the site owner or make false allegations. Some people get banned for doing just that, some get banned for just losing their cool and needing some time off, some for pushing the site in the wrong direction, some for spreading rumors, for advertising their own sites, spamming, for deliberately trying to destroying the community, for personal attacks, or threats on others, profanity, etc.

There are times when you will have to defend your position all alone, but if you do so in a civil fashion you will generally be treated well. Howlin and myself had a very hot, blood-curdling debate over an issue at one point. Flames were flying, but neither of us asked Jim rob to ban the other, nor did Jim Rob opt to ban us, even though neither of us were giving ground. Maybe that was because, as hot as it was, it never got to the level of personal attacks, and never got to the point that the site owner's goals for his site were in danger of being drowned out in our fight. I had a real nasty encounter with another hot-tempered poster who freepmailed me some extremely profane comments over something I said, but with a bit of talk we came to an understanding and even friendship.

That's part of the point- the site owner has the right to determine the destiny of the site, to command his ship. He has a vision which we believe we share, and that is why we joined him here. We joined him, for all intents and purposes asking to be signed on as crew. We didn't sign on to take over his job, or to mutiny when we don't get our way.

If a time comes when we think he's navigating to a place we don't want to go, we'll disembark, leave the vessel in his hands, and look for another captain or build our own ships and become captains ourselves. But until then, the best way to keep the ship going is to let the captain command the thing, and find for ourselves a niche where we can use our skills and talents to lob verbal shells on liberals, to keep the sails trimmed, to keep the decks swabbed, to stand watch. We can't all be captains- if we were, the ship would never get out of port. The goal isn't to be captain, but to achieve victory.

2,766 posted on 12/01/2001 3:08:39 PM PST by piasa
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To: harrowup
An old fashioned liberal that liked Nixon?

-- Hmmmm, maybe you got locked in that Kelvinator a bit to long back in the 50's. - Or was it an Admiral?

2,767 posted on 12/01/2001 3:11:06 PM PST by tpaine
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To: Silly
There are two levels of moderators. With regard only to user management, the low level moderators are empowered only to suspend. This is what has been termed the "sidebar moderator"; a holdover from the time when the only moderator function available was to remove articles from Breaking News. (But not to pull(make inaccessible) articles.)

When Jim left for TX (August?) I expanded the powers of the sidebar moderator to include the new ability to suspend accounts, and the ability to remove comments and articles. As well as the sidebar duties. I created a higher level moderator function for banning and especially nuking, this was called "admin moderator". And I created one special class of moderator now called "lead moderator"; this person, and there is only one, is basically the foreman, and has access to the moderator logs and their names. (Moderators are anonymous even to each other.)

2,768 posted on 12/01/2001 4:10:00 PM PST by John Robinson
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To: tpaine
Nixon was a brilliant strategist who let his emotions control him. He was adverse to taking advice and drank too much...but he never flinched from his duty which at the time was perilous. Personally he had to fend off a very sore bunch of losers in the media from Cronkite to Bradlee to say nothing of a hostile Congress...and the Kennedy Choir singing all that bullshit about Camelot.

The bottom line however, is that he was a tough anti-communist and was not an appeaser. The Democratic leadership then...and now was filled to the brim with too many star gazers. Hubert Humphrey was a beautiful man, a wonderful and kind gentleman, but he just didn't have the strength or determination to beat the soviets. The Democrats still ran better state houses and city halls...and well...I don't know anymore where the lines are...I'm either a conservative liberal, a liberal conservative or just an old poop who has seen too many good people die for all political ends.

2,769 posted on 12/01/2001 4:45:48 PM PST by harrowup
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To: Ligeia
. . stay. I'm interested in what "John Taylor of Caroline," a Jeffersonian, might think about today's challenges.

One thing about Arator: he is the only source of information on John Taylor.

Roll away the stone . . .

2,770 posted on 12/01/2001 6:18:56 PM PST by alcuin
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To: Jim Robinson
Post the link to send the check. Cannot survive without FR . Free republic is for the Soul. Thanks
2,771 posted on 12/01/2001 6:26:22 PM PST by nirvana
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To: misunderestimate
D@mn, if whining was an Olympic event, you'd win the gold, silver and bronze places! Go back with the rest of the losers at demoncraticunderground.com...
2,772 posted on 12/01/2001 6:27:30 PM PST by DonPaulJones
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To: misunderestimate
With your snotty attitude and demonstrated propensity for lying, there is serious doubt that you will survive very long on this website. Perhaps you missed the label on the door, "Free Republic - the Premier Conservative News Forum."

NOTICE: We reserve the right to refuse service to snotty marxists (or anyone else, for any reason whatsoever) -- Proprietor.

Your privilege may vary depending on whim. Policy may change without prior notice. Offer not valid in state of denial.

2,773 posted on 12/01/2001 6:48:25 PM PST by Jim Robinson
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To: nirvana

Click on the FreeRepublic eagle for secure credit card donations,
or Snail Mail:
FREE REPUBLIC, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794


2,774 posted on 12/01/2001 7:01:24 PM PST by WIMom
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Comment #2,775 Removed by Moderator

To: keep U.S. Sovereign
You don't think people are afraid in this place?

Afraid of what?

2,776 posted on 12/01/2001 9:43:24 PM PST by alcuin
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To: Jim Robinson
"Ok. Please leave."

You know, I find it interesting that you would say that, Jim. Is your dislike for him so intense that it causes you physical illness to see him post to "your" board? Or does it make your day so burdened that the mental anguish is just unbearable?

Or do you just not like him because he's not a carbon copy of you? You know, men don't like people because they want to be them--men like people because they are them. Think on it.
2,777 posted on 12/01/2001 11:43:28 PM PST by Freeman Patrick Henry
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To: Freeman Patrick Henry
Just seemed like the thing to do. I do not care much for anti-FReepers. In case you didn't know, they put in one helluva a lot of time in their activism project, and their only goal and purpose in life is to kill off this website. I invited them here so they could level their charges so all FReepers would get a chance to see them. They have done that, so as far as I am concerned, their job here is complete and they can now go home. Thanks
2,778 posted on 12/01/2001 11:53:41 PM PST by Jim Robinson
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To: Arator
If, however, your dislike for me is now so intense that my presense here causes you pain or unduly adds to your daily afflictions, just say the word and I will depart from you and this forum forever....And despite all of the high-strangeness, probable misunderstandings, and sometimes just plain bewildering total non-communication in our stormy and sometimes head-scratching relationship, I've always wanted to believe the best about you and hoped for the best for you and this forum. So, just say the word and I will bid you and everyone a fond FReeper farewell. Otherwise, I'll stick around and freep -- oh so very politely freep, that is. :^)

Are you a teenage girl in disguise? This is just pathetic -- your post sounds like a mash note that some besotted adolescent would write to one of the Backstreet Boys. Arator, you really need to show some of these posts to some trusted friends or family members who are not connected with Free Republic, and ask them what they think of your posts here, particularly this one.

2,779 posted on 12/01/2001 11:58:06 PM PST by NYCVirago
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To: Jim Robinson
I can't lay claim to have ever seen an Anti-FR website, nor do I have any desire too. I have no knowledge of the nature or credibiltiy of the charges against Arator or any of the others. And, frankly, I don't care. I just find it odd that Free Republic is so important to some people that they are devoting so much of their time to trying to kill it, no?
2,780 posted on 12/02/2001 12:02:32 AM PST by Freeman Patrick Henry
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