Irrelevant? Read the whole thread--it's about the relevance of personal opinion.
And FR is "created" by ALL posters, including those whose knees don't jerk and who eschew cliches; if it wasn't, it wouldn't be FR. It's the source, degree, and consequences of dissent that this thread is about.
You've got me thinking… Maybe the importance of the members and the request for donations are too out of place with the living room analogy. After all, we're not here for Jim or his nifty software.
But then if it's the people, why aren't we posting on talk.politics.misc, alt.politics.usa.republican, or alt.society.conservatism.
How about an analogy of a public or private nightclub? There's a donation or an entrance fee, and most anyone at a successful club will tell you that they're there because of the people. And if you ask that your C&W CD be played at a techno club, they'll refuse. Make a scene and they'll throw you out. Play it at your table and they'll tell you to get your own club. My God, a Cliché!
Even thought the people make or break a club, it's defined by whom is let in and how they manage the environment, even clubs with a suggestion box.
It's like you said, "FR is 'created' by ALL posters, but it's all posters that Jim lets in and how he manages them. That's what separates Free Republic from the user news groups above.
Now that I think about it, what's the difference between a club and a living room. You don't go to someone's house party for the architecture, maybe not even for the host. ALL the people that are invited define the experience. That make the donation issue kind of… hum, what was that word again?