Posted on 11/29/2001 11:32:06 PM PST by Jim Robinson
Very sorry if the thread I posted yesterday entitled "Is Free Republic a Fraud? Is it time for Free Republic to go away?" startled some of you. The thread was posted simply to allow the people who are criticizing Free Republic and accusing us of fraud to have a place to post their charges, and also to allow those who support FR a place to voice their opinions on whether we should continue or fold up. The anti-FReepers have long held that if only the FReepers knew the truth about me and the fraud of FR, then they would all go away. Well, time will tell if many people have been swayed by their tales of horror, but no one can say that I did not give them a chance to get it all out into the open.
Now I'm happy to say that I have absolutely no intent of ever shutting down Free Republic. The only reason that was in my title was because of the AFers claim. I have stated on many occasions that Free Republic will be on the air as long as the FReepers feel it is needed and viable. If the WP/LAT is successful in bankrupting me or the corporation, then we will find another way to keep our discussion site running. There is absolutely no way that they can shutdown our right to assemble on the internet and voice our opinions and criticisms of the government and or of the so-called free press. In that, we will persevere, I guarantee you!
I want to thank all of you who have suggested various ways to change our operating model to one profiting by selling subscriptions, or advertising, or merchandise or other commercial ventures, but have to say that we cannot do any of those things at this time. We are restricted from engaging in any commercial business because of the fair use laws. Now, some of this might change in the future depending on clarification from the court if we win on appeal or at the Supreme Court level, but I wouldn't bet on it. As long as we are posting full text articles we will probably have to remain non commercial.
I also want to thank all of you who have posted your supporting comments. I'd like to reply to all of them, but looks like the count is now running to 2,000 and beyond and there is no way that I can respond to each one individually. I thank each and every one of you and I thank God that you are on our team. Same goes for all of you who are donating to keep FR on the air. We would not be here without your support and we all appreciate it very much.
Thanks again and God Bless America!
Regards,
Jim Robinson
Even five dollars a month would be better than nothing...
Pay sites keep the rif raf out too.
I didn't comment on the original thread due to the massive amount of posts and the fact that I could add little that hadn't been said by others. I was - like many - depressed at the thought of possibly losing FR due to the disruptors and the libs who attacked you and the website. Glad to see that you never really wavered in your committment to free (conservative) expression on the web.
Yes, the naysayers, the frauds, the disruptors and the freaks all try to tear FR down but they always fail and always will. It's a testament to FR's strength that it endures (without ads) and even prospers while the liberals fade from importance, except in their own minds.
Thanks for Free Republic and for your dedication and endurance as we fight the good fight against liberal lies and socialist politicians. You're appreciated even more than you know.
You're ideas for the fundraising progress and link are great!
I would also like to second the request for the permanent link to the donation site.
We have also lost the link to FR's address on the bottom of every thread, which used to be convenient to point to. I understand if you had to remove that to speed things up.
The fact that FR is user supported and a link to how to accomplish that needs to be visible ALL the time. Thanks for all you are doing, and maybe we'll be able to add to the pizza and coke budget this go around :-}
Precisely!!!!!
Specifically, our company has 2 affiliate programs which are primarily utilized by non-profit organizations. As these non-profits do not actively participate in our business, the funds we send them for placing a link to our sites on their club websites are considered royalty payments...not revenue.
The first affiliate program is for our online ship store, and the second is for a site where people buy and sell boats. Odds are there are quite a few current and perspective boat owners, buyers, and sellers surfing through FRland.
I'd like to create a FR post which does this...try it once, see how it goes. If the experiment works at all, you may be able to utilize similar programs with pro-FR companies in the future.
Let me know what you think.
Thanks, and take care,
This link will provide more links with further info.
{Howlin} Precisely!!!!!
Their arguments hold no water as they are back posting when given the chance. So even they won't stay away based based upon their own charges.
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