[hole_n_one]

How 'bout that Super Bowl?

[sockmonkey]

It seems to have gotten worse in the last six months or so. I am not sure of the reason, but IMHO, it sure has ruined a lot of promising threads.

[mywifecallsmerobi]

the inability to stay on the subject started

I find this true also, but usually all of the information you can handle is posted in the first replys. Then there is a plathera of entertaining comments and just idle chit chat that happens.

I can deal with that

[Alas Babylon!]

You did expect this to happen, didn't you?

[MARTIAL MONK]

OK. As long as the subject is Jennifer Lopez.

[Interesting Times]

Yes, but why are there no photos of Ann Coulter on this thread?

[AF_Blue]

Did you hear what Rush said today?

[MotleyGirl70]

There are many good topics started here but because of the inability to stay on the subject started, the debates get steered into the ditch.

This topic was headed for the ditch before it even got started.

Hey Dave, you're an alright guy. :)

hole_n_one had me laughing right off the bat.

[John Farson]

What is your favorite music CD?

[Dakmar]

Um, what were we just talking about?

[CometBaby]

People come here to discuss serious issues and they also come here to enjoy themselves and have some fun

Last I heard there was no official forum position dictating that people cannot vary from the topic. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think the goal here, is to establish a congenial environment for discussion. So long as people are here to to discuss, more-or-less rationally, why restrict them?

Dave, you really need to lighten up. :-)

[Buckeroo]

Just imagine coming home from work from a frustrating and tiring day that potentially went nowhere and you know, your a$$ is on the line with the boss about your career. And you worked hard and gave your job the best you can give.

As you enter the door of your beatiful home, you proudly announce, "Honey, I am Home!" to which your wifes jumps up with a mud pack upon her face while still gabbing on the telephone with "GOD KNOWS WHO AGAIN." And then she says, "I have a headache."

It's a similar scenario on FR ..... all your have to do is catch everyone at the right time!

[DainBramage]

My favorite rock group of the 70's and 80's is ABBA.

[Faithfull]

I agree with you. I think some of the posters suffer from ADD or perhaps are not enlightened on the issue enough to properly comment.

[SamAdams76]

You Freepers are computer wizards. I can't get my web pages to refresh. And my screen freezes whenever I try to play this particular computer game. And I can't get my Windows to close properly. Any suggestions. I don't know much about computers so I can't tell you what kind of system I have except that the box is beige and the screen looks to be 14 inches high and 18 inches wide. Hope that helps.

[Rebelbase]

Is it supposed to snow in the southeast tomorrow?

[potlatch]

I can understand your question when it's a really serious subject, and I know Free Republic is suppose to be a political forum.
But I also know I can go to many other sites for political news, and some of the threads I've enjoyed the most have been the completely irreverent, silly ones!! Where else would I go for that?!

[lsee]

These fine folks are indeed a lively bunch and many can't resist making a joke or sparking a heated debate on the topic of their choice. FreeRepublic has the best variety of headlines from sources I might not otherwise know about all collected in one place.

Reading all the comments makes the news more interesting. Here and there I might find a post offensive or off-topic, but I realize others might be offended or bewildered by my comments. If you're looking for "straight news, no debate, no laughs" there are lots of links from FreeRepublic to other conservative, more traditional news sites. If a serious discussion of a particular topic is what you want, you can invite other like-minded posters to email you privately via FreeRepublic or meet you at another location to chat. If there are particular people you enjoy conversing with, you can invite them to comment on certain articles. I'm not sure how to do that, but I notice others doing it. You'll get to where you skim over the names you know usually bring chaos to the table, but even those folks might surprise you with a gem of insight from time to time.

A certain amount of rabbit-chasing is normal, even in private conversations. And if an article's discussion deteriorates into a hopeless muddle, you can always go on to the next article. There is too much to read here to linger on a post that's gone haywire, especially if that confuses or irritates you. Have a great week.

[Semi Civil Servant]

I want to be post 100.

[Semi Civil Servant]

I want to be post 100.