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.
Stay off topic please.