Freepers. It is Time to Heal Our Wounds

Badjoe | 8-27-02 | Joe Phillips

[BADJOE]

It is time we take a new tack and see if we can heal our wounds. I hear by the grapevine that from this past weekend's discussions that JimRob has two black eyes and a broken arm. I have my head bandaged. I am missing one ear, and I have body bruises from top to bottom.

It was damn near like the old days wasn't it?

I am happy to report that while Willa never considered divorce, homicide did cross her mind a couple of times. The fact that I am writing this is hard evidence that she did not act on those impulses.

As I see it, there is a very simple easy way for all of FR's problems to go away. I have a comment to all parties involved and I will specifically address each of them.

The Free Republic is much bigger than any one man or woman. And it is too important for any dispute, regardless of what it is about to pull it down.

First let me clear one thing up. The next Freepathon would have been my last one regardless. It is too big a job for even me. Freepathons are the only time Willa and I exchange cross words with each other. I love all you guys, but she rubs my back, kisses me on my bald head and on occasion even cooks me dinner. (Except during a Freepathon. I damn near starved to death during the last one.)

In order of importance from least to most .

Badjoe: You are one cantankerous feisty old son of a gun. Usually mild mannered, reasonable, and all the good things, BUT when you think something needs to change you would run over your own grandmother to make it happen.

Other forums like Liberty Post, etc.: Guys you can't build yourself up by tearing the other guy down. Tout your own virtues. It is the only way you will reach the heights FR has. And believe me, I'd like to see 100 successful FR's. If there were a hundred of us none of our problems would exist. Competition cleans up the weak spots.

The DC Chapter: Thank you guys for calling me on the phone yesterday. It was very nice and very moving to speak with each of you personally. Please tear all the old pages out of your book in regard to the Free Republic Network. Neither you nor they will survive if you don't quit nursing old wounds. I have noticed that even when the Network folks say or do good things you react in ways I think are inappropriate. We really are all in this together. Let's please work to survive together. Thank you.

To the Network Board.: You are my friends. The wounds are deep between you and the DC chapter. Please don't say anything about them. At the moment even if you gave them a million dollars each they would think you have an ulterior motive. So please say nothing either way. A year from now you might be able to to have some communication.

To the Moderators: Oh my! I sincerely hope this whole post could make your jobs superfluous, as the Freepers take to heart what I will say to them, so that moderation is rarely if ever needed. I am sure you'd appreciate and like the vacation too. Would not it be nice if you could just Freep and when you occasionally came across an infraction, warn first, went back to Freeping, and checked in later to see if warning was heeded and then if necessary take the minimally possible action. Please let's try to keep our troops intact.

To the monthly donors who have cancelled: I sincerely hope you will consider reinstating your help. I know withdrawing your support is a very effective way of registering your disapproval.

To the monthly donors who have stayed on board: God bless you. FR needs you and can't survive without you.

To JimRob: You are just as damn cantankerous as I am. I sincerely hope you will post the new directions involved in our Saturday night August tenth agreement without the references to me. Apologize to the Freepers for any real or perceived injustices and ask them to hold your feet to the fire on the new directions from that agreement

To the Freepers: You are the most important of all. Without you there is no FR. I would like to see you all prick your finger and write in blood that you will argue all you want to without calling another Freeper a dumb Mofo, etc. If you find yourself in the position of not being able to carry the day in your discussion, or if another Freeper gets close to anger, just go away for a little while and come back to fight later. If you do this moderating will become unnecessary. We all will be free from fear. In the interest of healing these wounds please lay off the mods I singled out. Lay the blame on Jim and I for our failure to effectively communicate with each other. Jim and I have broad shoulders and are willing to carry the load.

I am going to post this first to the moderators through the abuse button to give them time to digest what I have written. This is to be a positive thread. I am requesting that they give an automatic one hour timeout to every Freeper, including JimRob for any inappropriate comment. You are capable criticizing with being abrasive.

I hope all the above folks I have directed my comments specifically to, post a general agreement to try to do what I have suggested. If you say you will, I will participate in the next fundraiser by just running the numbers and getting the necessary funds in. JR gets a copy of what I get without the credit card numbers. He can forward that info to a trusted Freeper volunteer to write thank you's, and to another trusted Freeper volunteer to post recognition of the donation on the fundraising thread or maybe one will do both. This will get FR past its current crisis, reduce the harsh words at Willa's and my house, and make everyone's job easier.

[elcaudillo]

#66.

How confusing this posting is to a relative newcomer.

Was the Moderator banned?

[Sabertooth]

I'm reminded of the tactics of Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson as they are employed against people who haven't done wrong.

Begging your pardon, OPH, because I'm quoting you a little out of context to make a point...

In general, it's precisely the ad hominem tactics and demagoguery of Sharpton and Jackson that are among the most common forms of abuse seen in this forum.

When Freepers cavalierly call other Freepers racist, statist, Bushbot, Bush-hater, nazi, communist, etc., and those posts are allowed to stand, it seems inevitable to me that some number of casual lurkers are going to conclude that all of these things are tolerated here, even though you and I know that they aren't. The tactics of Al Sharpton are just as ugly as the tactics of David Duke or James Carville or any number of others, and all are insidiously destructive to the greater public perception of Free Republic.

And I'm not going to pretend that I haven't been sometimes guilty myself of saying some of these things without sufficient cause or in the heat of the moment, and I regret that.

I disagree that BADJOE's stands in the past week were unwarranted. Things have been brewing and boiling for a while here, and a release was necessary. I'm glad we're now moving on, and that some good first steps are being taken. I hope to see more such progress in the future.

[FourtySeven]

"HEAYY.....< belch >.....doannn worry lil buddy its all lookin betterrr alreaydy..< belch >"

[Gore_ War_ Vet]

Please remove me from your ping list.

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

Yes, oh Mistress of Evil(TM). Shall I have other minions fan your brow and peel and feed you grapes?

Mistress of Evil? I like that. I'll think about the grapes and stuff.

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

That will be all for now, OPH.

Mistress of Evil ^TM

[IronJack]

Peggy Lipton! Hubba hubba!

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

I'll ping you when I want you on a thread. Until such a time, SILENCE!

Mistress of Evil ^TM

[terilyn]

"Of course, the people protested eventually cave to the caterwauling, just to get them to shut up."

I'm thinking about re-registering with the new screen name, "Toyota".

[terilyn]

I'm a mod? Way cool. Let me get my list...

[Amelia]

If you're going to talk about me, how about having the courtesy of pinging me to the post?

[cmsgop]

I Think It's Time For A Little...........

Afternoon Delight ( Starland Vocal Band ) Gonna find my baby, gonna hold her tight Gonna grab some afternoon delight My motto's always been 'when it's right, it's right' Why wait until the middle of a cold dark night? When everything's a little clearer in the light of day And we know the night is always gonna be there any way Thinkin' of you's workin' up my appetite Looking forward to a little afternoon delight Rubbin' sticks and stones together makes the sparks ingite And the thought of lovin' you is getting so exciting Sky rockets in flight Afternoon delight Afternoon delight Afternoon delight Started out this morning feeling so polite I always though a fish could not be caught who wouldn't bite But you've got some bait a waitin' and I think I might try nibbling A little afternoon delight Sky rockets in flight Afternoon delight Afternoon delight Afternoon delight Please be waiting for me, baby, when I come around We could make a lot of lovin' 'for the sun goes down Thinkin' of you's workin' up my appetite Looking forward to a little afternoon delight Rubbin' sticks and stones together makes the sparks ingite And the thought of lovin' you is getting so exciting Sky rockets in flight Afternoon delight Afternoon delight Afternoon delight Afternoon delight!

[lodwick]

Cool homepage - well done. ;-)

[Admin Moderator]

Yes. But since he probably signed back up under a new name. Thanks, AM

[saminfl]

I have been a member since 1998 and I am FreeRepublic every day. I don't even know what happened. I remember Clinton's a Liar and clarity as being good guys, and now they are banned. I didn't even see any arguments. Are there private arguments going on that some of us are not privy to?

[Revolting cat!]

Elvis is dead and still comes out with new records.