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.

[AppyPappy]

No, you are using a definition of grace that enables you to wield it like a weapon while holding it like a shield.

People are going to think our disagreement is bad for the thread so in the interest of good feelings, come give me a kiss, you big lug.

[headsonpikes]

Okay......good morning! ;^)

[LisaFab]

I've been posting here since '98 and rarely comment on these threads - even after losing many good FReepin' friends.

IMHO Joe, FR is big enough to house both politically active FReepers and keyboard commandos. The problem has always been that factions here seem to think that the struggle is against each other.

The way I have always thought of JimRob's mission statement is that the only requirement of FReepers is to love and fight for the constitution. The manner in which this expresses itself can be as diverse as the Founding Fathers thoughts were on the subject.

I have been often flamed but never banned because I have always believed in walking away from a fight that has no constructive aim, and little but vituperative content.

Fight on BADJOE, and, whether we're on the same side of a particular issue or not, I know we're on the same side in the battle.

[Wait4Truth]

I was really happy to see your post this morning. I have all but stopped posting because it seemed FR was going down the tubes. It was sad to watch since I have been around for a long time. We have so much good to do here just as we did during the Florida fiasco. We are useless if we are at war here on this site. God bless FR, God bless freepers and God bless our President and the USA.

[Cultural Jihad]

That "quote" of Admin Moderator by FresnoDA was completely fabricated. He won't be reinstated.

southern rock did much the same thing the other night, albeit without the direct quotes. After his post was removed, he pleaded innocence because it wasn't a 'personal attack' here: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/738583/posts?page=864#864

[wimpycat]

In fact it is the fringe parties that introduce many ideas, and serve as checks to such complete amorality.

There are several policies and ideas in both the Republican and Democrat parties that originated in third parties or fringe parties. "Fringe" parties are "fringe" for a reason. They're not devoid of some good ideas, but, being "fringe", they can't steer the mainstream.

[Kevin Curry]

Pretty good
Palo imitation.
Love and smiley-smiles,
Just Me

P.S. I sincerely hope good-natured ribbing has not been declared unacceptable in this new era of love and tolerence.

[southern rock]

southern rock did much the same thing the other night, albeit without the direct quotes. After his post was removed, he pleaded innocence because it wasn't a 'personal attack'

Right. What's your point?

[KLT]

Woo Hoo...suspension was H#ll...believe me...I was climbin the walls...NO FR...I needed Freedone....Hah, Hah, Hah...

[bvw]

But they do steer the mainstream! The near complete absence of fringe parties in black politics -- it's all Democrat, a black Republican is considered fringe -- attests to the streering that occurs in white politics on account of the fringe.

[Grampa Dave]

Damn! I missed another cat fight! Didn't get to see all that fur and fleas flying around and didn't hear all that hissing from two old Tom's circling and slashing each other.

I was busy trying to keep the Watermelon Green Jihadists from burning down Oregon and America. A group of us thanks to Ebuck have created an exciting new Program FIRE to take the PR war to the Enviral Wackos. We haven't had time to enjoy a cat fight.

The new and exciting Program called FIRE will be starting soon to take the PR war to the heart of Watermelon Jihad land, Oregon. Some Freepers can put aside political differences to work on saving this country and start something that will make difference with Freepers on Free Republic. More on FIRE soon!

I HATE IT WHEN I MISS A CAT FIGHT AND HAVE TO WATCH RERUNS ON TV!

[antivenom]

I would like to meet with you...and I am NOT a Male Houston Freeper...we can meet sometime and go shopping...how does THAT strike you???

Hope to meet you some day...

[KC Burke]

I said what I meant, meant what I said, ...

Ah, yes, sincerity of feelings and opinions. An item often a bar to new and fresh communication for many of us.

For others that hold as you do, I offer the following suggested course that might be useful:

First, ask yourself if you have confidance in the general sensibility and intelligence of the members of FreeRepublic.com. Secondly, ask yourself if you have confidence in the efficacy and the sense of your own arguements made on an issue.

If the answer to those two questions is yes, then, in general, we are each then faced with the sensibility of not seeking the last word in most of our exchanges.

This pursuit of the last word, and its implied failure of confidence in our fellow posters and ourselves, is what often leads to the escalation of comments beyond the making of the arguement itself.

Poor arguementation, poor reasoning, low motives and insufficient supporting proofs and character will always show through for all to see.

Your characterized politically irrelevant fring voter (with a tinfoil bent) can safely be welcomed in a forum capable of measuring his arguements by First Principles and even reaching limited common agreement with, when justified.

As we around here a long time have learned, just because perjury in support of Oval Office fellation is unreasonable, it is still a possible reality, no matter how irrelevant, fring or tin-foil such an occurance seems at first encounter.

Lastly, no need to worry about a love fest...this is politics, afterall.

[southern rock]

BTW, I am not sure what you mean by "much the same thing". I didn't personally attack you. I directed some legitimate criticism at you for your habit of pinging the mods in response to almost every reply you were receiving on that thread. Yeah, I used a little humor and ribbing to make my point, but my point was valid. When the post was removed, I responded.

So what is the big deal?

[KLT]

Good job.. BADJOE...we have a free speech issue here too...but yes sometimes thing do get out of hand...we must all be mature adults...like this:

OMG, did I just post that? How immature of me....

[wimpycat]

I consider the Al Sharptons and the Louis Farrakhans the fringe in black politics, not black Republicans. They're the radicals, not black Republicans. From my perspective, black politicians tolerate their fringe element more than non-black politicians,not because they like the fringe ideas, but because they don't want to be dissing other black people in public. They've got a lot of dissension within their ranks, but it will be rare for any of us to actually see it. That has to do with common heritage, not common politics. There are elements in within black politics which can't be replicated elsewhere, so I think your example is not a representative one.

[KLT]

IMHO Joe, FR is big enough to house both politically active FReepers and keyboard commandos. The problem has always been that factions here seem to think that the struggle is against each other.

LisaFab, you hit the nail on the head....one thing the RATS have is that no matter how wrong they are...they all tend to stick together....

[bvw]

They are as Democratic as Bob Barr and John Ashcroft are Republican.