Posted on 09/21/2002 11:39:06 AM PDT by TLBSHOW
No, I'm voting my conscience. I may vote for a Republican, or a Democrat, or a Libertarian, or I may decide to sit out voting for a certain office, or a certain proposition or bond issue. Or I may decide to sit out the entire election altogether.
... why do you want to discuss it here?
For the same reasons, most likely, that everyone else seems to want to discuss it here: because they think they have a valid viewpoint on the matter.
Have you gotten enough attention yet?
To be honest, I'm surprised at the amount of attention my posts received, particularly by Jimrob. But this tends to confirm my view that FreeRepublic in September of 2002 is dramatically different from what FreeRepublic was back in January of 1999, when I first became "CubicleGuy".
I used to see FR as a site that was promoting liberty, but now I suspect that it was really just an anti-Clinton site cloaking itself in a pro-liberty guise. The libertarian outlook here seems to have become persona non grata since the election of Bush.
Enjoy your liberal judges, your increase in taxes, your corruption in office, your increased spending, the destruction of your military.
So long as either the Republicans or the Democrats are in power, what I'm sure we'll all enjoy is an ever-expanding government with a corresponding loss of liberty.
Your posting privilege has been revoked.
Reason: Democrat
Now, I'm not a Democrat. Haven't been one since 1994 when I changed to Republican, and haven't changed that (yet).
If JimRob is now banning people because he believes they are Democrats, he's obliterated any credibility that Free Republic has as a *conservative* forum. Conservatism espouses a free marketplace of ideas. A dissenting idea isn't something a conservative tries to muzzle: a conservative will articulate why it that idea is wrong, make his point as convincing as possible, and let the chips fall where they may. It's LIBERALS who shut off people they disagree with from entering into debate.
I've been accused of being a Democrat, an agitator, a disruptor... any number of things. I've done my damndest to promote this site in what meager ways I've been left with these past few years. Hell, I stood for four hours - for the most part alone except for an hour with another fellow Freeper - on a summer day when the mercury hit 102, to protest an UN-Constitutional practice by a nearby city. On my sign was "FreeRepublic.com". My own money, my own principles, and no one ever asked me to do it. I'll wager that that as small a thing that was, it's a helluva lot more than what most people have done in their time on Free Republic.
Today, I presented an idea - one that wasn't Republican or Democrat, or any other party's notion - that is apparently unwelcome on this forum. My belief is this: that we cannot trust a political party - ANY political party - with any great amount of power, because political parties are about nothing but power. Given enough power, the Republicans would become as corrupt and evil as the Democrats. Maybe it was my comparing the Bush-bots to the Clintonistas. Maybe it was my stating that Free Republic is fast becoming as wildly extremist as Democratic Underground. Or maybe it was my admission that, yes, I *will* vote for Erskine Bowles for U.S. Senator from North Carolina. Between the two major contenders, Bowles is the only one who is a real resident of this state... and my sentiments for North Carolina far outweigh the "needs" of any political party.
For whatever reason it was, JimRob banned me... but if it was for the crime of *once* being a Democrat, that demonstrates how shallow Free Republic is becoming. I've no love or loyalty for the Democratic party and the Republicans have given me no reason why my trust should be placed with them.
I suppose there's no room at Free Republic anymore for those of us who see America's freedom as a gift from God's grace rather than man's pride.
Sincerely, Christopher Knight "Darth Sidious"
ROTFL! Or...eaude de Rat"
* - Relieved from or lacking something unpleasant, as in "Democrat- and libertarian-free".
LOL! Yeah, I've been dealing with one of those today. Try to get in a few minutes FReeping before work and wake up to Rat droppings. They just have no respect.
"Now, if people come on to FR spouting smear attacks against our candidates, calling them or us names, insulting us, insulting our positions and or generally working against our goals, then they are probably going to get kicked out. And I don't care what party they claim to be affiliated with. Liberals/socialists and their supporters or enablers are not wanted here and need not apply."
Perhaps I'm missing something here. Your "mission" states, "Free Republic is dedicated to reversing the trend of unconstitutional government expansion and is advocating a complete restoration of our constitutional republic." How does that translate into campaigning for specific candidates? The mission statement goes on to say, "We at Free Republic are determined to return the Constitution to its rightful place as the Supreme Law of the land as the Founders intended." Isn't there room for severe criticism of Republican office holders and candidates on those grounds? To me, the above statements seem to indicate that FreeRepublic would oppose ANY candidate that assaults the Constitution, be they Democrat or Republican. Banning posters like Darth Sidious for conducting "smear attacks" against FR-endorsed candidates seems to go against everything for which FreeRepublic stands.
In my opinion, this entire thread has been a misrepresentation of what FR's mission is all about. If not, perhaps a revision of the mission statement is in order. Defending the Constitution is more than just "voting out the 'rats." It is pointing out any and all attacks against the Constitution, whether they come from liberals or "conservatives."
I understand that this is your site and you can run it however you wish, but it seems somewhat disingenuous to invite people to post to this forum under the assumption that this site is "dedicated to reversing the trend of unconstitutional government expansion," and then ban them for harshly criticizing Republicans.
While that is true, I would say that there is a significant contingent of the Rat party with their diversity is good, unity is bad, false religion/no religion is good, Christianity/Judaism is bad, perversion is good, sexual normalcy is bad, saving killers is good, saving babies is bad....mentality are at worst part of the problem and at best NOT part of the solution.
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