From an old time Freeper (vanity!)

Heart | 1-22-03 | MonroeDNA

[MonroeDNA]

I guess I've been around here for about 5 years or so now. Time sure flies!

When Jim Robinson started this site, it was because he was fed up with the liberal media, and how they would not let people worldwide know about the corruption of the Clinton Administration. A few of us, equally concerned, (with great luck) found it fast.

In the early days, FR was a day-to-day operation, always on the brink of bankruptcy. Jim kept on, and we chipped in when it became too much. We knew how important this site was, and is. Sometimes, it came down to the wire, and we wrote checks, and sent them in, as best we could.

Look at it now. We all get our best information from this site. It is huge, with thousands of posters, and millions of readers. Yet Jim still keeps it alive because of his conviction, and he is absolutely NOT making a profit on it. He just believes. As do we.

BTW, did you know that the founder of this site is in a wheelchair (sorry Jim; I know you think it doesn't make a r*ts a$$ difference. Hey, some folks out there need to come down a peg, like I have.).

Think of it! In the darkest days of the Clinton Administration, there was a lone internet site where people with integrity, brains, and sheer gumption could discuss the dangers faced by the US. Not on CNN, for sure.

Earthmovers like Drudge, Ann Coulter, Rush, WFBuckley, his brother, Savage, Buchanan, both houses of Congress (many) check in to see what we think.

The opposition checks it out, too. Like the NY times staff, CNN, etc. Trust me, they all come here to read. Even YOUR post. You know by now how they are whining about Rush? We're next, as soon as they figure out how they can trash this site without it getting a million hits.

I've been broke; I've been not broke. I've slept in my car. I know how it feels to be squeezed tight with bills. Folks with giant bills: You're not alone, and you have friends here. :)

If you love this site as much as I do, please, please sign up for automatic payment of just $3 per month. Don't be embarrassed if you think this is too little. It absolutely is not. You $3 a month folks are our grassroots movement heroes. Be proud. Become one of the thousand points of light here, and you will so feel proud every month. We'll thank you for it, and are so glad to have you on board.

I know things are rough out there. But you are tough, and a member of the greatest grassroots freedom movement in 100 years. Together we are making history, and will change the world, as we already have. The best is yet to come.

Most countries out there would consider this website illegal. They hate us, for our freedom. Their systems cannot stand, in the face of Freedom. The people there read us when they can, when they are “allowed” to, and are not being tortured. They flock to us, America, because they want to be free. Help us help them.

Would you please, please consider signing up for just $3 a month? Please? That’s all it takes, really, believe it or not. You will make a world of difference, to, well, the world. Be proud, Americans, and please help out!

[Libertina]

BTTT I don't want to ping you all too often, but here is a great post. It would be such a great gift to keeping FRee Republic alive if every Washington FReeper would contribute JUST $5 Dollars! Not 5 a month, just FIVE $! Tonight. Now. You know you love it! Can't live without it :) Let's be the first state with 100% participation! Believe me, every penny, every dollar is appreciated!
Washington State Ping!

[sneakypete]

Yet Jim still keeps it alive because of his conviction, and he is absolutely NOT making a profit on it.

You know,this is one of my pet peeves. Maybe JR isn't making any money from this,but what would be wrong about it if he did? He is working to produce this "product" (Free Republic) that "consumers" like to use. He is not forcing anybody to come here against their will,nor is he getting a government grant to do this. We live in a capitalist country where people have a right to be rewarded for their hard work that is successful,so I don't give a rat's ass if he is earning $1 million a year from it. The key word here is "earning".

JR and I have had our differences in the past,and no doubt we will have them in the future. Having said that,I'm awful damn tired of hearing all the whining about him making money from producing a product that people use. It's one of the keystones our country is based on,and there is not a damn thing wrong with it!

[visualops]

Great post.
Appreciate hearing some history.
I ponied up for the monthly, figured it was time to put my money where my mouth is. Besides, we all know the internet ain't no free ride.

[Future Snake Eater]

Hey, I'm FReeper #33, too! Surprise, surprise, surprise!

[MonroeDNA]

You and Amy are so welcome!

My wish is to get monthlies to cover everything. ;) You two need a break.

one day, soon....

[MonroeDNA]

Dude, you are the official first poster!

I knew you went way back, but didn't know that far back.

Prodigy--wow! You are way before me. That had to be early '97 or late '96 even.

[MonroeDNA]

Please tell your special ops son we here are rooting for him! Tell him to do us proud, and we have faith in him and his partners.

[MonroeDNA]

Hey thanks, and thanks for being one of the grassroots folks!

We are changing the world!

[MonroeDNA]

sneakypete, you are soooo right.

[Jim Robinson]

I think you can see it on the Way Back Machine on Alexa.com. I set up the original FreeRepublic.com website in Sept of '96 and installed an experimental forum soon after. We only had a few posts to it on a test basis. Ken Cook and I believe Ron Doughty and JustAmy may have posted to that original forum. I wrote the original version of the Free Republic forum during the last month or so of '96 and opened it to the public in January '97 (to the best of my recollection).

[visualops]

You're welcome!
I think the thanks go to Free Republic though!

[Jim Robinson]

Well, Amy and I take a draw to cover our expenses. This started a couple years ago with BadJoe's fundraisers. I used up the last of my resources in 1999/2000 and it was either fold it up (or cut it way back) or ask the FReepers to fund it. The FReepers have gladly and generously funded it ever since.

[MonroeDNA]

I knew FR was way alive before I stumbled upon it. Didn't know it was that far back.

Your coding was way before everyone else. But (as I recall),--you were coding for like 10 years prior to that?

Punch cards? :)

[Double Tap]

You nailed it. What ever happened to capitalism being a good thing.

[SamAdams76]

I saw that site on the Way Back machine. Brought back some fond memories. If you remember, you used to link to my website and you can see that on the Way Back machine as well if you click on "News" just under "Free Republic." I did sort of a cheap knockoff of the Drudge Site that focused on news about the Whitewater scandals. But I quickly gave that up because I just didn't have enough time in the day to do it justice.

I believe it was around January '97. Clinton was just getting inaugurated to his second term. Seems so long ago now. For the benefit of newcomers, the first few years of FR was dominated by threads about the various Clinton scandals and the fact that we had such a scumbag as our president. My daily dose of FR kept me sane during that second term of Clinton!

[Wallygeek]

Thanks for the wayback ride. I had though I was lurking on the forum before November of '97, but I couldn't understand how, if everything started in November.

This is truly an amazing news forum. I like the format better than IBB and other forums that webmasters use.

While some radio personalities and *******REPORT websites may not like its free flow of ideas, with the moderators it seems to be under control. I don't like everything that is said, but as long as the language is clean I've got no problem with it.

Thanks for all that you do to keep the site up.

[Jim Robinson]

Yup. Punch cards. Started in data processing in 1972. Learned on Univac and IBM card machines.

[Jim Robinson]

Yes, sir. And I believe you did a rock-n-roll oldies but goodies site too.

[SamAdams76]

If anybody is interested, here is all the Free Republic "incarnations" since 1996 as indexed by the Way Back Machine. It is interesting to click around and see how Free Republic has evolved over the years. What's amazing is that when you go to latest posts, all the posts from that time are still there. It's like a snapshot in time.

[MonroeDNA]

30+ years, then, coding...