The Censored Republic

Free Republic | Jim Robinson

[Jim Robinson]

Ok, this is a free for all thread. Come in and take your best shots. I promise I won't delete it or get upset. Get it out of your systems and then we will see if we can solve the problems. There always several sides to any story and several possible solutions to any problem. I'd like to hear them all and I'd like to solve as many problems as we can and get this forum kicking socialist butt again instead of kicking each other. So, please anyone with a complaint or a problem or a possible solution, (moderators, posters, FAB, everyone) please chime in. Thanks, Jim

[prognostigaator]

Jim Robinson, member since July 1898.

[Originator of the poopie pool thread .]

[Demidog]

The Hatch act is unconsitutional. What better way to challenge it than to defy it?

[Hazzardgate]

CNN/CBs/DREAMWORKS (to name but a triad) should be given a well good public thrashing for their traitorist behavior of late.

Rude threads pertaining to them need to be uncensored and freewheeling

(and true)

[cdwright]

I think this thread is going to break all records. How are you ever going to get through it all? [/rhetorical question]

[Archie Bunker on steroids]

Threads have been pulled because they contain the term "raghead".

IS the term "meathead" acceptable?

[NautiNurse]

Great forum--thanks to all who work the long hours to provide this valuable service.

No complaints here--except it took 3 months to get my boat out of the shop. Alas, I digress...

[LurkerNoMore!]

Other than that, I'm still here, and plan to send some doe in a short.

The doe should stay with the fawn. Send a buck instead.

[sockmonkey]

Special 3D glasses which would allow us to see the deleted posts I always seem to miss?
On a more serious note, I would appreciate Freepers who don't share my Catholic beliefs to quit disrupting, and flaming posts that are of interest to Catholics.
I would never flame a thread by my fellow Freepers who believe in the Rapture, or Bible Only denominations, and I'd appreciate the same courtesy from them.
This comment does not apply to threads like the Never Ending Story type ones, where we agree to disagree, but to other postings where they start flaming as soon as they see the words Rosary, Mary, or John Paul II.
Thanks for all your efforts, time, and putting up with all of us, too.

[A.J.Armitage]

That's actually a good question.

[Nuke'm Glowing]

No Flames here. I've been too busy lately to participate as much as I used to. But I will tell you this much:
FR is on my Xmas list and that check will get to you by Christmas....

[Billy_bob_bob]

I would like to have a better idea of why certain threads get deleted. Sometimes discussions begin about certain topics and then people start making immoderate comments. Instead of deleteing these threads when they get too hot, maybe the offending comments should be deleted and the thread locked once it gets too out of control. Perhaps a short tag line at the end of the thread added by the moderator stating why the thread is locked. Then when people calm down they can start a new thread that can refer to the old thread, while attempting to keep the discussion within reason.

I realize that there are entire categories of subjects that can quickly become too hot to handle, but I would like to see a protocol developed that allows people to discuss these topics without the "flying monkey brigades" shutting the thread down. I know that there are many out there who thrive on calling people names, but at some point in the discussion the facts at issue become more important than the names that are called.

I respect and appreciate the hard work it must take to keep FreeRepublic up and running. My suggestions are intended to offer ideas that will allow the widest range of discussion about difficult subjects possible, while keeping things within the bounds of propriety. If you find these ideas worthwhile then feel free to use them. If not, thanks for letting me speak my peace.

[DouglasKC]

Great! Okay, here's what's been bugging me.

1.Threads and/or comments are pulled with no explanation. It's like opening up your newspaper and finding that someone has cut articles out of it without explaining why.

2.It's used to be that if someone posted a dipshit article that the rest of the freepers would quickly discredit it. The very fact that real freepers would ridicule it or destroy it by fact made the board more powerful. Now all of that is gone. It disappears and now we don't look like we can debate, only stifle debate.

3. I actually saw one of the moderators say (on a now deleted thread) that only articles from "official" news and other reliable sources would be allowed. A huge draw of this board to me was the fact that you could get news from various sources including unofficial. Is the policy now that only CNN ABC FOX etc are the only new sources? If so, it negates the whole idea of citizen reporter that was being cultivated here for quite a while. Freeper reports from across the country would not seem to be allowed under this policy.

I do think the moderators are a good idea...but only for cutting down on duplicate posts and other strictly admin purposes. It's getting a little bit too much like Lucianne.com when they start yanking posts for whatever reasons.

Anyhow, thanks for opening up a thread for debate. That's what makes this a great board!

[ouroboros]

I'll vote for that one. I've got a special ban key ordered that will send 40,000 volts through the line to the abuser's chair.

Oh goody! That way I won't have to go in for my "treatments" anymore.

[dep]

a kind of off-the-wall feature that i think some -- maybe many -- of us would find useful: the ability to go back to a particular date or time and read articles as things unfolded. when the ventilator gets contaminated, it's of course a big pileup at the front door, and many of us need to go poking around elsewhere. i'd like to see how 9/11 played out here, and maybe oneday to go back and relive some other events -- the rish to be the first to post the day's portrait of america last year, election night itself -- it'll be awhile before i can look at that again -- and so on. fr is more than a meeting place, it is the diary of the world, and being able to revisit notable times as they unfolded would be just great.

dep

[piasa]

Can we designate brown nosers with a mark of some kind?

I think it would be more fun to give 'jackass gifs' (the DNC logo will do) to people each time they are banned and reinstated. Put them in somewhere on their profile page.

[eleni121]

Why do we have to log in every time we go to FreeRepublic? It wasn't that way before.

Also, where can we go to get a history of our past contributions let us say going back a year? Or is it not possible?

[Atticus]

I have no problems with the so-called censorship on FreeRepublic. I am curious by nature, so when a thread is pulled it would be nice to see a very general statement of the subject matter and the reason it was pulled. It might also help others determine for themselves what is and what is not appropriate to post. Also, I am very pleased with the "abuse" feature. I use it occasionally and only for good cause and I have always gotten quick results.

[L.N. Smithee]

or . . . at least post a tread telling us who is on a temporary "time out" so we know that banned Freeper will be back soon, instead of leaving us to wonder what he did and am I next.

That's no good, IMHO. There shouldn't be a cyber pillory for suspended posters. That sort of thing should be between Jim, John, and the individual.

Most of the time, we learn that people have been suspended through defenders who attack Jim -- all without either full disclosure of the reason or any knowledge whatsoever. Most of the time they want to believe that such banning are arbitrary. People who pay close attention know better, but they are sometimes drowned out by friends of the banned.

I have been on FR so infrequently lately I get a note asking if I have been banned. The answer is no.

[rainingred]

I'd like to see the messages that replace deleted comments augmented with a word or two of explanation: "Reply #14 deleted by moderator for advocating violence."

I thought of that too and would like to see it implemented, but I was trying to post one rant at a time.

Thanks

[umgud]

I have no complaints, though I worry that as FR gets bigger, some problems are bound to occur. Newbies usually come around or leave. This is a proceess that is on-going. I also suspect certain social issues to become more apparent due to our current times.