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Is Free Republic a Fraud? Is it time for Free Republic to go away?
Free Republic | 11/28/01 | Jim Robinson

Posted on 11/28/2001 7:31:29 PM PST by Jim Robinson

Free Republic has had one helluva run over the last five years or so. We helped impeach one president and helped get another into office. We've been active in demonstrations and protests in nearly every city across the nation. We've participated in conventions, petition drives, activism campaigns and projects for dozens of conservative causes.

We've grown from a tiny web site with a few hundred posters and readers from the time of inception in 1996, to one with tens of thousands of participants today. Along the way we've made lots of great friends and, unfortunately, also made lots of bitter enemies.

We've grown from a small web site that I could manage myself on a part-time basis to a huge monster that has totally consumed all of my time and resources plus nearly all of John's time, plus the time and resources of many dedicated FReepers who volunteer or contribute large amounts of their own time and money.

The site is now consuming all of a 10 mbps dedicated line with two servers and we're still growing, and it consumes large amounts of money to keep all this running. In the early years, it only took a few thousand dollars per month to keep Free Republic on the air, but it is now costing over $20,000 per month to cover all expenses.

The major costs include approximately $8,000 per month for bandwidth, 3,000 for systems management and programming services, 7,000 for management, operating and administrative services, plus two or three thousand per month for miscellaneous office expenses, telephone, communications, repairs & maintenance, travel & lodging, postage, rentals, insurance, legal fees, accounting fees, etc., etc.

We anticipate a reduction in bandwidth costs next year as we renegotiate our contract (the market price for bandwidth has fallen recently), however, that will be more than offset by an expected increase in costs of our legal expenses. As most of you know, our pro bono attorney has left us and we've hired a new attorney to continue with our case, plus we have the suit against eschoir to pay for. My projections are that our regular monthly expenses for next year will be running in the neighborhood of $22,000 per month, or approximately $264,000 total for the year. This means we will need to raise approximately $66,000 per quarter.

Talking about making enemies, we've got several ex-FReepers and other detractors who are claiming on their anti-freeper web sites that I am ripping off the donors and that Free Republic is a fraud. Now, Free Republic is what it is, and it is definitely not a fraud. It is a conservative news discussion forum that encourages participation in politics and activism projects. It is not being billed as anything else. We are not selling or promising anything. And I am being up front about our operating costs. The costs of running Free Republic are what I've stated above and they are necessary to keep FR on the air. I do not have the financial wherewithal to operate this site without your help. If the majority of the FReepers feel that these costs are out of line or too much to bear or that Free Republic is no longer wanted or needed, then we will either cut it back or shut it down or do something altogether different.

I've also been criticized about not making our financials public. Well, the reason I do not want to do this is that I have been sued, both personally and as Free Republic, LLC. The people suing us want to bankrupt us and shut us down. They subpoenaed our financial records, but we refused to turn them over. The judge agreed that the plaintiffs have no right to the information, thus I have no intention of making any more of it public than I absolutely have to, until this lawsuit is resolved. You all know the amounts of money we raise if you follow the fundraising threads. It is all above board and out in the open. The totals posted by BadJoe are usually pretty close to the actual cash received and the amounts expended are pretty close to the amounts projected. No one is getting rich here and no one is being ripped off. The funds raised are being used for the purposes stated, and that is keeping this website on the air and that's it. Nothing fraudulent about it. Those who want to help fund us freely do so with nothing expected in return. Those who do not want to contribute do not have to.

There was a thread running this morning where people were making all kinds of accusations about Free Republic "hiding the truth" or whatever. These accusations are being made by Chuck Allan and others and fall along the same line with the accusations being made by some of the earlier banees or AFers including Mojo, Inspector Harry Callahan, Arator, keep U.S. Sovereign, TKEman and others. Some of these people are existing FReepers and some are banned. I am going to reinstate Mojo, Inspector Harry Callahan and Arator's accounts so they can join Chuck Allan, TKEman, K.U.S.S. and whomever else wants to get involved, and I invite them to come onto this thread and make their accusations public. As long as they do not go onto other threads and make a nuisance of themselves, I will let them have their say.

Like I said above, if it is time for Free Republic to go away so be it. Those who want to keep it going speak up. Those who want it to go away, tell us why. But if those who want it to be gone lose out in the debate, then I'd say they should just go away themselves, or, in the very least, shut up and quit whining about it.

Thanks,

Jim


TOPICS: Activism/Chapters; Announcements; Breaking News
KEYWORDS: bushbabeslist; enviralists; hughhewitt; jimroblist; opuslist; usocanteen; zionist
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To: Inspector Harry Callahan
Hey Harry!!...Wasssssup!!
1,941 posted on 11/29/2001 4:30:50 PM PST by sit-rep
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To: Gasshog
Speaking of censorship, where are the Moderators and why aren't they tearing this thread apart? Very strange, not seeing "comment #** removed by moderator" plastered all over the place.
1,942 posted on 11/29/2001 4:31:22 PM PST by Inspector Harry Callahan
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To: Equal_Protection_My_Ass
. Quiz : name ONE major office (mayor of major city, governor) that repugs have won from a sitting dem this year. The answer is zero. The 2001 elections have been a huge dem victory, despite the high "approval" of Dubya.

Do you consider Mark Green losing in New York City as being a "huge dem victory"? (Yes, I know you specify victory as "repugs" winning a seat "from a sitting dem", which conveniently leaves out the NYC mayor's race.)

1,943 posted on 11/29/2001 4:31:52 PM PST by NYCVirago
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To: Jim Robinson
I guess you know I have been around a long time. Rallies at the Capitol, Freeps in Florida, Inaugural Ball and many more.

The good work of this site is much more than the typed words.

Please don't even consider ending this link I have made with new friends.

I wish people did not come here just to make trouble, but there will always be those who do. I ignore them and the thread they are disrupting!

1,944 posted on 11/29/2001 4:31:56 PM PST by 3D-JOY
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To: Sam Spade
I personally don't think TLBSHOW can formulate a sentence, much less a response to your question

Who gives a cr$p what you think anti=freeper.

1,945 posted on 11/29/2001 4:32:32 PM PST by TLBSHOW
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To: Texas Yellow Rose
Re your post 1933 - Thanks, YRT. I think some advertisers could really increase their business by advertising here, for example: Adobe Photoshop, or any computer software program pertaining to security! :)
1,946 posted on 11/29/2001 4:32:43 PM PST by summer
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To: Equal_Protection_My_Ass
"A little joke, maybe?"

I cannot tell whether you are attempting a lengthy, inelegant spoof of lame-brained 'progressivism' or whether you actually believe the sh*t you are squeezing onto this thread.

In either case, you are a worthless waste of bandwidth and attention.

Goodbye, and I hope we never meet again.

1,947 posted on 11/29/2001 4:33:41 PM PST by headsonpikes
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To: Howlin
"Exactly where did I say that, you liar? Put up or shut up."

In post #1923.....

Harry, I wasn't talking to you; I'm not the least bit interested in what YOU think of George W. Bush....

Will you be having ketchup with your crow? ROFL!!

1,948 posted on 11/29/2001 4:34:40 PM PST by Inspector Harry Callahan
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To: Fury
Hmmmm...it's probably a conspiracy..(-;
1,949 posted on 11/29/2001 4:36:11 PM PST by firewalk
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To: TLBSHOW
Leash those attack dogs. Whooo Hoooo!! You FReeped 'em, but good.

By the way, you never answered me before, so I'll ask again... What is your native language?

1,950 posted on 11/29/2001 4:37:02 PM PST by Inspector Harry Callahan
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To: Equal_Protection_My_Ass
You progressive fascist don't give a rip about equality. You have the masses equal...with you jerks above all of them in an elite class.

The hell with that.

1,951 posted on 11/29/2001 4:37:32 PM PST by Dan from Michigan
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To: Inspector Harry Callahan
Will you be having ketchup with your crow? ROFL!!

OMG, you really think they are the same thing, don't you?

I said:

Harry, I wasn't talking to you; I'm not the least bit interested in what YOU think of George W. Bush....

And then you said:

As you said, you don't want to hear anything about GW's power-grabs anyway so I don't even know why I bothered.

And I said WHERE; post it RIGHT HERE where I said I wasn't interested in anything about Bush's power grab?

Come on, Harry, for once in your life, be honest. Admit you mischaracterzied what I said to suit your own agenda.

1,952 posted on 11/29/2001 4:37:44 PM PST by Howlin
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To: Inspector Harry Callahan
Can you READ? Howlin said she wasn't interested in "what YOU think"...
1,953 posted on 11/29/2001 4:37:46 PM PST by Carolinamom
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To: sit-rep
Hi SR! Looks like Jim let the bad guys back in for a while. We'll be leaving shortly, I'm sure. In the meantime, cheers!

Callahan

1,954 posted on 11/29/2001 4:38:24 PM PST by Inspector Harry Callahan
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To: Sam Spade
One more thing moron the answer was already given. I don't think you can read. Run back to eschoir little girly boy.
1,955 posted on 11/29/2001 4:38:34 PM PST by TLBSHOW
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To: Alex DeLarge
Shut up stupid.
1,956 posted on 11/29/2001 4:38:41 PM PST by sit-rep
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To: BRL
It is illegal to post an entire copywrited article on an independent internet site.

Those who pronounce on copyright law should learn to spell it.

1,957 posted on 11/29/2001 4:39:18 PM PST by dighton
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To: Inspector Harry Callahan
By the way, you never answered me before, so I'll ask again... What is your native language?

Whats you doing Harry, doing a little racial profiling like the dreaded George Bush?

1,958 posted on 11/29/2001 4:40:40 PM PST by bjs1779
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To: BRL
Do I understand that you don't feel compelled to chip in for FR's expenses?

Can I also assume that since you're posting here, you do feel compelled to lurk and post at times?

If you answer yes to the first two, matybe you could address this one.

Why do you think you are entitled to be a member of a club and not pay any dues?

1,959 posted on 11/29/2001 4:41:53 PM PST by jwalsh07
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To: BRL
Because of bad decisions that I do not feel compelled to pay for.

Then don't. But then don't expect Jim or anyone else to tolerate your self-important gibberish. If the LAT/WP lawsuit went against FR because of bad legal counsel, then why do you insist on blaming Jim? And as for pushing Jim's personal political agenda, two things: This is now and has always been a political forum, and the owner is certainly entitled to his political views. If he can use that bully pulpit to push that agenda, that's free speech. That said, Jim posts very seldom, and generally only on issues dealing with the site itself. His political views are probably unknown to most of the posters here, although I think they can guess he is somewhat conservative.

Since you presume to know what his views are, enlighten us. How does Jim stand on [fill in issue here]?

You've cast aspersions on Jim and this site, and hinted at all sorts of improprieties and irregularities. But you don't have any of your own money at stake, nor any of your own time or effort invested. You sound like an outsider looking in, a forlorn keyboard commando.

Maybe when you get 50,000 registered users on your own website, you can stop by and give us the benefit of your vast experience, including how you have never been swayed to make a bad decision or to be so generous as to invite your enemies to take potshots at you.

If Jim Robinson wasn't so gracious, you wouldn't be here on this forum telling us how ungracious he is. I hope you appreciate the paradox. None dare call it hypocrisy.

1,960 posted on 11/29/2001 4:42:24 PM PST by IronJack
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