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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: Arator
You missed a key point, my friend. I didn't spend those hours........and my time is very valuable to me.........to research "you". "You" weren't the issue......and aren't the issue. I went there at TKE's suggestion in a reply to me wherein he stated that, by going to that site and clicking on links and reading, etc., etc., my questions (read back a ways......you'll see my questions) would be "answered". They weren't. I gave it a legitimate effort to see if I could FINALLY find out what all of this AF'er stuff is all about. Was there something I didn't know? (Answer: No. Not a bit. I read through dozens of threads, links, etc.......I learned NOTHING new; no surprises or saw any skeletons fall from any closets). Was there a "dark side" to Jim or others at FR that I should know about? (Sure didn't find one over there....) I was looking for answers. YOU weren't the topic; a search for "reasons for all of this" prompted my little research effort.

I also happen to read people very, very well. I'm trained to do it, I make a living doing it, and I get daily practice at it. It's not normal for someone to write an "epic" poem..............about themselves. Tongue-in-cheek, serious, half-kidding........no matter, Arator. The very tenor of your response, automatically assuming that this was about "you", is further evidence of what I'm saying. Yes, Arator, you're into yourself whether you choose to admit it or not. No skin off my nose if you don't want to face that fact. It's the truth.

Now, I'll also add that there's not a thing wrong with having a healthy ego. An ego out of control is a whole other issue.

BTW.......news flash for ya: I'm a SERIOUS "paleo-con". Big time. Always have been............and you don't speak for me in that sense.

Lose the persecution complex and contribute, 'cause like I said, I think you can do just that.

2,101 posted on 11/29/2001 6:36:29 PM PST by RightOnline
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To: John Robinson
That's exactly the commentary I was looking for. How did you know that? LOL!! Good to see you John.

Regards,
Callahan

2,102 posted on 11/29/2001 6:36:32 PM PST by Inspector Harry Callahan
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To: Arator
I never wanted to be the center of some long running FReeper soap opera. I just want to post my opinions and enjoy fellowship with like minded-freepers, just like everybody else. But, fate cast me as the titular leader of the Paleo-cons on FR, and, thus, the prime target of Bushie-instigated censorship and purges. And so, I was thrust into the role of defender of free speech rights for downtrodden minority conservative sub-factions here on FR. Not that it was a role I did not relish, because they must be defended, but how much better would it be if they needed no defense but were simply respected, with all conservative factions able to enjoy their differences and debate with each other with mutual respect and affection, without fear of censorship or Soviet-style purges? That is my dream. That is why I persist in my tiresome belly-aching. That is why I have made myself into a royal pain in the FReeper ass. As long as minority FReepers were being bullied censored, banished, and silenced, somebody had to do it. But I'm nothing special nor am I the only FReeper who is fighting this fight. I just get a lot of undeserved attention. Please, don't feed my unwarranted self-absorbtion by spending afternoons researching me on RuR. I'm telling you I am just not that important. LOL. I'm just one FReeper among many who loves freedom and is willing to fight for it, even on FR. End of story.

You really need to send this to Readers Digest. They pay for jokes.

2,103 posted on 11/29/2001 6:36:44 PM PST by zip
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To: BeforeISleep
Goldilucky shows up in my self search where my post should've been.

Collision. Two posts were made at the same time to the same thread; one post made it into the thread, the other made it into the postlog (self-search).

As threads are growing larger, this is happening more frequently. It's a fault of the old structure still under the hood which was not designed for the load we see today.

2,104 posted on 11/29/2001 6:38:27 PM PST by John Robinson
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To: Howlin
But, fate cast me as the titular leader of the Paleo-cons on FR

That is indeed an awesome responsibility and I am assuming that the responsibilities of said leader somehow entitled them to not only question the administration of FR, but criticize it fully and roundly, and once said comments were made, there seemed to be little else to converse about.

One of the perks of being a titular leader, no doubt.

2,105 posted on 11/29/2001 6:38:46 PM PST by Fury
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To: Fury
Why else would someone come back to a place they find objection to?

Glutton for punishment?
2,106 posted on 11/29/2001 6:39:34 PM PST by BluesDuke
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To: Torie
I'm fine thanks.

That's great to hear, Torie.

Giving the number so neocons on this site, it may well be that calling me the least articulate neocon has the same meaning as calling me the most articulate.

No, Harry's right. You are definitely the most articulate neo-con on FR. Of course, I might think that because you are one of the few neo-cons who don't begin every post to me with ad hominem attacks, unfounded accusations of dishonesty, fraud, etc. You stick to the issues, and I like that very very much. LOL.

2,107 posted on 11/29/2001 6:41:23 PM PST by Arator
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Comment #2,108 Removed by Moderator

To: Howlin
You found that funny, huh.... LOL
2,109 posted on 11/29/2001 6:42:34 PM PST by deport
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To: John Robinson
Collision. Two posts were made at the same time to the same thread; one post made it into the thread, the other made it into the postlog (self-search)

My post didn't make either. Goldilucky got both. I'll have to click faster with more authority I guess (-:
2,110 posted on 11/29/2001 6:45:54 PM PST by firewalk
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Comment #2,111 Removed by Moderator

To: sit-rep
I dunno bro, debate has gone by the way side compared to a year or so ago...I truly do not understand why so many waste their intellegence on such trivial bullshit.

Yeah, the MANTRA. I know it well. One size fits all threads.

Your site, however, deals exclusively with ISSUES AND ANSWERS!

LOL! You guys!

You remember everything, and learn nothing.

2,112 posted on 11/29/2001 6:46:50 PM PST by alcuin
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To: RightOnline; Jim Robinson
I haven't had a chance to read through all of the posts yet, so forgive me if my questions have been asked/answered previously:

1) What happened to his pro bono lawyer? Was that Clarity? I heard that Clarity doesn't post here any more (and I haven't seen Clinton's A Liar either - she leave too?), why was that?

2) What are some of these "rival sites" that banned members have been starting?

For the record, I've been a member of this site since 1998, and was lurking for several months prior to registering. It's far and away the best source for news and information, especially for our point of view. I find nothing wrong with most of the vanities, and find some truly entertaining. The flaming could be toned down, but hey, as long as I see an argument mixed in between the slams, I've got no problem. It's too bad that some of the longtime members have gotten into the problems they have with Jim Robinson and left or were banned, but it's Jim's site and his vision, and that needs to be respected as well.

2,113 posted on 11/29/2001 6:47:44 PM PST by GreatOne
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To: Arator
Are you planning on giving an apology to Jim tonight?
2,114 posted on 11/29/2001 6:48:19 PM PST by TLBSHOW
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Comment #2,115 Removed by Moderator

To: John Robinson
Yep and it happens in every forum software I have seen. In fact most of them shred the threads and are a real bear to fix. Sounds like someone got smart and piped the conflict to the postlog. At least that way you have a 50/50 chance of one of the post going to the correct place.
2,116 posted on 11/29/2001 6:49:24 PM PST by PeaceBeWithYou
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To: Jim Robinson
let free speech flow and free republic will be an even better site than it is now

don't let party partisan and federal agents and other special interests intimidate or talk into banning people and pulling threads for exposing corruption this is one of the most important site on the internet

this is one of the most important activist movements for promoting freedom , defending our Bill Of Rights and Constitution,

and fighting governement corruption this site must remain and contioue to grow if we want to keep this nation a Free Republic

you have know choice Jim Robinson , because i know you love this country

2,117 posted on 11/29/2001 6:53:09 PM PST by expose
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Comment #2,118 Removed by Moderator

Comment #2,119 Removed by Moderator

To: Howlin
ROTFLMAO!!!!

That Arator! He's such a kidder!!!

2,120 posted on 11/29/2001 6:56:29 PM PST by Luis Gonzalez
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