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
What about screed, after howling screed, that you got others to post for you ( against the rules ) , whereon, you blasted Jim Robinson, excoriated hi, FR, and in high dugeon, even posted parts ( all ? ) of what he written to you in private ? Those weren't figments of my imagination.
Just whose humble ( HUMBLE ? YOU ? NEVER ! ) servant are you ? This unctious ,Uriah Heap performance intersperssed with your usual bellicosity, should derve to enleighten the newbies, as to just WHY yo aren't welcome here.
It's possible he'd have a good case, but when the Ninth rules, he might want to forget all about lawyers and lawsuits.
Wait... Yes... Ann Coulter has now been mentioned!!!!
So where are the pictures?
What about screed, after howling screed, that you got others to post for you ( against the rules ) , whereon, you blasted Jim Robinson, excoriated him, FR, and in high dugeon, even posted parts ( all ? ) of what he had written to you in private ? Those weren't figments of my imagination. That IS what YOU did ; and more.
Just whose humble ( HUMBLE ? YOU ? NEVER ! ) servant are you ? This unctious ,Uriah Heap performance intersperssed with your usual bellicosity, should serve to enlighten the newbies, as to just WHY you aren't welcome here.
Is posting next to nothing there and that is why we have to have you here? And since Jim answered all your questions. What are your demands now?
Here's the main link Just navigate from there.
You must have known whilst selecting a "not even a word and has no meaning nick that is so close to my "admitted" misinterpretation, that such an interpretation was inevitable? You win, your insightful rebuke was far classier than my initial error (especially the big font, very nice).
That said, see ya.
Oh Dead gawd... Don't tell me Feces Flinging Primates have invaded FR?!?!?!?!
Does this account for all of the Reposts of the "Bad American" thread?
Inquiring minds want to know!
Mad Dawgg
(BTW I have irrefutable proof that Touristguy wrote Bad American with the help of Ted Nugent and George Carlin while they were visiting the WTF of Sept. 11th 2001!)
You made my night!
Not including Beachooser, miss print and Chase?
From: Eschoir THE RAT BAG! Nov-29 5:42 pm
To: Callahan Banned (CALLAHAN_FR) (8 of 32)
Your reply is priceless:
To: Bob J
"For the malcontentents and cretins at the AF sites to claim otherwise is a lie and slanderous and one day may end them up in court themselves. As soon as we get around to deciding if they are worth it..."
Will you be using the services of W&S again? If so, do you plan to ask if they'll just "put it on the tab"?
hehehe
1723 posted on 11/29/01 2:37 PM Pacific by Inspector Harry Callahan
Ah, more sweet nothings from the black heart of the Guild. Did Howlin finally go to bed? LOL.
What about screed, after howling screed,
Uh, those were not MY vanities.
that you got others to post for you ( against the rules ) ,
This is an untruth. You had better stop telling lies, or your pearls will turn black.
whereon, you blasted Jim Robinson, excoriated hi, FR, and in high dugeon, even posted parts ( all ? ) of what he written to you in private ? Those weren't figments of my imagination.
No, my private emails were posted to FR without my permission.
Just whose humble ( HUMBLE ? YOU ? NEVER ! ) servant are you ? This unctious ,Uriah Heap performance intersperssed with your usual bellicosity, should derve to enleighten the newbies, as to just WHY yo aren't welcome here.
Your bilious posts no doubt inform many a FReeper as to why many are not welcome here but I'm sure they can't help but wonder, as I do, how such notoriously vicious back-biters, gossip-mongers, and hate-spewers as the ladies of the Guild can possibly presume to act as the final arbiters of who is welcome here.
My Wife just rolls her eyes and sez Ann needs a Sandwich, when I perk up and suggest a course of action she slaps me and explains:
Not that kind of Sandwich!
I am fairly new here, except have lurked as a fan since Snow Bunny registered here .Her enthusiam for FR is contagious and she was right about it being the best place online and how FReepers are the best too.
Thanks so much.Let me know if there is ever anything I can do.
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