I apologize for not posting the FR Rules, as I meant to with the beginning of each new TM thread, so better late than not at all:
Free Republic expects users to follow a few simple posting guidelines (described below) and by posting to the forum you and others agree to abide by them. While Free Republic is not edited or censored, it does reserve the right to remove any postings that are considered inappropriate.
Examples of inappropriate posts are those that are off-subject or contain advertising, pornography, obscene material, racist material, Nazi (or other hate group) material, materials promoting violence, threats or illegal acts, etc.
These guidelines are intended to help maintain a useful amount of order in a large site like this and to promote better posting. They may be revised without notice. Users of Free Republic should also understand that this is a privately owned, not-for-profit site and that they are guests here. The owner reserves the right to revoke posting privileges and, when necessary, to permanently ban individuals.
Do lead by example - Nothing improves a forum more than posters who reason sharply, write well, and have some perspective about it all. Be one of them.
Do preview - Preview twice, post once. And, ahem, close your HTML tags before you hit the reply button. (More on that below.)
NOTE:
{{{Do keep it clean - A bruise or two between Freepers is tolerable, but refrain from abusive attacks, engaging in senseless flame wars, and using profane language. }}}
Considering the range of topics we discuss, it's hard to be a family site, but that's what we aim for when at all possible.
Do "take it to the Alley" - The Alley is a public chat room. A link to it is provided on the latest posts page. Invite people there if you want to talk things over or settle a score, so to speak, off site.
Do use common sense - If you read a post that sounds too good or strange to be true, it probably is.
Do stay on topic - If you are going to post an article, make sure you are placing it in the correct topic area.
Do include the original title - When you post an article, be sure to include the original title where appropriate. This helps users find the article and lessens the chance of a double post.
Do keep "vanity" posts to a minimum - Free Republic is primarily a place to discuss news, articles, and editorials. Vanity posts, creations of the poster him or herself, should meet a high standard of quality before one is even considered worthy of posting. Often a relevant current thread or general announcement, catch-all thread is a much better choice for a brief question or comment.
Don't jump threads - If you get involved in an argument in one thread, it's considered poor manners to restart the previous argument in the middle of an unrelated thread.
Don't spam - Post your message once. If you are not sure if it has posted, check the latest posts page.
Don't violate poster privacy - Don't reveal online another poster's phone number, address, or other information that the person hasn't already made public for everyone on Free Republic. If you are asked for a friend's email address, the best advice usually is to forward the request to the friend. He or she can then decide whether to respond.
Don't play games - Don't represent yourself as another person, create or use another screen name to avoid a revocation of posting privileges, misrepresent the site or your role in it, and don't misattribute a contribution you've made. (Parody exceptions would apply to the latter, of course, but it should be clear what you are doing.)
Don't be a whiner - If you really, really find Free Republic not to your liking, let the webmaster know directly (jimrob@psnw.com), learn to live with it, or move along.
CHEERS!