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My Firefox No Script add-on is blocking scripts from google-analytics.com and from freerepublic.com as I type.

I have the "don't be evil" spyware blocked too, but anyone who doubts that it's there need only view the source for the page and they'll see it's there, right at the bottom of the page's HTML.

I checked it with two browsers AND samspade, which downloaded the raw content including headers (which NO browser will show, to my knowledge), and it IS there. It's not something I've stupidly "allowed" google to insert into my browser. It's on the FR server. Check for yourselves, people.

[Paranoia mode: if you *don't* have it -- or, if only *some* of you have it -- it means that FR has an option to selectively track *some* people. But it is definitely coming from their server.]

Saw you worrying about this, so here's my take: John has to track many things to maintain the servers for throughput, but thanks to Sarbanes-Oxley overkill also to meet legal requirements and keep Jim out of trouble. The script is as follows on the bottom of each page, look at the bottom of the 'Page Source' in your browser:

<div style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(119, 119, 119); font-family: Arial;">
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2003 Robinson-DeFehr Consulting, LLC.
</div>

<script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript">
</script>
<script type="text/javascript">
_uacct = "UA-2288668-1";
urchinTracker();
</script>
</body></html>

He had a couple of other programs to do the tracking with;
FR Daily Stats ^ -- an early edition. (Page down to 2004)

Then he brought in FR 'awstats' Edition ^.

If you want to secure your own system get a copy of G-Zapper ^. It cleans/prevents Google et el tracking. It put the following in my 'hosts' file under the systems 'Window' folder:

# Begin GZapper
0.0.0.0 www.google-analytics.com
# End GZapper

That just consigns any reference for that site to the bit-bucket. I'm sure there's others out there like GZ. Bottom line is don't rely on others to secure your system from all the script-kiddies and their corporate devils.