Okay or not (meaning I assume some dupes won't be summarily deleted), duplicates result in spreading out the commentary and making it less likely a given reader will be exposed to previous thoughts.
I tend to post on first submission threads and not even read duplicates of the same article.
The Duplicate Post is a losing argument. I complained about duplicate post a few months back and was trounced by Freepers that it is the responsibility of the duplicate posters to keep articles “above the fold” because some did not have the time to read all the post on Free Republic.
Seems like Free Republic has become USA Today for some. Something to scan with the morning coffee.
I was told very clearly to just not “click” on a duplicate post. I was told that if the post was from a different “source” it was O.K.
Over the years, Free Republic has lost it’s tight community “feel”. I don’t think it is malicious, just unavoidable.