Posted on 10/25/2001 8:59:47 PM PDT by Jim Robinson
Threads are often deleted for really good reasons (i.e., violation of policy, duplicate information), but sometimes they are removed for (seemingly) no reason. There was one, just a few days ago, from a sourced news report (Yahoo News, and Reuters) and it was removed. It made reference to possible taliban tampering with US dropped food packages. (BTW, no, I didn't post it). I can't imagine why such a thread would be removed.
I wonder - would it be possible to suspend some threads (no new posts), include a reason for the suspension of the thread, and move them to a special zone? Truly objectionable threads would, of course, still be deleted...
Again, this is merely in a spirit of learning policy and offering an idea. Not of criticism.
Now where are the other 11?
In the old days, threads used to be pulled because of:
1. Profanity
2. Personal Attacks (against other posters -- not merely against Bush); and
3. Racism and Violence.
The moderators have gone beserk since 9-11.
ANY criticism of the government -- even something as Constitutionally significant as discussions pertaining to Congress' failure to declare war -- are pulled.
And, most sadly, all conspiracy theories get yanked.
This place SUCKS as a result. There is nobody left but a bunch of teenage machismo jingoists who post masturbatory fantasies about the thrill of nuking, shooting, and killing civilians in Arab countries. (so much for the "no violence in posts" restrictions.)
FreeRepublic's reputation may have been irreperably damaged. I'm sure you frequent other discussion groups. If so, you will know the extent to which FreeRepublic is being mocked with all this "loose lips sick ships" bullshit.
You need moderators for ONE REASON, Jim... To guard against copyright infringement. That's it. Not to moderate the TOPICS. Let US do that.
Look at the posts of mine that have been pulled, Jim. (If you have them saved.) There was nothing in there that violated the rules. They were critical of Bush, Israel, Big Oil, etc. Since when has content been filtered?
And worst of all, when you e-mail the AdminMod to ask why something was pulled, you get this NAZI-esque curt reply: "You know why. Knock it off."
FreeRepublic will go down the shitter, Jim, if you don't trust the posters to moderate each other. If someone posts liberal garbage, then let those responding ignore it or refute it. But, don't pull it.
If I want filtered news, I'll watch TV.
If I want ten thousand different points of view, FreeRepublic should be the place to go.
It ain't anymore.
It's dead, Jim.
I am no superior IQ by any means, but I do miss reading the debates of yesterday, and after the 100th smut/vanity post of late, they are more a turn off than anything else IMHO.
Just my two cents on that...
As far as the site goes, for some reason every flag by JohnHuang2 ends up in my self search...regardless if in the line up or not.
Other than that, I'm still here, and plan to send some doe in a short.
SR
Perhaps a black-list also, of those who have been banned and why.
P.S. The FR Real Media link on the opening page is dead.
It's a Godsend, which brings to mind..... There's a higher being in charge of the universe, one in charge of FreeRepublic, and I'm grateful for both.
Delete, pull, zap, do whatever is necessary to keep us a valuable and credible repository of information.
Onward and Godspeed.
Email rumors are LESS than newsworthy. They are, in and of themselves, SPAM!!!
When you were the only fellow with the power to delete, it was lunacy to expect you to give specific reasons for bannings.
But now that there are more with that power, I think it is reasonable to ask that those who have such power at least give us a reason for our banning.
You can't expect us to modify our behavior if you don't tell us what causes our banning. And I'm going to use that word fair here. I don't think it's fair to be banned without a just cause (rule violations) or a notification.
If there is more than a breaking of the rules that can cause banning, why not post a new set of rules which includes the list of major causes for banning. The rules appear not to apply to some but I know you to be a fair man so I expect you and the censors just miss violations now and then. I've been here for three years and I can't say anything bad about you Jim. So this isn't personal at all.
1. Not appropriate to pull info for pure PC reasons. We should be debating PC crap, not giving in to it.
2. Not appropriate to pull posts critical of FR policy or discussions of "censorship." Without that criticism, FR become one guy's idea rather than a community that can accomplish something good.
3. Not appropriate to pull information that is already disseminated publicly via local, national or international news. If it is in the news, the people we are at war with know about it.
4. Not appropriate to pull info posted by Freepers about what they "saw or heard." If something happens "publicly," keeping it off FR is not going to do anything other than keep us in the dark. I personally do not believe that the "Loose Lips" doctrine with respect to "observable" events in this day and age serves any purpose.
5. It IS APPROPRIATE, to pull detailed information that is coming from inside sources (police, FBI, military) about ongoing terroist investigations, military operations, etc. that have not been disseminated to the press. Such information should not be distributed by the priviledged, and if it was appropriate for them to do so, it would be released to the press. This information could harm an ongoing investigation or operation and the poster should be using the same judgement that the news organizations have been asked to use when such info is obtained.
There, for everbody that thought I was a hard-core censor nut, the above is probabaly more in disagreement with JimRob's current policy than it is in agreement.
Pro athletes are paid too much.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.