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
That's it? That's your reply?
Amazing.
After reading your impressions on the copyright laws and fair use, and doing some research on FR threads promoting Linda Tripp dot com, I've got just a few more questions I hope you will answer:
1. Do you now, or have you ever hosted, managed, or maintained the website for the Linda Tripp Legal Defense Fund at www.lindatripp.com?
2. If so, do you now or have you ever received any compensation for this service?
3. If so, has this relationship ever been disclosed to the courts examining the question of whether Free Republic is a commercial venture in the context of your claimed entitlement to the fair use exemption?
By "you" I mean you individually or operating under any of the entities you effectively control, including FR.
As always, I appreciate your answers to my questions.
Some of us simply find the Socratic method puerile,annoying and insincere. We had enough of it in college. That it is a favorite dodge of the left in defense of the indefensible makes the use of the tactic even more grating. Got a position, state it. Don't play sophomoric "what if" games.
Btw..."challenges others to think" sums up the Libertarian attitude. Pure snobbery. The height of arrogance. And Libertarians wonder why they have not be able to connect with even a fraction of the public.
Nobody has any quarrel with Linda Tripp, Jim. This is about you and FR.
My questions relate to your claim that FR is not a commercial site for purposes of the fair use exemption. I'm asking you to explain how that exemption is applicable to your defense, IF you're receiving compensation for hosting her site and promoting it with FR's content.
I noticed a couple of days ago that you told a FReeper that you can't sell services. I haven't seen you deny that you're receiving compensation from the Tripp fund, so please reconcile this apparent inconsistency.
Thank you.
You are (or were) using FR to promote an outside venture that pays (or paid) you a monthly fee for your professional services. You do (or did) that by posting fundraising appeals for the venture on FR.
You know we can prove it. And you know how. Why not admit it?
That's the charge, Jim. So subpoena me or sue me all you want. The first thing I subpoena is your books.
Have a nice day.
I highly recommend "Lord of the Flies" in that the bully boy runs off when challenged...just as Snopes Golden ran off the maggot at the reunion last month.
Oh, my sides, tops, bottoms, ins, outs, ups, downs and in betweens.
I can understand why you might believe independent thought to be "pure snobbery" and "arrogance", particularly in today's political climate. There was however, a time when it (thought) was considered important. Alas, those days have long since passed, and they are unlikely to return without some sort of catastrophic shock therapy.
Clearly asking people to think about why they hold their political views, makes them uncomfortable. Asking them to defend those views, makes them even more uncomfortable. (particularly when they don't have a philosophical foundation to appeal to, to justfiy those positions)
I'm aware of this discomfort. I'm aware of the fact that people tend to lash out at things that cause them discomfort. I am also aware of the current "fraction of the public" with which Libertarians are able to connect. I think it's to be expected in a world divorced from reason.
For those of us who don't "know the game", and who don't "know what OWK is trying to do" (other than engage in a political discussion forum, with an eye towards restoring the notions of rights, liberty, and constitutional law), could you fill us all in?
What's the big secret?
No one is interested in your analysis of OWK's debating skills. We're interested only in where you stand on the issues.
That it is a favorite dodge of the left in defense of the indefensible makes the use of the tactic even more grating. Got a position, state it. Don't play sophomoric "what if" games.
The only people I see dodging are you and others who keep analysing and criticising the way in which people debate in order to avoid having to defend your positions. I never dodge questions and to the best of my recollection neither does OWK. In fact, we've both spent a great deal of time aswering them.
..."challenges others to think" sums up the Libertarian attitude. Pure snobbery. The height of arrogance.
If your positions are defensible and your logic impeccable then you wouldn't have the need to dodge challenges and call Libertarians arrogant. Make the best, most compelling case you can for your side and let others make their own decisions.
If you've ever read my FR bio page you'll see that I was once an active Republican. I contributed MANY hours to Republican causes. I even used to believe in prayer in school and the WOD. But, a tenacious Libertarian made a far more compelling case to me for freedom and limited government.
Libertarians wonder why they have not be able to connect with even a fraction of the public.
Actually, most people I talk to agree with most of what Libertarians stand for. In fact, often times they agree more with Libertarians than Republicans. But, they're afraid to support Libertarians for a number of reasons. They think they'll be helping to elect Democrats or they support the government safety-net. At any rate, they manage to find at least one reason not to support Libertarians. Since Libertarians do not promise to use government to redistribute wealth, and half of Americans receive some kind of handout from the government, it makes our job all that much more difficult.
I don't suppose you're familiar with the concept of irony.
I can only surmise the motivation is politcal. If so, why don't you simply start a liberal free republic and make it as successful as this one?
I can only surmise the motivation is politcal. If so, why don't you simply start a liberal free republic and make it as successful as this one?
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.