Email: The Future of Free Republic

Email | 06/25/02 | Jim Robinson

[Jim Robinson]

The following email is being circulated to our members by various disgruntled former FReepers:

Subject: The Future of Our Free Republic

Dear Fellow Free Republic Member,

Many of us at Free Republic are distressed by the extraordinary level of censorship that has been so obviously going on. It is very obvious that individual posts, entire threads, and the entire work of members who have been highly regarded are disappearing into a Memory Hole.

Scores of us have organized an e-mail network that is independent of the communication controls presently, and sadly, being used at our Free Republic. We have carefully documented the unmistakeable evidence that most of the posts, threads, and posters that are vaporized completely are overwhelmingly targeted for their political stance on the Right. These are not Leftwingers. These are not even Middle-of-the-Roaders. These are not disruptors. These are not foul-mouthed delinquents. These are fellow patriots on the Right who disagree with the controllers of FR on specific issues that are now hotly debated by the Right. We have documented that FR will parade before you, as if to hide all of the great posters whose work has been destroyed, a straw-man delinquent that has been banned. This is deceptive.

Treating these fellow patriots on the Right so shabbily is not right. As shabbily as those banned into the Memory Hole are being treated, the most shabbily treated of all are all of the good folks on Free Republic themselves. We came here for honest debate. Free Republic advertised itself as a Forum for honest debate. Without that honest debate...everything at Free Republic becomes shabby.

We can do much better. As a measure of how intense the simmering feelings have gotten among members on this unjustifiable use of deleting, censoring, and banning please link to the following thread. You will notice that one simple and sincere plea from one of our finest members has spontaneously touched off a prairie fire of approximately 500 posts in a mere 18 hours. If it isn't Memory Holed this thread may shoot into the thousands.

If you would like to receive anonymous updates of information concerning the hundreds of Freepers who have networked via e-mail to restore the wonderful honest debate to Free Republic, just drop an e-mail of just one or two words if you like for extreme brevity to:

StopCensoringUs@hotmail.com

And, here's that link back to the snowballing thread at FR:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/704701/posts

Thank you so much for giving your thought to this vital matter for our Internet home.

Sincerely, StopCensoringUs@hotmail.com

[BlueLancer]

Hah ... Pikachu is a poo-poo head.

Der Elite Møøsenspåånkengruppen OberKømmååndø (EMØØK)

[carenot]

I can't tell if you're serious or not.

Nah, he warn't serious. He ware justa playin with y'all.

[dighton]

Oh yeah?

Bob is FRENCH!

[Cachelot]

I can't recite what he said after just reading it one time.

Pesky thing that short-term memory at the onset of certain derangements :)). I'll see, mebbe I archived your sibling - you know, just for the record. Probably not, though. I don't think he made the grade past amusing.

[BlueLancer]

Oh, yeah!?

Well, Pikachu is GAY!

I wouldn't want him chewing on MY pick!

[carenot]

Give the Republicans the "mandate of the people" to dump the failed liberal/socialist programs and start dismantling the federal beast. Bring about a new Reagan revolution. Make the Republicans fight among themselves as to priorities for cutting. Cut, slash, and burn.

We gave them that in '94. They did nothing with it. So they lost some of what they gained.

[BlueLancer]

I have it on good authority that Pikachu and Tinky-Winky are roommates.

[BlueLancer]

"We gave them that in '94."

Maybe I was more zoned-out in '94 than I thought, but I could have sworn that we did not have a Republican president in 1994.

Wouldn't you say that that COULD make a difference?

[Willie Green]

He didn't call them a kook.

Just last week, Art became PO's and "banned" Kreskin from ever being on his show again.
Apparently Kreskin had predicted the "UFO sighting of the Century", and offered $50K to charity if it didn't happen.
When the stunt flopped, Art interviewed Kreskin to get an explanation.
When Kreskin started hemming and hawwing with multiple definitions of the word "is", trying to weasel out of his $50K committment, that's when Art dropped the bomb: Called him a fraud to his face and yanked the plug on him.
Art may be tolerant of some weird ideas, but he absolutely HATES cheats, cons and frauds.

[Robert-J]

Robinson, you've gone completely off the deep end. You ban someone for defending Billy Graham. You and your punk admin mod go after people who tell the truth about moslems. You're sick.

[BluesDuke]

You are right -- we do not owe any political party a damned thing. That is not why I stay in it. However it is serious people -- not parties -- who try to shape as well as seduce a nation -- it's not the other way around as George Will states.

The Will comment came from a late 1970s column regarding party platforms and campaigns, as I recall. And while I grant that a party is only as sound as the people therein, we do not pull the lever by virtue of the people in the parties - we pull it for the candidates of those parties. It is thus among other things which provoked me to concur in the present context with the Will comment. And when today's Republican Party (well, the Republican Party as it has been for a shamefully long enough time) talks the talk but does not walk the walk, one questions the seriousness not merely of the party but of the preponderance of people therein, no personal criticism intended. Certainly people who settle for what amounts to a "win the vote now, stand on the principle later" cannot and should not be taken seriously in any party.

The majority of the Constitution loving people are in the Republican Party. Therefore, there is no reason to leave it.

We don't have to leave it. It seems more to have left us.

..If you can't win a Republican primary with ideas and principles derived from the Constitution, then you will never be able to win a general election based on these same principles.

They do win primaries and elections when those are run upon. But then they must take up the serious business of government and my, how those principles go the way of the Edsel. Translation, once again: They talk the talk and they do not walk the walk. And guess who the suckers prove once again?

The road to Damnocratic hell is paved with Republican't good intentions.

[tpaine]

Gave up? --- Who ever gave in? 

{but please boss, let him stay around, - just as court jester}

[Jim Robinson]

I've given up on you too.

[Jefferson Adams]

I'm sorry to hear it.

I haven't given up on you yet.

There's a liberty advocate in there somewhere. ;^]

LOL - go gettem, OWK! < g >

[Jefferson Adams]

Maybe I was more zoned-out in '94 than I thought, but I could have sworn that we did not have a Republican president in 1994.

Wouldn't you say that that COULD make a difference?

I'm not going to say it. I'm NOT going to say it. I'm not I'm not I'm not.

[Jefferson Adams]

(re: the Republican Party) We don't have to leave it. It seems more to have left us.

..If you can't win a Republican primary with ideas and principles derived from the Constitution, then you will never be able to win a general election based on these same principles.

Sir, my compliments. That pretty much says it. Unfortunately.

[Saundra Duffy]

Good Heavens! I'm speechless. Anyhoo, I love FreeRepublic.com!!!!!!!!! I would never have survived the Clinton years without it. For victory & freedom!!!

[BlueLancer]

See ... self-restraint IS its own reward.
8')

[RFP]

OK, so please explain why you banned 'Clinton's a Liar'? I have met Connie and can't imagine she'd do anything THAT bad. She works for Alan Keyes for crying out loud!

Jim, I hope you will respond to this and hope you don't ban me for asking.

[tpaine]

I have never wanted your approval, my liege. - I doubt that many here have.

Simple respect for my honorable constitutional intentions would do. - But I won't hold my breath waiting.