Email: The Future of Free Republic

Email | 06/25/02 | Jim Robinson

[Eagle Eye]

Lord knows that I've pushed the limits a few times, but it isn't hard to color inside the lines here.

Yeah, sometimes we wonder what happens to posts and posters, but usually we only see the tip of the tip of the iceburg.

I certainly appreciate the work you and other do here. This place has seen changes and growing pains. Frustrations certainly run both ways. That won't stop. It is normal for there to be turn over in activists and normal for some to make it personal. Fortuantely, you don't seem to lose sleep over it.

Actually, if everyone here agreed on everything I'd be bored silly. It is one thing to splinter off; it's another thing to make it a personal crusade.

[TLBSHOW]

Cool now we can slam anti-FR freaks and liberal commies at the same time. Freaks are the du and any anti-freeper site.

[palmer]

What you see as prejudice and bigotry I see as a rational survival mechanism and response of a people under violent attack

I would call it emotional, not rational. And my original point was that those views are strictly uncensored as far as I can tell. Call it rational or call it venting, it's there and the mgt seems to like it that way.

[weikel]

those who excessively bash our president

Do you think Bush is a conservative he is spending like a drunken sailor and it seems like the Saudis run his foreign policy?

[Seeking the truth]

Excellent post, Jim.

May I suggest that you send it via Freepmail to everyone? You did that once or twice in the past and then it never happened again.

I believe this issue and your very enlightening, cogent response should be broadcast to all of Freeperdom.

Remember my "Why Bother?" post?

Your response here responds perfectly to that post!

It clears the air and explains the behind the scenes cleaning up that is being done on an ongoing, daily basis on FR.

I believe many Freepers, even some old timers like me, are not fully aware of this.

That's why I think you should send this via Freepmail to everyone as a sort of "Important Message from the Founder"

[OWK]

Do you think Bush is a conservative he is spending like a drunken sailor and it seems like the Saudis run his foreign policy?

Ssshhhhhh...

[TLBSHOW]

This is a great subject. Shows how out of it the anti-frs are. I mean people like todd, arator and eschoir and jj belong together as a group of escaped mentals!

[ProudGOP]

if the sheeple want to contribute to RimJob's new home addition ...

Now that you've added on, can we come over and hang out?

[techcor]

Checked out the "Village of the Banned" link. Looks like an offshoot of the DUh's. Keep up the good work.

[lewislynn]

I have no great love for Islam, but I do not believe anyone should propose slaughtering 1000's or millions of Muslims.

Unless you have some kind of proof to the contrary, your feelings would be noble were it not for the fact THEY feel just the opposite about you and yours...

[daviddennis]

I have thought that a Slashdot-style system would be nice here, but I really like the way the discussion flows as a consecutive set of posts. For moderation to work, you have to move to a threaded system where replies are kept with the original posts, thus making it possible for individual mini-discussions to move up and down in a hierarchy.

It's a totally different way of working, and I like FR's strictly chronological system better.

D

[Seeking the truth]

Another thing I find interesting about that email.

It starts off talking about scores of disgruntled Freepers and ends up referring to hundreds.

I was wondering if they are calculating all the various screen names or just applying Million Man Math rules!

[Taliesan]

putrid and unsound ideas are easily rebutted (and rebutted soundly) by anyone willing to put forth the effort.

Certainly. But what if the forum is a private one (meaning that there is no coercion)? You join voluntarily, and in joining agree that the purpose of that association is so-and-so.

In that case, it is not censorship to yank comments and boot people. And, though unsound ideas are easily rebutted, it may not be the original purpose of that forum to rebut the particular unsound ideas spread by your particular visitors. Just because you can rebut them doesn't mean you should spend your time doing it.

The forum may be political in its purpose, but if it is private, it is apolitical in structure, and therefore libertarian principles would allow as much control over speech as the owners deem appropriate to attain the purpose.

So perhaps you actually ceded the agenda of your forum to others, in a misapplication of libertarian political principles of free speech to a private, purpose-driven discussion.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

Good morning, Jim.
Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to babysit these people who have no self-control or discipline. They have miserable lives of their own, and they need company.
We suspect there are dozens of them, but they may appear to be greater in number due to their incessant whining.

Jim, the task is menial, but the rewards are great.

Good luck, Jim.
Hopefully their messages will self destruct in less than 5 seconds.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

Spies amongst us.

[anniegetyourgun]

The fact that someone like that has your email address is very disconcerting. These people are imbalanced freaks.

[Sabertooth]

Perhaps it should say: "This thread has been deleted due to copyright issues," or "due to xxxx" whatver xxxx may be. In other words, I think a reason for pulling a thread might help--at least innocent bystanders who land in the middle of the train wreck and don't have a clue as to why.

Great idea.

[MeekOneGOP]

Well, they've reported and I've reported, you decide.

Thanks, Jim! I'll stay as long as you're around!

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Check out the article AND Jim Robinson's rebuttal in post #1!

Like FOX News Channel says, FR'll report, YOU decide!

Please let me know if you want ON or OFF my ping list!. . .don't be shy.