Posted on 06/25/2002 3:42:21 AM PDT by Jim Robinson
The following email is being circulated to our members by various disgruntled former FReepers:
Subject: The Future of Our Free RepublicDear 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
SINCE we're sort of on the subject...when I logged in the first time this morning, I responded to a different thread, and also checked my email...and opened this thread too. The response to the first thread was fine. I tried to respond to JimRob on this thread, and it told me my posting privilidges had been revoked for...of all things..."Defending the Taliban"....SLIGHTLY confused (and a little annoyed at the Taliban-defender thing), I brought my FReepmail page to the front...and it was not my freepmail. It belonged to somebody named "Azkaban" or something....should have written it down. It began with an "A" and was three syllables, anyway.
I didn't have time to deal with it this morning....when I logged back in right before noon...I was able to post to this thread (obviously) and my FReepmail was MY OWN FReepmail. So, whether hack attack or adminburp, everything seems fine now.
That has been the biggest change on FR since 9/11. For years we've been working for smaller government, more liberty and all of a sudden freepers are being called Nazis by other, usually new, freepers.
I won't get into his issues because that is his stuff to work out, and this is my account, not his. But I will post his pace of mind at reading the header of this thread where you explain who gets the bullet and why. (He claims never to have been E mailed as to what he did wrong.)
There is not any wiggle room to complain much about how you run your private forum. It is your party, and as host of said party, you can show anyone the door who you feel is detracting from it.
Do you make mistakes and sometime amputate a good hearted soul who doesn't warrant it? No doubt you do; but only because you are human and can only do the best you can. Just like the rest of us mortals. Claiming this happens broadly, and that this is a justification to lash out at Free Republic is foolish at best.
On the balance you do an excellent job, and it is clear you care about this place and pour your heart and soul into it. I thank you and wish you my best. Surprisingly enough, my non-posting friend feels mostly the same way, and like you alot s well.
I am glad I found this forum, and I wish it and it's founder a long and prosperous life.
Actually, I must disagree with you on this point. There are a few real conservative dems who I respect and would vote for over a liberal republican.
Well said. Bunch of whining cry-babies.
Yes, it is...and bless you. You are the only other person besides me that I have heard or read using the "pendulum" analogy to describe political trends in the last...well...over twenty year, I guess.
It is OUR turn now. We have a chance to undo at least some of the cultural damage done to this nation by the political left. There is NOTHING wrong with seizing that chance. Hmmm...we'd be wrong NOT to.
Once in my life I would like to see the GOP have the majorities Democrats once had:
103rd Congress
In session during 1993-1995
Senate
Republicans: 43
Democrats: 57
House
Republicans: 176
Democrats: 258
Independents: 1
95th Congress
In session during 1977-1979
Senate
Republicans: 38
Democrats: 61
Independents: 1
House
Republicans: 143
Democrats: 292
Democrats had more than a two to one majority in the House under Carter. Those are the numbers needed to get things accomplished. Our system is designed to be gummed up. The only way to ungum it is to kick out as many Democrats as we can. That done, we can fight among ourselves. I'll worry about which conservative faction wins once liberals are a harmless minority.
Yes, those threads tend to draw the more grotesque examples of the fifth column, like you. Anyone claiming that FR is heavily censored should take a look at you and your fellow gargoyles like byebyebill,luvzhottea,LarryLied and quite a few others I could rattle off at two seconds notice.
Geez.
How'd you guess?
If the lunch were free, I wouldn't be dissenting (new word, learned it today).
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