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Email: The Future of Free Republic
Email | 06/25/02 | Jim Robinson

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 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



TOPICS: Announcements
KEYWORDS: adminlectureseries; fr; lexicon; opuslist
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To: Jim Robinson
Well, any "R" is definitely better than any "D" and any "R" who actually wins a seat (thereby depriving control of the agenda from the "D") is definitely better than any "C" or "L" that has never won and never will win. I know this is too simple of a concept for great minds, but what the heck, might as well throw it out there.

Heh, must be why I get it. I've been called "simple" a number of times on FR. :)

561 posted on 06/25/2002 2:00:53 PM PDT by Ms. AntiFeminazi
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To: Rowdee
Goldi-lox and the various bears were all there today pissing and moaning.
562 posted on 06/25/2002 2:01:03 PM PDT by Roscoe
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To: OWK
I simply think he's being silly (and playing to the favor of the crowd) by labeling all atheists as idiots, and his enemy. It plays well to the crowd, but ultimately it serves no purpose other than to divide and foster ill-will.

Ill-will from whom? The athiest idiots?

563 posted on 06/25/2002 2:02:27 PM PDT by Khepera
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To: Cachelot
Do you guys still have Tex-Oma hanging out here under the nick MarleysGhost?

No. She's in deep cover now. She hangs out under the nick "texoma".

SSSssshhhhhhhhhh!

564 posted on 06/25/2002 2:03:40 PM PDT by Ratatoskr
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To: Cachelot
 
[Pulled-poster banned] BOOKMARKS (Free Republic is still a winner) ^
 
      Posted by Cachelot to BillyRayR
On News/Activism ^ Jun 14 2:59 AM #2 of 16 ^

I know I left out a lot, but it's late, and I'm running out of steam.
Oh yeah, you left out your fellow travellers like LibertyForum, Polinco, Original Dissent, CarolOnTheWeb and a slew of others - you know, the ones you'd probably give an A++. In that context, you giving FR an A at all is tragic but probably a good map of how the land really lays. FR prominently linking to antiwar.com is another.

Anyway, you must have your graphic :).
 

 
[Pulled-poster banned] BOOKMARKS (Free Republic is still a winner) ^
 
      Posted by Cachelot to BillyRayR
On News/Activism ^ Jun 14 3:22 AM #5 of 16 ^

You have just smeared Raimondo as an anti-semite
Raimondo cannot be "smeared" as an antisemite, because he is one. He also seems to have a thing for "hairy-backed dwarves", but that seems to be another facet of him entirely. Is this too complicated for you?

Did you know that the publisher of Raimondo's web site is a Jew?

And that has exactly what to do with the price of tea in China? Now kindly scuttle off, elf.
 

       
 
[Pulled-poster banned] BOOKMARKS (Free Republic is still a winner) ^
 
      Posted by Cachelot to BillyRayR
On News/Activism ^ Jun 14 3:48 AM #10 of 16 ^

People like you are slowly but surely ruining this forum.
Lol. People like you, Justine and sundry others who like to label themselves as "libertarians", talk in the latest neo-nazi codespeak using phrases like "neo-con", "paleo-conservative" (stuff like "88" and "14 words" is outed and out, you know ;), and so on are RAPIDLY ruining this forum, and I'd say their job is almost done.

Anyone who dares to disagree with your political views is labeled a bigtot, Nazi, Anti-semite etc.

You know, I don't think I EVER labeled any of you critters a bigtot. Way too respectful :).
 


 
 
[Pulled-poster banned] BOOKMARKS (Free Republic is still a winner) ^
 
      Posted by Cachelot to BillyRayR
On News/Activism ^ Jun 14 4:01 AM #16 of 16 ^

Secret codepeak? Neo Con, Paeloe conservative.
There you go again. At the incoherent peak, so to speak :)).

Neo Cons, and Paleo Conservatives.

Yes. Isn't it a shame how good old trusty terms get hijacked by people with a need for masks? But then hijacking seems to be a large part of the terrorist nature, wouldn't you say?
 

 

565 posted on 06/25/2002 2:04:29 PM PDT by VinnyTex
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To: Cachelot
Unfortunately, most of the damage to FR's rep is being done on the zionist threads.
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.

"Zionist Threads" do bring out the purveyors of hate, don't they.

566 posted on 06/25/2002 2:06:33 PM PDT by SJackson
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To: Ratatoskr
Oh, no. Peer pressure is intended to play a role.

Yes, yes. Just too bad too many of the peers seem to reside in some madrassa, as I said. Or in Saudi-Arabia.

Now of course, if you're serious about running the forum as an actual free channel for debate, you must understand that many, perhaps most of the posters on there now wants nothing of the sort. And that they have effectively taken the forum over. And that it will go the way of SamFrancis without some rather brutal stuff which you probably don't have the stomach for.

567 posted on 06/25/2002 2:08:04 PM PDT by Cachelot
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To: CONSERVATIVE ALWAYS
I have seen a lot of good conservative Freepers booted from FR lately! No question about it. I am very upset with all the censorship going on. It seems that if you are not 100% crazy about President Bush and all his policies you get labeled a democrat by the people who hang out at "a day in the life of pres bush." Yes, without a doubt, FR has changed. In my opinion it has not changed for the better. I must be honest - I am looking for a new conservative web site to hang out at. FR is going down the tubes. Gee - I wonder how badly I will be attacked for expressing my true feelings.

You're right, FR just completely fell apart in the month you've been posting here. Good thing you weren't posting in April, you'd really be in tears.

568 posted on 06/25/2002 2:11:01 PM PDT by SJackson
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To: Cachelot
Now of course, if you're serious about running the forum as an actual free channel for debate, you must understand that many, perhaps most of the posters on there now wants nothing of the sort. And that they have effectively taken the forum over. And that it will go the way of SamFrancis without some rather brutal stuff which you probably don't have the stomach for.

That's the unfortunate opinion I've come to as well.

569 posted on 06/25/2002 2:11:26 PM PDT by Cogadh na Sith
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To: Admin Moderator
You are right! I guess you would know. Out of curiosity, how many people have been banned in the last 60 days?
570 posted on 06/25/2002 2:11:30 PM PDT by CONSERVATIVE ALWAYS
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To: VinnyTex
You seem to have some kind of score to settle.

Why don't you take it to private e-mails or talk to Jim about allowing your brother back on the forum?

Whining is unseemly.

571 posted on 06/25/2002 2:11:52 PM PDT by sinkspur
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To: Cachelot
And that it will go the way of SamFrancis without some rather brutal stuff which you probably don't have the stomach for.

Meaning what? Censorship is your friend, if only you have the guts to embrace it? No, thanks.

I'll give it until it goes public. I'm betting all sorts of balances will right themselves then but, if not, I'll vote with my feet. It's easy. It's a big internet out there, and lots and lots of discussion forums.

And I have a very marked preference for those with the smallest and least intrusive memory holes.

572 posted on 06/25/2002 2:12:02 PM PDT by Ratatoskr
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To: SJackson
I was wondering if someone would look to see how long I have been here. Funny. lol. Yeah whatever, I have been here on FR for at least 4 years. Nice that you checked though. lol.
573 posted on 06/25/2002 2:16:04 PM PDT by CONSERVATIVE ALWAYS
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To: VinnyTex
Now I remember him. BillyRay and VinnyTex. My.

And you say that my little exchange with your sorta highly strung relative got him banned?

I'm flattered, I suppose, but I think you're a bit off the mark :)).

574 posted on 06/25/2002 2:16:40 PM PDT by Cachelot
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To: SJackson
My response was in relation to your comment that 'in all fairness, and something about free speech...as though the forum's owners set up the invitation system to control free speech.

And as it relates to nominations, my understanding was and is that when nominating someone--and this was in the early stages--try to nominate people who you think will add to the forum....there was never anything said to my knowledge about eliminating or not nominating certain people. Using a little brain power, it doesn't take rocket scientist intellectual levels to realize that an eschoir type doesn't add to the debate level.

That said, there are a number of people here at FR that I wouldn't nominate....not because they aren't personally nice or good people.....rather, when I see comments from people who are 'tired of having the Constitution used in debating laws or policy', I KNOW these people would add nothing to the level of debate....they might would learn something if they lurked, but I seriously doubt it.

About being in beta mode....hello! Even John Robinson is using beta testing before tossing new goodies out on the forum! That's a smart and wise course of action on his part--make sure its workable and doable before turning it loose to the masses while he and Tammy play a game of frantically trying to put out fires.......cripes, look at what happened when they pulled the plug on the old software and stuck this up!

So yes, your attempt to make LibertyForum appear to be something different was wrong....because you attempted to implant a false impression on a forum that does not attempt to downgrade or degrade FR. There, just like here, there are opinions put out that are not necessarily the opinion of the owner.

And trying to downplay beta testing.....let the posters decide...

Regards....

575 posted on 06/25/2002 2:18:03 PM PDT by Rowdee
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To: sinkspur
I did and he said he could barely tolerate me and not to press my luck. I'm one of the original posters on this forum coming over here from the Prodigy Whitewater BB when Robinson announced the new forum was up and running in late 96 early 97. Throw in the fact that I've donated hundreds of bucks to Freepathons and well what can I say.
576 posted on 06/25/2002 2:18:43 PM PDT by VinnyTex
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To: Ratatoskr
Meaning what? Censorship is your friend, if only you have the guts to embrace it? No, thanks.

Meaning that the censorship imposed by nazi mob rule is going full blast at that site, and that they will not let up before booted off since they're not there to debate you in the first place.

577 posted on 06/25/2002 2:20:20 PM PDT by Cachelot
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To: VinnyTex
So where are BillyRay's posts? I'd like to see what Cachelot was reacting to.
578 posted on 06/25/2002 2:20:38 PM PDT by Catspaw
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To: Jim Robinson
Sounds like quite the untapped market for Prozac!LOL!!

Keep up the good work here. I, for one, have no desire to go elsewhere.
579 posted on 06/25/2002 2:21:05 PM PDT by Pablo64
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To: Timesink
. (Example: I don't care about the steel tariff thing if it ends up helping us win races in certain states that give us control of the Senate. The ends justify the means.)

Ohmygod! I hope you are just quoting someone

580 posted on 06/25/2002 2:21:06 PM PDT by carenot
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