Posted on 12/01/2002 1:23:55 PM PST by BraveMan
What a long way Free Republic has come! From its birth in 1996 as what began as just a place where hardcore conservatives to post the latest news and analyze it, Free Republic two years later had a significant role in the neutralization of the Clintons - as it became the organizing point for enormous protests ridiculing Bill Clinton over Monicagate everywhere he went in the U.S. early in Monicagate throughout 1998. Some top liberals even blame Freepers for Al Gore's defeat.
Very early in Monicagate, Freepers brought Free Republic out of just being a sort of giant cybercafe for dissidents to talk things over - and made it into a very-effective organizing point for giant protests against liberals and liberalism, like the one in Houston at a Clinton fundraiser that not only like most greeted Clinton with hundreds of dissidents ridiculing him for his adultery and perjury, but even found a fire engine to hang a giant sign on that read "Bill Clinton Is A Four-Alarm Fraud." Freepers in Florida hung a giant sign on a cabin cruiser to float in a strategic position just offshore a fundraiser of his there. And here in North Carolina, about 30 Freepers picketed an Al Gore fundraiser in Raleigh's Volvo district in May 1999 - some dressed as Buddhist monks. The Clintons/Gore Regime just couldn't escape the conservatives from hell.
Other liberals were no luckier. The "Rosiecott" that ended Corporate America's willingness to indulge leftist politics was in large part organized on Free Republic. Freeper-organized boycotts were to Rosie O'Donnell's career what a later gay boycott was to advice-talk radio host Dr. Laura's.
But - just six years after its founding, just four years after the height of its power - Free Republic today is largely a total waste of time. As a reader commented, it isn't accomplishing anything anymore - with the giant protests against liberals formerly organized on it by Freepers over; as he agreed last week, the sole positive things it now does are to provide rapid dissemination of news, even from small-town dailies, to dissidents everywhere - and to guide dissidents to the various dissident newspapers that really are hardcore.
Some social issues are almost unmentionable on Free Republic today. More than one Freeper has griped that posted articles on immigration often just disappear. Other Freepers have been just blacklisted from Free Republic - for offending the sensibilities of founder Jim Robinson or the small clique under him that largely actually runs Free Republic now.
Today, Free Republic is every bit as handicapped as founder Jim Robinson - but by another problem. To all too many Freepers now, anyone calling themselves a Republican is God's brother - and cannot be criticized, no matter how Clintonesque their views on many social issues may be. And to all too many Freepers now, Pres. Bush really is God - uncriticizable, no matter what.
To make Free Republic great again, a number of things have to happen. First, all involved - from ordinary Freepers to "JimBob" himself - have to accept that having an (R) next to one's name doesn't make a politician beyond criticism. Second, all involved must also accept that Pres. Bush isn't God. And then, all Freepers must commit to doing again what made Free Republic great - hounding any politician at odds with Red Nation's masses on social issues; if that means picketing Pres. Bush everywhere he goes if he hints at amnesty for illegal aliens or tacit support of racial quotas, that's what it takes.
Free Republic didn't become great by being a Chinese-style "Democracy Wall" for dissidents to post articles from "mainstream" newspapers to and then discuss them. It can only became great again the same way it originally got great.
I wonder how many hits FR really gets? That's a very interesting number you posted! :)
Compassionate conservative? Yet another neocon liberal term?
I personally have lots of compassion, but only for America and Americans........and one or two of our few friends outside of this country. Take for example Saudi Arabia, which I have nothing but utter contempt for, while our so-called leaders dance with these devils.
You are nuts.
This jerk author may not like FR, but I notice he came here to post this DIATRIBLE so it would get read, huh?
Well, when I went north from Louisiana on business, I never had any trouble being understood or understanding, so I guess that a "Southerner with a drawl" must also speak American English sufficiently successfully to get along--which is what counts--not whether one speaks with an accent or not.
If you plan to live in the US, LEARN THE LANGUAGE. Same as if I were planning to retire to Mexico--the Mexicans would have every right to expect me to learn Spanish sufficiently well to get by.
No, thank you.
The last thing you're likely to see from me is running my life on the dictates of retards. Even if they say "please".
Well, it still leaves me wondering how anybody knows it to be a "fact".
I certainly don't want to be defending a slimebucket.
I'm simply asking where the "fact" came from.
As for Bush and his responsibility to prevent our nation from being invaded by illegal aliens, it's his duty. He's been in office two years and hasn't taken action to stop it yet. Allowing immigration from the middle-east despite the problems we face, is something I will not remain silent on further. Bush has a duty to execute. He is not doing it.
Within the last week we find that 105 known terrorists were allowed to enter our nation from the middle-east. This would not have been possible if Bush had placed a moratorium on entry from the middle-east until we are able to vet those folks properly. Any one of these folks could perpetrate a number of acts which will kill from a few to tens of thousands of US citizens. I don't have to tell you what Bush's duty is with regard to this.
While the writer was an idiot, some of the topics he touched on deserve to be discussed. It's unfortunate that he couldn't present them in a manner that would keep folks from dismissing him as I did. Unfortunately, the things he needed to address are for the most part untouchable these days because the mere mention of them indicts Bush to a certain extent.
I like Bush. He is not perfect. If he doesn't take action to stop illegal immigratin in the first quarter of 2003, he's got serious credibility issues on sovereignty and terrorism.
Total crap! I have repeatedly critcized Trent Lott (R) on this site and have never been censored. Additionally, many Freepers agree with these comments.
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