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Free Republic losing its impact
Alamance Independent ^ | Unknown | Matt Maggio

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.


TOPICS: Editorial; Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: antifreeper; opuslist; tos
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To: BraveMan
Bump
To read later
281 posted on 12/01/2002 4:11:42 PM PST by Fiddlstix
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To: mountaineer
The Valley of the Banned? LOL LOL.

For the life of me, I just cannot understand how the "best and brightest" among us all get banned and go to another web site and ALL they have to discuss over there is FR or "how this could never be posted at FR" or "how this would play at FR."

282 posted on 12/01/2002 4:12:28 PM PST by Howlin
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To: DoughtyOne
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.

And it's for this reason, among others that make him a non conservative. These lack of actions on the Presidents part are not only, not conservative, but jeopardize our sovereignty, our borders and the safety and security of every single American citizen.

To all: Never mind the cute pictures and images and spelling jokes posted by some. The above facts are inordinately clear.

283 posted on 12/01/2002 4:12:46 PM PST by Joe Hadenuf
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To: Howlin
HA! I knew you wouldn't be able to resist this thread.

Apparently the true conservatives have all left, and just us dimwits are hanging around here.

t-shirt was probably banned for excessive consumption of bandwidth. He had some REALLY long replies....LOL!

284 posted on 12/01/2002 4:14:12 PM PST by Miss Marple
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To: Ms. AntiFeminazi
Try and Audi or Jetta or Golf. They're nice little cars.
285 posted on 12/01/2002 4:15:03 PM PST by RedBloodedAmerican
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To: glc1173@aol.com
I say you are embarassment because you are a racist bigot. That is NOT what the people of Burlington are all about.
286 posted on 12/01/2002 4:15:03 PM PST by Howlin
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To: Hoppean
Well, this statement:

Some want to uphold the cultural values of the days from the 1950s when Americans were Americans, and others are trying to adapt to today's America where Americans are "victims" of some "ism," like "racism," "sexism," etc.

doesn't imply there is a middle ground. There is 99 percent of us live it.

287 posted on 12/01/2002 4:15:45 PM PST by Howlin
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To: Howlin
I admit I haven't read the last 150 posts, but just to add my two cents, I want to object to the premise that FR is not effective any more. I know personally of many new Freepers who come here for support and it is their favorite site. They weren't here during the Clinton years or even the recount, but they are here now and get so much information to give out to the uninformed and to those who are now leaving the Democrat party.

We all come here first to see breaking news, knowing we can't trust main stream media to broadcast news that may cast negative light on the liberal Democrats.

I missed the last fund raiser, but I intend to double up to make up for it at the next one, because I shudder in horror to think of being without FreeRepublic. Long live FR and Jim Rob and his family.

288 posted on 12/01/2002 4:15:50 PM PST by omegab
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To: hellinahandcart
It's a blessing and a curse...
289 posted on 12/01/2002 4:18:44 PM PST by Admin Moderator
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To: AppyPappy
Having lived in that area, I would say that it false. I lived within 10 miles of Alamance County.

Have you lived there within the last 3-4 years? BTW,where is Alamance County? What cities are in it?

290 posted on 12/01/2002 4:19:26 PM PST by sneakypete
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To: Howlin
They take OCD to new heights.
291 posted on 12/01/2002 4:19:38 PM PST by mountaineer
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To: glc1173@aol.com
do the area "mainstream" dailies - the Burlington Times-News and the Greensboro News & Record - give you detailed local coverage of local scandals like sheriff-elect Terry Johnson's beating up his daughter six years ago, complete with the actual police incident report for you to look at? Does even the local weekly print paper (Alamance News) do that?

As a matter of fact, they do.

For the benefit of those who may not know, the Alamance News -- or as it's better known around town, "The Grit," is the local equivalent of the National Enquirer -- and it prints all the trash there is to print, copying most of it right off the blotter at the police station and the courthouse.

One interesting thing is does do however is print the RACE of the person they're talking about, black or white or Hispanic.

One thing about them that you don't do, what they print is FACT.

I'm sure that suits you just fine, as you can avoid all except your Arian brothers.

292 posted on 12/01/2002 4:20:33 PM PST by Howlin
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To: RedBloodedAmerican
Try and Audi or Jetta or Golf. They're nice little cars.

LOL, is that a Golf car or a golf cart? hahahaha I wrecked the last golf cart I drove, but I was only 17 so it doesn't count, does it?

293 posted on 12/01/2002 4:20:54 PM PST by Ms. AntiFeminazi
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To: sneakypete
From what he has posted before,he lives in a area that is being taken over by illegal aliens.

Not true.

294 posted on 12/01/2002 4:21:25 PM PST by Howlin
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To: Admin Moderator
Okay, it's been a very long weekend. Help me out here--

Who dat?
295 posted on 12/01/2002 4:21:29 PM PST by hellinahandcart
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To: omegab
The people who are carping that it's not effective anymore are the ones who are upset because their opinions lie mostly on the extreme right of this party and are not shared by most conservatives.

It appears to REALLY upset them when the rest of us have a good day. :-)

296 posted on 12/01/2002 4:23:31 PM PST by Howlin
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To: Miss Marple
No, no, no. t-shirt was banned because he refused to drink the kool aid. I don't know about you, but I'm partial to the red cherry flavor myself. ;)
297 posted on 12/01/2002 4:23:50 PM PST by rintense
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To: Willie Green
See this Usenet thread. http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&frame=right&th=90b759097eb00c1b&seekm=19990215001139.10868.00001989%40ng-fx1.aol.com#link1
298 posted on 12/01/2002 4:23:58 PM PST by William McKinley
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To: AppyPappy
WAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!! Must be a Buchananite
Not that I disagree with you, but do you realize that's the same kind of response that makes debating liberals so difficult? One offers an idea up for logical analysis and the liberal responds by making a joke or insulting the speaker.
299 posted on 12/01/2002 4:24:18 PM PST by Scutter
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To: Ms. AntiFeminazi
Ha! It doesn't count so long as you finished your round!

But, they are nice cars, the Golf/Jetta are similar to the Audi80 which they stopped making a few years back.

300 posted on 12/01/2002 4:24:23 PM PST by RedBloodedAmerican
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