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 realize as you do that he probably won't. I still hold out hope.
Two words: Dominion Lager.
Burlington, NC. Graham, home of John Boy and a good Italian restaurant.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. I've heard 'em all. I could build that car from scratch blindfolded if I had to. I practically did have to everytime I came out to the high school parking lot after the pranksters had dismantled it. I had a flat daily, and carried plenty of coke cans around to clean the battery off. lol. Maybe I should have been a mechanic? hmmm.
And, dammit, I don't get them.
Opus comong
From what he has posted before,he lives in a area that is being taken over by illegal aliens.
Not true.
The 2000 census data Alamance County shows:
It's just an attention getting device. Alamance Independent probably needed to boost their page hit count, so they slammed FR knowing that would bring them lots of hits.
Well, I don't know how anyone can say that. Do you remember his breaking a tradition and inviting Fox to the WH first. Do you remember his allowing Fox to speak to the Congress and make demands - yes demands - that we give rights to his people that citizens do not have. He wants them to have drivers license and bank accounts without SS cards (valid ones, that is). Now you try to open a bank account without a SS card.
Don't you remember any of his 'hardworking-people-just-looking-for-a-better-life', 'they-are-doing-the-jobs-no-one-else-will-do' - speeches?
How about the absolute best opportunity to make some real strides in the protection of our country from terrorists and at the same time make some meaningful headway in the illegal immigration problem and the drug problem - and would have had the country behind him post 9/11 and did nothing - nothing! Except allow the head of the INS to tell the Border Patrol to sit down and shut up because nothing was going to change.
Have we seen any speeches on his part concerning curtailing illegal immigration?
The only thing we have seen concerning illegal immigration is his pushing for amnesty and he will not rest until he has it. It was one, if not the, main agenda and it has continued to be. If it had not been for 9/11, it would have been a fact by now.
To say he is not to blame is just not at all true. He had a great opportunity to do something - he had the will of the people - no one, except a few greedy people and special interests groups, (and many of them would have been to ashamed) would have said anything. He blew it - and blew it big time!
But if you can't see all that - remember he is the President and has been now for some time. He is the PResident of a country that has been attacked from within and a country that is threatened by people coming into this country and he is doing virtually nothing - except of course, he is going to revamp INS, etc. How long do you think that will take? Long enough to get his amnesty passed? Long enough to let a few more terrorists in? It took over a year to check out the airport workers and find out which ones had fake ID's. That is just ludicrous. Over a year!!!!
After a three-day-long party at Casa Hellinahandcart, that really clears up the confusion. Thankee, Senator...
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