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.
If I don't agree with a policy, I say so, but I do not get into the rantings that I see on many threads. And I am NOT going to feed the Rat appetite for division of the party.
Hey, there is no shortage of criticism here on Free Republic. I am not REQUIRED to criticize in public to prove my credentials to you or anyone else.
Only to people I like. Don't you feel privileged? :)
WarHawk42
Fred list one pro-Bush thread that is presently active.
You have confused Race, Culture and Religion. There are vast differences between Race (physical), Culture (way of living) and Religion. (way of believing)
Your scenario is quite flawed, as it does not deal with a difference in Race but in religion.
If a black Jew marries a white Jew in your scenario there is no problem. If however a white observant Jew marries a white secular Jew there is going to be problems in the marriage.
Mutant BTW refers to a genetic change usually harmful. Perhaps this gives you a better understanding of why people are reacting so strongly to your words. Words do have meaning.
a.cricket (mutant kid)
It makes sense, women annoy them and they support candidates they know will never be elected...no chance for commitments and disappointments.
I think this is the key. Common-sense 101. It's my job to call that candidate on the carpet if he is straying from campaign promises and not representing the people's best interest....ESPECIALLY if I voted for him!
Heh heh.
So, this guy thinks that?
I know how we may be able to prove him wrong.
How many FReepers logging on to his site simultaneously do you think it would take to blow his server?
Like the man said, we need to get active again, and this is a FReep we could carry out nation wide!
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