Posted on 09/06/2002 8:17:16 AM PDT by BADJOE
History teaches some very good lessons. They are hard to learn but our forefathers did a great job.
From the beginning of time man has overthrown one form of centralized government only to re-establish another one in its place. Our forefathers understood this far better than anyone ever had. They said governments are the eternal enemy of free men. They said that in order for man to remain free it would take a bloody revolution every other generation, unless you bound down (bastard) government with the chains of the constitution.
On another site this week a poster asked if anyone else hated government as much as he did. I replied to him
"Hell !! I thought you were not a good American if you didn't love our country and hate our government.
At least that is how I have always felt about it"
I think our forefathers had the same attitude that I have now. And I think it is inherent in the average Americans attitude to distrust and have disdain for any government, including ours. One of the hardest conclusions I had to arrive at as a young man, after having been a product of the public school system, was that our government was not on our side. As James Forrestahl, former secretary of the Navy, who suffered a mysterious death, once said about our State Department's foreign policy, " Stupidity is never a mark of consistancy. If they were merely stupid, they would occasionally make a mistake in our favor".
Newt Gringrich put it in a humourous manner when talking about the attitude of Europeans. He related the following story. If you go to Europe and drive on the Autobahn, you feel pretty good cruising down the highway at 100 mph when some some German passes you doing 140 mph. Now he said if the Bundestag passed the 55mph speed limit law, every German would dutifully obey that law, untill the next election. They would vote the 55 mph crowd out of office and the no speed limit crowd in. In America Newt said "A speed limit sign is a benchmark of opportunity.
It is obvious that Yankees and Euros have entirely different attitudes about government's edicts. There are darn few Americans who do not break the speed limit laws everyday.
Now we come to the Free Republic. Once a free wheeling, joyful site for news and discussion of politics, economics, philosophy, ethics and morals. I could not understand the transformation that has taken place in the last six months. Camaraderie, the sense of family, and cooperation seems to have disappeared. Are the Freepers exhibiting the same disdain for the new FR as Americans have for our government?
Government is only as good as the people who make it up and the restraints we free men agree to put on it. When a confluence of the bad makes both untenable, we do something about it. We don't "hate government"---that is, if we want to be taken seriously.
I think this site's mission statement is pretty damn clear: conservatism. Rolling back government largesse. Returning to a constitutional form of federal government. A return to individual sovereignty---when "don't tread on me" meant something---when good, honest, law-abiding, productive American citizens had nothing to fear from their government---no matter what their skin color, no matter whom they choose to sleep with, no matter what they eat, drink, smoke, read, listen to, or watch. When Americans could be proud of America both at home and abroad.
It sounds to me like your beef with FR is an offshoot of factionalism, and in my opinion, factions arise when people put issue before ideology, and that happens on Free Republic all the time (check out any Drug War thread). If I were emperor of FR, I'd challenge everyone here to start with conservative ideology and work outwards. We may come to different conclusions, but at least we'd be starting from the same basic givens. We must never lose sight of the fact that by posting here, except for the obvious disruptors, moles, and detractors, we're self-identified conservatives concerned with America. This shouldn't be a 1980s clique-ridden high school.
You should be ashamed of what you just posted. You have no idea how hard Joe works and what he does for this site.
However, the Bushbotulism of this forum cannot be denied. FR has gone from a place where ideas can be hashed out, and government policy questioned, to a place where cheerleading sections for totalitarian government abound, and where mobs of posters descend on anyone with the slightest criticism of the Bush admin.
That is not healthy for the forum.
Two things should change: 1) NO attacks should be permitted. NO personal attacks WHATSOEVER. One can argue a point without getting person. I am guilty of this offense, as we all are. But moderation should prevent it. 2) Mob gang-ups should be discouraged. If someone faces a tag-team of 5 or 7 people, all ridiculing a decent or cogent thought or premise, that is also not healthy for the forum.
The forum is not well. If you deny it, it will wither.
Well I don't agree and I don't know where Badjoe thinks he's going with this
I'm just shaking my head
Yea, you got that right, bub. Just take a look at his work.
Specify.
23. To: askel5 (#17) There is too much in this outdated article to quote from, although it does cover a little history. FreeRepublic has been a little bloodied recently, but then, so has the country. I spent a lot of time lurking on FR and then signed on "back in the day." These wars (cyber spats) come and go. FreeRepublic, for all its warts, is still the most vigorous and animated site around. I'll confess, I am not using my FR screen name. I signed in here a couple of weeks ago to see what all the fuss was about, and I have tried to be objective about what I see and hear. I have seen a lot of names from the past, many of which I have shared good times with on threads. I chose this name, PonyPatuty, because of an old Ronald Reagan story. It was about the little boy who had asked Santa Claus for a pony. His parents couldn't afford a pony for their cheerful little boy, but his father put some manure under the tree. The little boy ran all around the house and outdoors after seeing the manure, laughing and singing. Asked why he was so happy he replied, "With all this horse sh** there just has to be a pony around somewhere. In two weeks of looking I have been unable to find the pony. PonyPatuty posted on 2002-09-06 11:42:45 Reply
FReegards...MUD
BTW...I like yer bumper sticker.
Hilarious!
It was a badge of honor to Germans who hated Nazism. It was a badge of honor to Italians who hated Fascism. It was a badge of honor to Russians who hated Stalinism and Communism. It was a badge of honor to Cambodians who hated Pol Pot.
Finally, it was a badge of honor to American Colonists who hated England.
Censorship is not a characteristic of a "FreeRepublic".
To finish the quote..."The first time as tragedy, the second as farce."
Look, I dont like to see this either. I happen to disagree with Joe about the Mods. I think they do a fine job. And I hate seeing these fights go on in public, but still, the man deserves the respect of us all for the hard work that he's done. Its like Jim and Joe are the parents here and none of us want to see them get divorced.
First, and without reservation, I will state on record that I think FreeRebublic is THE most valuabale site on the net today. (Thank's Jim)
Taking this a step further, I appreciate Joe's questioning of FreeRepublic's demise, whether I agree with him or not.
The last thing I want is to see is this site disintigrate into a backslapping, wink wink nudge nudge, oligarchy.
There again, who the hell do I think I am?
But much of these "hashed out...questions" are reposting liberal spin and more of a "we hate Bush because our guy isn't President" lies. Ideas and policies being questioned remain; it is the crap that gets deleted. Maybe the posters can do a check of their agenda.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.