What brought you to Free Republic?

[Sigurdrifta]

Late 2004. My son was flying CAS over Iraq (Fallujah) and I got really really p*ssed off at our local newspaper’s coverage (Miami Herald), so I started to read FR.

[Rocky]

I think I first got connected to the internet around 1995. It took me a year or so to get comfortable with surfing the internet. I did a lot of searches on political subjects. Clinton was in one scandal after another, and I wanted to hear the latest.

At some point, I began to notice that my searches were directing me to FreeRepublic quite often. It was probably 1996 or 1997. I started visiting the site more frequently, and pretty soon I was addicted. But I lurked for a year or two before getting up the nerve to register.

I don’t know what happened to some of the old Freepers from those days. One guy used to post pages from the tabloids with the latest Clinton scandal info on them, and he would claim he was Socks the Cat (Clinton’s cat), reporting from under the bed at the White House.

Another guy called himself Beachbum and had lots of interesting information and opinions about Clinton.

Alamo-girl had a running log of articles about the First Couple and their scandals.

People had lists of mysterious deaths around Clinton (Arkancides).

Those were exciting and stressful times.

God bless Jim Robinson. He has played a big part in the resurgence of conservatives today.

[GoCards]

I do miss the ole Freepers, I vividly remeber MadIvan and his posts. Wow. Hope they all are happy and healthy.

[knews_hound]

Yep. And I canceled my newspaper subscription a year after that. I had been a subscriber all my life.

I made the wiser choice.

Cheers,

knewshound

[mitch5501]

FR was mentioned in a discussion on the WEDG forum so I checked it out.Lurked for about 2 years then had to register to jump into a debate between Logos and OWK.

[gopno1]

I saw a short article in the Kansas city Star about a new conservative site. Lurked for a long time before registering. It’s all day long since I retired. Only stop to watch the Nebraska Cornhuskers. I know I need to get a life.

[Kenny]

Back when I started at least, the news broke faster on FR than anywhere else, including Drudge and it was 100% reliable. After lurking for a good while, I wanted to join in the discussions, offer my tainted point of view.

Now I’m hooked.

[slickfree]

I was online late one night searching stories on The Drudge Report the very night of the revelations that on January 17, 1998, on the Drudge Report web site, that Newsweek editors were sitting on a story by investigative reporter Michael Isikoff, exposing the affair President Clinton had with Monica Lewinsky.

Also that was back when Drudge had a link to Free Republic, which I went and signed on around this time ... but shortly lost my screen name and had to re-sign on with current name ... and have been on ever since.

[Zathras]

Zathras know but Zathras not tell.
Seriously, The Toons and their machine.

[mikrofon]

- An embossed invitation from Jim Thompson

- Recommendation from the NRSC (yeah, right)

- The cat

[Ammo Republic 15]

I first found Free Republic back during the Clinton impeachment hearings. I think it was a link off of Drudge’s site. Anyway, was more involved in the Southern Patriot stuff so I didn’t hang around long and eventually forgot about it. I somehow stumbled onto it again right before Obama got elected. I really like this site now, the people and everything.

[Rocky]

At one point, MadIvan threatened to leave because there was too much England-bashing on FR, or so he said. A lot of Freepers persuaded him to hang in there, and he did for a while, but he eventually dropped out. I never thought there was that much England-bashing on FR, but I’m probably not as sensitive to the negative comments, not being British.

[optiguy]

Same here. You were one of the first freepers I talked to. Always liked you. (knew you as ParrotsUp)

[Christian4Bush]

The Iraq war (part 2)

[jy8z]

Ultimately it was when the Twin Towers fell. I was so busy chasing the almighty dollar that I did not know who Al-Qaeda was.(yes, I was embarrassed). I tuned into local talk radio, which sent me to a local political forum. I eventually searched for additional material to combat the liberal POV and kept getting FR as a source. I finally started lurking and became hooked.(as the home page says...very addictive). I have mostly lurked since then because there are some very intelligent, insightful and articulate posters that I have learned so much from. I truly appreciate their knowledge that helped me to sort out my own thoughts.

I have decided to become much more active lately. Much of that can be attributed to the usurper in the White Hut. WE THE PEOPLE do not deserve the change that he has brought. I want my America back. And I am ready and willing to do what I can to secure that.

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

LOL! “Latest Posts” has always been on the top of my favorite list.

First thing I check in the morning, last thing I check at night (and a whole lot of refeshing in between).

[muawiyah]

Somebody mentioned it on Doonesbury, before the Drudgereport even existed. Had to wait until it went open so I didn't have to buy in through some system like "compuserve" (or whatever it was these guys worked with earlier).

That makes me ALMOST an original ~ but not quite.

[Mad Dawgg]

A link on Drudge

[muawiyah]

The Clinton Body Count at this site http://www.etherzone.com/body.html is pretty representative of what it was like toward the end of the impeachment cycle.

[ProfoundMan]

Count me among the users of the “Whitewater” link on Drudge in Nov ‘97. Lurked about a year and have been learning ever since.