An open letter to Jim Robinson: Consider a general amnesty for all the banned Rudy supporters....

o

[ken5050]

Dear Jim..OK, the GOP now has its candidate. McCain isn't the first choice of the majority of us on FR, and even now, there are spirited, yet for the most part, civil exchanges on the threads as to whether or not some will support the GOP nominee. One of the more unfortunate, and unpleasant events on FR was the mass banishment and/or leaving of a great many Freepers who were supporters of Rudy Guliani for the nomination. I'm posting this to see if you'd be open to the idea of inviting them to return, and see how others might feel about this.

[ken5050]

Let me be very clear. This is your website, you set the rules, and I never questioned your right to take the course you did.

But I, like many others still here, miss the contact, and the comments of many good friends we'd made over the years, and I know (from my contacts with them) they they also have missed FR.

So, is there a way that we can start anew?

[ken5050]

FYI

[Petronski]

Not all.

Most.

[Scythian]

First, we must banish all McCain supporters, then find a new party.

[indylindy]

Why grant amnesty? It comes back to bite you in the behind?

[evets]

MCCAIN /GIULIANI '08 !!!

[Resolute Conservative]

Build the firewall first!!

[Lost Dutchman]

Weird. I supported Rudy and I am still here. Maybe it was something else they did.

[Politicalmom]

Yeah, we need more people threatening to report us to the Secret Service, and cursing at Jim, and insulting Ronald Reagan, and advocating abortion, and calling conservatives vile names......

Aren’t the existing McCainiacs bad enough?

[indylindy]

I think you are exactly right. It was the contempt for conservatism that was their problem.

[Mr. Jeeves]

But why would they want to come back? I’ve been (unjustly) banned from one site recently, and I have no interest in ever going there again.

[TexasCajun]

I would say it depends if they were Candi-Freepers, who signed up only recently and only to pimp their candidate. ...campaign workers.

But, you said it, it's up to da boss.

[tiredoflaundry]

But I, like many others still here, miss the contact, and the comments of many good friends we'd made over the years, and I know (from my contacts with them) they they also have missed FR.,

BTTT

[mdittmar]

Let’s not bicker over who banned who.

[Lost Dutchman]

Hmmm... Why are the clouds suddenly opening? What is that loud meowing sound and that bright light??? OMG, it looks like a spork wea........ (End Transmission)

[TexasCajun]

Look like Jim missed one! :)

[wagglebee]

One of the more unfortunate, and unpleasant events on FR was the mass banishment and/or leaving of a great many Freepers who were supporters of Rudy Guliani for the nomination.

I do not remember a single FReeper being banned for supporting Rudy, what I remember was that nearly all of them were banned because they were pushing a liberal agenda or complaining that conservatives had "their feet on the neck" of the GOP for too long.

Plus, Jim has let a lot of them come back, but some were so nasty toward the end I wonder what purpose would be served.

[deport]

Curious.

Could you list the names of some that you are referring to?...

[Redcloak]

You need to remember that those who were banned were not banned for supporting Rudy. They were banned for promoting liberal causes in their support of Rudy. This is a conservative website. Those who promote liberalism would be happier elsewhere. Jim just helped them on their path to happiness! : )

[EternalVigilance]

For a bit of context:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1821435/posts?q=1&;page=1#1

[wagglebee]

NOBODY was banned for supporting Rudy, they were banned for dismissing the conservative agenda.

[Cinnamon Girl]

I haven’t quit FR even though I’ve had enough of the anti-McCain clowns and their tired, self-absorbed rantings.

[The_Victor]

A lot of long time FReepers have been banned, and of my FRiends that are no longer welcome here, none of them supported Rudy. I would just like to see a reconsideration of banned accounts.

[JustaDumbBlonde]

Here I am trying to be reasonable again ... most of the Rudybots were downright ugly and deserved to be banned. Others did everything they could to get banned. Have you reviewed the longs threads lately?

If you miss them that much, there are places to find many of them. Since some of them are your 'good friends' and you are not precluded from communicating with them without FR, why subject everyone else to the venom that they spew when riled?

Additionally, many of them have reappeared and been banned for the second, third and subsequent times. Let them plead their own cases if they want to come back that badly.

[Zuben Elgenubi]

There is an unwritten rule in golf where if the male driver does not exceed the length required to surpass the woman’s tee’s . . .

[MitchellC]

I'd say no. Most of them got banned for being bomb-throwing jerks. Same as with all the purges. You'd think that when you're on someone else's website, you'd tread lightly when you have a major disagreement with the owner, one that extends from his deepest convictions.

Nope, not most of the Giuliani/Paul/whoever else supporters. Civil discourse was beneath most of them, and now they cry on their blogs and forums about being banned? I say let them stay there.

[indylindy]

By the way, funny this thread comes up right after the sorrowful demise of ETC.

Wow!

[Jim Noble]

Look like Jim missed one! :)

Two.

I'm still here, and my tenth anniversary is in May.

[Sloth]

Heck, I think any McCain supporters who act the same way ought to be banned, too.

[Joe 6-pack]

Why? So they can advocate for Rudy as McCain’s VP?

[wagglebee]

A lot of long time FReepers have been banned, and of my FRiends that are no longer welcome here, none of them supported Rudy. I would just like to see a reconsideration of banned accounts.

If you go back and read their last few posts it is usually pretty obvious why they were banned.

And lest anyone pretend otherwise, let's not forget that BEFORE any of them were banned they had already formed an anti-FReeper site. They made it clear that they didn't want to be here. The fact that WAnkerville isn't working out the way they wanted it to isn't Jim's fault.

[wagglebee]

Good idea.

[TexasCajun]

WOW — 18,430 post on Jim’s Rudy/Socialism thread.

[longtermmemmory]

does anything prevent the banned conservatives from reregistering under a new account and simply behaving themselves under the rules and principles of the site?

I thought most of those banned were campaign workers, professional viral advertisers, or liberals pushing left wing causes.

[Witch-king of Angmar]

I don’t think “amnesty” is a fortunate choice of words.

[indylindy]

BTTT! right on, wagglebee. Why let the wolves back in to guard the hens?

[RabidBartender]

I suspect some have signed back up with different screen names, judging by the nastiness of the posts and recent sign-up dates.

[TexasCajun]

I'm guessing Jim got fed up with the Candi-Freepers who signed up only recently to pimp there candidate.

[Nervous Tick]

Ah, thank you. No wonder I don’t remember this going down... I was in Asia on business.

18,430 posts? Whoa! Is that a record?

[wagglebee]

If they come back, they will just start recruiting for WAnkerville again and complaining that conservatives have “had their foot on the throat” of the GOP for too long.

[Clint N. Suhks]

Oh no!

We need to go the other way...

[ken5050]

You raise a somewhat valid point. However, I don’t think that many who left were espousing liberal positions per se...the argument over Rudy was whether some of the liberal positions that he advocated were automatic disqualifiers tp enable him to get support from conservatives..

[Allegra]

MCCAIN /GIULIANI '08 !!!

You're scaring me! :-p

[Space Moose]

I would like a lot of FR to return to the way it once was. But the hyenas had their way last April and things changed here.

[wolfcreek]

“First, we must banish all McCain supporters, then find a new party.”

Right! If McCain supported killing babies and gay marriage, his supporters would be long gone.

He just supports Amnesty, carbon taxes and other issues that don’t require a Moral high ground.

[Clint N. Suhks]

It’s my understanding that they were not banned for simply being a Roody Doody supporter but for pushing disinformation that Roody Doody was a “Conservative”.

I may be wrong but I’m always right!

[ken5050]

And I’m trying to be reasonable also. Some may have been downright “ugly”, as you say, but many weren’t. I’m not trying to revist the past, merely wondering if there were any ways that we could , dare I say it..”move on” (g)

[wagglebee]

However, I don’t think that many who left were espousing liberal positions per se...

A lot of them had been in here pushing abortion, militant homosexualism and other liberal causes for years.

They got excited about Rudy because he was the first Republican presidential candidate that they actually agreed with on social issues.

[colorado tanker]

Fine with me, Ken. It's clear from the polls that a lot of GOPers had a brief fling with Rudy, but have now awakened in the sober light of day and wondered, what was I thinking?

[NEMDF]

Thailand?