General advice for newcomers to Free Republic

[MalPearce]

Speaking as a Brit who's just joined...

[Lmo56]

We Yanks promote responsible gun ownership - but in our society [in areas where guns were banned], violent crime actually went UP.

After our Supreme Court ruled in District of Columbia v. Heller for the homeowner, DC's ban on handguns was overturned and violent crime went DOWN ...

[workerbee]

Your gun experience makes you (sadly) no different than a lot of Americans.

Answer me this, Mr. Devil’s Advocate — what do you think of the recent happenings in Tower Hamlet?

[trisham]

This may be of help to you:

Statement by the founder of Free Republic:

In our continuing fight for freedom, for America and our constitution and against totalitarianism, socialism, tyranny, terrorism, etc., Free Republic stands firmly on the side of right, i.e., the conservative side. Believing that the best defense is a strong offense, we (myself and those whom I’m trying to attract to FR) support the strategy of taking the fight to the enemy as opposed to allowing the enemy the luxury of conducting their attacks on us at home on their terms and on their schedule.

Therefore, we wholeheartedly support the Bush Doctrine of pre-emptive strikes on known terrorist states and organizations that are believed to present a clear threat to our freedom or national security. We support our military, our troops and our Commander-in-Chief and we oppose turning control of our government back over to the liberals and socialists who favor appeasement, weakness, and subserviency. We do not believe in surrendering to the terrorists as France, Germany, Russia and Spain have done and as Kerry, Kennedy, Clinton and the Democrats, et al, are proposing.

As a conservative site, Free Republic is pro-God, pro-life, pro-family, pro-Constitution, pro-Bill of Rights, pro-gun, pro-limited government, pro-private property rights, pro-limited taxes, pro-capitalism, pro-national defense, pro-freedom, and-pro America. We oppose all forms of liberalism, socialism, fascism, pacifism, totalitarianism, anarchism, government enforced atheism, abortionism, feminism, homosexualism, racism, wacko environmentalism, judicial activism, etc. We also oppose the United Nations or any other world government body that may attempt to impose its will or rule over our sovereign nation and sovereign people. We believe in defending our borders, our constitution and our national sovereignty.

Free Republic is private property. It is not a government project, nor is it funded by government or taxpayer money. We are not a publicly owned entity nor are we an IRS tax-free non-profit organization. We pay all applicable taxes on our income. We are not connected to or funded by any political party, news agency, or any other entity. We sell no merchandise, product or service, and we offer no subscriptions or paid memberships. We accept no paid advertising or promotions. We are funded solely by donations (non tax deductible gifts) from our readers and participants.

We aggressively defend our God-given and first amendment guaranteed rights to free speech, free press, free religion, and freedom of association, as well as our constitutional right to control the use and content of our own personal private property. Despite the wailing of the liberal trolls and other doom & gloom naysayers, we feel no compelling need to allow them a platform to promote their repugnant and obnoxious propaganda from our forum. Free Republic is not a liberal debating society. We are conservative activists dedicated to defending our rights, defending our constitution, defending our republic and defending our traditional American way of life.

Our God-given liberty and freedoms are not negotiable.

May God bless and protect our men and women in uniform fighting for our freedom and may God continue to bless America.

Jim Robinson

[CynicalBear]

Ok, I agree with you on the Palin thing but I’m not goin with ya on the Taitz thing. Can I still be a conservative? :-)

[NEMDF]

Think for a minute about the position many of us here in the States are facing with the government takeover of so many aspects of our lives. If the elections next week turn out to be so corrupt and abusive, and we are left with no defense through the Justice Department, and then 0bama gets his civilian army going.... all sounds far-fetched... but now plausible. If we did not have guns... we could be at the complete mercy of a corrupt government. Not to mention that many people keep them just for self-defense, so they do not rely only on the “police” to protect them. It is not just about hunting or sport.

[trisham]

Heh. :)

[RegulatorCountry]

From this vantage point, it appears that you take much for granted in expecting the continuance of civil society in your country. Social cohesion is unraveling. You’re becoming much more like the United States so far as friction between dissimilar groups. In the United States, the knowledge that any given citizen might well be armed serves as a deterrent. You have no such deterrent.

[Lazamataz]

Very few Brits grow up in an environment where guns and the right to keep and bear them and use them RESPONSIBLY are part and parcel of everyday life.

That is so sad.....

I’m 35 years old, and I’ve never seen an active firearm outside of Police Headquarters (I work for the cops).

OMG THAT IS TRAGIC!!!!

One of them stoved in the barrel of his revolver, and removed the firing pin so it couldn’t be used, and then put it in a box which went straight into the attic. We didn’t know he had it until he passed on. He’d never talk about it.

The other was a farmer. He had a shotgun which was kept in a locker in a secure room in an outhouse on his farm, purely for pest control - but he wouldn’t allow anyone else near it, and he wouldn’t ever take it into the house. He put the revolver beyond use. With a saw. He said something like, “The shotgun has a purpose. The revolver served its purpose.”

[humblegunner]

Thou art a troll most foul!

[Dr. Sivana]

Thank you for the thoughtful, courteous post.

I have been posting for nearly a decade under various noms, and I believe I only had one response pulled, and it wasn’t for being disagreeable.

First, newbies (less than a year) are expected to be less cantankerous than veterans. Practically speaking, that means avoiding saying anything personally negative about other posters (gentle ribbing is okay, such as Chet99’s penchant for pit bull stories). NO RACE BAITING. Nothing that makes others think that Mitt Romney is fir to breathe air in the western hemisphere.

The more substantive your replies, the more likely you are to be taken seriously.

Double-entendres are mostly fine, f-bombs (and similar) are not.

Nothing that can be construed as an advertisement.

Vanities are especially risky for newbies.

Don’t post anything that is not allowed (because of legal agreements) on the board.

You will find most of the conflicts have to do with fractures along the line of religious/secularly-oriented types. That leeches into creation/evolution topics. Sometimes there are denominational/Catholic/libertarian secularist spats. It is best not to get too caught up in those right away.

There are also at least three flavors of foreign policy: aggressive in asserting perceived U.S. interests and strong, restrained (less expansive opinion of U.S. interests) and strong, and isolationist. All three despise the U.N. and want us out.

The flavor of conservatism here is full-blooded American. We like guns (it goes back to that War for Independence thing, which hardly qualifies as genuine revolution). We like our government small and decentralized. We are large majority pro-life, small majority no exceptions. None of us like socialized medicine, because we don’t like socialism, period. As President Reagan said, “When you socialize the doctors, you are well on your way to socializing the patients.”

You will also find a wide range of opinion of what is smutty and what is merely clever or bawdy. Some of us get a wider swath as they employ a shtick that includes self-deprecating humor.

NEVER, EVER, EVER TEASE THE VIKING KITTIES!

[Monkey Face]

Welcome to FR. Enjoy your stay. However long it is.

[240B]

Before I answer you I must know two data points about you and your political views.

1. Do you love me? Superficial love will not do. I need to know if you have a deep, passionate, unconditional, love for me.

2. Have you or your sister ever been bitten by a moose?

[Lmo56]

We argue with each other all the time.

Such as: "It's Rabbit Season ..." [Daffy Duck]

[DJ MacWoW]

Must be why we’re friends. Hee hee hee.

[Typical_Whitey]

Well from my experience here people are generally open to debate to help those that may stray off the Conservative ranch a bit but go over to DU and try to stray one tiny bit from the Lock step Communists that they are and you are banned immediately, liberals have such small brains....

[thackney]

BTTT

[LiberConservative]

"You are unlikely to get banned for discussing policy issues as long as you are not offensive, do not use profanity, do not engage in personal attacks, are not racist, and do not advocate violence."

... and thou must not criticize George W. Bush.

Speaking from experience.

[trisham]

LOL! It’s gotta be. :)

[Responsibility2nd]

JIM ROBINSON: Yup.

Jim Robinson says; “Yup”?

Not buying it.

Jim’s from Callyfornya. Not Texas

[M Kehoe]

Ashe!? Is that you?

5.56mm