I'm still a bit of a noob here, but I have noticed that several of the threads I've read through go a little bit like this:
PERSON A: I think A,B,C,D,E,F and G and I'm a conservative.
PERSON B: I think A,B,C,D,E,F and I disagree with you on G and I'm also a conservative.
PERSON A: No you're not a conservative because you don't agree with G.
JIM ROBINSON: Yup.
Okay, I've seen the posts by Jim about what is and isn't conservative and it's his site and his perogative to do so. I'm not disputing that.
But I just wondered, before I get banned in my first week for doing something like playing Devil's Advocate in a conversation (which I have done on other forums) I thought it prudent to ask:
What is the tipping point between someone expressing a different or contrary or contraversial YET STILL VALID point of view here, and crossing the line to a point that'll get you banned?
I'm asking because IMO there's a fundamental difference between arguing a point of POLICY (which requires a sense of pragmatism as well as ideology) and arguing over IDEOLOGY (where it's appropriate to maintain an absolute position).
I see one error you have made...you failed to place this vanity in Breaking News.
Something to read and take seriously.
We on this forum have disagreements when it comes to personalities but with core beliefs....not so much.
What concerning the conservative agenda do you disagree with?
There are liberals, leftist, athiest and downright buttheads that have been on this forum for years without getting banned, it’s all about your manners.
Example:
Even the most profoundly pro-God, pro-life, pro-family, pro-defense people in the United Kingdom have real issues engaging fully with the American Right in the gun control debate. It’s not ideological; it’s environmental.
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.
If asked to name three famous British gun owners, the average Brit would say Derrick Bird, Michael Ryan and Thomas Hamilton - all three of them are spree killing nutjobs.
Which is a terrible shame because we used to have some really good Olympic shooters as well...
I’m 35 years old, and I’ve never seen an active firearm outside of Police Headquarters (I work for the cops).
It’s not as simple as saying that this lack of exposure to legal firearms is down entirely to leftist policy or left-wing ideology.
Both my grandads had service revolvers from the war and definitely used them to kill. One served in the Far East and the other was at Arnhem.
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.”
Both of my grandfathers were ready to fight for their families and their country, but both would’ve been utterly appalled if anyone in the family had come home saying “Hey, I’ve got myself a handgun”.
To be honest, even the most hardline right-wing God-fearing pro-life pro-family fiscal conservative in Britain would probably fail to qualify to be a Freeper if being *enthusiastically* pro-gun ownership was one of Jim Robinson’s “three line whips”.
Let me write your handle down so I can contradict you whenever possible. This will be more fun than riling up the anti O’Donnell people.
Rather than trying to play devil’s advocate, why not simply post your sincere opinon or belief on an issue being discussed.
After a few years, when you have exchanges between poster’s that know you, then you can strive for bringing others to common ground by taking a devil’s advocate stance.
Don’t worry about Jim Robinson, just follow his rules on the home page and use the site to discuss conservatism and defending the constitution.
If you want to support or discuss non-conservative issues and political figures, do it elsewhere.
Welcome. You rarely get banned for opinions. Posting porn or anything that approaches. Out. Ron Paul supporters get driven away, made fun of, goaded and then banned. I don’t think that one is fair (or relevant) anymore, but there are enough fanatical Ron Paul types that I can understand it and from what I’ve seen Jim Rob doesn’t let them stay. It’s a conservative site, not a debate league for politics generally, so Democrats, liberals, Clinton supporters, Obama supporters get made fun of, then banned. Being a “devil’s advocate” here means being a jackass. Say what you mean and what you believe. Harrassing moderators gets you banned. There are some conspiracy websites that Drudge links to . . . but here not allowed . . . infowars, etc. This isn’t official, just what I’ve seen over the years.
Don’t sweat it. We argue with each other all the time. There has been some attempts to lesson the flame wars, but differing opinions still abound. Just read any Sarah Palin thread.
As long as you don’t advocate violence, are racist, or engage in personal attacks on other members, you should be fine.
Oh and watch out for that Lazmataz character. A “character” he/she/it, is. ;)
Just have to do it...
Keep the moose away from your sister, or the trouble could be hugh.
There are hot button issues that most American Freepers are well aware of but you would not be acultured to.
So, for example, on a 2nd Amendment thread on gun rights, if you said “you crazy yankees can’t be trusted to own guns”, you’d likely be looking to get the boot. But if you said “I am a Brit, here’s how we deal with things here, could you explain why you think differently”, well I don’t think you’d have a problem.
A lively sane discussion is always welcome, it is mostly when people start insinuating the other side is crazy or extreme that you have problems. This is a thinking persons site, most of us have thought long and hard about our positions. If you respect that, then you will do fine.
You will probably be surprised what you learn here, I know I am continually, just ask why people think the way they do first and that drops the tension a lot.
Don't play devils advocate until you have earned your chops. Show us you are truly conservative first, then we ENCOURAGE well-reasoned challenges to belief systems. We do not encourage trolling.
ping
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
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!
Welcome to FR. Enjoy your stay. However long it is.
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?
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....
Jim Robinson says; “Yup”?
Not buying it.
Jim’s from Callyfornya. Not Texas
5.56mm