Posted on 06/09/2004 8:09:07 PM PDT by SerpentDove
Greetings, FReepers!
SerpentDove here. I will intersperse photos along with my report.
Last night, June 8, 2004, Dallas FReepers had the distinct honor of meeting and dining with the Big Enchilada, Jim Robinson! We met at Cozymel’s Mexican Restaurant in Plano.
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For those of you who have never met Jim in person, he is everything you would expect and more. Lightning shoots from his eyes and fingertips, and he went around all night telling everyone to “knock it off.” :-)))
No, in actuality, Jim is a kind-faced man with smiling eyes, a gentle demeanor, and a sincere laugh.
It was an honor to meet the man whose internet site helped shake one Presidency to its foundation, and helped keep another from being hijacked.
It was heady stuff discussing with Jim the days of Whitewater and Lewinsky, when each day brought a new scandal that unfolded on our monitors. Stroke of a the keyboard, end of a legacy. Kinda cool.
The fajitas were swell, but at one point I decided to set down the fork and go meet “The Man.”
While I felt ill-prepared to strike up a political conversation with JimRob (I mean, this is JIM ROBINSON, and by this time he must have absorbed billions more bytes of information than even the most die-hard FReeper!)...I still was compelled to engage him.
So I sat down at the table with him, SUSSA and Moiraine.
I asked about the early days when Drudge linked to his site, and he and SUSSA told me of the days when Rep. Bob Barr called to meet with the FR “staff” during the impeachment inquiry, of clues dropped by Lucianne Goldberg, of the drumbeat joined by Alan Keyes, et al.
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I fumbled for relevant questions. “Jim, when did you first know that FreeRepublic was a big deal?”
“When we were getting hits from the Executive Office of the President.” I wonder how many times Lanny Davis and James Carville have hit FR? Or Hillary and Slick, for that matter. Plenty, I’ll bet. We all know Rush and Sean Hannity lurk.
If I remember correctly, he said FR has 150,000 members.
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My next volley. “Jim, I’ve gotta ask you...how do you see the unfolding of America in the next twenty years?” About 1/1000th of a second elapsed when his eyes sparkled and he said, “It will get more conservative.”
I reflexively smiled and said, “I think so, too.” He shares Reagan’s optimism.
I intimated that the eight years of Clinton probably took years off of my life. But I also had to share, "You know, it was kind of fun, though." He let go a genuine belly laugh, the kind like when someone really identifies with what you're saying. Then he added sarcastically, "Come on, Kerry!"
For my next question, I bore down, not for emphasis, but because I just had to know. “How does it feel to know that you are a channel through which history and the world is being changed?” I knew this was no exaggeration or flattery.
Again, the answer was firm and instant. He leaned forward and looked at me intently. “YOU know...because you’re part of it too!”
He knocked it out of the park with that answer. Power to the FReeple. I, like many, have witnessed firsthand the power of the internet to shake the world. It is an unbridled torrent that is about to destroy the mainstream media. It belongs to ordinary citizens, not the elites in Washington.
For a tiny while I sat in a little restaurant in Texas, amid empty glasses and tortilla chip crumbs, across the table from one of the primary architects of the media revolution.
Ronald Reagan said he wanted to be remembered for giving the people back their government.
I believe Jim Robinson’s legacy is in giving the people back their press.
Thanks, Jim, and God bless you.
SerpentDove
Thank you ! Great job, as always. :^D
hehe ! Your pics are great, too. Believe me.
In time, you'll get over the camera thing, I bet. :^D
I didn't know you felt that way, but I had to get pics
of everybody. Between my pics and SD's, I think we
did, too.
LOL ! :^D
Re #170-171-172: :^D
Re #171-172: :^D
Bump!
Everyone is asking where am I. I tell you, Meek tried to leave me out. I'm in post #93. (just kidding MOG)LOL ! See #166 too, Mama_Bear ! :^D
sorry I missed you Jim.
You got here on my Moms birthday so I couldnt make it
I want your shirt!
I want your shirt!Okay. I'll trade it for the pic at the very bottom right on your profile page ('fussers').
:^D
Hi TXG4W,
I know you're kidding old Meeky, but that was my fault.
Meek sent me the pic and I loaded it to the FR server, and then I had a devil of a time toggling between writing the report and sprinkling photos throughout...I accidently overlooked your pic.
:-(
Sorry!
But all's swell that ends swell!
:-)
SD
wow, what a nice get together. Why wasn't I a FReeper when I lived in Texas???,,,, Oh yes, that is right, I lived in Texas in 1991/1992...There wasn't yet a FRee Repubic.
Thank you for thread & pix. Looks like a lot of laughs & good fellowship. I just returned from DC & saying good bye to the gipper..
may post a thread. met a few DC Freepers... how sweet it is.
Yeah, everyone seemed to have a good time. I know I did.I'm glad you got to go to D.C. to pay final respects to Uncle Ronnie. I wish I could have gone to there or California. I did see the whole thing this week on FOX News and it was such a good procession. I am proud of Ronald Reagan, and Nancy is such a good person. God Bless them both.
You're right. I was just giving Meek a hard time. The pictures are great and we DID have a good time.
Yeah, I knew you were kidding, TG. :^DAnd that it was an oversight, SD. :^D
I know SD was hurrying to get the thread/pics posted. :^)
Please put me on your ping lists..thanks
I sure hope that Jim Robinson is already invited to speak at the GOP Convention this year, does anyone know if we have a booth? and how many fellow FReepers will be attending?
Thank you Jim
Thanks. I've added you to both lists. :^D
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