[Southack]

One poster called Free Republic the new open source "Linux" of the news world.

It was Free Republic that had on-site freepers reporting firsthand that there were no boos at the Wisconsin Bush rally, contrary to the lying reporters at the AP such as Tom Hays and Lindlaw, et al.

It was freeper Travis McGee who busted the AP for quoting a fake SEAL last week.

Buckhead and others broke Dan Rathers' forgeries wide open, and various freepers have caught the New York Times parroting known lies, too.

Thus, the only conclusion that can be drawn is that Free Republic itself has finally built so much mass that it has passed the tipping point to go super-critical, as in nuclear...explosion...

Free Republic is now blasting the Old Media to pieces. We're international. We've got freepers *inside* Iran. We've had freepers go into Vietnam for firsthand research. We're on the ground in Iraq. We're in all 50 U.S. states. We're in Israel. We're in Turkey. We're in France, Germany, and Britain and Ireland. We're in Saudi Arabia. We're in Africa, where an on-site freeper reported firsthand on the supposed Kerry "girlfriend" who was hiding away there. We've got an entire Canadian contingent.

It was AmericaninTokyo who exposed Howard Dean's illegal foreign campaign donation scam that was running in Japan.

From every corner of the globe (an anachronistic metaphor, so sue me) FReepers are adding their personal analysis, their firsthand reporting, and their own research that combines into a sum that is greater than its parts.

Just as volunteers in the software community freely contribute their efforts and expertise to Linux (a platform that I don't particularly like, but do respect how it grows and improves without being micromanaged), so too are FReepers around the world contributing to a news gathering and analysis system the likes of which have never before been seen in the news and political arenas.

And to mark our newfound capabilities, the Old Guard news media is now attacking us. Dan Rather and Andrew Heyward of CBS are calling us the new "digital brownshirts."

To them, *we* are the new bullies on the block.

That sort of admission from the Old Guard marks our Powershift (an ode to Alvin Toffler fans everywhere). What we have witnessed and in fact in what we've participated is a seismic shift in power.

There is political power.
There is power in information.
There is power in Force/activism.
There is power in money/wealth.
There is power in love.

Free Republic brings together the best elements of all of the above forms of power, filtering out bad applications of it all, catching our own errors, challenging ourselves to improve, and amalgamating a sum of information and activism that has now become a threat to the established news media giants.

The world will never be the same. The old king is dead. Love live the new republic!

The AWB Has Expired - Gun Owners Have Won Again For All Americans!

[Dog Gone]

And we've got folks in Australia, New Zealand, Panama, and Poland. And probably elsewhere. We're being noticed not only by conservative columnists, but even the MSM.

Yep, JimRob has turned an obscure bulletin board at Prodigy into a dynamic political force with global reach.

[skeeter]

Three cheers from the FR peanut gallery...

[Fury]

One poster called Free Republic the new open source "Linux" of the news world.

I would expect an all out assault on FR in the days right before the election. I would not put it past some folks to try and launch some coordinated network attacks, or attempt to mess with DNS information, in an attempt to futz up access to FR.

[Lazamataz]

There is power in love.

Good L-rd.

Southack is a hippy.

[Luis Gonzalez]

It’s the end of the world as we know it.
It’s the end of the world as we know it.
It’s the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine.

[AmericanInTokyo]

Thanks.

You know, Southack, I've been reading some 'highbrow' on-line journals in the world of mass media and higher education, trying to dissect this recent "pajama blogosphere" phenomenon, of Blogs vs CBS. For example, one out of stellar Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, containing bright, young, predominantly liberal people who have already spent many thousands of dollars to get into American journalism the traditional way, through The Establishment Route (they have a vested interest in seeing that additional, alternative information sources of a democratic and diverse nature do not come to the forefront. How to explain to Mommy and Daddy and one's own peers, when paying back the grad school loan that it was all a waste of time?)

At any rate, if these elitist discussions conducted away from the unwashed masses were held in a closed room, after five minutes you'd have to open the doors and windows for lack of air. Full of dank, hot gas. Very arrogant. Very, very angry (at us). Jealous. Threatened. Nervous.

More than a tinge of concern comes to the surface that is quite perceivable. They think we are idiots for naively and prematurely sounding the death knell of the "Old Media", and they think our time will come when WE are discredited in front of the whole world--and their point will have been proven, their superior position confirmed. Not only do they hope and pray for it, I wouldn't be surprised if some are plotting to have a hand in it.

[onyx]

FR ROCKS.
That's for sure.

[alwaysconservative]

Southack, thanks for the ping to the great thread! Kudos to you FReepers who never fail to energize me with your intellect, your power, and your eloquence.

[par4]

Something you forgot to mention, and it's sometihing that many missed the last time around when less people visited the internet and listened to the MSM:

During the election of 2000, people on FR actually took the time to Google and otherwise search out the names in the media reports citing "ordinary citizens" concerns with the count, voter disenfranchisement and so on. Many of those ordinary citizens turned out to be small time Democrat Party hacks who always turn up in anti-Republican stories.

One of my favorites was the man who always seemed to be interviewed by the NY Times; I don't remember his name but he always showed up at grand openings etc. Finally, someone did a Lexis/Nexis search and 'viola', this guy is like Waldo, always somewhere in the picture.

Anyway, great speech...

[sully777]

I won't paste your reply (#38) but you nailed it with one swing.

[RobFromGa]

Really great post, Southack! You are correct I believe, we are past the tipping point. Now it is up to all of us to keep this working.

[southland]

ping

[ntnychik]

Great reply Southack, to an excellent article CongressmanBillyBob, on the all-time most timely and passionate rant, PukinDog. Sending this out on another round of pings, before donning PJ uniform for the evening.

[airborne]

Makes me proud to be a member!

Thank you Jim Robinson!

[hosepipe]

[ The world will never be the same. The old king is dead. Love live the new republic! ]

Cudos.. Just beautiful.. and encouraging..
(((Clapping))).. as if you spoke that to a crowd..
You're good, real good..