Woe is me - I'm politically ignorant

[Miztiki]

September 11th woke me up from my lifelong state of political and historical ignorance. Since then I have been trying to learn about and understand the world I live in.

I could use some help.

[Miztiki]

I read Free Republic every day and learn something new every day, but I could use some extra help. I know I'm not alone in this either.

I'm considering starting a new ping list. Maybe once a week I could start a thread asking about topics and issues that myself and many others are not too familiar with that we should be.

It would be nice if such a thread could attract informed people who would be willing to help me and others find answers to questions, consider a position we hadn't considered before, etc. A thread that skips the majority of joking replies (as funny as they may be) and seriously tackles our questions so that myself and others can become more informed citizens.

If there are any people reading this who would be intersted in participating in a thread like I've described, either by asking questions or helping to answer them, then please FReepmail me.

If there's enough interest then I will start a ping list, and then maybe our questions that we don't want to start a new thread about can be answered.

(For instance, I was just reading and learning about my district representative Nick Lampson (D) and wondered who funds the "Congressional Missing and Exploited Children's Caucus" that he started? What's the Conservative view on that? That type of thing.)

[pissant]

Question #1 to kick it all off.

Who am I?

[thackney]

A thread that skips the majority of joking replies (as funny as they may be) and seriously tackles our questions so that myself and others can become more informed citizens.

Do you want to forbid people from replying who don't meet your criteria of seriousness in their posts? You may want to start your own forum for that.

[goodnesswins]

Not a bad idea....but one suggestion....post this thought as a thread again tomorrow morning when more people will see it.....just a thought.

[Miztiki]

Is that what you got out of my suggestion? Because that’s not accurate.

[goodnesswins]

Oh, and one other thing.....ignore the joksters....

[Knitting A Conundrum]

I love your tagline...

[stephenjohnbanker]

Amazing the ones who pop up on the weekends : )

[ez]

The Bill of Rights, properly applied, is the most important development of any government in history and the lynchpin of our freedoms. Any country that does not honor it, is wrong.

[hole_n_one]

[verum ago]

Maybe once a week I could start a thread asking about topics and issues that myself and many others are not too familiar with that we should be.

So do just that... you'll never be rid of joke replies- such is life and FR. Have a question? Then post a vanity. I can't help you with establishing a pinglist for this kind of thing, but don't be afraid to join someone else's pinglist, especially on a subject you want to learn about.

One more thing- I don't know if this is when you usually post, but when posting your "Help Me Understand" vanities, you might want to consider doing it at a time other than 1:35 AM Eastern saturday morning- both to get more traffic and because worthless replies are more common at night. Speaking of "Help Me Understand" it might be a good idea, if you choose to do regular vanities requesting viewpoints, information, etc., to use a regular title for them- a regular title might attract a regular following.

Hope this was somewhat helpful.

[KoRn]

"Who am I?"

Your are the sum of a remainder of an unbalanced equation inherent to the programming of the matrix. You are the eventuality of an anomaly which despite my sincerest efforts I have been unable to eliminate from what is otherwise a harmony of mathematical precision. While it remains a burden assiduously avoided it is not unexpected, and thus not beyond a measure of control. Which has led you inexorably here

[pissant]

And all this time I thought I was a poor, black sharecropper’s son.

[pissant]

yeah, I don’t get to freep on weekends much, so I don’t know the crowds.

[KoRn]

LOL!!

[geopyg]

“...you might want to consider doing it at a time other than 1:35 AM Eastern saturday morning- both to get more traffic and because worthless replies are more common at night.”

Unless of course your question of the day is “Why is it Friday night and I’m sitting at home and my only friends are Freerepublic and the adult beverage sitting next to me? Why am I so lonely? How come I can’t get any work done?”

Of course, not sure if any of US will know the answer!

(Agreed - I think just perusing the topics and asking questions is good, with a vanity thrown in once in awhile as the next step. Good luck!)

hy am I so lonely,

[thackney]

I posed a question, not a condemnation.

[verum ago]

is that a stab at me, a plea for help, or am I just too medicated right now to understand? (medication which, incidentally, deprives me of my friend Mr. Adult Beverage)

[verum ago]

I'm sorry- my last post to you probably sounds way more confrontational and rude than it should.

another lesson for dear Miztiki: don't FReep while under the influence of powerful prescription drugs, lest you be incoherent or come off as a jackass as I suspect I just have to geopyg in my last post.

(#^$%ing benzodiazepines!)

[Miztiki]

Pain? If so, you’re not alone. :-\