Posted on 08/16/2007 7:56:17 PM PDT by crusher
I was listening to the news out of the corner of my ear when I heard FreeRepublic specifically mentioned as a "hate site" about fifteen minutes ago.
Ostensibly the long report was about the Klan using the web to recruit new wackos. Then the focus turned to Casa Maryland, and their director who claimed that calls for his murder had circulated on the internet by anti-immigrant bigots. It was then that the anchor identified FR by name as a hate site.
ROTFLMAO! I don’t even go into them anymore. It is very difficult for discussion to take place. The last one I was in a poster was comparing Ron Paul to Winston Churchill...I argued THAT one for a while...to no avail.
Too many people fall into the Liberal trap of PC thinking.
According to liberals a “hate site” is (supposedly) one that promotes and encourages racist, violent, anti-(insert your favorite ethnic or liberal-activist group here) actions. FreeRepublic most definitely does not fit this moniker. (In truth according to most liberals a “hate-site” is one that opposes their views, political and social.)
Too many people fail to see the difference between individual posters writing “hateful”(Racist, aggressive, violent) things (who are dealt with accordingly), and a site that routinely endorses and promotes these types of thing — which FR does NOT.
The reason this is such a problem is because the MSM and those who disagree with our POLITICAL views do NOT take the time to hit the “view replies” button on these posts, and assume that such talk is applauded, encouraged, and endorsed. And, even if they did see that these posts are almost ALWAYS refuted and the poster is either banned, or run out of town, so to speak, they wouldn’t call attention to that because it wouldn’t suit their POLITICAL purpose — which is to label FR a “hate-site” so that people won’t bother coming here themselves, will avoid listening to our opinions, and then they will have effectively marginalized the power a large group like FR has. This is also not just an attack on FR, but indeed is an attack on the First Amendment itself (just like the so-called “Fairness Doctrine” which I, btw, expect liberals to try and apply to the internet in the near-future), and we should respond accordingly to this attack, even if we don’t like what some of the posters say here...
According to the Constitution and the 1st Amendment people have the right to SAY anything they want. People don’t have the right NOT to be offended by these things, but in turn have a right to respond and SAY whatever they want. (Keeping in line the laws against slander/libel, inciting riots, and basic responsibility (yelling FIRE when there is none, etc...), and the specific rules set up on this particular site, of course). It is our responsibility as CITIZENS of our country to stand up against this type of thing whether the site be conservative, OR liberal (i.e. DU, DailyKos, etc...).
This whole “PC” attitude is ruining our country and is absolutely aimed at weakening the 1st Amendment, and we all know via History what happens when a populace is not allowed to speak, think or write freely!
ANYONE who values this site at all, should be vocally opposed to labeling this site as a “hate-site” regardless of the problems we face with certain posters or certain posts. In standing up against this bull, perhaps we could START to turn the tables on the PC/anti-1st Amendment crowd in our society.
Exactly!!! Very well-said — short and succinct! That is exactly what the ultimate purpose of liberal PC-crap is. An attempt to silence all opposition.
NYC, DC, Atlanta all have Fox Channel 5, surely more.
But DC and NYC are the usual suspects.
Good move, bump.
The LSM needs to think twice before they defame a good site like FR.
Yes, and if you will notice, there is no such article or post still on Free Republic. It has been purged. But NO forum or message board can moderate or monitor its' content 24/7 to the point of 'preventing' leftist saboteurs from posting something considered hate speech and then immediately reporting it as such. It's a setup scenario that I suspect will continue and even increase as the '08 election nears. If the Dems get in the White House in '08, we can probably kiss this place and others like it, along with OUR freedom of speech, goodbye.
Like the threads where rioting "youths" burning cars are discussed...
...or the threads where a crooked politician either does not have his party affiliation mentioned at all (or is mentioned half a dozen times in the opening paragraph...)
Thank you!!!
"Passionate political discourse" comes from people with a "discriminating eye" on things expressing their opinions. Notice that I used the word "discriminating." Today, people who discriminate are considered hateful and bigoted, as this falls cleanly into the multi-cultural worldview of being non-judgmental about anything.
People have to stop charging others as being hateful, prejudiced, discriminating, and bigoted, just because they judge the situation differently than others.
-PJ
Which "they" are going to do regardless of anything that is said or done on FR.
As Winston Chuchill once deliciously paraphrased Mark Twain: "A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on."
You have it exactly backwards. That reaction is in response to the liberal position that the high crime and murder rate in urban areas is due to lack of gun control, underfunded schools, not enough midnight basketball, lack of jobs, Bush's tax cuts - anything but urban thug culture. And those who stray from the liberal plantation in that regard and who dare to speak the truth, such as Juan Williams, are treated as Uncle Toms.
Talk about hateful.
In my experience, most outsiders who find such commentary racist came here with a preconception of such.
I asked you if you want ALL illegals sent packing.
You bob and weave and juke and jive. You have yet to respond to that...instead answering the question with another question..."how do we tell the difference"?
I didn't call for the Feds to bail out mortgage companies....I said that would probably have to happen, but as a free market enthusiast, it would probably be better to allow the market to correct itself.
Stop lying!
One more thing....regarding the 3 murdered people in New Jersey. I said that if they weren't sitting around a dark school yard in a high crime area, after midnight drinking Colt45s, this wouldn't have happened to them.
I said it in the context that "nothing good happens at 2 in the morning." But THAT doesn't fit the description you have of me as 'the enemy'.
My personal efforts as a self-employed individual create a living for more than a few families in our two-income society. You have NO inkling of how our economy works....since you punched a clock everyday.
We self-employed small business owners work and get up out of bed each day working with NO safety net such as unemployment or workman's comp.
Finally, when my own local government is a sanctuary county and state here in Maryland, you have a lot of nerve suggesting that I am responsible for the deaths of Americans at the hands of illegal immigrant thugs and criminals.
I will remind you, though, of the John Adams quote above.
You have the RIGHT of free speech. You have the RESPONSIBILITY not to abuse it.
It's generally true that others do NOT have the right to not be offended by what you say.
But there's a corollary to that: if you're irresponsible in your exercise of free speech, you MUST accept the consequences of people forming opinions about you, based what you say.
Many on this thread correctly note that FR is truly "in the game" as an influential part of American politics. It's disingenuous to claim that we can be influential, and at the same time attempt to deny others the right of judging us by what gets said here.
We should not be surprised when most of that judging is directed to where the shouting is loudest. The lesson we should take away from these recent "hate site" incidents, is that if you're going to yell, you had better be yelling something that you want the folks on the next block will find sensible. What you don't want, is for them to think you've been drinking again.
I was an outsider once, and after spending an hour on the site I said, "Hey! I like this site!"
And after looking around for a few days, I recognized a few jerks. Some are still here.
The topic of this thread is Fox 5 News labeling us as a "hate site." It's legitimate to wonder if we have helped them to do it.
C'mon, lots of people are really wondering now...
Are you Lindsey Graham?
Hand-wringing, navel-gazing and feeling guilty about a few (mostly ZOTted) comments from trolls and jerks is time wasted. We have other, more important things to do than persevorate over people who have already been banned and comments that are removed.
This is an open forum. We are, for the most part, adults; and adults use strong lanugage sometimes. Anybody can register an account here, including trolls and jerks. It is up to us to hit abuse when somebody says something that violates the terms of use.
I asked you this before, but you neglected to answer...
How often have you hit the abuse button on the comments that you judge to be "deranged?"
Actually, it does matter, Madison, because your post was addressed to Earthdweller, and anyone who doesn’t bother to trace back the posts would immediately attribute that comment to Earthdweller, and thus would form an innaccurate opinion of her character, and her views (no-one who actually knows her through FR would think this, but others not familiar with her could). I think this would be akin to bearing false witness and defamation of character (libel), and I think you should apologize to her, instead of blowing it off so calousely... It was irresponsible of you to post this as you did, at the very least you should have properly cited the author of the quote if you intended to comment on it to Earthdweller. Please do so in the future so as not to cause this type of situation and harm your fellow FReepers.
Incidently, I agree with you, madison, that it is very frustrating trying to correct people who make statements like livius did. (Livius I think it would’ve helped if you put the part of realizing these people were most likely trolls or operatives in front of your other statement or worded it another way. (o: )
I know you can defend yourself EarthDweller (and very well, too!), and I hope you don’t mind my jumping in here. I just think it was incredibly rude of madison to blow off your calling his/her attention to his misdirection, like they did. Just trying to help “self-police” the site!!! LOL ((hugs, Earthdweller))
OK, I’m going to take a break from this thread for a while as I’m getting rather anal-retentive over this! And, I’m a little too talkative today. LOL
i AGREE . . . the tact jacket was restrictive . . . LOL:
Greetings,
I understand one or more of your broadcasters has accused FREEREPUBLIC.COM of being a “hate” site.
That is simply totally untrue—particularly in the sense it seemed to be meant in. I believe a well publicized apology is exceedingly in order.
We are a passionate lot—about our beloved Republic, The Constitution etc.
But anything smacking of hate of some interest group is removed by the volunteer 24/7 moderators within minutes, if not seconds.
Certainly liberals are fair game for lots of hostility on this very conservative website. But the standards of the forum are quite strictly enforced—as much by the bulk of the members as by the moderators.
You are really showing your data collection and vetting to be quite poor if you allow this accusation to stand. All who frequent FREEREPUBLIC for any significant time at all knows that we are a family friendly site with very high standards.
I believe that if your staff or you will spend 10 minutes scanning any number of threads, you’ll discover that the accusation is thoroughly false.
Actually, the accusation smacks more of hate than the worst of what survives on FR.
We know that we set liberals’ teeth on edge. We’ve even developed that to an art form. But that’s far from hate.
Please redress this wholesale inaccuracy with a public apology ASAP
Sincerely,
“So our job is to keep the Kos-DU-PuffHo-ANSWER crew from setting the rules. Refute their claims, of course; but also reject their terminology — loudly and at every opportunity. They don’t get to frame the discussion!”
I was thinking about the situation this morning, and I thought I sure hope whoever the next Republican Nominee is, I hope he puts the Democrat Nominee on the spot and asks her, “Why do you rename yourselves when you haven’t changed and why does the media let you get away with it, why all the attempt to manipulate the way the American public sees you when the fact is you haven’t changed a BIT?”
You know what my personal opinion is, the reason they are able to so easily change the name of who they are is because they HAVE NEVER been honest about who they are and what they WANT!
Fox 5 has an agenda.
Here's what's happening: Leftist sites (like KOS and DU) have been legitimately under the gun lately for death threats, holocaust denial, support for jihadis, etc. The MSM, in an attempt to show that the Left doesn't have the market cornered on lunacy, has been frantically looking for the "equivalent" on the right, and since FR is the biggest and most influential conservative forum in the world they've taken direct aim over here. ....the truth be damned. And remember, leftists view conservatives as inherently hateful.
As I mentioned earlier on the thread, when sane and intelligent folks come over to FR to see what all the fuss is about they quickly realize that, far from being "hate site," FR is a place of thoughtful and passionate political discourse.
Look, dirt. We’re on the same page about the failures of liberalism. But you’re hiding your head in the sand if you think that FReepers are immune from exactly the sorts of failings I’ve been describing.
Saboteurs!!! YES! I’ve been trying to think of that word all morning! LOL It very accurately describes most of what we’ve seen here.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.