Posted on 05/02/2012 5:23:35 AM PDT by xzins
We are the Free Republic Pre-War on Terror Class of Freepers.
Having been a freeper for over a decade, and having experienced both a pre 9/11 presence here and a post 9/11 presence, having experienced the Hanging Chad Wars of GW's first election, Sore Loserman and all, what stands out for you regarding the growth of Free Republic over the years.
What are your thoughts on the independence of Free Republic, and Jim Robinson's decision to go advertisement free all these years. My first thought is that his financial independence is what has freed him to tell the GOP-E to stick it in their ear this year.
If he had to worry about sponsors dropping him, or well-heeled pubbies supporting him, that might have intimidated a lesser man.
We've been blessed these many years. What stands out for you in your decades plus experience on Free Republic?
Lots of FReeper women did not care for her/his flirting with all the FReeper guys!
The FR protests in LA during the 2000 election fiasco were fun. In front of the federal building. My sign said W1. I had a baby in a stroller. I still have a baby in a stroller but that particular baby is 15 now.
FR has been my little sanity living in Liberalville as I do. Thank you, JR. I enjoy it and I use it and I need it, so I donate.
When I came here, Clinton was President. We all agreed then about presidential politics. We thought bush was a conservative. We could vote against the Goracle and For someone too, back then.
And we had to be sitting at a desk to freep back then. Now we can freep in the dentist chair, the woods, even in the air. Long live FR!
Lots of good memories. Miss the Dose and it's predecessors. Dad always referred to it as “the backyard fence..America has a big backyard” Good downtime to just chat about life and living. It built good relationships that are still fondly remembered.
Was on the Buckhead threat, the spaceship explosion and remember the night a local exposed JJ's love child to the world...You heard it first without spin on FR.
Then there's the research threads. Most are moved to chat or another hidden site so that FR can securely research and brainstorm their topic out of reach of prying eyes. It may be the most valuable feature on FR. Freedom on speech and thought at it's best.
Humor...and more humor...If we didn't laugh we'd all be crying. Thank God for the quick wits of freepers. My dogs always looked at me funny as the tears flowed while laughing out loud literally
It seems the purges have done little to “increase the peace”. While epic individual flame wars like One Who Knows vs The Republican will never be outdone, the overall civility on FR seems to be getting a bit worse.
Love to see more article posting and investigations into democrats than the constant bashing and rehashing and multiple reposting of old articles of why every republican who is not 100% perfect is a rino scum. Many are but sometimes it feels like a circular firing squad in here.
When you start seeing people calling DeMint a rino, see homosexual pro-hillary websites promoted, see people trash Santorum for speaking on moral values while they support a globull warming serial adulterer with 3 wives who thinks Romney is too tough on illegals, and see people actually talk about how they are voting Obama...it makes you realize how much things have changed.
That being said, Free Republic is still the #1 site for news and commentary. Right or wrong, Jim seems to be the only one out there with the balls to stand up to the GOP-e in any meaningful way. Given the choices we have in this election, some are going to go third party, some are going to hold their noses (again) and vote for the GOP nominee to stop Obama. Hopefully we can get thru this remembering we are on the same team.
Lets not forget the late night parties in the yahoo chat room when FR went down.
Heard about it first from you on the FR cruise. just WOW!
A Blast from the Past!
Still recall the live discussion threads we had back in the day.
YOU can call me a "Newbie", as I wasn't here until April 98.
LOL
Been a member since the 2008 prez campaign. Thought about donating to FR a couple of times. Still don’t understand why I am not authorized to post to activism. At least FR is free and loads quickly on a smart phone. Ads will probably slow FR down - then I’ll just go with twitter until ads take over there.
Same here, Yaelle. I donate.
Better discussion software than Free Republic's does not exist. I've seen the other formats at newspapers, blogs, etc., and they don't even come close to "pings", multiple addressees, tracking posts, replys brought to your attention....it goes on and on.
THE BEST DISCUSSION SOFTWARE IN THE GALAXY!
Well, then you’ve existed on the backs of all those who both donate AND give time to poliicians and to FreeRepublic. It’s time you stepped up to the plate and kicked in a few bucks.
I’m existing on SS and manage to spare $$ for a monthly. I work full time and take no salary most months, so you can too.
Keep FR ad free.
Been your FRiend since August 17, 1998.. The day Clintoon went before the grand jury to admit his improper relations with Monica, and the day Sammy Sosa hit #47 to tie Mark McGuire in their infamous home run battle.. It seems there was a lot more investigative reporting by members in the earlier days and not as much pettiness. It still amazes me how many experts in so many different fields are members here. I still remember the morning that the space shuttle Columbia broke up on her return to earth and the news breaking on FR with eyewitnesses to it before the MSM even began to report it. I’ve always enjoyed the Canteen and still miss Tonkin. Can count on Laz always ready to Hit It. Have had my eyes seared by unannounced photos of Helen Thomas. Have always known FR to be hugh and mostly series and helped make it so. Not many websites have been around for 14 years, especially forums, and the history making continues. Thanks for helping us remember where we have been, may we learn from our past and have a better future.
“Never Forget”!!
Indeed!
All you say in #20.
whitewater
mena
paula jones
monica
Downside Legacy
Clinton’s a Liar (CAL)
Clarity
Yellow Rose of Texas and the running thread
Don Morgan and the “cadre”
Ash Alerts
Night of the Long Knives
Eschoir
Deep in the Hurtgen Forest
Trixie
RAH
“I was there, where were you” MrConfettiMan (the true sincere activist)
SneakyPete
A+Bert
Jack Thompson
Arator and his polls on Brigadeer support
tpaine
OWK (versions 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 and 3.1)
Askel5
Towanda
StormOrphan and the cow thread
Breaking Drudge early on the Jesse Jackson love-child and pissing Matt off.
the search for Huck on 9/11
Watching the stealth bombers take off in the pre-dawn later that year and throwing my fist in the air.
This is an old handle of mine that has since been replaced for professional reasons.
I am in complete support of Jim Rob keeping FR conservative, and not merely Republican.
ping for later reading. I’d like to hear the thoughts of the earlybirds.
Actually, I was contemplating going ten bucks a month here last summer. But then something happened here that eliminated that possibility for the foreseeable future. I won’t say what it is on a public thread.
Wondering how much stuff Hillary stole when they carted her ass out...
—Keep FR ad free.—
I prefer ad-supported. It’s why I’ve never had cable TV and never went to satellite car stereo.
I’m one of those people that has watched and read ads my entire life but virtually NEVER bought anything due to an ad. So I’m living off the “fat of the land”.
Seems like we did more stuff in the beginning, like meetups and protests. Still love it.
The discourse was more refined then...
Mike
Hadn’t thought about Ash for some time. Lots of visual spam. LOL.
(We have the same join date!)
“Seeping” is a rather apt word...
Yep. I found it through the Drudge link, too, and lurked for many months before creating an account.
Ah yes, the Clinton days. And the “W” primaries, and the Gore debates. Rathergate...
It’s all coming back to me now.
Please...never, EVER drop it. It is so well done. So many hours of hard work, wonderful organization, and factual information.
Wish we had the same on Obama.
Over the years, the information has kept me here, the ability to dispel some of the BS eliminates a lot of day-to-day frustration and knowing there are others of like mind doesn't hurt. I can even watch a little MSM 'news' now without breaking a TV (or at least being sorely tempted to do so).
TV manufacturers worldwide echew the day that Free Republic went online. TV breakage dropped drastically.
Laptop manufacturers celebrated, though, due to spewage onto laptop screens from ROTFLMAO moments on FR!
LOL!
01/23/1998. Lurks, occasional poster and now a monthly supporter. When I want to know what is happening I stop here first.
Thank God for the freedoms we have and hopefully he will forgive us as a nation from straying from his word. More important is personally keeping his word.
Thanks Jim Rob for your outstanding work and commitment to the founding principles of this country.
The DSL was necessary in the pre-Google days to find stuff quickly. I do wish though we had some organized listing of Obama's downside legacy - there's too many phrases to remember to take advantage of Google, Bing or whatever.
Blessings on you, pcpa, for sharing the load, for not just talking the talk but walking the walk.
Due to freep-a-thons, Free Republic is NOT a bought and paid for subsidiary of the GOP-e.
Support Your Freep-a-Thon now!
I also remember lurking around during the Elian Gonzalez mess and the Janet Reno assault to take him back to Cuba. Also the Black Hawk down in Somalia. Clinton working the crowd somewhere and was chewed out by a conservative woman for allowing our military be put in that situation. the news media wouldn’t hardly carry it but it was all over this website. Those were some sad times, kind of like now and the 70’s No wonder I love the 80’s so much.
I think I’m Halloween, 1998. Doesn’t seem like almost 14 years but that’s what it is if my math is correct.
,,,that full-page ad in the Washington Times...still have my copy.
what became of her?
uhhhm, ‘she’ apparently wasn’t
Well, since you asked...
I’ve been here almost every day for more than a decade. I read far more than I post. FR is far and away the most important web site for me. Nothing else comes close.
Having said that, I would like to see FR financed with ads. I have donated in the past but have no plans to do so in the future. I just don’t like the NPR style of raising funds. Capitalism is good.
Another thing. It seems to me that there are far more overtly religious postings than there used to be. I am not anti-religious, in fact as a former Christian, I still have an affinity with Christianity, especially as it relates to culture and politics. However, I find myself irritated by the growing number of overt religious threads, that, it seems to me, do little more than use up bandwidth.
Having said all that, I fully recognize that this is Jim’s forum and he can run it as he chooses.
financial independence allows philosophical independence
JMHO....but I think I’m right.
Lots of small donations lessens the impact the withdrawal of any one donor might have.
Huge sponsors with ads can threaten withdrawal and to keep the site going they would have to receive concessions.
I don’t think FR is as religious as it used to be. ALL religious threads used to be on the open forum. Surely you remember.
There was a religion forum created to handle religious threads....those that weren’t also related to actual news. (The Catholic Contraception ObamaCare Controversy, for example)
Apparently, "she" was actually a "he" ...
What’s your story. How did you find this place?
Indeed. Thank you, dear pcpa!!!
Free Republic allows me to make any article that appears on the site mine. I can read it and if I think it is important enough or I have something significant to add I can do so. No other media outline provides this to me.
The news is no longer some impersonal pixulated image on a flat screen backed up by a nice voice and some cool graphics!
Free Republic also tells me that my opinions aren't out in left field somewhere. In fact, the reports from the LMSM are the ones away out in “left” field not me.
1. The Bill Clinton statue I won at the North Texas Freeper get-together at Pappadeaux's in Euless/Bedford many years ago.
2. Sore Loserman: we still have the signs safely stored away.
Anti-Semitism has been against the rules of FR from the very beginning, so all these vermin were in open violation of the rules. JR is very patient with everyone, and while this sometimes lets undesirable elements remain longer than they should, it's better than having a hair-trigger temper and banning people at the drop of a hat.
I think Jim has done everything right. While the site is down from time to time, it's never been hacked and is open to all. Accepting ads may eventually become necessary, but Jim has avoided it because he doesn't want his political positions to be unduly influenced by anyone he might be beholden to.
And I'm personally very grateful to him for putting up with me, a neanderthal troglodyte Theocrat from the Bible Belt who spent most of his life searching for The Truth and when he found it, found it alienated him somewhat from some traditional American concepts. I hope he'll continue to put up with me on the grounds that I am upfront and honest about my "heresies" (and that I alone am responsible for my outrageous opinions) and find FReepers to be the most well-informed and intelligent community on the Web for discussing these things.
May FR endure until it is no longer needed (if such time ever comes), and I hope I will always be indulged by being permitted to post my often outrageous comments here.
We’ve lost a lot of amazing Freepers over the years. I was here during the whitewater years and then signed up Jan 98. Whatever Jim decides to do I trust will be the best.
I don't remember you being outrageous.
(I'd use the word "incendiary" instead :-)
I don't remember you being outrageous.
(I'd use the word "incendiary" instead :-)
But I'm such a nice boy!
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