Email: The Future of Free Republic

Email | 06/25/02 | Jim Robinson

[Jim Robinson]

The following email is being circulated to our members by various disgruntled former FReepers:

Subject: The Future of Our Free Republic

Dear Fellow Free Republic Member,

Many of us at Free Republic are distressed by the extraordinary level of censorship that has been so obviously going on. It is very obvious that individual posts, entire threads, and the entire work of members who have been highly regarded are disappearing into a Memory Hole.

Scores of us have organized an e-mail network that is independent of the communication controls presently, and sadly, being used at our Free Republic. We have carefully documented the unmistakeable evidence that most of the posts, threads, and posters that are vaporized completely are overwhelmingly targeted for their political stance on the Right. These are not Leftwingers. These are not even Middle-of-the-Roaders. These are not disruptors. These are not foul-mouthed delinquents. These are fellow patriots on the Right who disagree with the controllers of FR on specific issues that are now hotly debated by the Right. We have documented that FR will parade before you, as if to hide all of the great posters whose work has been destroyed, a straw-man delinquent that has been banned. This is deceptive.

Treating these fellow patriots on the Right so shabbily is not right. As shabbily as those banned into the Memory Hole are being treated, the most shabbily treated of all are all of the good folks on Free Republic themselves. We came here for honest debate. Free Republic advertised itself as a Forum for honest debate. Without that honest debate...everything at Free Republic becomes shabby.

We can do much better. As a measure of how intense the simmering feelings have gotten among members on this unjustifiable use of deleting, censoring, and banning please link to the following thread. You will notice that one simple and sincere plea from one of our finest members has spontaneously touched off a prairie fire of approximately 500 posts in a mere 18 hours. If it isn't Memory Holed this thread may shoot into the thousands.

If you would like to receive anonymous updates of information concerning the hundreds of Freepers who have networked via e-mail to restore the wonderful honest debate to Free Republic, just drop an e-mail of just one or two words if you like for extreme brevity to:

StopCensoringUs@hotmail.com

And, here's that link back to the snowballing thread at FR:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/704701/posts

Thank you so much for giving your thought to this vital matter for our Internet home.

Sincerely, StopCensoringUs@hotmail.com

[OWK]

You have a little something on your nose again.

[ScreamingFist]

"If you haven't been censored, what are carping about?"

Roscoe dude/dudette, read through this thread, it has some of the best discussion I've seen in quite a while (and I'm not talking about the feud, check out some of WIMom's posts) This is what FR used to be, before everyone started singing from the same hymnal.

[TLBSHOW]

O Great One isn't the anti-freeps calling you?

[BlueLancer]

Paging Neophyte ... paging Neophyte ...

Please respond to my 956.

[Demidog]

You have mistaken Jim's living room with a pay toilet

Again you ascribe motives to others of which you yourself are guilty.

[Demidog]

Pining for the reich, are you?

Pot, Kettle, Black.

[Jefferson Adams]

The first ammendment isn't there to protect anyone's right to be heard or to be read on other people's property. The first ammendment isn't there to dictate to web site owners what is and what isn't 'fair,' or 'free.' It's to make sure that Government can't take away your right to speak- not to prevent someone from kicking you off of their property for yelling in their yard, or off their web site for any reason they please.

My dear, I never said otherwise. Nor did I mention any Constitutional "ammendments" - indeed, they limit only the power of government. You misunderstand my point. I've *always* said that FR is Jim's to do with as he wishes.

[Jefferson Adams]

The only reason he said anything nice was because when he saw the hits the site got from 6 to noon he new who to kiss up to.

LOL - ignorance is bliss, eh?

[AppyPappy]

Mojo, is that you?

[Jefferson Adams]

If I can somehow squeeze in a PRS into the mix I will....such great axes...

Bet I never told you guys that I own the first BC Rich Bich ever sold, did I?

:)

[Demidog]

That's cool. I had a friend who had a very early "Rich Bitch." Neat guitar but too many electronics to reasonably use. :)

[TLBSHOW]

lol

[Jefferson Adams]

That's cool. I had a friend who had a very early "Rich Bitch." Neat guitar but too many electronics to reasonably use. :)

Yeah, but it looks cool < g >

I don't even remember what all the knobs and buttons do - I just play it on the treble pickup through a Line 6 and it works fine :)

The fun part is that when they came out - 1978 - there was no way I could afford one; I was a starving Christian lead guitarist. And then, in '85 I think, I saw an ad in the Recyler in L.A. for "very low serial number, excellent condition, with custom flight case, $1000."

Bought it from Josh Hanna, an L.A. guitarist and friend of Bernie Rico - "B.C. Rich". He saw the prototype at a NAMM show and told Bernie he wanted the first one he sold. It's serial number 13 - the first 12 were gifts to people in the industry - I suspect that's how Aerosmith, etc., got theirs.

Still not my favorite guitar, but fun to play :)

[freefly]

Thank you very much for your comment.

I'm glad to see that there are still those on FR that remember what most of us are out here for in the 1st place.
I find it interesting that a site that is dedicated to "...working to roll back decades of governmental largesse, to root out political fraud and corruption, and to champion causes which further conservatism in America." is now focused (as per Jim Rob's comments) on supporting Republicans whose actions show them to be little different than the democrats when it comes to working their way around the Constitutional restrictions on government. I feel much the same way about leftists as Jim does, but I also see (thanks in part to several years here on FR) that the majority of Republicans are only slightly to the right of the democrats, and certainly left of center. It's disappointing to find that pointing that out is no longer acceptable here on FR. In spite of that I'll continue to "...work to roll back decades of governmental largesse..." and I won't stop just because the perps have an "R" next to their name -whether it's considered PC or not. In the meantime, we'll continue to fight the battles one at a time. The pro-big-government crowd won't win just because we gave up!

Thanks again...

[tpaine]

"Up yours, creep. I run this website the way I please. If you don't like that, take a hike. If you push your luck any further, I see you do the door. Over and out."

The very real danger associated with people deifying you for years, creating a cult of personality, and falling all over themselves to kiss your ass, is that after awhile, you may begin to think they're right.

Sometimes the people whispering in your ear, are more interested in themselves.

You'd think after the first few episodes, you might have learned that.
Best, OWK

---

What was it the roman slave whispered in the conquering generals ear at the victory march?
-- Was it something about hubris?

[Jefferson Adams]

Well said, FF.

[Roscoe]

This is what FR used to be, before everyone started singing from the same hymnal.

More dissembling.

[Roscoe]

You have a little something on your nose again.

Perhaps he smells something spoiled.

[FreeReign]

I find it amusing that these individuals think they have some sort of constitutional 'right' to post on FreeRepublic

That's what makes them liberal -- their right to do something with your private property.

[tpaine]

Whispering roscoe.