Posted on 08/27/2002 4:40:53 AM PDT by BADJOE
It is time we take a new tack and see if we can heal our wounds. I hear by the grapevine that from this past weekend's discussions that JimRob has two black eyes and a broken arm. I have my head bandaged. I am missing one ear, and I have body bruises from top to bottom.
It was damn near like the old days wasn't it?
I am happy to report that while Willa never considered divorce, homicide did cross her mind a couple of times. The fact that I am writing this is hard evidence that she did not act on those impulses.
As I see it, there is a very simple easy way for all of FR's problems to go away. I have a comment to all parties involved and I will specifically address each of them.
The Free Republic is much bigger than any one man or woman. And it is too important for any dispute, regardless of what it is about to pull it down.
First let me clear one thing up. The next Freepathon would have been my last one regardless. It is too big a job for even me. Freepathons are the only time Willa and I exchange cross words with each other. I love all you guys, but she rubs my back, kisses me on my bald head and on occasion even cooks me dinner. (Except during a Freepathon. I damn near starved to death during the last one.)
In order of importance from least to most .
Badjoe: You are one cantankerous feisty old son of a gun. Usually mild mannered, reasonable, and all the good things, BUT when you think something needs to change you would run over your own grandmother to make it happen.
Other forums like Liberty Post, etc.: Guys you can't build yourself up by tearing the other guy down. Tout your own virtues. It is the only way you will reach the heights FR has. And believe me, I'd like to see 100 successful FR's. If there were a hundred of us none of our problems would exist. Competition cleans up the weak spots.
The DC Chapter: Thank you guys for calling me on the phone yesterday. It was very nice and very moving to speak with each of you personally. Please tear all the old pages out of your book in regard to the Free Republic Network. Neither you nor they will survive if you don't quit nursing old wounds. I have noticed that even when the Network folks say or do good things you react in ways I think are inappropriate. We really are all in this together. Let's please work to survive together. Thank you.
To the Network Board.: You are my friends. The wounds are deep between you and the DC chapter. Please don't say anything about them. At the moment even if you gave them a million dollars each they would think you have an ulterior motive. So please say nothing either way. A year from now you might be able to to have some communication.
To the Moderators: Oh my! I sincerely hope this whole post could make your jobs superfluous, as the Freepers take to heart what I will say to them, so that moderation is rarely if ever needed. I am sure you'd appreciate and like the vacation too. Would not it be nice if you could just Freep and when you occasionally came across an infraction, warn first, went back to Freeping, and checked in later to see if warning was heeded and then if necessary take the minimally possible action. Please let's try to keep our troops intact.
To the monthly donors who have cancelled: I sincerely hope you will consider reinstating your help. I know withdrawing your support is a very effective way of registering your disapproval.
To the monthly donors who have stayed on board: God bless you. FR needs you and can't survive without you.
To JimRob: You are just as damn cantankerous as I am. I sincerely hope you will post the new directions involved in our Saturday night August tenth agreement without the references to me. Apologize to the Freepers for any real or perceived injustices and ask them to hold your feet to the fire on the new directions from that agreement
To the Freepers: You are the most important of all. Without you there is no FR. I would like to see you all prick your finger and write in blood that you will argue all you want to without calling another Freeper a dumb Mofo, etc. If you find yourself in the position of not being able to carry the day in your discussion, or if another Freeper gets close to anger, just go away for a little while and come back to fight later. If you do this moderating will become unnecessary. We all will be free from fear. In the interest of healing these wounds please lay off the mods I singled out. Lay the blame on Jim and I for our failure to effectively communicate with each other. Jim and I have broad shoulders and are willing to carry the load.
I am going to post this first to the moderators through the abuse button to give them time to digest what I have written. This is to be a positive thread. I am requesting that they give an automatic one hour timeout to every Freeper, including JimRob for any inappropriate comment. You are capable criticizing with being abrasive.
I hope all the above folks I have directed my comments specifically to, post a general agreement to try to do what I have suggested. If you say you will, I will participate in the next fundraiser by just running the numbers and getting the necessary funds in. JR gets a copy of what I get without the credit card numbers. He can forward that info to a trusted Freeper volunteer to write thank you's, and to another trusted Freeper volunteer to post recognition of the donation on the fundraising thread or maybe one will do both. This will get FR past its current crisis, reduce the harsh words at Willa's and my house, and make everyone's job easier.
And how about reinstating those who broke no rules except stating an opinion on a criminal law case that disagreed with the moderator and/or the moderator's friends? And what about leaving the Smokey Backroom to be what Jim Robinson stated it was to be? Right now, there's no more freedom of expression in the SBR than there is in the rest of the forum. Disagreeing with a moderator's pet can get a message, thread, or membership pulled, even there.
Hoping this doesn't get me banned either, but until something is done about this situation, my pocketbook is superglued shut.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha!
Please add me to the ping list.
I want to watch...
TO ALL: I have met Badjoe and JimRob. It's my considered judgement that we at Free Republic would not be here without JimRob and without Badjoe to help keep the lights on. Who would we argue with, pray with, give advice to, and accept advice from? Where would we go to get the insights that are NOT provided on CNNABCNBCCBS? I hope that whatever the ruckus is about, it's small enough that we can still see the big picture. I, for one, will double my monthly commitment in order to do my part to keep this information source open.
Thanks all and Be Well...
Tsk, tsk.
Hater! Don't you know it's 'closure' time?
Same here.
Let's Roll !
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Yes, I am going to post the meeting report TODAY.
One learns in time which threads to ignore and which posters to ignore. Saves the sanity.
One also learns which freepers posting have a real life outside posting on FR.
bvw - meet FReD
Now you may have seen everything. ;-)
I read Rand. I like Rand. I'm a Christian and could also be considered a "Bush-bot" although I don't scrap it out on the threads. Don't label everybody.
Once you've made your point, what's the use in bashing it over their head with a frying pan. That just creates further damage to the brain. ; * )
Stayin Alive Bump
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