Posted on 06/25/2002 3:42:21 AM PDT by Jim Robinson
People often craft their personal God, after their own image.
It is an unfortunate truth.
I think there are a lot of brain-dead, knee-jerk-blame-America-first, jew-hating, pro-terrorist, conspiracy-minded, tinfoil-hat-wearing, suicide-bomber-apologist, socialist, wooly-minded, leftist, looney, angry feminists, angry Quebeckers, angry Euros, angry Islamists, angry anarchists and angry atheists at that God forsaken pestillent fever-swamp of a website.
It is a target rich environment.
Think fish, a big rifle and a small barrel of water. I love it.
Of course they already know the extraordinary contempt I have for them....
I harbor no ill will towards the founders of that site (who were gracious enough to invite me), and I wish them luck in their future endeavors.
Why can't more people be like Pardek?
Dude: preview, preview, preview.
Especially if you're goint to call people "intellectually challenged".
When it becomes so painfully obvious that even the major media can see the failure of the Federal government to discharge it's primary duty in protecting us from Foriegn invaders, I would deffinately say there is a grain of truth to it. Additionally, in the sense that America has handed out free money to almost every despot in the middle east at one time or another, she is to blame for 9-11. The resentment many Arabs have toward the U.S. is a result of decades foriegn policy gone wrong. DEAL WITH IT. If you can't, BAN ME....OUCH. It would hurt my feelings so.
You listed quite a few senarios in which people can be banned, some I agree with and some I do not. Seriously, what does this mean, "those who excessively bash our president?" Dis that rule apply when Clinton was in office...please answer me. Bush is a Globalist cronie with a big time globalist agenda that has nothing to do with The Constitution or being American. If you need the proof, just ask. This is no Tin Foil Hat conspiracy, but a documented fact, one that I could provide evidence such that would alay any reasonable doubt.
Some of the reasons for banning would include spammers, pornography, true racial denegration and such. Banning the posts of communists seems like it would do a diservice to Free Republic. I think open debate with communists is the best way to expose there ideas as falacious.
Anyhow, those are my to cents. If you want to ban me for taking serious exception to the outright traitor that now occupies the white house then do so. I will just start my own board. You are dealing with someone who has more than the technical abaility to set pu a site like free republic. I could just start small and ask for donations once I get beyond the bandwidth I am capable of paying for with my own money.
(WHINE) I ALWAYS miss the good stuff!!
Leni
So what have you done about it? Have you hit the abuse button, and have you not gotten a satisfactory response? Did you engage the offenders in debate? Cleaning up the mess that others leave on FR is a responsibility we all share.
I agree with you. Thanks, OWK.
Speaking of Liberty Forum, there are NO - (0, none, nada) - perfect websites in the world. Including LF, and including FR. But what I appreciate about Liberty Forum is the fact that the owner has publicly stated that while he ultimately IS the owner, he wants US to be the owners. He told me once that he believes in a free marketplace of ideas, and that the marketplace - rather than censorship - can take care of itself.
I'm not as libertarian as he and many others on LF are, but I do respect his concept of a truly free website. In the several months that I've participated there, I've seen only one post pulled, and that was because it revealed someone's personal identity. While it does get rather heated sometimes - and I really do get tired of the incessant Jew-bashing done by a handful of posters - I enjoy the fact that at LF we are adults and are therefore capable of policing ourselves.
Free Republic belongs to Jim Robinson, and it's his to do with as he wishes. While I frequently disagree with Jim - and we've had some strong words in private - I nevertheless am grateful to him for what he did in creating a place for conservative people to meet. I personally think that FR would be a better place if it was more Free, but as I said, that's for Jim to decide, not me.
I'm glad that I haven't been banned here, even though Jim has pulled threads of mine. Frankly, it makes me almost sick to my stomach sometimes here to see how easily so many "conservatives" are so willing to ignore their Constitution and the principles that this country were founded upon, choosing, rather, to just parrot the Party line (and not seeing the Actions of the Party, rather than the rhetoric). But again, in a truly free society that's a part of the freedom. I personally think that it's a major part of why America is failing, but that's the fault of those over the decades who have failed to educate We the People to know better.
To sum this all up, like I said - there is NO perfect website. And even if there was, it would be perfect only for me - no one else would find it perfect. Most of the people at Liberty Forum don't bash Free Republic, although many of us may have bitter memories that occasionally cause us to reflect on things here. But the site was never intended to be an anti-FR site in any way. Again, when there is no censorship, people WILL talk about anything - and some people are still very hot about how they were treated here. But that's not a reflection on the site - it's a reflection on the people.
I hope America is free again some day. Probably not gonna happen.
I hope that Jim stops the censorship here. Probably not gonna happen.
I hope that the anti-Jew loonies at LF will stop their Jew/Israel bashing. Probably not gonna happen.
And life goes on :)
I guess I am just a cynic. I am going to try to be more like you from now on.
It would be the end of debate?
This is the area where the greatest vigilance is needed, in my opinion. There can be no doubt that as the power of this forum has grown and become more and more public, liberal operatives (and not only your standard imps, but paid Democrat operatives, as well) will use any means necessary to smear this site or ruin the experience for as many people as possible. There is a culture war going on for the heart and soul of our nation and the liberal mice will stop at nothing. I do not use the word "war" lightly - - that is what it is and it must be treated that way at all times.
I applaud your response to the email from the bitter malcontent (or Democrat operative?) and am greatly appreciative of your (and others') efforts to keep FR on track. It can't be easy.
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.