A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day....01-07-03...Down The Hobbit Hole

dansangel; Billie

[dansangel]

A Few of FR's Finest.....
......Every Day

FR is a Treasure Trove of talented, compassionate, patriotic, wonderful people who gather every day to discuss the latest news and issues; salute and support our military and our leaders;  tell a few jokes;  learn a new word;  write poetry;  pray for those in need;  and congratulate those who are deserving. Thank you, Jim Robinson, for giving us the vehicle in which we can express ourselves.

Free Republic made its debut in September, 1996, and the forum was added in early 1997.   I can remember lurking when there were only a few regulars who posted, and now there are over 60,000 who have registered for posting privileges. The forum is read daily by tens of thousands of concerned citizens and patriots from all around the country and the world.

A Few of FR's Finest November 11, 2001

So many people have written me since my original Veteran's Day Tribute, asking how they, or a loved one, could be included in that tribute. Since I can no longer add the photos to the body of the thread, I've been including them in additional posts as I received enough to make another collage.

Still that doesn't seem to be enough. I think there's never been a better nor more appropriate time to keep the faces of our own Veterans and Active Military in front of FReepers--every day! That's why I wanted to do yet another Daily Thread .....ABOUT FReepers .....and FOR FReepers. But not only about our Military FReepers; for all FReepers! Wouldn't it be nice to get to know a few of the other FReepers as well? That's why, in addition to seeing FR's Finest Military Personnel every day, I thought it might be fun to feature a different FReeper (or FReepers) each day. If you would like to be pictured, or know someone who would, please FReepmail me and we'll turn the spotlight - on YOU - for the day!

And do let me know if you'd like your picture added to the groups of Veterans/Active Military below. I will keep this page updated, and continue to add them to the comment section of the original Veteran's Day thread as well.

<

TOP:  g'nad, AgThorn's son Justin, SLB, AgThorn's son Brett.
MIDDLE:  fish70, razorback-bert, CheneyChick,Leroy S Mort, Mark17.
BOTTOM:  Terry's Take, Taxman, DinkyDau.

TOP:  ValerieUSA's son Grant, SK1Thurman, kd5cts, RangerVetNam,
dansangel and .45man's son-in-law Tony
BOTTOM:  rangerX, Old China Hand, Trish, Howlin's dad, Mustang

TOP: ohioWfan's son, MamaBear's father-in-law, MamaBear's dad, ladtx
MIDDLE:  The Mayor's niece, M.Kehoe, Beach_Babe's son-in-law
BOTTOM:  deadhead's dad, HiJinx, Severa's hubby, viligantcitizen's granddad.

TOP:  spectr17, RightOnline, SERE_Doc, Tet68.
MIDDLE:  FutureSnakeEater, RightOnline's wife, CIApilot, Clamper1797
BOTTOM:  usmcobra, onedoug, DiverDave, Joe6-pack

We now have eleven groups of veterans/active military; we will post each group of three or four twice a week, with thumbnail/links of the remaining seven or eight groups on each thread. Click on any of the thumbnails below to see the group full-size.

         

GROUP 1A: TOP: Logos, SwedeGirl's hubby, Neil E Wright, FallGuy, 1John, Sneakypete MIDDLE:  T'wit, COB1, LadyX, Dick Bachert, 68-69TonkinGulfYatchClub BOTTOM:  YankeeinSC, Delta21, JoeSixPack1

GROUP 2A: TOP:  Bosniajmc, AFVetGal, Archy, A Navy Vet MIDDLE:  4TheFlag, Aeronaut, 68Grunt, Xinga BOTTOM:  Codger, AAABest, Clinton's A Liar, Duke809, dcwusmc

GROUP 3A: TOP:  mc5cents, Norb2569, LBGA's son, VanJenerette MIDDLE:  Jim Robinson, KJenerette, davidosborne, KG9Kid BOTTOM:  gwmoore, Equality7-2521, SAMWolf

GROUP 4A: TOP:  porgygirl, Phil V., MudPuppy, NorCoGOP MIDDLE:  RaceBannon, OneidaM, rdb3, jwTexian BOTTOM:  USMC Vet, TheMayor, Vineyard, rhododogma

      

GROUP 9A: TOP: Q6-God, Scan59, Mama Bear and JKPhoto's son, ofMagog. MIDDLE:  Big'ol_freeper, JustAmy's great uncle, Prodigal Son. BOTTOM:  JustAmy's husband, JustAmy's brother-in-law, JustAmy's brother.

GROUP 10A: TOP: dakine's wife, MeeknMing's dad, Auntbee's nephew, MilitiaMan7, AlasBabylon. BOTTOM:  Joe Brower, Temple Owl, Temple Owl's wife, dutchess' dad, Aomagrat.

GROUP 11A: TOP: ladtx #2 son; DiverDave's twin Don; petuniasevan and husband poorman; Mustard; ladtx #1 son. BOTTOM: AlamoGirl's brother Floyd; AG's dad; AG's brother Jim (inset); WVNan's husband; ladtx' Aunt Eva.

                     

"In a hole there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort."
From The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

HairOfTheDog Freeper since August 13, 2001

I was told I could find the elusive HairOfTheDog at the Hobbit Hole. Although I found it extremely distasteful (not to mention downright fatal to my hosiery) to crawl on my hands and knees, nothing is too good for my readership. (The bumps on my head are starting to disappear). After all, Inquisitional Minds Want To Know - What makes HairOfTheDog tick?

HairOfTheDog - The Exclusive Interview

dansangel: Let's cut right to the chase. Where did this Hobbit Hole come from?

HairOfTheDog: The origin of the Hobbit Hole was the thread New Zealander builds Hobbit hole, an article about a weird guy in New Zealand that built a hobbit hole, originally posted 1/27/02 by John Farson. I am sure John thought it would register a few posts and die out.

We got on a good conversation and it just kept going! We ended up over-indulging, fell asleep on the couch, and never went home!

Lord of the Rings

dansangel: What motivates you to want to permanently live in a place like this?

HairOfTheDog: We are an official daily thread now, but not in the traditional sense. We hate to start new threads, so we don't very often... We started the second Hobbit Hole thread The New Hobbit Hole only because we felt we needed to move to the General Interest forum to escape trolls after the Great Forum Split. Around that time, trolls were often spotted on the borders, and we knew eventually they would invade. Early on we asked John Robinson if there was a limit to thread length, and he said there was a functional limit, a little over 63,000 posts or something, if I recall. He didn't seem to mind our big thread when we asked, so we just kept going. We stayed on that thread for more than 48,000 posts... Like I said, the folk in the Hobbit Hole really hate to move. Some wanted to wait until the thread reached the limit just to see what would happen! I didn't want to know!

dansangel: When you, uh, little people overpopulated the original Hobbit Hole, what happened then?

HairOfTheDog: We started our newest thread a couple weeks ago, The Hobbit Hole III - Journey to the Cross-roads! to celebrate The Two Towers movie coming out, on the day of its release. Hopefully we will be in that hole a good long time. I don't look forward to trying to get them to move again any time soon!

dansangel: Just what was it that led to your involvement with these little peo-…er, I mean, "Hobbits?"

HairOfTheDog: I have no idea, but I am glad I did. ;~D. I was lucky enough to be around when it started, but we didn't know we were starting anything, and it isn't mine. When we had to move, someone had to post the thread, so I did. My position at the top of the thread is purely ceremonial. The thread continues because a lot of folk keep it up, and keep it interesting!

We don't have an official Hobbit Hole ping list, people just come around when they can. Many people have contributed to the thread over the past year... We have lost a few folk, some don't come around as much any more, but most of us who started out in that first thread are still around! - and wonderful new folk have found us.

dansangel: Isn't it a lot of (ugh) work to keep the Hobbit Hole up and running day after day?

HairOfTheDog: Keeping up the Hole every day are the regulars, and you know who you are. We always love visitors, the folk who stop in once in awhile on their way somewhere else, some more frequently than others. Somehow it works. I will call this an almost-complete list of all those folk, in case I have forgotten someone because my notes aren't in order:

2Jedismom; Alkhin; Argh; Bear in Rosebear; BibChr; Carton253; Corin Stormhands; DonnerT; Ecurbh; g'nad; ican'tbelieveit; ItsOurTimeNow; JameRetief; JenB; John Farson; ksen; Li'LFreeper; Long Cut; Lucius Cornelius Sulla; maquiladora; My back yard; NewCenturions; osagebowman; Overtaxed; Paul Atreides; Penny1; Pippin; rightwingreligiousfanatic; RMDUpree; Rocko; RosieCotton; Sam Cree; Samwise; Scott from the Left Coast; SuziQ; The Iguana; 300winmag

We are all planning to meet a year from now... January 2004, in Florida. I hope most of us can come. I look forward to it!



dansangel: Oh lovely. I can just picture it now. A gathering of the "little People." How fun. < /sarcasm >

HairOfTheDog: The Hobbit Hole is a gathering place for nicest folk on Free Republic.

dansangel: Oh that place again!

HairOfTheDog: We have come to know one another over the past year, and are very real friends. I love every one of the regulars there, and most of the occasional visitors! It is wonderful, because we are all quite different, live all over the country, and yet we share a love for Tolkien, conservatism, and now, each other. Sounds really mushy but its true! We discuss Lord of the Rings in the Hobbit Hole of course, but we also discuss current events, goof off, seek advice, vent, grieve, share our lives and stories, cheer each other up, and entertain each other. We never fight. We almost did once, but we got distracted and forgot about it.

dansangel: How cute. On another note, what would make a reasonably intelligent woman such as yourself get involved with a bunch of right-wing whackos like those on Free Republic?

HairOfTheDog: My brother Ramius is a poster there. He introduced me to it! He was always talking about Free Republic, and I lurked for a total of maybe 15 minutes before I had to chime in with my opinion about something or another, and I was hooked.

dansangel: Well, yes, "opinionated" will get your foot in the door there for sure. What else do you do that counts as right-wing political activism?

HairOfTheDog: I suppose just hanging out on Free Republic 24/7 doesn't count? Hmmmm! I haven't done a lot of "on my feet" politics. I vote certainly, and I support president Bush any way I can.

dansangel: Yes, hopelessly brainwashed by the right-wing fanatics. Anything else?

HairOfTheDog: I am big on second amendment issues, my personal mission being to take as many gun-fearing liberals for a day at the range as I can. That is my style. I understand their fears, but I want them to understand me. I have never taken anyone shooting who still felt the desire to take my gun away at the end of a good day shooting and talking about it. I don't call them names, I show them that they don't need to fear me. I am a single woman. If I wasn't armed, I don't know how I could sleep at night.

HairOfTheDog on the range

dansangel: Well, you could try a big dog. Speaking of which, do you have any pets?

HairOfTheDog: I spend a lot of time outdoors when it isn't raining, and I love to explore woods and trails with my horse. I belong to Back Country Horsemen, an organization who lobbies for continued access to public lands, educates riders on trail riding etiquette and safety, and volunteers time and sweat to help build and maintain trails for the public to use.

HairOfTheDog's favorite view - from her horse!

dansangel: A regular public servant! Any other interests?

HairOfTheDog: I went to school to be a pilot, and became rated to fly commercially as a Certified Flight Instructor, but didn't stay in it. There is more money to be made in almost any other job than flight instructing in rainy Western Washington. It is a hard business to break into, and I eventually gave it up. Many of my friends went to Alaska and made it there, flying bush. Maybe it is just as well I didn't stay in it. My best friend from college, who made it to the airlines, is on furlough now. Her plane was the one that hit the second tower on her day off.

HairOfTheDog as a pilot 10 years ago

dansangel: I'm truly very sorry for that. Anything else that you would care to share with the readers of the National Inquisition?

HairOfTheDog: That is about it, really! I am not an extraordinarily political animal compared to some... I am philosophically conservative, thought to be radically right wing by my more liberal friends, and occasionally accused of being a pinko by the far right here! So that probably puts me at about a 7.5 on a scale of 10. I like to read the news, and know what is happening. I support classically conservative values, and I enter debate as long as it stays nice. I am not a fan of the flame war, at least when I am in it. I don't like to be ranted at by anyone, ever, on my free time. I can't stand rudeness, and I cringe at coarse language. I will go find more polite conversation in the Hobbit Hole, thank you!

dansangel: So there you have it, my Inquisitional brothers and sisters. The inside and exclusive scoop on HairOfTheDog.

Please join me in welcoming another of FR's Finest...

HairOfTheDog!

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 01-06-03 Arkansas Hog Wild FReeper!

Opinions by our own 'King of Ping' The guy's good, folks!

Thanks, Mixer!

1) Click on the graphic to open the Calendar.
2) Once there you can click on any month and even click to the right to go into next year. Once you are in the month that you joined FR you will need to click on the number in the calendar and then an add item screen will come up.
3) In the next box enter your name in the "Calendar Text" field and then click on submit.
4) If any of the screens fail to load simply click on refresh in your browser and that will usually fix it.
5) If all else fails or simply if you want me to do this for you send me an FReepmail and I will gladly do it for you. ~Mixer

[Happygal]

*LOL*...If she managed to bind and gag him, I wanna buy tickets! ;-) *LOL*

YES Landru...come home to us!!! I for one miss you terribly on the boards.

[Mudboy Slim]

"I have never taken anyone shooting who still felt the desire to take my gun away at the end of a good day shooting and talking about it. I don't call them names, I show them that they don't need to fear me."

Excellent strategy, my FRiend...Lib'ral RATS are often simply Ignorant DOLTS and can actually be educated, but it takes patience and only happens over multiple encounters and mini-discussions. Remember that many of them have been bombarded with years and years of the BS Socialist Rhetoric so brazenly spewed by the Vast, LeftWing Medyuh Whore'd, and yer explanations of the Truth can make them recoil becuz the RATS feel STOOOOPID fer being so naive. Demonstrate yer sympathy to their plight, but let them know that today's revelations provide the basis fer their continued recovery for the remainder of their lives on this planet!!

FReegards...MUD

[Mudboy Slim]

"Landru went AWOL"

Naww, I gave him Leave, but I figgered he'd be back by now...MUD

[WVNan]

Hair, congratulations on being the "Finest of the Finest." Sorry to be late arriving. I hate to admit to ignorance on a couple of things. I have not been aware of the Hobbit Hole thread, and I have never read a word of Tolkien even though I'm a readaholic. I've simply never had an interest in fantasy writing or fiction for that matter. Perhaps I'm deprived, but I was raised Presbyterian, so what can I say? It sounds as if all you Hobbits have a great time with your thread, as we do with the Finest Thread. You do make good friends when you spend time with one thread. Your bio shows you to be a free-spirited gal (I thought you were a guy whenever I saw your name). I love horses. When I was a kid I wanted to be a cowboy when I grew up. Hope you have had fun with your time in the spotlight. Come back to see us anytime.

[Argh]

Oh, sure, blame me! (I'm cracking up here...)

[WVNan]

That is my most absolute favorite scene in America, Aqua. I have been in that spot and cried from the sheer beauty of it. I took pictures too. I have been all over America and that is the most beautiful spot of all.

[Mudboy Slim]

"John Wesley Harding"
(To be sung to Bod Dylan's "John Wesley Harding")

John Wesley Harding
Was a friend to the poor,
He trav'led with a gun in ev'ry hand.
All along this countryside,
He opened a many a door,
But he was never known
To hurt an honest man.

'Twas down in Cheney Country,
A time they talk about,
With his lady by his side
He took a stand.
And soon the situation there
Was all but straightened out,
For he was always known
To Take a FReepin' Stand!!

All across the internet
His name it did resound,
But no charge held against him
Could they prove.
And there was no man around
Who could track or chain him down,
He was never known
To make a foolish move.

FReegards...MUD

[HairOfTheDog]

Thank you Issaquaking, for your kind words and for your blasted weather report! It will freeze here tonight, but at least it is not raining!

I am up later than I thought I would! Restless!

[HairOfTheDog]

They like to shoot! Who wouldn't? Once someone gives them a chance! - They were afraid of them guns so long it is exciting when they want to do it again!

[nod!]

[HairOfTheDog]

We have presbyterians on the thread.... They like Tolkien!

Pick it up and try it! - You can join us in the Hobbit Hole if you like it!

I am not a fantasy fan in particular either.... This is the only book of that type I have really read, and I have read it many times now. It is a very human story at its root. It is about the best and worst of human beings even if they are in the costumes of hobbits and elves, dwarves and men. Each of those races describes types of people you know.... Parts of our personalities, and parts of our cultures. They represent our strengths and weaknesses.

Try it out and see if it captures you!

[HairOfTheDog]

Well, it was your fault!

Good night Argh!

[Mudboy Slim]

"I have been all over America and that is the most beautiful spot of all."

I thoroughly enjoy driving accross America and seeing a beautiful vignette around almost every corner, and a FRiendly smile at virtually every stop...we really are BLESSED to be Americans, especially in this momentous time!!

The Missuz wants to git a big ol' Winnebago if/when I ever retire and take off cruisin' wherever that wide-open road takes US...reckon that's why I put up with all her krap...LOL!!

I enjoy burning fossil fuels...MUD

BTW..."Why Should I--a Presbyterian--Read Tolkien?" you ask?! Well, I'm glad you asked, Nan from WV...it's 'cuz Folks Need to Believe the World CAN Be Righted!! And Tolkien Right's the World's Wrongs...Righteously and Honorably and at Great Cost to the Noble Fighters Fer Justice!! That's what makes Life Special, IMHO!!

[Jhoffa_]

The "activity partner" forced me to go see LOTR2, just like she forced me to go see LOTR1.

It completely sucked.. The battles were garbage and I think frodo and his pal have some (ahem) un-resolved homosexual issues to deal with.

The first one was better.. (for all that's saying, and it's not much.. believe me.)

[Mudboy Slim]

I thought you went to bed, HOTD...yer now officially off the FREeper's Finest clock according to Eastern Standard Time...MUD

[HairOfTheDog]

I think only people with garbage in their head imagine anything sexual about Frodo and Sam.

I am sorry you thought it sucked. I would have respected you more had you not told me any of this!

[HairOfTheDog]

Ha! - I should have... the after hours crowd that showed up has an ill favored look!

[sultan88]

"BTW..."Why Should I--a Presbyterian--Read Tolkien?" you ask?! Well, I'm glad you asked, Nan from WV...it's 'cuz Folks Need to Believe the World CAN Be Righted!!"

As a Presbyterian, let me weigh in. Now, I have never read Tolkien either, but I know that his good friend C.S. Lewis was a was a darn well-respected Presbyterian and he wrote some good tales, too.

[Jhoffa_]

Hey, it's not my fault Frodo is a flamer..

Don't blame me..

(To be fair, I suppose the second movie was attempting to "fill out" the plot line in order to adhere to the book. However, I did notice a huge drop in the quality of the movie, I suspect much of it was "story line filler" to satisfy the readers. )

[sultan88]

"YES Landru...come home to us!!! I for one miss you terribly on the boards."

Yes, I miss ol' Landru, too. He was a good guy and led a good life. (Had a weird taste in music and comedy, though, and didn't think much of baseball.) But he owes me something. So, if you are out there, Landru, and can HEAR ME I need my RULING.

[Jhoffa_]

But you have got to admit, the second movie was no where near as action packed as the first..

Not even close.

(It seemed to serve the sole purpose of "filling out" the plotline...)