Free Republic

Free Republic traditionally frowns on vanities. I know, I've been a member here since 1999. I too have had my knuckles cracked by the Moderator's ruler and my posts promptly yanked or locked because I could have easily responded on an existing thread. Vanities crowd out the real news. They're too numerous to count, and most vanities do nothing but stoke the poster's ego (ME! ME! ME! I WANNA BE THE NEXT GEORGE WILL!). And most of them are frankly, quite boring. However, some vanities do serve a legitimate purpose. Breaking news, for example is one. When FReepers hear about...

It seems to me that we are getting a lot of new members and the following may be helpful to them. Live in a solid "red" state and when anybody complains about some asinine law in their blue state, tell them to "just move from there". The simplistic solution is always the best one. Refer to California as Californicate or Kalifornia. The people's republic of (insert state name here) is always good. When an article appears about something negative happening in public schools, proudly proclaim that all your kids are home schooled and geniuses to boot. Extra points if you...

The last few months I've seen an increasing trend for FReepers to start going for each others jugular. Sometimes we forget (I've certainly done it myself) that in the grand scheme of things, we are on the same team. We may disagree on priorities or how far we are willing to go, but we have enough enemy in the left without creating more amongst ourselves. We can disagree but be civil to each other. We can debate nuance, but not believe that our personal positions are more important than the health of the whole. Let's argue vigorously but remind ourselves...