← Autodidact Archive · Original Dissent · Okiereddust
Thread ID: 16714 | Posts: 22 | Started: 2005-02-12
2005-02-12 03:59 | User Profile
[URL=http://www.theconservativevoice.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=2872]The Conservative Voice[/URL]
Posted by Senior Editor on 2005/2/11 14:26:39 by William Gheen President, Americans for Legal Immigration PAC
The shot heard around the Internet has been fired on FreeRepublic.com The owner Jim Robinson and his moderators have launched a sniper style purge against members that disagree with the Presidentââ¬â¢s ââ¬Ëguest workerââ¬â¢ amnesty or support more control of illegal immigration. Free Republic is an amazing tool for those looking for a good debate and news from around the country.
The problem for the administration of the site is that their creation is allowing the participants to learn that the Bush immigration record and plans are shockingly out of line with the views of most conservatives. The managementââ¬â¢s answer to this conflict between the majority of conservatives and the influence of the White House on their Web site has become electronic executions and censorship.
Members and readers of Free Republic would be surprised to know that many members of their community have fallen silent on the discussions about illegal immigration lately because free speech is an illusion on FR.com. They are silent because they have been banned from the Web site without warning, cause, or explanation in most cases. For weeks the moderators have been suspending and banning new members that chimed in quickly on the immigration debates.
Now this trend has broadened as the first groups of long-term users were suspended or banned this past week. Although Robinson and his staff removed many members of the Free Republic community in the first few days of the purge, those that religiously support President Bushââ¬â¢s immigration plan, open borders and approve of public benefits for illegal aliens remain on the forum. Those that were banned were the members that wanted more done to control illegal immigration and a strict observance to the Presidentââ¬â¢s Oath of Office.
By taking sides with the open borders lobby, Jim Robinson has taken a position that is at odds with more than 80 percent of the Free Republic community and the majority of conservatives in America. The fact he is using tactics his own users would find unethical to censor articles and silence opposition with banishments and intimidation is of great concern to all of us as Americans. New members of Free Republic and those that are not aware of Robinsonââ¬â¢s covert attempts to stifle debate should be warned.
Free Republic is one of the Internetââ¬â¢s most popular news and debates forums. They enjoy a high profile on the web while promoting their site as a conservative free speech zone that does not censor debate and information. The siteââ¬â¢s notoriety peaked last year when participants played an important role in the CBS/Dan Rather document scandal. Although the site is privately owned and Robinson is free to do as he likes, these recent purges have left long term members wondering if the White House or Republican National Committee has undue influence at Free Republic.
In light of the fact that rule abiding and lawful members of the Free Republic community have been shunned simply for their opinions has sent many long standing members and financial contributors looking for a new place to express themselves. Many are simply walking away from their accounts because of what they consider a deceptive and unethical practice that is contrary to the founding principals of Free Republic.
The Free Republic Open Borders Lobby (FROBLs) is a group of Free Republic members that support the Presidentââ¬â¢s immigration record and amnesty plan. They are jubilant that Robinson and his moderators have joined their side of the debate by targeting their opposition. One regular supporter of the Bush immigration plan that posts under the name Bayourod, exclaimed ââ¬Åthere aren't that many of you left, and the ones that are, are mostly lightweights who don't understand the issues. Watch for the ones who call other FReepers names. They are the immature ones who are (in) way over their heads.ââ¬Â Other posts make it clear that those members that represent the minority view in favor of the Bush immigration plan are quite aware of and supportive of the banishing of their opposition as well. The FROBLSs may be in the loop, but many other Free Republic users do not know that their counterparts are being treated unfairly.
Once Free Republic bans a particular user, they lock them out of the site by blocking their IP (Internet Protocol) address so the banished canââ¬â¢t communicate with other users. This allows Robinson and his moderators to operate with little fear that the rest of the community will notified of their effort to shape debate on the site.
This is not the first purge of users that Free Republic has engaged in and there are unwritten ââ¬Årulesââ¬Â that indicate they have taken a stance against others in the immigration reform movement. Although the Terms of Service rules for the site do not list these considerations, users may find their post quickly deleted and their account suspended for mention of certain reform groups, authors and other websites.
Free Republic participants have documented censorship of material from or mention of groups like VDARE.com, Rense.com, American Patrol, Americans for Legal Immigration PAC, 9/11 Families for a Secure America, ETHER ZONE, News with Views, author Frosty Woolridge, Save Our State, the Minuteman Project and others.
Congressman Tom Tancredo, Pat Buchanan, and the organization Team America PAC are under constant verbal assault by the FROBLs. Anyone that is concerned about illegal immigration is falsely labeled as a racist, wacko, tin-foil hat wearing, conspiracy theorist, third party supporter and a Bush basher that could cost the GOP the presidency in 2008. Although the majority of conservatives on the site respectfully disagree with President Bushââ¬â¢s immigration policy, these views are being silenced by removal or the threat of removal.
A large group of Free Republic members gathered in a forum at [url]www.alipac.us[/url] to ask Mr. Robinson why he has engaged in this method of affecting the discussions on his website. Although Mr. Robinson has been invited repeatedly to respond to these concerns, he has declined to comment. As one poster says ââ¬ÅJR's silence speaks volumes. Not to mention the fact that JR's silencing tactics speak volumes, too! It's just creepy and shameful.ââ¬Â
Activists and former contributing members of Free Republic are working hard to spread the word that Robinson and his moderators have declared themselves political combatants against the immigration reform movement. These Paul Reveres consider those that run Free Republic as keepers of the gate that are willing to turn the site into a political advertising wing for the Bush Administration against the wishes of the Freepers. The predicted political revolt in the conservative community against the Bush immigration policies has become a reality. Free Republic has fired upon their own loyal supporters and what they hoped would be secretive deeds in the night have become the shots heard around the Internet.
[url]http://www.alipac.us/[/url]
2005-02-12 08:58 | User Profile
This should be a good recruiting tool for OD.
2005-02-12 11:14 | User Profile
Jim Robinson is a person (I hesitate to call him a "man") utterly without honor, courage, or integrity. It's good to see that a lot of folks are wising up to his pathetic charade. It's too bad that many FReepers didn't seem to notice or care that critics of Jewish/Israeli supremacism had been purged, but at least RimJob's duplicity is being noticed in another context.
2005-02-13 03:55 | User Profile
Okiereddust,
Good to see the truth spoken!
2005-02-13 07:41 | User Profile
[QUOTE=Texas Dissident]This should be a good recruiting tool for OD.[/QUOTE]
What can we do to reach out to Freepers?
2005-02-13 10:27 | User Profile
[QUOTE=Okiereddust]Congressman Tom Tancredo, Pat Buchanan, and the organization Team America PAC are under constant verbal assault by the FROBLs. Anyone that is concerned about illegal immigration is falsely labeled as a racist, wacko, tin-foil hat wearing, conspiracy theorist, third party supporter and a Bush basher that could cost the GOP the presidency in 2008.[/QUOTE]
What a pack of morons! If there's any single issue that's likely to cost the GOP the White House in 2008 (and frankly, if they don't get their act together and nominate a candidate who rejects AT LEAST some major portion of the Bush Jr. neo-"conservative" legacy, then I friggin' pray they DO lose, because they will surely deserve to), its this open-borders insanity, and its equally ridiculous, allied position that Hispanic voters are going to be become part of the new base of the GOP! What exactly are these people for, and what are they against? They can't ALL be White-majority hating Jews (and other recent immigrants) and/or capitalist pigs who love low wages, can they? What is their (patently idiotic, suicidally insane) trip?
2005-02-13 11:10 | User Profile
Well, clearly the US needs a third party
What is Buchanan up to nowadays?
2005-02-13 14:37 | User Profile
[QUOTE=mmartins]Well, clearly the US needs a third party
What is Buchanan up to nowadays?[/QUOTE]
That's a sore spot for us paleos, my English brother.
Best not to go there.
2005-02-13 16:35 | User Profile
1) I'm not English
2) If you have better suggestions, fire away
2005-02-13 17:01 | User Profile
[QUOTE=Walter Yannis]What can we do to reach out to Freepers?[/QUOTE]Well I guess for starters we could start cross posting on alipac and any of the other forums the ex-Freepers will be going to. (Which is something we need to find out and keep track of) and let them know we exist. Just like someone did for at forums like FRU, FRU Reunion, and SFF for OD.
2005-02-13 17:48 | User Profile
FR sucks. Bush sucks. My broken vacuum cleaner no longer sucks. Oh well, one out of three is better than nothing.
2005-02-13 20:01 | User Profile
[QUOTE=mmartins]1) I'm not English
2) If you have better suggestions, fire away[/QUOTE]
Ooops. Don't know where I got that notion, sorry.
I was kidding about the PJB thing. Most of the oldtimers here were PJB supporters at one time or another, but for a number of us our support has become less enthusiastic than it was.
As to the third party issue, there were lengthy discussions on that. I flip flop on the issue on a daily basis. My opinion today is that while I agree that a third party would be ideal, I doubt that it will happen in our lifetimes and consequently that our best chances are to subvert the GOP.
2005-02-14 06:06 | User Profile
[B]Congratulations, J.R![/B] :clap:
It is good to hear you and "Free" Republic receive the
[COLOR=Sienna][SIZE=5] :clown: [B][I][u]"Horriblest Clown of the Week Award"[/u][/I][/B] :clown:[/SIZE][/COLOR]
from Terry Anderson. The Brother has your number and those traitorous jerks who call themselves the "FROBL". He's right, you people do [U]suck.[/U] I'll post a link to the broadcast tomorrow so all you jacklegs can hear your award for yourselves. I know it took a lot of work on your part, purging those who don't want America to be another Brazil and sucking up to the Neocons, but believe me, you have earned it. :dung:
2005-02-14 14:38 | User Profile
[QUOTE=mmartins]Well, clearly the US needs a third party.[/QUOTE]
The US can't do that now because it's government is way too busy setting up third and fourth parties in the new Iraq. Foreigners come first in the US, ya know.
2005-02-14 15:25 | User Profile
As Walter noted many on OD were PJB supporters - and were also purged from FR. Myself, I was purged at the stroke of midnight, Jan. 1, 2001, in a New Year's housecleaning of all who were speaking up from a mainline Christian viewpoint on the latest intifida, which began October 2000. A bunch of the CZs and sanyanim/ juniorMossad inside FR made an adulatory visit to Israel and Ariel Sharon at about that same time -coincidence?
After the purge (and after a series of pseudonymous "raids" I was ticked off {and reckless} enough to make on these pious morons at FR) I along with many other Buchananites posted on Arator's Freeper Reunion site. I'm glad to see that madrussian is still around here.
As our esteemed founding moderators have noted, this is a good opportunity to get new recruits over here. Pax vobiscum. SatherGate aka kennewickman aka Ursus Magnus aka Miss PiggieWiggie etc etc
2005-02-14 15:33 | User Profile
[QUOTE=Sather_Gate]SatherGate aka kennewickman aka Ursus Magnus aka Miss PiggieWiggie etc etc[/QUOTE]
Don't be such a stranger, amigo.
Wish LaBelleDame wasn't so reclusive either.
Rgds, TD (E/O)
2005-02-14 18:45 | User Profile
[QUOTE=xmetalhead]The US can't do that now because it's government is way too busy setting up third and fourth parties in the new Iraq. Foreigners come first in the US, ya know.[/QUOTE]
In that case xmetahead I say
[SIZE=4]PONCE FOR PRESIDENT[/SIZE]
I promise to do the following if elected. .
No monetary aid to the state of Israel No more weapons to the state of Israel Bring all troops back to the US Make peace with foreign countries by giving food and not bullets (N. Korea) Less foreign aid (black mail money) Free school lunches More aid for the educational system More aid for the homeless More aid for veterans More taxes for US companys operating from overseas Higher taxes for companys moving overseas Close all open borders "tight" Dump all illegals criminal back to their country of origin (there goes Ponce) Send back all illegals with less than one year in the US Less aid to illegals. Illegals will pay for 25% of their kids education Cut back in Home Security (don't need it with Israel out of the picture) No more foreign holidays in the US Bring back Christmas and the value of family life Less polution with more rules for cars and factories (the ozone) Concentrate more in defense rather than offence for the armed forces Improved and free medical aid Break the monopoly of the drug industry Lower cost for medicine (free for the elderly) Cut back in the logging industry
I have a lot more but you guys must be getting tired of reading my I want list.
And remember A VOTE FOR PONCE IS A VOTE FOR A BETTER AMERICA :thumbsup:
2005-02-14 19:57 | User Profile
[QUOTE=Ponce]More aid for the educational system
Americans already spend more on education, per capita, than Japan, Germany, France, and other countries which obtain far superior results for less money. One problem, of course, is a much higher percentage of our population consists of ineducable savages. Still, our schools are basically spending their money the wrong way, so more money won't solve the problems.
[QUOTE=Ponce]Cut back in the logging industry
The logging indsutry needs to be reformed, not destroyed. Logging needs to become less like mining, and more like agriculture. Oregon and northern California are filled with hopeless towns of chronically unemployed people now that families that have logged for over a century are no longer permitted to do so. Environmentalism wasn't an acceptable reason to turn everything from Mari County on up to Salem, Oregon into a veritable human wasteland, yet that's what's been done. I've seen towns between Eureka and Crescent City, along Highway 101, that look like they were bombed out by the Air Force, things are so bad.
2005-02-15 10:46 | User Profile
ALIPAC members, supporters, and new friends:
It has been 34 hours since our operation 'Honest Eagle' started and we are doing well. Most of you are aware that this article "Not so free Republic: The shot heard around the net" has been heard around the net. We have just received word that this is currently the top story on Yahoo.com as linked in from our friends at Conservative Voice. Please search out other places that this article can be posted on the web.
Mr. Jim Robinson placed this article up at Free Republic AFTER realizing his members would see it eventually and it has been visited over 40,000 times. Of course they have zotted/deleted more posts and users than we can count trying to control this debate on his home turf. He has gone so far as to say that all of the people he banned were some kind of racists or associated with "Stormfront". It's not very nice to call people names that are unjust and then prevent them from correcting you and it's a blatant lie.
I know that many of you are very tired and a lot of you are new to this struggle. What I ask of you now is to fan out into the forums and continue to engage in the Battle of Free Republic! The truth has great power and Mr. Robinson has lied to his members and is hiding behind his delete key. Those that have read his response can see exactly why he has sided with the FROBLs. The truth should be your armor. Please work hard to make sure the latest news is out there and the accurate story is told.
Below, you will find a portal to where this topic is being discussed on the net. Larger media interests and powers that be are taking an interest in this struggle.
Thanks to all that have worked so hard to get this information out to the public and out to the Freepers that agree that more should be done to control illegal immigration and that the Bush guest worker amnesty is a disastrous idea. We hope that many of you will take a good look at ALIPAC while you are here. Democrats, Republicans, Unafilliated, and 3rd Party sorts welcome. We are unified on this issue.
Kind Regards,
William Gheen President, Americans for Legal Immigration PAC (ALIPAC) [email]WilliamG@alipac.us[/email]
[url]http://www.alipac.us/ftopicp-599.html#599[/url]
Forum Portal "The shot heard around the net!"
Discuss here at ALIPAC
Discuss at Conservative Voice (Beneath the article)
[url]http://www.theconservativevoice.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=2872[/url]
[url]http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1341266/posts[/url]
[url]http://www.saveourstate.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=249[/url]
[url]http://libertypost.org/cgi-bin/readart.cgi?ArtNum=84494[/url]
[url]http://www.clownposse.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2626[/url]
[url]http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=103&topic_id=105587&mesg_id=105587[/url]
or
[url]http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x2621170#2621203[/url]
[url]http://forum.protestwarrior.com/viewtopic.php?p=8803899#8803899[/url]
or
[url]http://forum.protestwarrior.com/viewtopic.php?t=63628&sid=f3538c6699d433b0c427c3cf13fc603a[/url]
[url]http://www.freedomunderground.org/view.php?v=3&t=3&aid=14072[/url]
[url]http://www.originaldissent.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16680[/url]
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[COLOR=Red]Audio broadcast of Jim Robinson's :clown: "Most Horribliest Clown of the Week Award" :clown: For 13 Feb. 2005 Once again, congratulations, J.R., you jerk. :lol: [/COLOR] [url]http://mp3.rbnlive.com/Terry05.html[/url]
2005-02-15 10:49 | User Profile
[QUOTE=Angler]Jim Robinson is a person (I hesitate to call him a "man") utterly without honor, courage, or integrity. It's good to see that a lot of folks are wising up to his pathetic charade. It's too bad that many FReepers didn't seem to notice or care that critics of Jewish/Israeli supremacism had been purged, but at least RimJob's duplicity is being noticed in another context.[/QUOTE]A few notes from Jim.
[url]http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/user-posts?name=Jim+Robinson[/url]
2005-02-15 17:09 | User Profile
Thanks Kevin, at least you did like the idea of Ponce for president. :thumbsup: hehehehehehehe.
2005-02-16 02:59 | User Profile
Brimelow's take:
[font=Arial][color=#990000]Brimelow On Free Republic Fracas [[/color][color=maroon][url="http://www.vdare.com/pb/index.htm"][color=#0000ff]Peter Brimelow[/color][/url][/color][color=#990000]][/color][color=#000000] - 02/14/05[/color][/font] William Gheenââ¬â¢s [url="http://www.vdare.com/misc/gheen_050211_shot.htm"]denunciation[/url] of the laughably misnamed Free Republic is gathering much support. [url="http://www.alipac.us/ftopicp-599.html#599"]Here[/url] he has posted a good compendium of Bulletin Board discussions (scroll down). [url="http://www.saveourstate.org/columns/021305.html"]Save Our State[/url] puts the situation well too.
Personally, I concluded that there was something odd about FRmeister Jim Robinson within a few months of VDARE.COMââ¬â¢s launch. It became apparent he was banning [url="http://www.vdare.com/letters/tl_112501.htm"]posts[/url] and [url="http://clarkstooksbury.blogspot.com/2005/02/unfreerepublic.html"]posters[/url] using VDARE.COM [url="http://www.vdare.com/sailer/conservatives.htm#jr"][color=#0000ff]material[/color][/url]. This despite our never having used profanity or advocating violence.
In his only emailed explanation, Robinson claimed that a Steve Sailer article on the need for the GOP to mobilize its white base was ââ¬Åclearly racist.ââ¬Â Ironically, this is exactly how his hero George W. Bush [url="http://www.vdare.com/sailer/041107_election.htm"]actually won[/url] in 2004.
I never look at FR, but VDARE.COM readers who do report a real crackdown on immigration opponentsââ¬âright in time for Bushââ¬â¢s crazy [url="http://www.vdare.com/blog/020205_blog.htm#b2"]liberalization legislation[/url].
I used to think that Robinson was simply an egotistical fool. Now, with the [url="http://www.vdare.com/malkin/050111_blunder.htm"]revelation[/url] of Bush White House subsidies to media supporters, I naturally wonder if more is involved.
Many of the low-wattage types on the [url="http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-backroom/1341266/posts?q=1&&page=1#1"]FR thread[/url] on Gheenââ¬â¢s article parrot the view that FR is Robinsonââ¬â¢s property and therefore he can do what he wants.
Sureââ¬âand a bar owner can call his establishment ââ¬ÅFree Drinks!ââ¬Â and then charge. Itââ¬â¢s still dishonest.