Interesting detail about Free Republic (from Wikipedia)...

[Barad Simith]

This may be common knowledge to some. I found it at Wikipedia.com, having decided to read about FR after reading the Democratic Underground entry.

Robinson* has taken informal positions in favor of George W. Bush's amnesty program for illegal immigration, causing a substantial rift in the membership of the site. The difference of opinion has allegedly resulted in Robinson's decision to ban several hundred posters and the resignation of many others.

*the founder and primary owner of Free Republic

I hadn't heard about any of this (though I don't follow FR too closely). Warms my heart, though. It reminds me of the '90s, when conservatives were divided, and tossed their votes to Ross Perot, Pat Buchanan, Bo Gritz and Howard Phillips.

[Az]

1. Yep, that was known

Made quite a stink over there but then the clamp came down and no discussion of the subject was allowed.

[Wabbajack]

2. That is a message board

The * party will not allow any 3rd party conservative effort to take root.

[Barad Simith]

4. In '92 & '96, many conservatives were willing to throw their votes away...

...to candidates who didn't have a chance of winning. I remember a Catholic bookstore owner, a man whom I had always perceived as being somewhat centrist, telling me Dole was too liberal, and that he would vote for the Constitution Party candidate.

We need to start donating to those fringe conservative parties.


(edited for spelling)

[Wabbajack]

8. The puke party and the media

wasn't under iron-fist rule then. It is now.

It'd be better to just doante your money to progressives.

[me b zola]

3. Interesting.

The neo-cons position has nothing to do with international rights for immigrant workers. Everything about the neo-con's stance on illegal work programs seem to indicate further labor-union busting.

No surprise that freeprupblik, an arm of the neo-con machine, would take this stance. And in true neo-con (fascist) form, not allow any discussion of those policies.

[Maple]

5. Jim-Bob Robinson

used to be an atheist too, until under Bush, it worked better to be a true believer.

[Fridays Child]

6. Another big rift was caused by the Schiavo case.

[kskiska]

7. What was the rift that caused Lucianne Golberg to create a spin-off

column?

BTW, Lucianne banned Schiavo threads, decimating her readership.

[trekbiker]

9. FR is a very small intolerant tent..

they are very rigid and paranoid, constantly on guard for "Trolls". This is pretty standard for the Neocon mindset. When facts are presented that challenge the Neocon reality (or any other rigid, paranoid worldview, Nazi, Skinhead, Clan, etc.) the reaction is much like a cornered rat, very strong and irrational. When the freepers suspect an infiltrator they instantly set upon the suspect like a pack of dogs. It's pretty amusing in a sick sort of way to watch them tear each other up. A large number of long term members have "opus'd" out. An opus is a farewell post. Many others have been banned (Zot). They take great pleasure in spotting a suspected infiltrator and getting "in before the Zot".

the Freepers seem to be the modern equivalent of the fearful, irrational mob. Like the witchburners of Salem and Europe, or the Nazi brownshirts of 1930's Germany, or the KKK. It is impossible to reason with them.

[warrens]

10. This happens all the time

When Bush first announced, RimJob was calling him a liberal wimp and slandering him at all opportunities. Then, just before the South Carolina primary (remember that one?) he suddenly endorsed Bush and told McCain backers to get the hell out and started banning anyone who promoted McCain.

Just before the war, a lot of the Freepers were against foreign intervention. One day, RimJob posted that FRetard City was for the war and anyone who was against it was a miserable traitor and he banned hundreds of posters who opposed the war.

The Night of the Long Knives is a recurring phenomenon over there.