My visit to FreeRepublic.com.

[Vektor]

Well, now this is interesting. I ventured over to FreeRepublic, WITHOUT body armor, and actually revealed myself as the author of the unity post, and actually tried to see if I could extend the olive branch to any of them. Because I'm a glutton for whip marks.

I went over there and simply explained that I was no fan of hate, and that I'm all about bringing folks together.

I was curious - yeah, I know it KILLED the cat - to see if anyone over there would talk to me. Even if it was to tell me I was an asshole. Well, something interesting occurred.

Apparently, in order to post ANYTHING on FR, and have it see the light of day, the admins have to read and review it first.

Imagine my surprise, when the admins would not let the Freepers even SEE the following post. They revoked my posting privileges within seconds, and would not even put my post up!

Interesting. Maybe some Freepers will visit here and actually get to read it. It says a lot about that site that the following message was not allowed:

Hey guys, I just wanted to drop in and say hello. Rest assured, it will be a quick one, as I am from DU, and well, let's just say I know how you feel about our kind hanging out on your message board. Once Jim-Rob gets wind of my dirty liberal hide loitering 'round these parts, I'll be taken out like a turkey in the month of November, so don't worry about me pestering you for long.

I just wanted to address FR's responses to my post on DU. This one:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x3515875

Yeah, I'm that person.

For starters, and I realize I'm treading in dangerous waters even coming over here, but I just have a few things to say, then you can commence to feeding on my zotted carcass. I'm not here to talk smack, or be an ass, though.

I didn't post that thread on DU in any attempt to offend, belittle or mock conservatives. Nor did I make it up. I know one of you mentioned that I left out certain details, such as the soldier's rank, division, location, etc. Admittedly, I don't know those things. I can find them out if you wish, but the point was not to reveal anything about this soldier, so much as it was to share with DU and FR both how valuable I found it to talk to him, and what a sense of bravery and patriotism I felt coming from him.

I'm genuinely sorry if my post did offend anyone here, because that was not my intent. You see, I have had the opportunity to know many folks of the conservative ilk, and I never, despite having some differences of opinion, thought to hate them. In fact, I call many of them friends. For life. I'm not a "baby-killer", terrorist sympathizer, commie, lefty-loony, extremist wing-nut, moon-bat, etc...I'm just a plain ol' run-of-the-mill Democrat who really has a hard time with how badly we treat one another sometimes when enjoying the anonymity of the net. I am startled by the differences in how Liberals and Conservatives interact online, versus in person. Most of the time, we can be civil face to face, but that seems to slip away when we're in cyberspace.

I actually find it pretty distressing when this happens, because I don't feel any hate toward anybody, and I know that when I'm at work tending to the sick and dying (I'm a health care provider) that in those final moments, I don't give two shits about my patients' political affiliations, all I care about is their humanity, and that they have a hand to hold when they go meet their maker. I know, deep down, at the heart of many of us, we all care about the human condition. We just seem to forget that sometimes, when we get caught up in our opinions and convictions.

Remember right after the horror of 9/11 - the whole country pulled together, fiercely, to mourn our fallen brothers and sisters? We all cried the same tears as our nation bled, and we all forgot for a second that we had differences.

I recall, respectfully, the awful day when somebody posted on DU that a member of FR's son was killed in an auto accident. Hundreds of DUers posted their condolences, hoping that someone from here might cross-post it - to let you all know that when the chips are down, we don't care if you don't share our politics, and that we all mourned the loss of that young life.

Sometimes I think that our nation has become so polarized that it would take an alien invasion for Libs and Conservatives to ban together, but I hope that isn't the case. I really just wish we could start making some inroads now, because all the hate being spewed by the pundits and rabble rousers is creating a nation filled with stress cases, heart attacks, strokes, and ulcers.

I know that I find the vitriol exhausting, and wish I could just see it end. It kind of rots the soul, and prevents one from experiencing life at it's fullest.

But that's naive, I know the rancor won't just stop. But still, I just wanted to drop in here and let all of you know that my post was not intended to offend, and that I wish I knew some of you in real life, because there are some funny, witty, and interesting people here whom I'm sure I could get along with if it weren't for all the tension between my website and yours, my party and yours, and of course, the internet, which makes us all less than fully human sometimes.

Well, that's all, yeah, I know, long, wordy, typical of a Dem. We like words.

But still, I just had to say it.

Best wishes to you all. May we accidentally meet over a beer sometime, without realizing what party we're both from, and actually enjoy ourselves for half a second. :-)

Now what do you suppose might have been in the content of that post that the administrators of FR did not want its members to see? I certainly cannot say that nobody at FR can be civil if approached civilly, right? They were never even given the opportunity to be reached. Because FR's mods just won't allow it.

Alright, enough about that. I'm back to being a goofy cynic. No more weepy peace and love crap for me. I'm hanging up my diplomat hat. Heh, heh. Not really.

[emilyg]

1. Their loss.

[Vektor]

2. I know.

I'm a veritable laugh riot if given half a chance. :spray:

[rasputin1952]

3. Your first mistake was using words that consist of more than

4 letters.

Normally, I would say mistake #1 was logging on in the first place, but I made it to one post before being knocked out as well.

On the few occasions when I have been directed there by some link or other duty bound business, I have noticed that the people ther cannot be swayed by facts ot logic...they have dumbed themselves down to the point where knuckle-dragging is an art form.

And FWIW, they have not upgraded that site in what....5 or 6 years? It is as pathetic as it always was/will be...:D

[Vektor]

5. I gave it the ol'college try.

And mostly I felt bad reading the posts there. It must be awful to be so angry. Depressing, ya know? Some of them almost seem nice, like when they post about their animals or their gardens, and it's like "Hey, I grow Coleus too!" But then I see the political stuff, and it's MEAN.

[sam sarrha]

14. don't ever use the collage try with a 3rd grade mentality, a 3rd graders held back 3 times that is

[illinoisprogressive]

4. It's sad that they wouldn't let you post it and talk to the people direct.

I get curious about things about them. Like why this or that. If any would put down the wall for a moment and just talk one on one to try to see how the other side felt.
Like, that we democrats do not hate the country but, see things in a different light and put priorities differently.
But, the owner of FR is one reason there is no dialog and why there is a war between us. they prevent us from talking one on one or make it super hard.

[Vektor]

6. Yeah - it was weird that they never put the post up.

It's almost like they didn't want the users to see the Dems trying to be nice.

Oh, well, lesson learned. Can't post there. :shrug:

[LaStrega]

11. I think your 'Dems being nice' theory is spot on ... n/t

[Vektor]

29. I wonder what would have been the response if I'd been a jerk?

Likely the same. Many of them won't hear my message, but instead will just hate me because I have a "D" after my name.

[Common Sense Party]

20. What if a freeper posted here, extending the olive branch?

What would happen to him/her?

[Vektor]

27. It's happened before, and they were well recieved.

If they were nasty or disruptive, they got tombstoned, but a few people who have outed themselves as Republicans have actually stayed here for a while, and conversed. Maybe they converted, and were now Dems. (?) As far as an actual FReeper, identifying themselves as such and still being an active member of FR and being really civil and nice - I'm not sure. I don't recall ever seeing it happen. I know they would at least be able to put their post up, because we don't filter and ban people BEFORE the post ever goes up. If enough people alert on it, and the mods agree it's inappropriate, it gets yanked, but it still at least gets seen.

I was just shocked that 1.) They have to "approve" everything even before it ever gets seen by anyone. 2.) My post was seen as enything other than civil and non-offensive.

Anyone can post here, whether or not they can stay depends on their conduct, I suppose.

[question everything]

7. To be fair

I think that if anyone will try to post here, identifying himself as coming from freeperville, s/he will be tombstoned before most of us will even know that such a post ever existed.

[sandnsea]

10. No, they'd have to disrupt

There are people here who have moved from Republican to Independent. They don't get tombstoned. You have to be pretty out of control to get kicked out of here.

[question everything]

12. No, no disruptive, but merely identifying themselves

as freepers.

Two years ago, when we collected money for Andy, someone posted on one of the thread, identifying himself/herself as a freeper ready to contribute, realizing that s/he would be kicked out after coming out.

I copied that post on another thread under the heading: a freeper wants to help (or something similar) and that whole thread was locked, or deleted, I don't recall.

So I posted again, starting by saying: I AM NOT A FREEPER..

[sandnsea]

16. "after coming out"?

Maybe that was the problem. Also, the situation with Andy was different because they were actively seeking to discredit him.

Most of the people who have admitted to not being Democrats or Liberal, have usually ended up being nothing but disrupters. But they do post. I've never seen a freeper post something like Vektor's post. I think it would be accepted, if the sincerity came through.

[sam sarrha]

15. did you bathe and burn sage when you got back from freeperville

[Vektor]

18. No but I did have a glass of wine.

And an ice cream sundae. :9

[Vektor]

17. That has happened.

And they were allowed to post until they disrupted. And, if their post was peaceful/civil it stayed up. At least they get to post at all. I never even got to have my post up for a second.

[AZBlue]

8. Sheesh, that's really offensive!!!

:sarcasm:

[Vektor]

19. I know. I really went balls out.

Just plain NASTY. :rofl:

[sandnsea]

9. Well it's sweet of you to try

I suspect there are people there who would be disappointed to know what happened to you. Maybe we should have one cross-over forum here at DU, to try to bridge the gaps. Strict rules, no copy/pastes, no talking points, no dittohead bullshit. Honest talk only. Might get some interesting results.

[calimary]

21. That's probably what it would take, under these net-related circumstances

and all that they mean. Because you tried to reach out to them in the most pure, nonjudgmental, honest, and appealing way. Seeking common ground. Leading with your humanity. I guess they don't speak that language, which is a shame. There's more that unites us as people than that which divides us, but the forces wanting to promote and aggravate those divisions are strong indeed. Makes you wonder what they get out of it, what marvelous things they accomplish by doing so. Always gets back to that uncomfortable question about who benefits.

It's a shame that they shut down your post before it even had a chance to be seen. Nipped that one in the bud, didn't they.

:shrug:

It was a very good, very pure-hearted, very hopeful try. Attributes of which we're in desperately short supply.

How about an "Underground Underground" where people from both camps can sneak in, under cover, and try to bridge the gap. And try at least to get some dialogue going. Person to person. Human to human. Sentient being to sentient being.

[Vektor]

28. That would actually be cool.

I know we all have some misconceptions about one another that might be eliminated, or at least softened by some honest dialog. Such a site would be interesting, and should only ban users for being abusive, or threatening.

[The_Casual_Observer]

13. It's entirely sub-human balls of shit posting on those sites.

Don't ever imagine that you could make any difference by trying to reason with them. It's utterly fruitless and a waste of your time. Better to simply disregard their existence all together.

[w4rma]

22. The Republican leadership demands that the Republican base hate someone. (nt)

[Contrary1]

23. I was a "member" for about 6 months...

mostly posting innocuous crap, or a "Yeah, what you said". Shortly after Terry Schaivo died,
there was a small group in Florida calling for the impeachment of Jebbie. So, I posted an article about it, word for word, as it had appeared in some paper.

My big sin? I didn't include a sarcasm symbol. Hell, I wasn't being sarcastic. I was just posting something that should have been of interest to Jim Rob's Nim Rods. They were spitting nails about Terry's "murder", blaming Jebbie, so why not?

Anyway, after about 5 minutes my original post disappeared, only to be replaced by an edited version. Every other word was misspelled. Of course, I couldn't respond, since I was banned.

So, if any of the Freeper disciples are reading this...you should be aware that the mods over there think so much of free speech that they will actually reword a post. The OP will never have a chance to tell you what their message was really about, since their posting privileges have been revoked.

Something that your idol Dubya would wholeheartedly applaud, no doubt.

[Vektor]

26. They reworded it?

Oh my God. Yeah, I guess they proofread everything before they allow the content to be seen. Man alive.

My attempt at posting, as civil as it was, did not pass muster.

[cleveramerican]

24. I was banned from Democrats.com for admitting.....

I had voted for Reagan. I was shown the door in about thirty seconds.

[Vektor]

25. Really? Damn. I've never been to that site.

Reagan was a long time ago - we can forgive and forget. A LOT of Dems voted for Reagan. You saw his numbers - those weren't just Republican votes. There are a lot of people here on DU were stone cold Republicans up until very recently, and they still post here. We don't hold people's past against them, as long as they don't disrupt here.

I'm sorry that happened.