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Not so Free Republic: The Shot Heard Around the Net
Posted on Friday, February 11 @ 11:40:53 EST
Topic: George Bush President immigrants
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 2/11/2005
by William Gheen
President, Americans for Legal Immigration PAC
Topics: President, reform, activism, laws, illegal immigration, censorship.
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 President's 'guest worker' 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 management'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 Bush'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 President'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 Robinson's covert attempts to stifle debate should be warned.
Free Republic is one of the Internet'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 site'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 President'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 "there 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." 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 can't communicate with other users. This allows Robinson and his moderators to operate with little fear that the rest of the community will be 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 "rules" 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, SaveOurState.org, 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 Bush'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 www.alipac.us 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 "JR's silence speaks volumes. Not to mention the fact that JR's silencing tactics speak volumes, too! It's just creepy and shameful."
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.
Note: ALIPAC Activists and supporters: Please do all that you can to circulate this information and direct links into this article! People need to know this information!
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| Article Rating | Average Score: 4.54
Votes: 173
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Re: Not so ‘Free Republic': The Shot Heard Around the Net (Score: 1)
by SaveOurState on Friday, February 11 @ 12:22:26 EST
(User Info | Send a Message) | Sometimes, you have to clean your own house in order to get the job done. The national leadership of the GOP is doing everything it can to ram its open borders policies down our throats.
There is a huge fracture between the rank and file and the leadership on illegal immigration.
Jim Robinson,
Systematically purging conservative opposition to
President Bush and his open border policies
contradicts the founding principles of FreeRepublic! |
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Re: Not so ‘Free Republic': The Shot Heard Around the Net (Score: 1)
by Adgenda21isPoison on Friday, February 11 @ 18:54:09 EST
(User Info | Send a Message) | Copied from www.libertypost.org
""118. To: Sparker (#0)
http://www.libertypost.org/cgi-bin/readart.cgi?ArtNum=84494&Disp=All
One regular supporter of the Bush immigration plan that posts under the name Bayourod, exclaimed "there 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.� 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.
Been banned for close to 3 years now, but Bayourod has always been an idiot. He employees nothing but illegals. He is the type that benefits from subsidized labor. It's called privatizing the gains that come with cheap labor and socializing the expense via higher taxes for schools, health care, police, and prisons.
Instead of competing in a free market, Bayourod wants the taxpayers to pickup the tab. He is a disgrace!
VinnyTex posted on 2005-02-11 17:21:14 ET Reply Trace ""
I wonder if there is any substantial truth here? Does anyone know for sure? Have any pictures? |
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Two can play this game. (Score: 1)
by JimBowery on Saturday, February 12 @ 12:20:06 EST
(User Info | Send a Message) | The DLC and the RNC have both defected against their constituencies.
Hillary Clinton's stand against illegal immigration was a shrewd maneuver but is less of a danger to the Republican coallition than an appropriately reformulated Republican coallition could be to the Democratic coallition.
For policies that could gut the Democrats of their progressive constituents in a way that would be consistent with Republican conservatives see the series of articles by Randall J. Burns at VDARE []. |
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Re: Not so ‘Free Republic': The Shot Heard Around the Net (Score: 1)
by bot_feeder on Saturday, February 12 @ 12:21:20 EST
(User Info | Send a Message) |
I got booted off Freerepublic last year on account of criticizing Bush's amnesty proposals.
In my view, Freerepublic is going to die in the marketplace of ideas.
They operate in the marketplace for conservative political opinion, yet anyone expressing conservative views is blacklisted.
To me, that's a guaranteed path to bankruptcy.
And that's the way a free economy is supposed to work. Those who peddle shoddy goods and try to strongarm out of the market those who operate under ethical business standards, they eventually go out of business. |
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Re: Not so ‘Free Republic': The Shot Heard Around the Net (Score: 1)
by RonLaws on Sunday, February 13 @ 19:04:59 EST
(User Info | Send a Message) | The squelching of Free Speech or of a view that is disliked by the Opposition goes on in several realms. Look at the major media bias and media action of ignoring (not reporting) the most talked about and clear problem in America - illegal Aliens (& related economy problems).
It is certainly known by most Immigration Enforcement activists (who have watched this problem for some time) that those Congressmen that support illegal Aliens and want NO Borders come from both parties-- Democrat and Republicans.
The Republicans or "conservatives" that want to give an amnesty and not close the Border are simply those that are owned by Corporate greed.
It's sheer money and traitorously they won't act on behalf of their own American People or U.S. Nation even if it damages U.S. Homeland Security!!
Democrats do it for the money too and votes and some are about the Liberal agenda. Contributing to this fiasco there are organizations like The Ford Foundation, The Carnegie Corporation of New York, Bank Of America (rather- the Bank of Mexico & foreign greed), Wells Fargo Bank, First Data/ Western Union, Hotel & Restaurant Associations, the ACLU, the American Immigration Lawyers Association, National Council of La Raza, Mexican American Legal Defense Fund (MALDEF) & others that want illegal Aliens and have political strings of deceit.
No - what you have in Congress is not Republicans and Democrats --It's really Americans and Mexicans. This is the extent of the meddling by Mexico in U.S. affairs. The Mexicans in the U.S. Congress are 'Infil-traitors' that need to be spit out and since they are so concerned about illegal Aliens then they need to go to the Mexican Congress in Mexico to fix that broken waisteland of a Nation. These Congressmen actively promote illegal immigration by pushing the use of the Mexican ID Card, U.S. driver licenses for illegals, in-state tuition and more benefits for illegal Aliens AT AMERICANS EXPENSE!
To list a few of the Traitor Congressmen who don't represent the U.S.: Nancy Pelos
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Re: Not so ‘Free Republic': The Shot Heard Around the Net (Score: 1)
by RonLaws on Sunday, February 13 @ 19:38:14 EST
(User Info | Send a Message) | To add to my previous comments:
President Bush will simply mangle/twist/mince words in any way possible --Call it "Immigration Reform" and then call it Border Security to make it look like he has done something - problem solved.
When in fact President Bush's Guestworker/ amnesty Program will NOT DO ANYTHING but keep business as usual --illegal Aliens being hired and illegal Aliens thieving and degrading America en masse down to a 3rd World Nation. If anything Bush's Guestworker program will somehow find a way to disservice and "sock it" to Americans and his own Nation. This program is open-ended with nothing worked out. Rushing to a solution because Mexico RUDELY demands it. This guest worker program surely can be seen as disastorous. Having some sort of "open-slog" where Mexico is the 51st State such that "willing employers match willing workers"----What and who enforcement is going to see that these Workers return to Mexico when their time is up??!! The Federal hog-tied Border Patrol, Homeland Security Dept., out numbered ICE (Immigration & Customs Enforcement) agents, our new Attorney General -Alberto Gonzales?? How about the drugs and corruption flowing into the U.S.?? Then think about ANOTHER huge bumbling Govt. Bureacracy trying to ID and handle this "guestworker program".----Baloney.
President Bush and the "conservatives" who want illegal Aliens and open Borders who look only for greed (nevermind the thought might occur to them that they actually may damage the U.S.) simply will do anything and want to have it BOTH WAYS -- their cheap labor while calling it Border Security. You cannot have it two ways: It is black & white - it's either Legal Entry or ILLEGAL Entry of the U.S.---NO HIRING ILLEGAL ALIENS.
And NO----Mexico's belligerent actions and rhetoric is not that of a friend or ally to the U.S. and it is NOT IMMIGRATION. Mexico's ILLEGAL Intruders shall come under U.S. Law and if they don't like it then they can sit and sit and sit and sit and stay illegal forever......with U.S. laws constantly ha
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