"Surely My Mercy overtakes My Wrath"

Free Republic?   Not Quite ...
... just free for the Anti-Islam Brigades
[Reason and sense have been exiled from FreeRepublic.com]


     FreeRepublic.com, the domain of Jim "JimRob" Robinson located on a server in Fresno, California, bills itself as "The web's premier conservative news discussion forum!" and appears to be just that.  It is frequented by sixty thousand regular visitors who spend time there daily, and thousands more who stop in when they can get on-line.  Congressional offices monitor the discussions, talking heads and journalists of all stripes track it closely as well, and it is generally considered a bastion of the conservative values and thought moving among the much-heralded "silent majority" of politically active Americans.  Liberals need not apply -- although of course they can read and post and get flamed and ridiculed, if not "educated."

     And lately, muslims -- or anyone else with faith, reason and sense -- need not apply at all ...


     As "Ankaboot," I first posted to Free Republic in 1999 and was well-received.  Adam Our Father  -- written for Free Republic readers -- drew friendly and sincere questions ...
In this world of today, where all are at each other's throats, where even those who gather in common cause on this forum spend far too much time in mutual thrust and parry, how will "The People of the Book", who all believe in the same God yet disagree on so many fundamental issues, finally (or ever) come together?
and friendly compliments ...
You are a beautiful writer with a gift for metaphor, a good natured elegant spider.
and a friendly warning and a harbinger, perhaps, of things to come ...
Quite literally people lose their posting privileges.  Do not confuse this as a "Free forum," it is not what the name implies.  It has been clearly declared and recognized as the private property of the owner.  It has been made analogous to his living room.  He has guidelines to posting, which if followed are very reasonable.  An issue has been that some individuals have been allowed to violate those guidelines and gain forgiveness, and others have been banned quickly.  A mitigating factor seems to be the overall contribution to the quality of the site.

There are mobs, (and lap dogs to certain doctrinists) who hold sway at times on this forum.  JimRob has a difficult job, and as I have watched him try to perform it, he has gained my respect.

     But Palestine and the misconduct of the Israelis was not a taboo subject, it drew lively contention.  An ancient story from Scripture generated a lengthy and informative Thread.  Keeping The Faith ~ "Religion, Freedom, and International Affairs" was a welcomed Thread.  Neither taboo was the U.S.S. Liberty discussion to which I posted
I know of no other subject than the USS Liberty, and the consequent history surrounding the efforts of the victims of this aggression to obtain the least semblance of justice against their suffering, that is more vital to the understanding of the American people of their politics and directions of this nation.  Without knowledge of the inner workings of our institutions and the influences brought to bear upon them, through incisive political understanding and concerted organization and direction, there is no hope of recovery of our cherished freedoms which have been systematically eroded through Supreme Court interpretation until they scarcely exist.
and in which I read a new layer of disinformation denying that atrocity, from an appropriately named "Magician."

     Free Republic was a friendly place in 1999. Contentious, raucous, often inane and banal, but courtesy and respectful discussion prevailed and apart from the occasional crowd "invading" to push this or that hot partisan issue, strangers were welcome to join in.


     I went back to Free Republic five days after the terrorists attacked the Trade Towers and the Pentagon, largely in response to the demonization campaign being waged against muslims in America and worldwide.  A day later, the Anti-Islam Brigades descended on Free Republic and swamped all the Threads into which I was posting with their kill'em all rhetoric, fanning the flames of demonization of muslims and Arabs -- and anyone else who might express some misgivings about bombing Afghanistan and wherever else muslims might be found, including the "fifth column" that has "snuck into" America.

     JimRob -- the site owner -- definitely has been given some new "rules of engagement" for Free Republic.

     A few days ago I clicked on the link to post a reply to someone, only to discover that it no longer worked.  Which was quite a surprise, coming completely out of the blue without the least hint that I had done anything to offend.  So I clicked on the line to compose an email to ask about that ... and then I started thinking about writing this page ...

     In the scrolling frame below are links to 57 Threads to which I was posting at Free Republic in the weeks immediately after 9/11.  The list itself can be opened in this window by clicking on the "Thread List (Show this Thread list in upper window)" link.  To return to this page (or to the Thread list after selecting a Thread), press the Back button on your browser.  The Thread titles, on the left, are links to a local copy of the complete Thread as it stood before JimRob did the bidding of the Anti-Islam Brigades and purged me from his "Free" Republic.  The words in parentheses to the right ("Pulled" or "Sanitized") are links to the original Threads at Free Republic, so readers can verify that the Threads have been "Pulled" (purged), or "Sanitized" (of all my posts).  Please note that clicking on a link in a Free Republic Thread may bring content from somewhere else into this frame, while the top link in the frame below will bring back this Introduction.

   Every post by Ankaboot has been purged from Free Republic.  The content of these posts was too damaging to the zionists who control Free Republic.  This kind of attention has not been reported by any other banned poster.

     Please feel free to email me with anything offensive you find from my hand in these Threads.  I've been looking at what was removed or "sanitized" in these Threads and the only thing I find is that Free Republic -- like the free Republic left to later generations by the Founding Fathers -- is seriously not free from control by unAmerican parties absolutely opposed to allowing Americans any opportunity to find out about one -- and only one -- religion:  Islam.  Even though it's a little late ...

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