Some of the sheeple are saying a third of a million per year isn't enough; they need a SPECIAL fundraiser to set up a server that actually has some redundancy. Others say it can't be helped: John lives in a different city from the server. Guess that's decreed by God and carved in stone as The Way It Must Be Forevermore.

So that third of a mil must be going to breadsticks now. You have to hand it to them; the Robinsons are masters of the long con. It's really something to see happening these days, in real time. People still fall for things.

How much does Carbonite or a decent RAID system cost these days?

Your mistake is thinking that a rational technical solution is actually desired by FR management. Not so.

If they fixed these problems, what would happen to their Griftathon outages?

Some of the sheeple are saying a third of a million per year isn't enough; they need a SPECIAL fundraiser to set up a server that actually has some redundancy.

Another good indicator that this is a cult, not just a chat board.

They do display a lot of cultish behavior.

Almost as much as AKA gets here at LF. LOL

Some of the sheeple are saying a third of a million per year isn't enough;

Stumpy hasn't raked in that much cash in over a dozen years...

I doubt if the Snookerthon even makes 1/4 what they say it does... probably less than that...

Stumpy hasn't raked in that much cash in over a dozen years...

There were always those who doubted that they ever actually did raise that much money. But you'll never know since you can't see their books.

Are you suggesting we have a "Flameathon" here?

I think Stone should go big. Demand that LF's members donate at least a half-million. Quarterly.

    ; )

kumano Akachan 21 hrs
Why are we down so long?
There should be backup servers and backup storage and redundant servers and streaming real-time database duplication. I don't understand this long down time.
Does anyone know what is going on, and why we don't see updates here? I work in IT and I know the FR Gods know IT and programming, so experiencing this long void is really disheartening.

Jim Robinson reply
We're old fashioned, stubborn and dumb. Too dumb to realize you can't run an operation like this with no capital, no professional management and no expert tech staff. It's just me (an old beat-up, over-the-hill programmer) my two sons and a bookkeeper as partners. John is our entire tech staff. We do the best we can with what the Good Lord provides

It's just me (an old beat-up, over-the-hill programmer) my two sons and a bookkeeper as partners. John is our entire tech staff.

I guess they just can't afford a grand or two out of their $29,000 per MONTH revenue stream to spend on the actual business model for redundancy. And it's not the Good Lord who dumps that cash into their laps. Jesus, Hopalong sounds like Jim and Tammy Faye.

Couldn't even slap in a RAID system, oh no. And they still whine about having to drive to San Jose to check out problems because apparently Hopalong's trailer park still doesn't have electricity and Internet access. Can't possibly have an on-call real tech on retainer or find a closer location with electrical outlets.

Their breadstick bill must be outrageous.

Jim Robinson: The funny (unfortunate) thing about operating without capital is we never seem to have the time and money available to invest in and build the very best in server systems. But we always make the time and find the money required to fix it when it breaks. Also, I think we're talking more about time here than money.

Again, $29,000 per month. People are even posting to him links to RAID systems on Newegg for cheap, but his response is more excuses for being lazy and incompetent and having no help. I've always build redundancy into my various business computer systems; this is basic to corporate survival. These days, the cost to implement redundancy is almost zero in the big scheme of things.

John was the entire tech staff 20 years ago, and his skillset has obviously not improved in all that time.

Twenty years on the Internet is a looooooooooong time...

FreeRepublic is obsolete.... can't keep up with the competition...
too many alternatives available where people don't have to put up with Jimmy's paranoid tyranny...

He's just squeezing FR for the last penny until it dies...

He's just squeezing FR for the last penny until it dies...

And sheeple still line up to be fleeced; read the bootlicking replies for proof.

FreeRepublic is obsolete.... can't keep up with the competition... too many alternatives available where people don't have to put up with Jimmy's paranoid tyranny...

He's just squeezing FR for the last penny until it dies...

How do we know it really goes down?

I recall on LP many just believed he does this during fundraisers to get freepers to donate more

Frank Robinson on FR Facebook:
I've seen several of these kinds of posts in the last few days, and I'm pretty much sick of them. Jim Robinson (no relation) has, for many years, furnished a platform for conservative news/views, at NO CHARGE. No annoying ads. As a physically handicapped person, he has figured out a way to make a living, without receiving government handouts. He is to be applauded. He, and his son, John, provides us with an addictive outlet for our joys and frustrations with government. He is a true conservative, in every sense of the word. Now, some people on here are yapping about "donations", and "freepathons"...my quest us, "why?". He doesn't charge you ANYTHING to sign up, and use FR. If any of you naysayers think you can do it better, then buy you a server, and get started. Jim and John know what they're doing. I've been on the board since 1998, and I can count on one hand the number of serious outages in all that time. If this outage upsets you, then find another website that pleases you more...go there, and stay there. You're acting like petulant democrats not getting their way. If you don't want to "donate", then DON'T...FR will be just fine without you grudges participation.good work work jim/John, we appreciate you both.

How do we know it really goes down?

Oh, it's definitely down: http://www.isitdownrightnow.com/freerepublic.com.html and Johnny had to race off to San Jose to examine the hard drive and carefully carry it back to the trailer park like a Faberge egg to do incantations over it or something.

Much easier than just installing new hardware with built-in RAID, I suppose. It's only been 20 years of screwups; they're still learning.

But at least a few brave sheeple are posting on the FB site, reminding people that it always goes down during high-stress periods, too - like election nights, and are postulating why it needs to be that way given the amount of revenue they receive.

That would be $29,000 per month, remember.

Oh, it's definitely down: http://www.isitdownrightnow.com/freerepublic.com.html and Johnny had to race off to San Jose to examine the hard drive and carefully carry it back to the trailer park like a Faberge egg to do incantations over it or something.

I been using isitdownrightnow.

What I really meant is how do we know he's not bringing it down on purpose.

What I really meant is how do we know he's not bringing it down on purpose.

For a day, day and a half, maybe - to stimulate the sheeple.

It's been about four days now - that's way too long, now people start getting used to being without it and are wondering why it's so crappy for so much money.

If this is intentional, he's overplayed his hand. That doesn't mean he won't recover the grift to at least 95% of what it was; bootlicks persist.

Johnny had to race off to San Jose to examine the hard drive and carefully carry it back to the trailer park like a Faberge egg to do incantations over it or something.

Bwaahaa!! Hilarious!!

It's been about four days now - that's way too long, now people start getting used to being without it...

Yes, the SANE Freepers are getting used to it, having already wise to the charade and flown the coop to other forums that don't prey upon the aging, the naive, loyal, honest patriots.

Most Freepers are so used to using FR as their proxy best friend, hubby/wifey, and narcotic that many are likely having drug withdrawal symptoms and separation anxiety after 4 days. This is the same cruel joke and script the Robinsons have played on a regular basis for HOW LONG NOW??

At what point do the majority resent this same game, repeated script and Pavlov's Dog operation during these shake-downs?

It's like a comedic Twilight Zone episode. John Rob finally announces THE doohicky has been located somewhere in a time-warp dungeon in the year 1999...

...After posting a selfie of himself sporting a miners' helmet, blackened, sweaty face, and impish smile, John becomes lionized (as usual), showered with countless "PRAISE THE LORD!" thanks for supposedly risking life and limb through the Gates of Hell...JUST to raise old, battered, sabotaged FR back from the dead like Lazarus.

Immediate wrath will be poured on the heads of ANY complainants, aka "Freeploaders".

Immediate wrath will be poured on the heads of ANY complainants, aka "Freeploaders".

If you don't like FR going down then just donate more $$$$. Saint JR barely gets enough in donations for himself and his family to live comfortable, he doesn't do this for $$$ he is patriotic. We should all pray thanks for him, keeping America free while handicapped.

Its just he and John (how come he doesn't mention onyx??) working together keeping old outdated servers up and running some of the time on the few measely hundreds of K$$$ he gets from our pathetic donations.

Thanks JR and Jim Jones.

before a donor - benefactor - buyer

shows up

To The rescue

The legalizaTion of marijuana

will drive The price of breadsTicks down

love
boris

Jim Robinson: Received a two part message from John. The first part went into some of the horror stories of procurement, replacement and recovery but he ended it upbeat. Sounds like he's making great progress. Says he's going to go up to San Jose and purchase some additional equipment then he should be ready to install. And he says installation should be straightforward as the drive is pre-loaded and ready to go. The only thing he left off was the timing and I haven't heard back from him on that yet. Oops, he just responded to my question if we were going to be up today.. Said it depends on how many unexpected problems like he had yesterday pop up. Prayers up!

I guess San Jose must be the Mecca for shitty servers - he's always going there to screw around with something. The "horror stories" no doubt result from trying to find parts for 1992 Gateway Pentium II servers.
Four days down.

At what point do the majority resent this same game, repeated script and Pavlov's Dog operation during these shake-downs?

It's actually part of the appeal of FR. It's the whole scene.

And, yes, I agree that it is a conditioned response. RimJob has spent years conditioning his doggies to this desired behavior.

I guess San Jose must be the Mecca for shitty servers - he's always going there to screw around with something. The "horror stories" no doubt result from trying to find parts for 1992 Gateway Pentium II servers.

Heretic!

I have it on good authority that it's a Packard Bell 486SX.

And, yes, I agree that it is a conditioned response. RimJob has spent years conditioning his doggies to this desired behavior.

Jim Robinson: Put RAID on my Christmas list, btw. And Cloud.

Twenty-nine Thousand Dollars per month.

No "you don't know what the f you're doing, given your level of donations", it's all "thank you for RimJob, God!" "we can wait forever if we have to - let's have a special griftathon!" and similar hosannas.

Hiter discovers Anti-freepers

I recalled this looking back through old LP posts.

It was 2010 and you introduced it on a thread I posted called "JR Zots Bobj' the first thread I ever posted there.

It was typical to see 5 comments per thread there but that one drew many hundreds, a fun time.

Some of the sheeple are saying a third of a million per year isn't enough; they need a SPECIAL fundraiser to set up a server that actually has some redundancy.

I saw that suggestion.

The reason why JR cant do that is many donating freepers would just donate to that instead of the current Robinson freepthon slush fund that goes to his family and friends.

"Sorry Jim, my last dollar went to your server fund and the rest of my SS check must go to my rented room, and the Mac-an-Cheese and Tuna which I live on . But MAGA!"

This one from FB is funny

Bonnie Webre Graham
I don't think I've heard of any website being down this long.
Like · 1 hr

Tom Wilk
But what other website is totally spam-free and protects your identity? Although prying eyes can see what goes in and out of the web site.
Like · 58 mins

Bonnie Webre Graham
Is that why it's been down so long?
Like · 1 · 57 mins

It was 2010 and you introduced it on a thread I posted called "JR Zots Bobj' the first thread I ever posted there.

I can't believe you recall the title of the thread. Or have a bookmark to it.

I had an old copy of the YouTube vid on my home page here at LF and this thread reminded me of it.

I still can't recall who it was over at LP that kept such meticulous records on the day-to-day take for the quarterly Griftathons. He used spreadsheets and did analysis on how long it took for the griftathons to reach their funding goal and how it was taking longer and longer over time. It was a dedicated bit of analysis that he excelled at. He was one of LP's better posters but just suddenly left LP one day.

I think Stone should go big. Demand that LF's members donate at least a half-million. Quarterly.

How much are you in for? Lets create a matching fund thread!

LP: Jim Robinson Trolls for cash - Alternatives to donor based, ie, freepathon business model

It had a 'Hitler banned from FR' video I had completely forgotten about.

How much are you in for? Lets create a matching fund thread!

You first. LOL

But it makes me think.

1. Stone starts a "Buy Your Own Moderator Superpowers" griftathon at LF
2. He could offer to sell various "levels" of moderator powers at rising price points
3. . . .
4. Profit!
5. [Stone subsequently doesn't grant anyone any moderator privileges here but just makes some lame excuse about needing more money to pay Neil to "add those features" to LF. He does this repeatedly, multiple times a year.]
6. Even more profit!

Psst! I just got a private email by ModeratorX ... she sez you are going to be kicked permanently (again).

Oh, thank God!

I can never understand all the threats of being perm banned @LF. Yet, here you and I stand as living, breathing examples of personal fortitude,...

To be fair, I wasn't banned. I just left for a period of some months. At least once, I was post-limited for a period of days though.

Break...

Stone, you should post on JRs FB and advertise this site as never going down and not freakathons. :-)

Bonnie Webre Graham I don't think I've heard of any website being down this long. Like · 1 hr

Tom Wilk But what other website is totally spam-free and protects your identity? Although prying eyes can see what goes in and out of the web site. Like · 58 mins

Bonnie Webre Graham Is that why it's been down so long? Like · 1 · 57 mins

I guess any hopes of keeping that identity protected went out the window when they posted on FB. Lol.

I guess any hopes of keeping that identity protected went out the window when they posted on FB. Lol.

I don't know if you went to the FRFB yourself but a number of them have been complaining about exactly that.

They don't want to identify their FR username on FB since that would identify them personally. And those who post crazy stuff like calling for armed rebellion or racial comments may not be comfortable doing it under their real name.

From JR's standpoint he probably wants it open so his FR members who don't use FB can get to it when FR is down, FR put up a page saying it was down with a link to the FB page.

"Free Republic is supported 100% by our donations. The reason we do not have the best and top of the line servers and backup servers is money."

Again, $29,000 per month, for years. So of course reply #5 is:

"Hardware is expensive and has a limited lifespan."

Since when has hardware been expensive for projects like this? Wouldn't 10% of $29 Large pretty much cover it, including support and maintenance? Is all that money just for plenary indulgences from the Messiah and breadsticks, leaving nothing for ongoing operations of the actual business? Gross revenues in the companies I started were relied upon for, you know, running the business.

Somebody should post on the "Yay, we're back!" threads asking to see the receipts to see how much was spent on the repairs, then compare against $29,000 per month.

And again I'm reminded that we can edit posts, yet after over 20 years and millions of dollars, the FRsheeple still cannot.

This may help:

If you don't like FR going down then just donate more $$$$. Saint JR barely gets enough in donations for himself and his family to live comfortable, he doesn't do this for $$$ he is patriotic. We should all pray thanks for him, keeping America free while handicapped.

LOL @ the "Jim Jones" crack. At times it certain appears that way,doesn't it?

Your above observations are the constants, aren't they?

1) More $$$$ = MORE stable site that *might not* go down. Baby Needs new shoes every quarter.

2) Lionizing and worshiping JR as THE Defender of Freedom, of Nation, of Faith.

Its just he and John (how come he doesn't mention onyx??) working together keeping old outdated servers up and running some of the time on the few measely hundreds of K$$$ he gets from our pathetic donations..

Yes, it's sad.

Onyx is a well-intending person who has always been under-appreciated. She seems to have mellowed over the years (like most of us.)

FR is thought of as an old friend. Existing, aging posters like it just the way it is. A closed chatroom. Heavily censored and moderated.

The truth of the matter as most of us know:

FR has in its ancient past been a good forum. But one should never make the mistake that beyond 2004 that it has historically supported REAL "conservative" principles OR the absolute truth.

Above all else Free Republic and its hierarchy have protected JR's source of income, which was indeed supplemented by GOP lobbyists of pro-illegal, pro-Amnesty policies from 2003 through 2008 at EXACTLY the juncture FR's influence was needed.

Current Freepers have either ignored or forgotten OR are obvious to how JR took the $$$ and ran during the crucial 2005-2006 era when he defended Dubya Bush's pro-Illegal Invasion, pro-Amnesty positions and policies (as well as allowing pro-illegal posters to attack pro-sovereignty posters with impunity.)

JR's position was indefensible. It hurt the forum, and hurt the rep of FR. Most of us recall the purges of pro-soveignty posters, INCLUDING one Travis McGee (which said it all.)

FR's hierarchy as well as JR's family are perfectly fine continuing to use the 20th century interface AND relying on guilt for donations from the same aging, non-inquisitive posters through the years -- WITHOUT infusing the place with newer blood. More challenging conservative posters who occasionally rock the boat need not apply nor are they welcome.

Classic answer. Classic scene ;-)

I recalled this looking back through old LP posts.

It was 2010 and you introduced it on a thread I posted called "JR Zots Bobj' the first thread I ever posted there.

For your nostalgia collection:

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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2570904/posts?page=42#42

To: Bob J

Bob, we have received nearly 300 DMCA take down notices during the last 10 years or so and we’ve fully complied with each and every one of them. The reason for the registration is so that a publisher can find the name and address where he should send the notice. Obviously, not one of these 300 or so publishers had a problem finding our address since it’s been posted on every page of FR since 1998 and my email address is posted on the home page as well. Also, we are registered with gkg.net and Righthaven is very much aware of that since they use that source to unethically spring frivolous lawsuits on people with no prior notice and threaten to have their registered domain names transferred to them. Sorry, pal, but you and Gibson will learn that we are very much covered by DMCA and we fully comply with the law in all respects. The congress set up DMCA to make the resolution of these nickel dime hassles routine and not matters to clog up the federal courts. We demonstrably comply with the intent of the law as enacted by congress, Righthaven does not. Call your good buddy Steve Gibson back and let him know that you and he are both losers. And while you’re at it, get a life. Can’t believe you have the gall to post on FR after you’ve joined Gibson/Righthaven against us. You really are an ass.

42 posted on 8/16/2010, 5:54:02 PM by Jim Robinson (JUST VOTE THEM OUT! teapartyexpress.org)

[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 32 | View Replies]

---

To: Bob J

Get the hell off FR, you asshole!

Zot!

43 posted on 8/16/2010, 5:55:01 PM by Jim Robinson (JUST VOTE THEM OUT! teapartyexpress.org)

[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 40 | View Replies]

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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2466679/posts

Why was a founding member of the FreeRepublic LLC 501(c) board banned by a housewife modmin/admin?

FreeRepublic LLC, 501(C), Sacramento California ^ | Happy OpusEve's Day? | JerseyHighlander

Posted on 3/8/2010, 4:17:34 PM by JerseyHighlander

Why was a founding member of the FreeRepublic LLC 501(c) board banned by a modmin/admin who is no more than a volunteer sitting at home on a ego trip?

How many thousands of archive pages were just fractured due to this foolishness?

Not only should a full explanation be given to the public, the admin who approved this measure needs to be publicly named, and publicly defend the position.

THis is the most abject failure of the modmin system that John Robinson devised in the history of FR since the rebuild in 1999.

If the admin powered individual was anyone other than current or former formal members of the LLC, the admin must be removed from the admin level and any admins who want to defend that admin should also make themselves publicly known and defend their position.

This banning is an indictment on the failure of the admins of this website. That is putting it politely.

583 Comments

Note: FR LLC was never a 501(c) non-profit.

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How much money did you donate?

One MILLION dollars. The check will be in the mail soonest.