I guess it is not really a “free republic” after all.

Published On: December 9, 2015|Categories: MRFF's Inbox|18 Comments|

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Greetings!  Before I make my comments, let me tell you about myself and the person you just banned from making responses to your “readers.”

I am a recently retired, Senior Officer, from the United States Air Force.  I served for 27-years, as a combat aviator and leader, at the flight, squadron and group levels.  I have three combat tours under my belt, two to Iraq and one to East Africa, one in the air and two on the ground.  I have led and influenced troops, from the very beginning of my career, and always did so, within the guidelines of the oath I took, to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States.”  This is what true American military leaders and military members do, but unfortunately, too many of our fellow Americans don’t have a clue, as to why we do business that way, and don’t bother to seek the truth.

I am a new “poster”, going by “MRFF Heroes”, and in full disclosure, it is because I am a fan and supporter of the MRFF and their mission to support our troops.  I signed up to make comments today (Dec 8, 2015), to a specific article, and my posting privileges have already been revoked.  That was fast!

I truthfully don’t know much about the Free Republic and I, as I have just discovered, wrongfully thought it was a forum that Americans could exercise their Constitutional rights to freedom of expression, about topics of the day, and not one that bans dissenting opinions.

The posts, by New Republic members, based on the article about the violation of the United States Constitution, by some players of the USAFA football team, the coaching staff and USAFA leadership, are hate-filling, bigoted, uninformed, inflammatory, and are personally offensive to Mikey Weinstein and the MRFF.  Frankly they are treasonous and Un-American. Those “posters” are not Patriots or concerned Americans.  They are just ignorant haters.

I simply provided educated and truthful responses to those hate-filled, bigoted, and racist comments, posted by your members, without using profanity or personal attacks, other then simply recommending that your members educate themselves before making such obscene and uneducated responses, and to avoid personal attacks on someone that they don’t even know. What is the problem with that?  Shouldn’t we know the facts before we speak?  Aren’t we a free country where we can speak our mind and to worship or not worship anyway we chose (within the guidelines of the Constitution)?  According to the New Republic, that answer is no.

I stated that I personally know Mikey Weinstein, his wonderful and Patriotic family, and some members of the MRFF staff, and they are more American and Patriotic than ANY of the posters I saw to this article.  They have endured daily and obscene verbal abuse and the most horrific threats of violence, all coming from “God-fearing” and “Patriotic Americans,” yet, they have sacrificed their safety and personal finances, to faithfully serve the men and women of our armed forces and Department of Defense, free of charge, every day.  They actually “support” our troops, unlike the majority of Americans, who just pay that phrase “lip-service.”

If you don’t learn anything else from my comments here, the MRFF works diligently to insure that our military members, from all the services, and Department of Defense civilians, can execute their mission without being proselytized to and discriminated against, because of their beliefs or non-beliefs.  This is what the Founding Fathers wanted and this is what real Americans do.

In closing, since you don’t allow comment, that isn’t inline with your dogma and and uninformed opinions, I respectfully suggest that you change your name from the “Free Republic” to something that doesn’t suggest “free” nor “republic”

Respectfully,

Colonel Greg Petrequin, USAF Retired

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18 Comments

  1. Mark Sebree December 9, 2015 at 8:44 pm

    Col. Petrequin,

    Sadly, the attitudes at the New Republic website, both by the “approved” posters and by banning anyone that does not agree with the articles and tries to correct the “editorial comments” within it, are far too common among right wing websites. I personally have been banned from around 10 such sites for doing the same thing that you did, tell the truth.

    The problem is that the owners of those sites do not want the truth to be told. They want their opinions, hatred, and intolerance to go unchallenged. They don’t want their readers to think and reason, they want them to react and be outraged. Probably (personal opinion) because when someone is outraged and reacting in anger, they fail to see the results of their actions, and thus end up worse off than when they started. Which pretty much explains the entire Republican Party right now.

  2. G December 9, 2015 at 9:41 pm

    Colonel. If you look at the history of this country, it was never really free when you look at how workers even to this day are not treated as equal partners in the American economy. In addition, unless you had property, you could not vote in American elections and the American people could not directly vote on who was to be their US Senator until the early 20th century. Corporations and wealthy people told the state legislators who was supposed to be the US Senator. The southern part of the USA was pretty much a fascist state when you look at the sharecropper system, private corporate police and the regular police attacking labor activists when they tried to organize unions, and arresting Afro-Americans on all sorts of charges and when the Afro-Americans could not pay the court fines and fees, they would send to work camps for American corporations to paid off their court fees and fines.

  3. Diane December 10, 2015 at 4:45 am

    First, let’s see if this post stays; first peaceful prayer is the antithesis of the definition of PUTRID. Imagine describing a different group, other than Christian, PUTRID. PUTRIFY, ROT, VILE, these are words of death, destruction and decay, the opposite of kind, generous, peaceful, quiet prayer.
    Next, G, please be very clear with your ‘southern’ platitude, as you must know that until just recently, the segregated south was ran by democrats, Sherriffs, governors, mayors and the like. The KKK etc.. Hated Catholics, Jews, Blacks, all democrats, same as today. ‘Congress shall make no law regarding the ESTABLISHMENT of religion or RESTRICTING the FREE EXERCISE THEREOF”. Any government entity cannot restrict persons from their FREE EXERCISE of religious beliefs, including public prayer. ESPECIALLY government. A private institution can but the government CANNOT! So it goes without saying, or should, that the military, congress, etc cannot restrict these young men’s willingness and desire to pray. Understand? Mark Sebree, calling Christians PUTRID IS PURE HATEFULNESS. Pure and simple, calling anyone by this vile description is hateful, please quit the self righteousness and believing for one second that you have a hate free heart, you’re lying to yourself and fooling no one.

  4. Diane December 10, 2015 at 5:04 am

    To the Col. Thank you for your service. My father, Command Sgt. Maj. Korea, and Vietnam, silver star, 2 bronze stars, Purple Heart recipient, would disagree with you. Heroism and sacrifice are often preceded by and occompanied by TRUE faith. Sorry that Mikey feels the heat of the defenders of religion but the constitution is not a religion and to say it is is a joke and an insult. When your motto mocks religion, and it does, expect nothing less than ridicule in return. Let’s just say an eye for and eye.

  5. Connie December 10, 2015 at 7:00 am

    Diane – you said “…calling Christians PUTRID IS PURE HATEFULNESS. Pure and simple, calling anyone by this vile description is hateful, please quit the self righteousness and believing for one second that you have a hate free heart, you’re lying to yourself and fooling no one.”

    If the Christians in question were following the words of their saviour (praying in private) no one would have an issue. However, that is not the case here. Christian supremacists are gathering, in their uniform, and praying very publicly while the whole world watches. And forcing players to go along or be shunned. So Christ like…

    These football players don’t represent themselves or their churches. They represent all of the USA and not all of us believe as you do. There are millions of people who do good works, live meaningful lives, all without your religion. That has to make someone in charge (not God but the priest class) rather fussy as historically only TWUE CHRISTIANS (trademark pending) had the corner on morality.

    Your comment about your post remaining – reading comprehension is not a skill set you employ either as MRFF is very clear about what is posted remains posted. Believe me, I’ve longed for an edit button as my fingers are not as nimble as when I was young.

    Actually, from my surfing the interwebs I found the right wing sites are infamous for scrubbing comments from anyone that doesn’t espouse hate for others or tells the truth. Everyone else I’ve discovered – those who use their critical thinking skills that is – leave comments up unless the commentator violates the terms of service agreement.

    You supremacists… always painting everyone else with the actions you take. Stop it. We are not in high school anymore.

  6. Yeshua Warrior December 10, 2015 at 3:03 pm

    I just love the hypocrisy of the MRFF, for they too ban people from their FB page who do not hold the same thoughts or ideology as their own, case in point myself, as well as other Christians I have read who have been banned from Mikey’s FB page!

    So, please, come off your high horse before you fall off of it. Remember what Jesus said, “pride goes before a fall”

    Also, Connie, these football players do not represent the USA anymore than the Dallas Cowboys are “America’s Team” as said at times.

    Finally, Jesus never said to pray in private, this is the most over used verse by non believers to establish their case. Jesus Himself prayed in public as recorded in scripture at least two times as well as His disciples prayed in publically also twice as recorded in the Book of Acts. So, was Jesus disobeying His own command then or His disciples as well? Not at all!

  7. Connie December 10, 2015 at 3:19 pm

    YW – per your own holy book

    ”And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets (public display), that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” Matthew 6:5-6

    Since you don’t understand the passage quoted above it is logical you don’t understand cadets in the United States Air Force Academy football team represent everyone in the USA, not just themselves.

  8. Connie December 10, 2015 at 3:43 pm

    PS the bible quote I used above was lifted from one of Pastor Joan’s responses. Thank you for all your research. :)

    Added note – YW doesn’t understand that many of us stood where he is now but found the view to be lacking. We’ve moved onto our own pathways which drives him crazy.

    Based on the violence YW calls for in previous comments he is, in my opinion, a danger to anyone who disagrees with his mindset.

  9. G December 10, 2015 at 5:20 pm

    Connie, thanks for the quote from the Bible. That will shut up YW for awhile.

    YW, from all your comments on this website, I can see why your remarks are scrubbed from the MRFF’s website since they are so offensive. Try to be a little bit more civilized with your remarks and maybe they won’t get deleted.

    Diane, I know that the South was dominated by the Democratic Party for a long time after the Civil War: however, that changed after President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act and then he stated that the Democratic Party had lost the South after the signing the document. In addition, the Republican Party launch their Southern Strategy to get the racist, sexist, religious Democrats to move over to the Republican Party so now for the last 48 years, the Republican Party has dominated the South because all those rank and file Democrats are now rank and file Republicans. However, the Republican Party since 1896 is still the party for big business so nothing has really changed for the Republicans.

  10. G December 10, 2015 at 5:24 pm

    Diane, you need to read the book Slavery by Another Name where it show how the Southern city, county, and state governments along with the Northern and Southern American businesses along with the Southern media came together to make the South a fascist state.

  11. G December 10, 2015 at 5:27 pm

    YW, you just fell off your high horse, thanks to Connie making a mockery of your statement about prayer. You need to go back to Bible school to get a refresher course on the scriptures.

  12. XaurreauX December 11, 2015 at 10:50 am

    Secularism is for GROWNUPS.

  13. G December 11, 2015 at 9:16 pm

    Secularism should be for everyone.

  14. Diane December 18, 2015 at 6:38 pm

    “And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God; but he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.…”

    (It has never been the intention of God to keep him a secret. Real Men Pray! Out loud!)

    18 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first”.
    “If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also”

    (How did He know I’d be, as well as other Christians, attacked for openly expressing faith?)

    God bless all!

  15. G December 19, 2015 at 6:31 pm

    Nothing with praying out loud but not at a military sporting event.

  16. Diane February 18, 2016 at 7:07 am

    CONNIE
    ‘Congress shall make NO LAW regarding the establishment of religion OR RESTRICTING THE FREE THE FREE THE FREE EXERCISE, THE FREE EXERCISE THEREOF…………. Period. DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT THESE WORDS MEAN?

  17. John May 22, 2017 at 11:48 am

    They will ban you for anything that goes against the “crazy” tide. I was a long time poster. I made the fatal mistake of criticizing President Trump. I merely suggested that he stop shooting himself in the foot. That he put down “twitter”, keep his mouth shut (stfu), do something substantial with immigration, and appoint some conservative judges. Those are the reasons that we elected him. BAM! I was BANNED!!!

  18. Spencer Hendron November 28, 2019 at 10:40 am

    After 7 years of seamlessly and without a hitch posting on freerepublic.com, all of a sudden I find myself persona non grata…three times suspended.

    The first was “take a few weeks off and learn how to post”. Next, about a week ago …”go eat a bar of soap”. Finally, within two hours of getting back on….”you are a disgusting person” and a threat to ban permanently. Real tactful and classy moderators eh? And there has been no real change in my demeanor or tone of posting. I guess it’s asking too much for these losers to professionally and politely say exactly what stuck in there craw.

    Cato

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