I have to laugh at myself. I didn't look at the date of the OP and just spent time in this manner, silly me. Nonetheless, perhaps my efforts are not a complete waste of time. To wit:
I joined here after the tea party in 07, we were gaining popularity quite quickly. Im curious what it was like here at RPF when Ron Paul had just announced his campaign.
If you joined in 07, why are you asking the question, given that you should know. You've been here longer than I by 2 years. I recall how it was.
Lessee... We engaged in the chat all the time. One night we spread the rumor that Ron Paul himself was going to be on, and people went apey. We had a teleconference where quite a few of us called in and discussed... well, that I don't even recall any longer.
This site was different. If we were discussing "sensitive" topics, there were no words that were x'd out, for example. The participation was high, as was the number of users.
But things changed. The "movement" lost steam, especially when Dr. Paul so very predictably failed to gain the Seat. We began seeing lots of banning (remember Old Ducker, for example?). Then the dead horses came out for beatings. Let's face it, we've pretty well said it all at this point, fourteen and sixteen years later. That is not to say we should stop talking, perish the thought, for exchange can lead to moments of illumination and it takes only one right idea at the right time to lead to change. But the downside is that talk is all that we do, and here "we" means Americans at large.
I've posted some 15K times here in those years, a meager number when compared with others, but in that small pond I tried to get projects going at least a couple of times. Nobody was interested that I can recall. That is one of the ways in which the so-called "left" makes us look like imbeciles. Those stooges of totalitarianism peel their low-IQ selves from the couches in their mothers' basements and they
act. While we all may agree that they act like felonious idiots, any man of good and honest character will at least give them credit for getting up and moving. We do nothing, and that is a painfully sad truth of it.
I once suggested that at large events, whenever an issue arises that is repugnant to liberty that people stand and turn their backs to whoever/watever it may be that is offensive to that which is right and good. Nada. How about showing up in large numbers to polling places to ensure there is no funny business going on? But no, we won't get it up even to that meager extent. The left are burning down cities and even murdering people via mob action. Is it any wonder that we stand at the edge of an abyss that, once fallen into there will be no crawling back out?
I think they were greater. At this point, it seems most of us are now trying to hold on to what little remains of our liberties, rather than the idea of reclamation. Consider how this site changed in that regard with respect to policy. I seem to recall, and I may be mistaken here, a time when talk of physical resistance was acknowledged. For years now there has been a no-no policy where any talk of warring was concerned. OK, fine, but what do you do when the only choices remaining are to war or capitulate?
No sir, I am certain that our stated aspirations and hopes were far and away more ambitious than we now find them, speaking to the mean. As for myself, each passing day convinces me just a mite further that war is the only option left, given the realities of division and the fact that we won't even get it up to engage in mass disobedience.
did you guys EVER think we would have the numbers we now have?
What numbers are those? And what, precisely, defines "we"?
did you expect Ron Paul to be an internet sensation?
What sensation? He remains popular with a small subset that is either too small to be effective, too full of hot air to be effective, or both.
NOTHING detectably good is happening. Very much the contrary, things are worse than ever. The global economy is faltering, bordering on a failure that stands to see terrible results for vast legions of the human population. Liberty is now pared so thin as to have become a caricature of itself and huge numbers of people are not only OK with it, they seem to be demanding even more circumscription because their despicable cowardice requires the illusions of safety and their avarice screeches for more free stuff. We are a veritable train-wreck.
did you think we would EVER raise the kind of money we raised in the 4th quarter, when we were in the 1st quarter?
The amounts of money one raises is irrelevant in system rigged against his success. Besides, the indicator is nothing of which to brag and I will tell you why. Lazy shitheels who want something, rather than go and make it for themselves, pay others to do it for them. This is not always bad, but in the relevant context here, it is always bad because all such people have to
do is write a check or give out a credit card number. They then wash their hands of all responsibility, pawning that bit off onto the shoulders of people like Ron Paul, whom they expect to do all the heavy lifting. It is disgusting to witness it.
We want want want, but don't want to pay pay pay.
even more important, to those of you who have been right in your predictions for the campaign/movement where do you see our support at in 2012??????
<screeeeeeeeeeeech>...
2012...
That's
MISTER Eeediot to you.