JimRob dead - TOS

[the OlLine Rebel]

Just looked at TOS and this afternoon ChrisRob posted his dad died.  RIP to JimRob.

[Hoodat]

 .

[Sighlass]

Even though I have expected it for a couple of years now, it still comes as a shock.

Putting some personal grievances things aside... Prayers for the family.

[Polly Ticks]

Prayers up for his family.

[MeganC]

Just looked at TOS and this afternoon ChrisRob posted his dad died.  RIP to JimRob.

RIP

[Lando Lincoln]

RIP

[Smokin Joe]

RIP to Jim. I was class of 99 over there, and posted there until it was obvious I was going to get banned. So I just said my bit and left of my own volition (never got the zot). Still, I expressed a lot of opinions and posted a few facts over there, and I'm grateful for that opportunity.

[Cyber Liberty]

RIP to Jim. I was class of 99 over there, and posted there until it was obvious I was going to get banned. So I just said my bit and left of my own volition (never got the zot). Still, I expressed a lot of opinions and posted a few facts over there, and I'm grateful for that opportunity.

Class of 98 here. I didn't have a big blowup, I just had a difference of opinion on how a forum should be Moderated. 

[Widget Jr]

RIP, prayers for his family.

[Bigun]

RIP, prayers for his family.

 

[AllThatJazzZ]

Sad news about JimRob, but IIRC he'd been frail for quite a while now. The good news for him is that he's now free of his physical restrictions. Hallelujah! Prayers for his family and friends.

Like many here, I was one of those who was cancelled for not toeing the line on Trump 45's candidacy. I don't know who made those decisions, but as far as I was concerned, FR gave up its right to complain about people getting cancelled for having a different opinion. Leftists were absolutely not the only ones in the cancelling business. As someone from the class of 1998*, it was quite an adjustment for me. In those days, FR and Drudge were the first places I'd hit. After getting banned, I felt lost on the internet. I did eventually find and am a member of another message board where we have a section for discussing current events. It was a wonderful, fun, friendly board until some of our key members or their spouses passed. So I had to search the internet for another place to hang, and that's how I got here.

*I was not AllThatJazzZ at FR.

[Cyber Liberty]

Sad news about JimRob, but IIRC he'd been frail for quite a while now. The good news for him is that he's now free of his physical restrictions. Hallelujah! Prayers for his family and friends.

Like many here, I was one of those who was cancelled for not toeing the line on Trump 45's candidacy. I don't know who made those decisions, but as far as I was concerned, FR gave up its right to complain about people getting cancelled for having a different opinion. Leftists were absolutely not the only ones in the cancelling business. As someone from the class of 1998*, it was quite an adjustment for me. In those days, FR and Drudge were the first places I'd hit. After getting banned, I felt lost on the internet. I did eventually find and am a member of another message board where we have a section for discussing current events. It was a wonderful, fun, friendly board until some of our key members or their spouses passed. So I had to search the internet for another place to hang, and that's how I got here.

*I was not AllThatJazzZ at FR.

I was class of 98, and if you PM me your old handle I won't tell anybody. Not even Boss Lady!

[mystery-ak]

Sad news about JimRob, but IIRC he'd been frail for quite a while now. The good news for him is that he's now free of his physical restrictions. Hallelujah! Prayers for his family and friends.

Like many here, I was one of those who was cancelled for not toeing the line on Trump 45's candidacy. I don't know who made those decisions, but as far as I was concerned, FR gave up its right to complain about people getting cancelled for having a different opinion. Leftists were absolutely not the only ones in the cancelling business. As someone from the class of 1998*, it was quite an adjustment for me. In those days, FR and Drudge were the first places I'd hit. After getting banned, I felt lost on the internet. I did eventually find and am a member of another message board where we have a section for discussing current events. It was a wonderful, fun, friendly board until some of our key members or their spouses passed. So I had to search the internet for another place to hang, and that's how I got here.

*I was not AllThatJazzZ at FR.

Well I am glad you found us...

[MajorClay]

Bummer

[Idiot]

Just looked at TOS and this afternoon ChrisRob posted his dad died.  RIP to JimRob.

I'm sorry to see him go.  He was a patriot.

I wonder if this will cut their monthly need of funds in half now?

[massadvj]

We had our differences, but I wish his family well, and I harbor no ill will toward the man.

There was no place in the world quite like FR during the time of the Clinton impeachment. That was peak FR. I attended the Free Republic inauguration ball in Washington, January of 2001. That was a hoot. I have many happy memories of those early years when the internet was young and our ambitions for conservatism were sky high. Jim Robinson was a pioneer in online activism, and although many others came along later and surpassed him with better technology and management, he was the first in the arena, and he paved the way for a bloodless revolution.

So here is to you, JR. Well played!

[Luis Gonzalez]

RIP Jim.

[cato potatoe]

 

[Smokin Joe]

We had our differences, but I wish his family well, and I harbor no ill will toward the man.

There was no place in the world quite like FR during the time of the Clinton impeachment. That was peak FR. I attended the Free Republic inauguration ball in Washington, January of 2001. That was a hoot. I have many happy memories of those early years when the internet was young and our ambitions for conservatism were sky high. Jim Robinson was a pioneer in online activism, and although many others came along later and surpassed him with better technology and management, he was the first in the arena, and he paved the way for a bloodless revolution.

So here is to you, JR. Well played!

The 'Fair Use' lawsuit helped pave the way for so many online commentary/discussion sites. A lot of good came out of that site early on.

[txradioguy]

Class of 98 here. I didn't have a big blowup, I just had a difference of opinion on how a forum should be Moderated.

Class of 2000 here.  I remember meeting him at a Gathering of Eagles/TEA Party things in DC in either 2007 or 2008

[txradioguy]

The 'Fair Use' lawsuit helped pave the way for so many online commentary/discussion sites. A lot of good came out of that site early on.

IMO if that lawsuit hadn't been successful...then none of us would have ever known that CBS used fabricated documents in a story about Bush 43.  That story broke on FR.

[mountaineer]

Class of 98 here, and attendee of the 2001 inaugural ball. Those were heady days, indeed. I think it went to his head, and the grifters, opportunists, and butt-kissers who glommed onto JR contributed to his zot-happy intolerance for opposing views.

[DCPatriot]

Class of 98 here, and attendee of the 2001 inaugural ball. Those were heady days, indeed. I think it went to his head, and the grifters, opportunists, and butt-kissers who glommed onto JR contributed to his zot-happy intolerance for opposing views.

98 Class, too!

Attended several of their events around the Washington Monument, The "March for Justice" on October 31st...met JR, Lucianne Goldberg etc..

[Timber Rattler]

I couldn't stand his clear double standard and playing favorites.  I also have gotten some nasty private messages from him over the years because I dissented from his echo chamber.  And then there was the Cruz purge in 2016.  That was just too much, as FR turned its back on Reagan Conservativism and descended into the populist abyss.

[andy58-in-nh]

RIP, Jim. 

I was Class of 2000... never got purged, but left of my own accord when things got too "zot-happy". At its peak, FR was a lot of fun and an exciting place for conservatives to meet. 

[mountaineer]

98 Class, too!
Attended several of their events around the Washington Monument, The "March for Justice" on October 31st...met JR, Lucianne Goldberg etc..

Oh yes, we attended that one, too.

[Bigun]

Sad news about JimRob, but IIRC he'd been frail for quite a while now. The good news for him is that he's now free of his physical restrictions. Hallelujah! Prayers for his family and friends.

Like many here, I was one of those who was cancelled for not toeing the line on Trump 45's candidacy. I don't know who made those decisions, but as far as I was concerned, FR gave up its right to complain about people getting cancelled for having a different opinion. Leftists were absolutely not the only ones in the cancelling business. As someone from the class of 1998*, it was quite an adjustment for me. In those days, FR and Drudge were the first places I'd hit. After getting banned, I felt lost on the internet. I did eventually find and am a member of another message board where we have a section for discussing current events. It was a wonderful, fun, friendly board until some of our key members or their spouses passed. So I had to search the internet for another place to hang, and that's how I got here.

*I was not AllThatJazzZ at FR.

I signed on at FR in March of 98 and spent many happy years there. I made friends with many people I would otherwise never have encountered. And then JR let the mods turn it all to $%*t! I left of my own volition around 2010, bounced from pillar to post until I signed on here in May of 2012. Still here and happy about it. My screen name has not changed since the old BBS days. Maybe we met in person somewhere along the line @AllThatJazzZ as I was very active with the Houston FR crowd for a long time.

[Bigun]

Oh yes, we attended that one, too.

 

[Free Vulcan]

Jim's ego ultimately wrote checks his butt couldn't cash. He thought he was a national player and kingmaker in GOP politics, especially with the upcoming Iowa primary after he cast his lot with Trump. I told him straight he was a putz and political pissant in this state and I had far more influence than he did, and mine was small.

He didn't like that, he stomped around and talked alot of big mouth after he zotted me but he knew it was true. I know he and his minions camped here from time to time, so I let posted the very same thing here for him to read.

Such a sad downfall from a very promising start. He just flushed it down the toilet around the mid-2000's and it was like watching a slow train wreck.

What could have been.

[txradioguy]

I signed on at FR in March of 98 and spent many happy years there. I made friends with many people I would otherwise never have encountered. And then JR let the mods turn it all to $%*t! I left of my own volition around 2010, bounced from pillar to post until I signed on here in May of 2012. Still here and happy about it. My screen name has not changed since the old BBS days. Maybe we met in person somewhere along the line @AllThatJazzZ as I was very active with the Houston FR crowd for a long time.

I still stick my head in the Canteen to say hi to FRiends.


I miss the Sunday Morning talk show thread.  That was always lively.

[corbe]

 

[bigheadfred]

Funeral details FYI

https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/fresno-ca/james-robinson-12588973

[BobfromWB]

RIP to Jim. I was class of 99 over there, and posted there until it was obvious I was going to get banned. So I just said my bit and left of my own volition (never got the zot). Still, I expressed a lot of opinions and posted a few facts over there, and I'm grateful for that opportunity.

Someone over there is using your handle these days.

[BobfromWB]

And then JR let the mods turn it all to $%*t! I left of my own volition around 2010

Maybe that's when Martin Armstrong began his take over and the subsequent money scam which it its stride in 2021, and the rise of the protected members, allowed to do & say pretty much anything with impunity.

[Free Vulcan]

Maybe that's when Martin Armstrong began his take over and the subsequent money scam which it its stride in 2021, and the rise of the protected members, allowed to do & say pretty much anything with impunity.

Which makes me laugh because for all their self-importance, it's the national equivalent of a coup d'tat on the island of Tonga.

[Luis Gonzalez]

Maybe that's when Martin Armstrong began his take over and the subsequent money scam which it its stride in 2021, and the rise of the protected members, allowed to do & say pretty much anything with impunity.

Who the Hell is Martin Armstrong?

[Cyber Liberty]

Who the Hell is Martin Armstrong?

Yeah, I'd like to know too....

[bigheadfred]

Who the Hell is Martin Armstrong?

Grok AI:  Free Republic user delta7 (joined 2001) is Martin Armstrong himself.  Posts 3–6 Armstrong articles every single day. 
Defends every forecast in the comments. 
His assistant Ashley Warren posts under aMorePerfectUnion as backup shill.

 Why the mods let it continue Armstrong’s threads drive donations (Free Republic is ad-free, lives on reader cash). 
Every challenge gets the critic banned; delta7 never does.

armstrongecmscam.blogspot.com

[Lando Lincoln]

Wasn’t there a Martin Armstrong Ponzi scheme dude?

[bigheadfred]

Wasn’t there a Martin Armstrong Ponzi scheme dude?

Same guy.

[verga]

Prayers for his family.
I don't recall when I signed on there. I got Zotted over the Cruz or lose comment I made.
Allowed back and then another zotting when I said that Catholics should withhold contributions until the anti-Catholics wee straightened out.
@mystery-ak invited me here via PM and checked it for a while before signing up.
One of the mods from over there asked me to come back an I laughed.
Very happy here!

[mountaineer]

Well, the plot thickens. Martin/delta7 wasn't a factor when I was zotted, but it certainly is amusing.

[mountaineer]

Hey, I know, let's ask for mo' money!

All; Chris Robinson; luvie; ransomnote
This thread should be over 4,000 posts by now.
It is the death of our founder.
There are well over 10,000 FReepers.
If even half gave five bucks a month it would go a long way to keeping this place alive and thriving.
Chris or Luvie, can you please put up a memorial banner on the homepage for a while? Jim would hate that, being so humble, but FReepers need to see it.
God Bless
904 posted on 11/3/2025, 1:25:08 PM by KitJ

[Canuck Conservative]

@Luis Gonzalez
@Cyber Liberty

Martin Armstrong is a low-grade fraudster who got sentenced to 11 years in prison.

Now he promotes himself as some kind of visionary "economic guru", and claims he has a computer that makes predictions that are never wrong.

One of the ways he promotes himself is postings from his blog on FR, using his alias "delta 7". Usually, any blog posts on FR are immediately moved to the "Blogs" section there, well out of view, but for some reason his, and only his, posts are allowed to stay on the Main page. Even further, anyone who dares to criticize him or call out his fraud past is quickly banned, which led some of us to speculate that MA had some kind of special protected arrangement with JR.

And what did MA do in return for that special promotion?

Well, you'll notice the quarterly FR Freepathons always follow a predictable arc ... way behind, thousands of dollars short, begging for money or else they might have to (sob) shut down, then miraculously in the last 2 days, they always reach their target. Every. Damn. Time. Rinse & repeat.

Curious, huh? "Keep those donations comin in, folks!" lol

(somebody had to say it ...)

[MeganC]

I couldn't stand his clear double standard and playing favorites.  I also have gotten some nasty private messages from him over the years because I dissented from his echo chamber.  And then there was the Cruz purge in 2016.  That was just too much, as FR turned its back on Reagan Conservativism and descended into the populist abyss.

I had much the same experience because I didn't reflexively hate Ukraine and side with Russia like the Robinsons do/did.

My last straw was when I responded to PAGES of despicable attacks from the pro-Putin gang and JR gets on and tells ME to "Knock it off." 

We have some pro-Putin people here but at least they're polite.

[MeganC]

@Luis Gonzalez
@Cyber Liberty

Martin Armstrong is a low-grade fraudster who got sentenced to 11 years in prison.

Now he promotes himself as some kind of visionary "economic guru", and claims he has a computer that makes predictions that are never wrong.

One of the ways he promotes himself is postings from his blog on FR, using his alias "delta 7". Usually, any blog posts on FR are immediately moved to the "Blogs" section there, well out of view, but for some reason his, and only his, posts are allowed to stay on the Main page. Even further, anyone who dares to criticize him or call out his fraud past is quickly banned, which led some of us to speculate that MA had some kind of special protected arrangement with JR.

And what did MA do in return for that special promotion?

Well, you'll notice the quarterly FR Freepathons always follow a predictable arc ... way behind, thousands of dollars short, begging for money or else they might have to (sob) shut down, then miraculously in the last 2 days, they always reach their target. Every. Damn. Time. Rinse & repeat.

Curious, huh? "Keep those donations comin in, folks!" lol

(somebody had to say it ...)

Bumped. 

[Timber Rattler]

This is Armstrong:

https://archive.nytimes.com/dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/03/15/ex-adviser-out-of-jail-after-11-years-including-7-for-contempt/

https://www.reuters.com/article/markets/bonds/us-judge-ends-7-year-contempt-jailing-of-trader-idUSN27276812/


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXcaocovRD8

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

I have nothing to add to this thread other than to note i try not to speak ill of the dead...

[DCPatriot]

I have nothing to add to this thread other than to note i try not to speak ill of the dead...

Dittos. RIP, Jim!

However, I promise to do the Teaberry Shuffle upon the death of Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton....in silence.

[mountaineer]

So what was the relationship between Armstrong and the Robinsons? @Canuck Conservative  - are you implying something financial?
Curiouser and curiouser.