What is the URL of the Dot.Com site?
What is the domain name you are trying to enter?
:: when I populate the dot com address in the address bar ::
Cookie.
When you come to a fork in the road take it.
Depends. Could be the .com is just a front for forwarding to the main french site. Could be that the original site has been hacked. Or it could be that you have a virus.
Most likely, it is simply a domain holder protecting his site name by having first the primary site (.fr) then registering the dot.com to protect it from a jerk grabbing it to siphon off traffic. For example, I have a bulletin board website with the dot.net as the main site then have the dot.com and dot.us registered as well with redirects to the dot.net.
Wouldn't surprise me if freerepublic.com had dot.net and some others tied up for this reason. This is a cheap defense against domain jerks. No lawyers needed.