Posted on 07/11/2009 12:01:08 PM PDT by buccaneer81
Conservative Free Republic blog in free speech flap after racial slurs directed at Obama children
By Chris Parry, Vancouver SunJuly 11, 2009 11:01 AM
This photo of U.S. President Barrack Obama's daughter Malia, wearing a peace-symbol t-shirt touched off a storm of epithet-laced comments on the conservative 'Free Republic' blog
"A typical street whore." "A bunch of ghetto thugs." "Ghetto street trash." "Wonder when she will get her first abortion."
These are a small selection of some of the racially-charged comments posted to the conservative 'Free Republic' blog Thursday, aimed at U.S. President Barack Obama's 11-year-old daughter Malia after she was photographed wearing a t-shirt with a peace sign on the front.
The thread was accompanied by a photo of Michelle Obama speaking to Malia that featured the caption, "To entertain her daughter, Michelle Obama loves to make monkey sounds."
Though this may sound like the sort of thing one might read on an Aryan Nation or white power website, they actually appeared on what is commonly considered one of the prime online locations for U.S. Conservative grassroots political discussion and organizing - and for a short time, the comments seemed to have the okay of site administrators.
Moderators of the blog left the comments - and commenters - in place until a complaint was lodged by a writer doing research on the conservative movement, almost a full day later.
"Could you imagine what world leaders must be thinking seeing this kind of street trash and that we paid for this kind of street ghetto trash to go over there?" wrote one commenter.
"They make me sick .... The whole family... mammy, pappy, the free loadin' mammy-in-law, the misguided chillin', and especially 'lil cuz... This is not the America I want representin' my peeps," wrote another.
Such was the onslaught of derision on the site that the person who originally complained about the slurs, a Kristin N., claims only one comment in the first hundred posted actually criticized the remarks as inappropriate.
A note on the front of the blog reads, "Free Republic does not advocate or condone racism, violence, rebellion, secession, or an overthrow of the government," but one comment on the thread read, "This disgusting display makes me more and more eager for the revolution," while another read, "I never actually wnated [sic] to be a pistol before but..."
After attention from other blogs, the thread was suppressed and placed under review, but before long it was returned to the site intact, and attracted a new series of racial slurs when the original complaint email was posted publicly to the site, with the sender's email address intact.
"The writer has a point," wrote site owner Jim Thompson sarcastically. "We should steer clear of Obama's children. They can't help it if their old man is an American-hating Marxist pig."
"I agree Jim," wrote commenter, by the nickname NoobRep. "The kids didn't pick their commie pinko pansy of a father. Nor did they choose to be put into the spotlight. But Obama/Soetoro is fair game and so is his witch of a wife."
"Poor kids. I hope they're not 'punished with a baby'," wrote another. "Hopefully they won't deal cocaine like the Kenyan."
"DIRTBAGS! All of them. Our [White House] is now a joke to the rest of the world. We have no respect and this is not going to turn out well, mark my words. We will be hit, and much worse than last time. We are now seen as weak and vulnerable. Ghetto and Chicago thugs have taken over."
Only after significant negative attention from a host of left wing political blogs did the maintainers of the Free Republic site place the thread under review for a second time, before finally pulling it.
In the wake of the controversy, some Free Republic posters complained about the vitriol.
One poster by the name of "fullchroma" wrote, "To Jim Thompson: The recent uptick here in racist vitriol, aimed at Barrack, Michelle and their children has made me wonder if I belong. My objection to Obama has nothing to do with skin tone. Is the ugly stereotype of Conservative racism true?"
Another, going by the name of TChris, wrote, "Free Republic is a political discussion forum. It SHOULD be beneath us as a group to stoop to such juvenile tactics as I see increasing here lately. Do we REALLY have to insult Mrs. Obama's appearance like a clique of nasty 14-year-old girls?"
But such opinions were not shared by all. Said Roses of Sharon, "Poor libs .... Too late, the battle has been joined." © Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun
If you voted for obummer... you cant get any more left wing, bat shit crazy.
‘Hold me now’!
Could be trollalicious.
Just sayin’...
...last time I checked, his/her/it’s one and ONLY posting was to me! ...smells a lot like troll!
Trollinski!
HiJack! (hmmm) Welcome. Where was your outrage at the way the Bush family was treated for 8 years?... or the way the Palin family is treated to this very minute? If what is said here makes you and yours lean left, so be it. Goodbye. Your presence is neither required nor desired. Free Republic does not need weak-kneed pseudo “seekers,” who use their first post to mispell the name of the site and sprew garbage. BTW, I love your random Capitalization, you must be a highly edumacated big-shot working out of the White House basement. BTW, next time you see Michelle, tell her to quit wearing shower curtains as dresses.
For the record I'm not happy with how the Palins or the Bush's were treated by the press. But do we even have a functional press anymore? They either lean way left or far right. I do pay attention to the press but I try to take what they are supposed reporting with a grain of salt. I really believe that all these pundits on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, Rush and all other ones are doing us all a disservice. And the overall news quality is not much higher than a High School Newspaper.
I have many African American friends that I work side by side with. They brought this tread to my attention via FB. Do I think all Conservatives are racist??? NO. Are there racist on the Left???? Yes of course. To ignore or pretend like racism doesn't exist is naive. It's there I hear it from Whites more often than I'd like to admit. They and I take major offense to the language that was used in respects to the peace t shirt and President Obama’s Family in general. As well they should. It was appalling! There is no justification for it. NONE!
So what to do? The post I've seen on this site are disturbing. I'll be visiting the Liberal sites as well. I just can't take it anymore.
I've got to go my wife keeps bugging me to get some stuff done around the house. It's my day off.
So trash away folks. Maybe if we meet in person we can all be a little more civil. I live in the Chicagoland area. Any takers? That's my tack with the friends from work. In fact I'm meeting a friend this afternoon on the South side to play tennis. Yes some African Americans play tennis. :)
I'm serious about meeting up.
Jack
We're not. Buh-bye, and don't forget to take your race card with you.
Bye, troll.
IATZ
Yep! He’s dead! :-)
What’s this, the 7th zot this week? IATZ.
Rabscuttle,
Sorry. I’m at work with no VK tools again. Although it’s carcass has been rotting since last night.
Brad’s Gramma,
The “New Republic” poster you were trying to remember last night is at post 531 and has been sent packing.
I’ve lost count.
Yep! ...something close to that! We haven’t so many idiots to toy with since just before the big Rudy-Bot purge that Jim Rob did back before the elections. :-)
Thanks! That was the one!!!!
Poor confused fella is banned... now that’s too bad.
I was hoping he’d donate to whatever this site is called...
Please let me know if you want ON or OFF my Viking Kitty/ZOT ping list!. . . don't be shy.
Looks like jack royce be ded, d-e-d ded.
I cry tears
of laughter.
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