One more from the left: Free Republic Pulls Thread Bashing Malia Obama

DailyKOS ^ | Fri Jul 10, 2009 | by CatM

[Jim Robinson]

Yesterday, theHalfrican posted a link to the Free Republic Website where several of its regular members were bashing Malia Obama for wearing a peace symbol t-shirt. The thread had several derogotary, racist, and sexual remarks about Malia. It also included a picture of Michelle Obama speaking to Malia that was accompanied with a racist caption.

I wrote the media contact at Free Republic yesterday, kristinn@bellatlantic.net, questioning the nature of the posters and the site:

Hello. I am an independent writer developing a book about the grassroots conservative movement online, of which your site, Free Republic, is included as a primary online gathering place for conservatives.

Could you please tell me how the owner of the site feels about posts like this one:

http://www.freerepublic.com/...

...in which conservatives who post regularly at the site make several racist statements about the 11-year-old daughter of President Obama for wearing a t-shirt adorned with a peace symbol? Remarks included the following:

"We’re being represented by a family of ghetto trash." "Looks like a bunch of ghetto thugs. A stain on America."

"Looks like a typical street whore."

"What we now are sending the ghetto over to represent us. and if so who the hell is that flea bag who looks to be dragged from the trash dumpster."

"you could go down any ghetto right now and see exactly the same."

"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"

"the world must be laughing like mad right now at that we have this kind of street trash in our white house."

"Wonder when she will have her first abortion."

"sad isn’t it that we now have ghetto street trash over there representing us in Europe."

"This disgusting display makes me more and more eager for the revolution.

"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."

In addition, the thread includes a picture of Michelle Obama speaking to her daughter with the caption, "To Entertain Her Daughter, Michelle Obama Likes to Make Monkey Sounds."

Before you dismiss this as only a minority of posters at the site, out of 100 posts on that thread I found only 1 that criticized such remarks. This is not the first time I have seen such an exhibition of blatant racism at Free Republic by members who regularly post there.

Here are my questions:

Does Free Republic condone this type of exercise in free speech?

Are these the type of participants Free Republic is happy to have posting at its site?

What is Free Republic's policy about posting racially offensive comments?

What is Free Republic's policy about making sexual insinuations about minors (particularly relevant in light of the David Letterman/Sarah Palin brouhaha)?

Does Free Republic believe its membership accurately represents the conservative movement?

Does the owner of Free Republic believe this kind of discourse is helpful to rebuilding the Republican Party and furthering its goals?

Thank you for your time, and I look forward to your responses.

went back to the site today and saw that the offending thread has been pulled "pending review."

http://www.freerepublic.com/...

I do note that Free Republic has a disclaimer on the first page that claims it does not condone this type of post; however, I am not sure when the disclaimer was added. Does anyone know?

From the disclaimer:

Opinions expressed on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Free Republic or its operators.

Please enjoy our forum, but also please remember to use common courtesy when posting and refrain from posting personal attacks, profanity, vulgarity, threats, racial or religious bigotry, or any other materials offensive or otherwise inappropriate for a conservative family audience.

Free Republic is a site dedicated to the concerns of traditional grassroots conservative activists. We're here to discuss and advance our conservative causes in a more or less liberal-free environment. We're not here to debate liberals. We do not want our pages filled with their arrogant, obnoxious, repugnant bile. Liberals, usurpers, and other assorted malcontents are considered unwelcome trolls on FR and their accounts and or posts will be summarily dismissed at the convenience of the site administrators.

Free Republic does not advocate or condone racism, violence, rebellion, secession, or an overthrow of the government.

So, the site will readily delete posts from liberals just because they are liberals and therefore everything they say is automatically considered "arrogant, obnoxious, repugant bile."

But comments calling an 11-year-old black girl "ghetto trash" and a "whore" are pulled "pending review." What is to review? Your site either supports that kind of rhetoric or it does not. Which is it?

If the Free Republic's "conservative family audience" consists of people who say such things as they often do (like yesterday), how conservative are they? And how family-oriented are they? Where were all the posts from other Free Republic regulars or from the owner of the site decrying this kind of racism directed at a child for no apparent reason than the fact that a peace symbol t-shirt inflamed their hatred to disgusting depths, like a red handkerchief in front of a mad bull?

Conservatives continually reinforce the fact that the only families they care about are conservative ones; the only troops they support are ones that do not vote democratic; the only children whose lives they value are the children of conservatives or unborn. How many of those aborted fetuses they claim to hold so dear would they trash had they been born and grown into a pre-teen who wore a t-shirt with a peace symbol or supported a liberal president? Or was gay?

The truth is that conservatives do not know the meaning of Jesus' words despite how much they love to use them when it suits their inner hatred of all those who are different. Worse, they lack basic human decency, as they demonstrate time and again.

[GOPJ]

I understand - we have plenty of honorable vets - and from time to time - fakes. Happens.

[ohioWfan]

I have no idea why you pinged me to that essay.

But I hope you feel better now.

[DallasSun]

Have you ever noticed how often PC and common decency is synonymous?

[JillValentine]

Of the many incidents that happened to me, the most memorable was the one the day before the election. I was driving home from work, stopped at a red light. A middle-aged white woman in an SUV pulls up next to me and motions for me to roll my window down. Not thinking anything of it, I roll the window down and she immediately starts in with, "You f***ing racist bitch! You hate Obama! F*** you! Go put on your white sheet! Fascist! Nazi! After Obama wins he's gonna teach all you ignorant racist rednecks a lesson!" Etc.

Keep in mind, all I had on my car was the one McCain-Palin bumper sticker.

I waited until the light turned green, then yelled, "Go f*** yourself, you Stalin-worshipping c*nt." I don't usually use language like that but I was pushed too far. She flung all that abuse at me, completely unprovoked, simply because of one completely non-inflammatory Republican bumper sticker on my car.

I'm actually not proud of what I yelled back - I should have said something wittier and less profane. I let my temper get the best of me.

But I'm sure that liberal woman had no regrets about what she did. In her mind, I was The Enemy, an opponent of The One, and therefore an acceptable target for abuse.

[GOPJ]

It’s the old double standard - they’re pigs most of the time - and we are every now and then - and we’re the people who get condemned. That said, I don’t want to be like liberals. Period. Kids are off-limits. And Michelle too unless she’s talking politics... IMHO.

[M Kehoe]

Spam w/o the Jim Thompson owner thing? Poor cossacks, they seem to be stuck on stupid.

5.56mm

[Las Vegas Ron]

I have no idea why you pinged me to that essay

Of course you don't, snicker....

Great job mojitojoe....

A great big hat tip to you!!!!

[ohioWfan]

There was nothing in his post that had anything to do with what I had said to him.

If you think it's funny that I'm wondering why he posted an irrelevant post to me, perhaps you need to clear your head, or clean off your glasses.

Repeat - his post had nothing to do with anything I said to him, Ron. Ergo his pinging me to it was puzzling.

Get it?

[JillValentine]

I agree that kids are off limits, but Michelle is not. She’s an adult. She’s chosen to be a very visible, public, and politically polarizing figure. I will criticize her whenever she does or says something stupid, whether that something is political or not. It’s usually political, anyway.

I believe that Michelle Obama is a racist, hate-filled person who has nothing but contempt for both whitey and America. And I’ll call her on it every time.

[Las Vegas Ron]

I don't usually use language like that but I was pushed too far

Yes indeed, and it's time to fight back, it's inevitable and they're starting a war they cannot win.

If I may quote Rambo, they should "just leave it alone"

[Las Vegas Ron]

Get it?

I get it just fine.

I understand this country is at war with an enemy the would soon cut your liver out with a rusty knife than concern himself with a fair, I'm better than that you attitude.

I don't know about you but I fight to win and when the dust settles I'm going to be standing tall and not really giving a damn how I got there.

Now, do you get it?

[Las Vegas Ron]

Ping for the cause!

[Smokin' Joe]

Everything (it seemed) had a Peace sign on it

There is a lot of that. I refer to it as "the great American chicken-track" in front of my grandkids, who seem to want to avoid it on their clothing since I started calling it that. (8^D)

[LucyT]

Keep in mind, it was the UK, not the US that first ran the story regarding the symbolic shirt. Her father has been for total nuclear disarmament since college.

Last ping for today. Check out mojitojoe's #559.

[Shimmer1]

No, you know he would never sink so low with a Dem’s kid.

[Rushmore Rocks]

Love your rant.....you nailed it.......I agree!

[combat_boots]

Priceless.

True, too.

[combat_boots]

And here I thought the oceans were supposed to ‘rise’ after the election. Blood pressure must be part of oceans now.

Great posts. You can go wash up now, but don’t forget your keyboard. You’ve a stronger stomach than I, as I wouldn’t go over and take notes from KOS or DU or HuffPo even if paid.

[EBH]

Thank you for finally finding a way to put it.

As I told someone else last night, I wish I could believe those kids are as innocent/naive as some here would like to have them.

But ultimately they are representing the United States and what they pulled in Rome was inappropriate and unacceptable.

[autumnraine]

I don’t recall all the street trash stuff. I remember seeing posts about her peace sign shirt, but not anyone calling her trash.

Could have happened after I glanced by I guess.