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

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:

...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."

"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."

"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."

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

"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.

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

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?

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

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?

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.

Btw, what was the argument about?

I've been thinking about this question, and my answer wasn't exactly accurate. I do know a little bit about what made this argument happen.

Without getting specific nor argumentative, I will explain that there appears to be a very small group here that have the idea that I was in some way attached to Howlin (part of her "coven") and that I followed her around and left because she did. It's completely untrue.

We fought along side each other on occasion because we were both strong Bush defenders (I assume she still is.....don't know that for sure). I always went to threads that interested in me, and was completely independent (as I still am), posting only where I wanted to. The idea that there was some sort of cabal of which I was a part is just dopey. I also stopped posting here independently of Howlin, and was invited to another website by someone else entirely. I went there because the Bush hatred here was so horrid that I couldn't stand to be around any more. (It is clearly not so now).

Actually, Howlin and I were on the complete opposite sides of one of the most contentious issues ever discussed here on FR - Terri Schiavo. The pro-life issue is my primary concern, and I was very strongly on the side of keeping this wonderful young woman alive - in other words, not murdering her. Howlin strongly disagreed.

Anyway, I've always liked her and agreed with her on most things. I like her spunk and fearlessness in the face of the Bush haters. I have prayed for her, and she prayed for me and my son when he was deployed. But there is no "coven." There is no secret association. It's all fantasy. But a few of them won't back down, I guess.

So that's probably what started the "argument."

Long answer to short question? LOL! (Hope you enjoyed your popcorn!)

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