This is BEFUDDLING, 2

[soonerloyal]

Conservative Free Republic blog in free speech flap after racial slurs directed at Obama children


"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."

***********

Bizarre. It's like some people are just imploding. I don't know what to think.

A big puddle of :confused:

[The Remnant]

If you want to see vitriol from the left, one only needs to turn on the TV. Any channel will do.

[soonerloyal]

Vitriol, period, dude. Sucks no matter from what "side".

[Turd_Ferguson]

Vitriol, period, dude. Sucks no matter from what "side".so then what's your point?

[Dio]

racism and picking on kids is bull****, wherever it comes from.

[Turd_Ferguson]

racism and picking on kids is bull****, wherever it comes from.no ****?

[sooner KB]

If you want to see vitriol from the left, one only needs to turn on the TV. Any channel will do.

So what is an example of comparable "vitriol" coming from the left?

[soonerloyal]

*crickets chirping*

[Turd_Ferguson]

*crickets chirping**soonerloyals brain grinding*

[soonerloyal]

Wow, how deep didja need to dig to come up with that ribbon-winner, honey child?

[Turd_Ferguson]

Wow, how deep didja need to dig to come up with that ribbon-winner, honey child?not very deep. stuff like that just comes natural with me.

[soonerloyal]

Yo Mama must be so proud. Bless yer little ol' heart. ;)

Anyhow, I don't think I'd have reacted well to any well-known Liberal site being racist and so very derogatory of any GOP kiddoes. Can't recall seeing any back then, nor am I finding any such trash in a search now.

The obvious point is, that's nasty-*** behavior, it doesn't reflect well on the Party or the site - or any member of such who stoops that low.

Olevet, smack him for me.

[The Remnant]

I appreciate the diversity of opinion. Just last year David Shuster of MSNBC was suspended 2 weeks for stating that Hillary Clinton was "pimping" her daughter out. MSNBC also ran with the despicable allegation that Trig was actually birthed by Bristol. If you log onto The Daily Kos or The Huffington Post, you will find a variety of hate stuff. You don't have to look very hard.

[The Remnant]

Just this last week The Huffington Post came under fire for a joke about Sarah Palin's son, Trig, making fun of his handicap.

[yermom]

I appreciate the diversity of opinion. Just last year David Shuster of MSNBC was suspended 2 weeks for stating that Hillary Clinton was "pimping" her daughter out. MSNBC also ran with the despicable allegation that Trig was actually birthed by Bristol. If you log onto The Daily Kos or The Huffington Post, you will find a variety of hate stuff. You don't have to look very hard.

how can you even compare that to "monkey sounds"?

[Sooner24]

So what is an example of comparable "vitriol" coming from the left?

http://bristolpalinpregnant.com/images/bristol-palin-pregnant.jpg

Just watch Countdown with Keith Olbermann any night of the week and if you don't see it you ain't lookin'.

[yermom]

yeah, but that's an attack on Palin's character, not because she's a "ghetto monkey" or whatever

[Sooner24]

So it's okay to make fun of saying things like "you betcha" and the "white trash" remarks because Palins white?

[The Remnant]

I agree with you that any racist talk is reprehensible. However, when you make a joke about an 18 year-old girl having sex with a baseball player that is equally reprehensible. What Letterman said is nothing compared to what is on the Daily Kos every day.

[yermom]

if she wasn't one of those abstinence education morons then her teenage daughter getting knocked up wouldn't have been so funny

[Sooner24]

Yep that sex education thing is really working well isn't it?

[Turd_Ferguson]

Soooo, parent's that teach abstinence are moron's?

[Sooner24]

Soooo, parent's that teach abstinence are moron's?

:pop:

[Boomer Mooner]

Wow. I try to stay out of these pissing contests. All this crap is disgusting from whichever side it comes from.

I'm a conservative and I find it very disturbing if this came from any kind of legitimate conservative blog, but if you guys on the liberal side can't see the parallels the Palen's face almost daily in the freakin' mainstream media, you are definitely drinking the koolaid. Your nothing but rednecks of a different opinion.

[yermom]

Soooo, parent's that teach abstinence are moron's?

yes, we see how well it worked in her house ;)

it's one thing to push abstinence, it's another to assume that kids are going to follow it and not tell them about condoms, etc...

sex ed consisting of "don't do it" doesn't really help anything

[Turd_Ferguson]

yes, we see how well it worked in her house ;)

it's one thing to push abstinence, it's another to assume that kids are going to follow it and not tell them about condoms, etc...

sex ed consisting of "don't do it" doesn't really help anythingI'm glad you got it all figured out there....young'n.

[Boomer Mooner]

yes, we see how well it worked in her house ;)

it's one thing to push abstinence, it's another to assume that kids are going to follow it and not tell them about condoms, etc...

sex ed consisting of "don't do it" doesn't really help anything

An abortion would have been convenient. At least they walk the walk...

[Sooner24]

yes, we see how well it worked in her house ;)

it's one thing to push abstinence, it's another to assume that kids are going to follow it and not tell them about condoms, etc...

sex ed consisting of "don't do it" doesn't really help anything

How well is teaching that condom thing working? Seems we just keep getting record numbers of unwed teens. But just that's okay too because when they apply for all the assistance programs your tax dollars will be the ones paying for it so have fun with that.

[yermom]

you mean under the Bush plan? i haven't heard of anything changing under Obama yet, has it?

of course Clinton firing Jocelyn Elders was pretty retarded as well

[Sooner24]

you mean under the Bush plan? i haven't heard of anything changing under Obama yet, has it?

of course Clinton hiring Jocelyn Elders was pretty retarded as well

Fixed it for you. :D

[Petro-Sooner]

I'm glad you got it all figured out there....young'n.

Post of the week.

[yermom]

i'm old enough to have seen how unrealistic it is to expect anyone to wait until marriage. with the current failure rates, i'm thinking the last thing we need is to have young people rushing into it

[JLEW1818]

If your too poor to reproduce.. don't reproduce.....

[Turd_Ferguson]

If your too poor to ****.. don't ****.....fixed:D:D:D:D

[JohnnyMack]

If your too poor to reproduce.. don't reproduce.....

Why do you hate about 1/2 the globe?

[yermom]

of course, to that i'd say don't **** unless you are ready to have a kid...

i don't think "i want to go to college" is anywhere close to a reason to have an abortion

[Petro-Sooner]

If your too poor to reproduce.. don't reproduce.....

See that requires common sense. Thats too difficult for most.

[Turd_Ferguson]

See that requires common sense. Thats too difficult for most.Yep...just like say'n heres a condom the taxpayers bought for you since we know your gonna do it and we know your gonna figure out that sex with a condom and without a condom is like night and day. So you'll prolly wind up get'n a girl pregnant but don't worry. You can either kill it or the same people that bought the condom for you can pay to raise it.

[swardboy]

i'm old enough to have seen how unrealistic it is to expect anyone to wait until marriage. with the current failure rates, i'm thinking the last thing we need is to have young people rushing into it

All I know is that since abstinence teaching was introduced into my county, the unwed birth rate dropped 50%.

[My Opinion Matters]

This thread is highly disturbing.

[Turd_Ferguson]

This thread is highly disturbing.your opinion doesn't matter.

[My Opinion Matters]

your opinion doesn't matter.

And that's just as clever as it was the other 2,850 times somebody else already made that joke.

[Turd_Ferguson]

And that's just as clever as it was the other 2,850 times somebody else already made that joke.it wasn't a joke.

[Curly Bill]

The word mouthpiece comes to mind.

[The Remnant]

The problem with using condoms is that alot of teenage boys get drunk or high and don't use them.

[Turd_Ferguson]

The problem with using condoms is that alot of teenage boys get drunk or high and don't use them.*raises hand like horshack*

[yermom]

All I know is that since abstinence teaching was introduced into my county, the unwed birth rate dropped 50%.

that statistic seems suspect.

[Turd_Ferguson]

that statistic seems suspect.why?

[yermom]

Soooo, parent's that teach abstinence are moron's?

to clarify, i'm really talking about what schools should be telling kids about the "science" of things. parents telling their kids not to have sex is a separate issue, that i really don't have a problem with

[yermom]

why?

seems high for a change in anything, unless we are talking about a county with 100 people in it

[Turd_Ferguson]

to clarify, i'm really talking about what schools should be telling kids about the "science" of things. parents telling their kids not to have sex is a separate issue, that i really don't have a problem withelaborate on the "science" please.

[yermom]

you see, when two people love each other, they make a special hug...

[Turd_Ferguson]

you see, when two people love each other, they make a special hug...seriously?

[The Remnant]

Teaching a kid how to put on a condom without teaching him respect for the opposite sex is doomed to failure.

[Pricetag]

to clarify, i'm really talking about what schools should be telling kids about the "science" of things. parents telling their kids not to have sex is a separate issue, that i really don't have a problem with
I think the first thing they ought to teach is that the only 100 percent sure way to avoid a pregnancy or STD is to not have sex. I'm pretty sure that back in 1989, that's the way they did it in my biology class.

The thing is, that's all you can say about abstinence. Don't do it. That can't be all that is said. There has to be more education on how to protect one's self for the kids who :eek: make bad decisions.

As far as the original topic, I was among the "get over it" crowd on the Palin jokes, so I'll stick with that mantra for this. Blogs are nothing but circle jerks, anyway.

[olevetonahill]

Original Topic

That kinda carp is sick No matter which side is spewing it

[Half a Hundred]

Humor is dangerous only in that you risk people not getting the joke, and taking you seriously.

Which side seems to be more guilty of that tends to correspond with one's political persuasion. Needless to say, very few people consider the full impact of their actions when made.

[yermom]

the freepers were joking?

don't get me wrong, i'm totally going to hell if it exists for the crap i laugh at, but that **** wasn't funny

Planet of the Apes farks of Michelle? tasteless, but still pretty funny

"i wonder when she gets her first abortion"? not so much. she looks like a normal kid (that happens to be black) wearing a shirt with a peace sign on it. i didn't realize that was so offensive or polarizing. i really don't understand what all the fuss was about to begin with.

[Half a Hundred]

the freepers were joking?

don't get me wrong, i'm totally going to hell if it exists for the crap i laugh at, but that **** wasn't funny

Planet of the Apes farks of Michelle? tasteless, but still pretty funny

"i wonder when she gets her first abortion"? not so much. she looks like a normal kid (that happens to be black) wearing a shirt with a peace sign on it. i didn't realize that was so offensive or polarizing. i really don't understand what all the fuss was about to begin with.

I'm not saying I thought it was funny - but they clearly did. Personally, I wish that sort of humor wouldn't be used so often, not just because of how insensitive and ignorant it can sound, but because it delegitimizes any argument made after that point.

[Scott D]

http://bristolpalinpregnant.com/images/bristol-palin-pregnant.jpg

Just watch Countdown with Keith Olbermann any night of the week and if you don't see it you ain't lookin'.

I look at that picture, and I wonder when she'll reveal who the father of those girls are, because it can't be that giant birth control pill next to her. ;)

[Pricetag]

I'm not saying I thought it was funny - but they clearly did. Personally, I wish that sort of humor wouldn't be used so often, not just because of how insensitive and ignorant it can sound, but because it delegitimizes any argument made after that point.
I think there is a huge difference between making a joke and "I was only kidding!" after you've said something that has really pissed someone else off. I think the latter applies here.

As far as legitimacy of arguments goes, there was none to have there. That wasn't an intelligent exchange of thoughts. It was a feeding frenzy, which is what you tend to get with that kind of outlet.

[yermom]

I'm not saying I thought it was funny - but they clearly did. Personally, I wish that sort of humor wouldn't be used so often, not just because of how insensitive and ignorant it can sound, but because it delegitimizes any argument made after that point.


yeah, i'm not trying to say something about you, but it just didn't come across as them trying to be funny to me

maybe the 4chan crew was hanging out there for the day or something

it does look like it might be a good place for a jihad

[Half a Hundred]

I think there is a huge difference between making a joke and "I was only kidding!" after you've said something that has really pissed someone else off. I think the latter applies here.

As far as legitimacy of arguments goes, there was none to have there. That wasn't an intelligent exchange of thoughts. It was a feeding frenzy, which is what you tend to get with that kind of outlet.

Come on, I'm trying to be even-handed here

While I agree with you there, I still think that these statements were primarily made for humorous effect. Was that effect supposed to be malicious? Clearly so, plenty of people laugh at the misfortune of others. This is still a country whose favorite sort of entertainment for a century was blackface.

Certainly, there were no legitimate arguments in that particular thread - which makes it all the more worse for those who would like to advance legitimate arguments. Even if a good argument came out of Free Republic, it would be completely ignored because of such threads. That's a problem for free discourse in this country.

[soonerscuba]

Comparing a message board thread to any sort actual media seems a bit silly. The freepers are what they are, and I will alway lean towards free speech, not matter how stupid.

[Half a Hundred]

yeah, i'm not trying to say something about you, but it just didn't come across as them trying to be funny to me

maybe the 4chan crew was hanging out there for the day or something

it does look like it might be a good place for a jihad

Trolling the freepers is a bit of old hat for the /b/tards, isn't it?

I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt on this one. It's best to keep these viewpoints marginalized, and making an issue of it does the exact opposite.

[yermom]

Comparing a message board thread to any sort actual media seems a bit silly. The freepers are what they are, and I will alway lean towards free speech, not matter how stupid.


i could care less if they are censored or not, i just think they are showing their true colors

the more they discredit themselves the better

[Pricetag]

Trolling the freepers is a bit of old hat for the /b/tards, isn't it?

I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt on this one. It's best to keep these viewpoints marginalized, and making an issue of it does the exact opposite.
True dat. We'd all be a lot better off if more of us could apply that concept.

FWIW, I don't think the majority of folks saying this kind of stuff are true racists. I think they hate President Obama because he isn't "their guy," and with the racism angle, they don't have to hurt themselves trying to be witty.

[Half a Hundred]

True dat. We'd all be a lot better off if more of us could apply that concept.

FWIW, I don't think the majority of folks saying this kind of stuff are true racists. I think they hate President Obama because he isn't "their guy," and with the racism angle, they don't have to hurt themselves trying to be witty.

It was the philosophy in the South since a rabble-rouser named Huey Long almost became President. Hell, it's why Arkansas threw a poor potential rabble-rouser from Hope, Ark. into the halls of power at such a young age - find the talent and enter them into the right circles, and they won't destroy you in the future. Everyone else will wallow in their disaffection - the virtue is in the struggle, not in the victory.

The question is whether race is part of being "their guy". While they may not be hardcore racialists like those who only own two books - the Bible and the Turner Diaries, they still may feel that Obama is not as deserving because of his ethnic heritage.

[Turd_Ferguson]

The question is whether race is part of being "their guy". While they may not be hardcore racialists like those who only own two books - the Bible and the Turner Diaries, they still may feel that Obama is not as deserving because of his ethnic heritage.and you know this how?

[The Remnant]

I don't dislike Obama. I think his election was historic. I think his policies stink.

[Half a Hundred]

and you know this how?

I live in suburban Houston. I work with and talk to these people everyday.

Oh, and btw, they use the Bible to cover for their racialist beliefs (completely opposed to the universalist message of Jesus). It's obvious that that way of thinking isn't very Christian, isn't it?

[sooner n houston]

if she wasn't one of those abstinence education morons then her teenage daughter getting knocked up wouldn't have been so funny

Yea, that a real knee slapper right there! :rolleyes:

[The Remnant]

I guess politicians who don't run on values don't have to worry. Drive a car into a river and let a female passenger die, run a homosexual prostitution ring out of your office, smoke a little crack. Hey, it's all good.

[yermom]

Yea, that a real knee slapper right there! :rolleyes:

i'm laughing :D

[Curly Bill]

i'm laughing :D

Your mom's laughing...

...oh wait....:O :P :D