The far-right fascists at Freerepublic.com who, after the invasion of Iraq, would gleefully advocate treason charges against anyone who "bashed" commander-in-chief George Bush in time of war, seem to think it's okay when the commander-in-chief is a Democrat.
One low in the right-wing's institutionalization of "I-can-say-anything-I want, but-you-can't" was reached when Bill O'Reilly clearly equated dissent against war with treason in 2005, and attacked Air America:
"[Air America] must know the difference between dissent from the Iraq war and the war on terror and undermining it," and that "any American who undermines that war ... is a traitor...So, all those clowns at the liberal radio network, we could incarcerate them immediately. Will you have that done, please? Send over the FBI and just put them in chains, because they, you know, they're undermining everything and they don't care."
But where is O'Reilly now? Can anyone imagine him not jumping on similar comments posted on Kos, against Bush, like the following progression of this hate-filled Freerepublic thread regarding the recent Ft. Hood shootings::
Why is anyone surprised?
We already have a DIRTY MOSLEM TRAITOR in the Oval Office.
What’s one more moslem piece of garbage?
* * *
[Quoting a previous posting] **If you are Islamic, you may not serve in our military. Period.**
I'm getting closer to:
If you are Islamic, you may not serve in our military live in this country.
Period.
* * *
I’m getting closer to:
If you are Islamic, you may not live.
* * *
It is routine at this site to assert the president is really a Muslim. Then the commenter crosses into ominous suggestion. The problem is this kind of invective is read by minds perhaps even more deranged than the poster. That's why there are clear laws against threatening, even subtly, the person of the president.
These are the people who gleefully trot out the word "haters" against the left, in the kind of Kafka-esque reversals of reality we became accustomed to under George W. Bush, who once invited the DC chapter of his Freerepublic brownshirts to the White House.
Will the double-standard prevail? Will those who threw people out of Bush rallies for wearing "Out of Iraq" tee-shirts be allowed the kind of speech which is truly virulent and hate-filled, compared to the simple dissent they condemned? Do your job, FBI. The direction of this thread posted at Freerepublic, can only be read as one suggesting violence. The right-wing fascists have bullied, threatened, and shouted down all who disagree with their warped views for long enough. This time they crossed a line. The things which squirm and wriggle under rocks like this website are not things which should be ignored. Pull them by their worm-like tails into the light of day.
FBI crime line: 1-800-CALLFBI (225-5324).