Freepers cry "economic terrorism!" (more Freeper Madness)

Here at the 'Pail, we're a mainstay of progressive populism. But Free Republic is the anti-'Pail. I know of no other major website that has so many contributors who are so wrong so often.

In their view, having the wrong opinion is "terrorism." If not "terrorism", they call it "treason", such as when a user called western Pennsylvania a "traitor area" because it elected John Murtha to Congress. The user said this despite the fact that Murtha is a decorated former Marine and a Vietnam veteran.

Recently, PETA released a video (filmed undercover) exposing the abuse of turkeys at farms in West Virginia run by poultry breeding giant Aviagen. The video showed real events. Making and distributing the video is free speech (regardless of whether one agrees with all of PETA's stances).

But what does the Free Republic brain trust have to say about this? One Freeper asked, "Coming right before the holiday season, when most of the turkeys are sold, can the release of this PETA video be considered economic terrorism?"

Simple answer: no.

If a company doesn't want to be exposed, it shouldn't allow turkeys to be abused at its farms. The real crime was committed by those at Aviagen who refused to respect animal welfare. The Freeper bots remind me of how during the Abu Ghraib scandal, Jim Inhofe was "more outraged by the outrage" than by the scandal itself.

What went on at the turkey farms is a serious crime. In West Virginia, cruelty to animals is a felony that carries stiff prison terms. A criminal complaint has already been filed over the abuse.

Freepers believe in corporate rights - not the welfare of living beings. They seem to think no corporations should be exposed if grisly events occur under their watch. In their funhouse mirror world, those who blow the whistle on corporate misconduct are considered "economic terrorists."

In the topsy-turvy world of Free Republic, corporations have limitless rights to violate animal cruelty and other laws, but nobody is allowed to exercise their First Amendment right to expose it.