As you read this, keep in mind that it all started six months after HuffPost began pre-moderating all comments on its news threads. This means that only those comments that HuffPost reviews and approves are published on these threads. Extensive evidence of this fact is here.
Those individuals whom HuffPost provides dedicated space on which to post their articles are referred to as "official bloggers" (or "HuffPost bloggers"). Barack Obama, top members of Congress (1, 2, 3, 4, 5), numerous celebrities, and other notable public figures comprise the ranks of HuffPost bloggers.
Paul Peete is an official HuffPost blogger, too --- as well as a member of its "Off The Bus" team. His HuffPost blog article archive is located here. He is described in his profile as follows:
A Los Angeles based Off the Bus team member with an Extensive Computer Industry Career with major Corporations. Paul is a writer of Poetry, Political Commentary, Comedy, Drama and author of the upcoming book, Terminal One.
In September 2008, HuffPost began repeatedly reviewing, approving and publishing Peete's off-topic comments on its top news threads, concerning his conspiracy theories regarding the deployment of the U.S. military within American cities. HuffPost allowed him to post the same comments over and over and over again, all over its top news threads.
Both of these acts --- posting off-topic comments, and "spamming" news threads (posting the same comment more than once) --- are acts that HuffPost explicitly prohibits, and claims are grounds for banning (here). Yet as is documented in extensive detail here, HuffPost apparently has no problem bending (if not disregarding) the rules for the radical leftists that enables and protects.
But it was Peete's comments in late September 2008, which you're about to read, that caused at least two observers to become so alarmed that they sent in email complaints to HuffPost, with copies of what it had allowed Peete had post. The part that caused the observers to become so alarmed is that he appeared to be capping off his conspiracy theory with an implicit call for his fellow radical leftists to engage in violence against U.S. soldiers.
HuffPost did not respond to these emails (and the innumerable number of users who "flagged' these commens as abusive) --- but instead allowed Peete to proceed with his "commenting" on its "news" threads, unabated. As the following documentation shows, Peete admitted that this is a repeat of earlier posts, addressing the same conspiracy theory of his.
As you read this, keep in mind that the "news" thread upon which HuffPost allowed it to be posted --- $700B Rescue Plan Finalized; House To Vote Monday --- clearly has nothing to do with Peete's rants.
Also keep in mind that as the following was posted, 7 other comments were "pending," meaning that they were awaiting HuffPost's review, and decision to approve and publish them --- or to reject them. Yet HuffPost reviewed, approved and published the following "comment" by Peete --- along with all the earlier versions that he admits were posted.
Paul Peete - Huffpost Blogger I'm a Fan of Paul Peete permalink See Paul Peete's Profile
One more repost and most important is the part about the Army!
I like the fact that many here are crying for a revolution or revolt. It is a little late but I know what it is to be a Revolutionary, I was arrested for inciting to riot in the Sixties. You have to be willing to kill or die to be a Revolutionary, I don't see Americans of today willing to do that. We let the Republicans steal our government, I am as guilty as all of you here.
The politics of Rove, is part of the whole fa$cist takeover that is in its final phase now. I read Naomi Klein and Wolf, Laurence Britt, I studied about the fa$cist regimes in history. At the moment we are about to change directions in this country, the super rich are yanking every bit of capital they can out of this country. I see some say they are Patriots, and I know what that really means. I heard Kucinich, and others tell us what
must occur long ago.
The 3rd Army, the U.S. troops who were in Iraq for 3 tours in Ramadi as of Tuesday will be in charge of Urban unrest. This is life or death for Urban protesters. these troops are combat troops, not from your area like guard troops. Read the implications. Are you Patriots ready to face them?
Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 07:34 PM on 09/28/2008
As official HuffPost bloggers do not have comment archives, we have no idea how often HuffPost reviewed, approved and published the above rant by Peete. But our sources report they observed it being posted at least 10 times, if not more.
The following day, HuffPost reviewed, approved and published the following by Peete --- again, on a "news" thread having nothing to do with his rant, and while 9 comments were stuck in "pending" (full PDF available upon request):
Paul Peete - Huffpost Blogger I'm a Fan of Paul Peete permalink See Paul Peete's Profile
Ok kiddies, here is the deal. The 3rd Army, the only unit to do three tours in Ramadi, are as of the 1st going to be the first Army units deployed to quell urban unrest wherever it occurs. This is the first time since reconstruction that this is the case. Forget Posse Commitatus, the Insurrection act. Bush is running this. What does that mean? Well I can't tell you here. Figure it out.
Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 01:03 AM on 09/29/2008
Later that day, HuffPost reviewed, approved and published the exact same off-topic rant from Peete --- on the same "news" thread, while 3 other users' comments were stuck in "pending."
In this case, we've included several additional pages from the PDF, below (full version available upon request), to demonstrate that HuffPost not only allowed him to commit these violations (off-topic comments, spam) --- but to essentially subverting the thread itself with more off-topic, conspiracy-laden comments:
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ADDENDUM 1: The 9/28/08 email a concerned user sent to HuffPost regarding Peete --- which it failed to respond to, or do anything about
We have now obtained, and received authorization to publish here, one of the actual emails sent in by a concerned user regarding Peete. The following is verbatim, with the exception of removing the sender's email address (emphasis added):
From: XXXXX
Sent: Sunday, September 28, 2008 7:26 PM
To: 'info@huffingtonpost.com'
Subject: Huffpost Blogger Incits Riot, calls for Americans to kill Americans or die trying!
Paul Peete - Huffpost Blogger I'm a Fan of Paul Peete I'm a fan of this user permalink
See Paul Peete's Profile
One more repost and most important is the part about the Army!
I like the fact that many here are crying for a revolution or revolt. It is a little late but I know what it is to be a Revolutionary, I was arrested for inciting to riot in the Sixties. You have to be willing to kill or die to be a Revolutionary, I don't see Americans of today willing to do that. We let the Republicans steal our government, I am as guilty as all of you here.
The politics of Rove, is part of the whole fa$cist takeover that is in its final phase now. I read Naomi Klein and Wolf, Laurence Britt, I studied about the fa$cist regimes in history. At the moment we are about to change directions in this country, the super rich are yanking every bit of capital they can out of this country. I see some say they are Patriots, and I know what that really means. I heard Kucinich, and others tell us what must occur long ago.
The 3rd Army, the U.S. troops who were in Iraq for 3 tours in Ramadi as of Tuesday will be in charge of Urban unrest. This is life or death for Urban protesters. these troops are combat troops, not from your area like guard troops. Read the implications. Are you Patriots ready to face them?
Is this really what you want posted to your site? Good God, the depths we have fallen to and your site is the platform for this kind of hate by one of your own!
Sincerely,
XXXXX
Neither this user, nor another one who wrote a complaint email, even received the courtesy of a reply from HuffPost.
===========================
ADDENDUM 2: February 7, 2009 --- HuffPost allowed Peete to announce that he is getting other (non-violating) users banned
On this evening, HuffPost's top news thread was entitled: Deal Announced On Emergency Stimulus Plan.
Yet it was on this thread --- while 14 other comments were stuck in "pending" --- that HuffPost reviewed, approved and published Peete's off-topic comments, which clearly stated that he has personally gotten a few users banned.
Those who have paid attention to HuffPost know well that the users with which he is commiserating are among its most vicious, pathological violators of its Comment Policy and Terms of Service --- and that the users he refers to,whom he got banned, either don't violate those policies/TOS, or nowhere near to the extent of others. Their primary violation is voicing opinions with which HuffPost's resident gang of raging leftists disagree (who they refer to as "trolls").
Here is one of HuffPost's most vicious users, "BuckyGreene," complaining that he was banned, and alleging it was done by "trolls"(!) --- followed by Peete's confirmation that he got one of them banned:
buckygreene See Profile I'm a Fan of buckygreene permalinkNext is Peete's admission to another pathologically-violating user that he has, in fact, gotten other users banned:
Id be interested in knowing why a small group of i d i o t tr0//s could have me banned after 5000+comments and dozens of friends after almost 2 years on this site.
Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 03:46 AM on 02/07/2009
Paul Peete - Huffpost Blogger I'm a Fan of Paul Peete permalink See Paul Peete's Profile
I know bucky.
Burl was particularly vile and it took forever to get a response to numerous attempts to get him banned. I read your humorous posts all the time.
And donald6 and EP and all of you, and I see the drivel that goes unchallenged from tr0//s. It angers me.
Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 04:01 AM on 02/07/2009
JoeThePorkyFarmer See Profile I'm a Fan of JoeThePorkyFarmer permalink
*then*
& ref. to Zaza. 50-times banned & look, here he is. Banning ssucks.
Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 03:28 AM on 02/07/2009
Paul Peete - Huffpost Blogger I'm a Fan of Paul Peete permalink See Paul Peete's Profile
I've gotten a couple booted personally. The IP addresses from the ISP are masked making it difficult to permanently ban someone, though I never saw Volvo again. I think, but I hope he's around somewhere and I can't figure who he is now.
Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 03:39 AM on 02/07/2009
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ADDENDUM 3: February 27, 2009 --- HuffPost allowed Peete to essentially hijack one of its "news" threads so he could discuss his preferences in sexually-charged music, and... more
On the evening of February 17, 2009, HuffPost's top news thread was entitled Largest Banks That Received Aid Cut Lending.
As otherworldly as it may seem, the fact is that while 3 other user comments were stuck in "pending," HuffPost reviewed, approved and published the following from Peete, as documented in the six excerpt pages from this thread (full PDF available upon request):
- His surveying of females on the thread as to the impact that certain songs have on them (page 1)
- Various locations to (censored) when one is aroused by certain music (page 2)
- Even more graphic descriptions of what happens when he's aroused by certain music (page 4)
You get the idea. What any of this (and more, on this and other threads) had to do with banks, lending, economic policy... well, is anyone's guess.
HuffPost, however, apparently decided that it was OK for Peete to essentially hijack the thread devoted to those subjects with this kind of... commentary --- while it was routinely removing the comments from/banning non-violating users who dared to voice political opinions with which its resident "gang" of raging leftists disagree, and complain about (as he confirmed above).
===========================
ADDENDUM 3: Did HuffPost ever take any action against Peete? Need you ask?
Short answer: no. Below is the screen capture of his official blogger profile at HuffPost from June 18, 2009:
Ditto, December 3, 2009:
.
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