Hmm is there a way I can simply block the poster and never have to see their specific posts again?
You mean like blocking any article regarding the Washington Post? I'm sorry but I don't know any way.
I would love that feature. There are some particularly boring cut and pasters who hit every thread on whatever topic and post their long tedious rants. It would be nice to block them and for them to know they are being blocked by x number of people. It might help correct their actions.
If you use Firefox as your web browser for reading FreeRepublic, the GreaseMonkey extension will allow you to block all posts from a specific poster.
Freepmail me for more information.
(Yes, I know this doesn't help much if you're on a mobile device.)