It seems to me the board tends to attract more posters during the fall and winter months when there is less other things to do.

I agree with Aunty M.
Some people tend to throw a political jab/barb into the most simplistic non-political response which can get the ball rolling as it's intended to do. But how or why should a moderator be expected to police that 24/7?
As for NFR...if the title say's NFR then don't read or participate if you choose not to. I find it particularly humorous when people post to threads telling people they shouldn't be posting to the thread because it's NFR.
However, name calling, threats or racist remarks show immaturity and a lack of ability to form your thoughts into lucid sentences and there's no place for that. So, if you read something that makes you so angry that you can't post a civil comeback it's best to not post at all.