Posted on 07/29/2010 3:12:14 AM PDT by Kaslin
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Who knows what lies ahead for Shirley Sherrod -- a book, the lecture circuit, a wrongful discharge lawsuit that could bring millions? But if she keeps talking, the woman "wrongfully portrayed" as a racist may out herself as exactly that.
Andrew Breitbart, a "right-wing" critic of the traditional liberal media, operates websites designed to expose the liberal bias of politicians, Hollywood types and the news media. He rejects the tax-and-spend, grow-the-government, race-based/identity policies of the left -- and believes these policies are aided and abetted by the left-wing media.
This makes him a marked man -- with no margin for error.
Angered by the NAACP's resolution condemning alleged "racist elements" in the Tea Party movement, Breitbart posted an excerpt of a speech that Sherrod, then a black employee of the Department of Agriculture, gave at a March NAACP function. In the excerpt, Sherrod appeared to boast about refusing, on racial grounds, to give full assistance to a white farmer seeking her help to save his farm from foreclosure.
This made the NAACP, in Breitbart's opinion, guilty of hypocrisy. The NAACP condemns racism within the Tea Party. But when a government official acknowledges anti-white racism at an NAACP-sponsored speech, the organization, by its silence, tacitly approves of her objectionable behavior.
Conservative commentators and websites quickly picked up on and reacted to the video. In short order, Sherrod, under pressure, "resigned" from her job.
But the excerpt -- sent by an unnamed source -- was taken out of context. And Breitbart apparently never asked for and never saw the entire speech before posting the excerpt. In fact, in the nearly 45-minute NAACP speech, Sherrod said she overcame her reluctance to assist the white farmer and worked aggressively to help him save his farm. Thus, Sherrod actually shared her story of personal redemption, that life's struggle is not that of black vs. white but, in her opinion, about overcoming economic disadvantage.
Embarrassed, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack apologized to Sherrod for pressuring her into resigning and urged her to return with a promotion. Sherrod even spoke to President Barack Obama, who expressed regret over her mistreatment.
Sherrod is now heralded as a symbol of a black woman unfairly victimized by the wretched, vicious, racist tactics of Breitbart in particular and the "right wing" in general. CNN aired an hourlong story on her life. Outlets printed stories about her upbringing in segregated Georgia, where she worked as a civil rights activist. We learned that when Sherrod was 17, a white man shot her father in the back and an all-white grand jury declined to indict. She married a minister named Charles Sherrod, a respected longtime civil rights activist and founding member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.
But what about the rest of Shirley Sherrod's NAACP speech?
She made this observation about those who opposed ObamaCare: "I haven't seen such mean-spirited people as I've seen lately over this issue of health care. Some of the racism we thought was buried. Didn't it surface? (Audience responds approvingly.) Now, we endured eight years of the Bushes, and we didn't do the stuff these Republicans are doing because you have a black president."
So the self-proclaimed colorblind woman attributes legitimate opposition to the government takeover of health care ... to racism.
And what motivated Breitbart to post the out-of-context excerpt? Was Breitbart erroneously, but in good faith, using it to hold the NAACP to the same standard the organization asks of the Tea Party? Not according to Sherrod. She told CNN: "I know I've gotten past black vs. white. He's probably the person who's never gotten past it and never attempted to get past it. ... I think he would like to get us stuck back in the times of slavery. That's where I think he'd like to see all black people end up again. ... I think that's why he's so vicious against a black president, you know. He would go after me. I don't think it was even the NAACP he was totally after. I think he was after a black president."
This from someone who's "gotten past black vs. white"?
Her husband, the Rev. Sherrod, spoke this year at the University of Virginia School of Law. In the half-hour excerpt posted on YouTube, he talks about the evolution of the black struggle for freedom and equality and about his personal experiences with prejudice and brutality. He said he found inspiration from the Rev. Martin Luther King's vision of a society that judges people by the content of their character. But the Rev. Sherrod later said: "Finally, we must stop the white man and his Uncle Toms from stealing our elections. We must not be afraid to vote black, and we must not be afraid to turn a black out who votes against our interests." He provided no example, explanation or elaboration.
Breitbart erred in not viewing the entire NAACP speech. But neither this nor the past racist experiences of Shirley and Charles Sherrod justify giving them a pass for their own racist comments.
BTTT....
the funny thing is, this whole thing started with the media unfairly attacking tea party as racists. Taking things out of context etc. The crime they accuse Breitbart for. But does the unfairly targetted Tea Partiers get sainted? Nope, but the racist Sherrod
Excellent point
It’s not going to take years. She’s already making racist hate speeches portraying the Right if the ways of the NAACP hate groups handbook, and painting Republicans as her and all black americans, tormentors and “reEnslaver” wannabees...When as it has always been, the *Left* who are always telling them what to dom who to hate, where to live, what they can eat, that they should kill their babies, that being drug addicts and whores is “cool”, that abandoning their families and preying on their own communities is being “free”....
And speaking of the right wing conspiracy.
It turned out that there was a left wing conspiracy all along and it destroyed hillary clinton’s chance for the presidency.
How did that work out for you hillary?
When this story broke it was reported that she had won $13 Million is a discrimination case against the government. That has been totally dropped. Maybe it was not true, or it does not fit the victim image.
She is now the race victim poster child of the liberal black community.
Excellent question
Poor Hillary sure does have her problems with these mean vast conspiracies. The VRWC forced her husband to deposit evidence on a blue dress. The VLWC “stole” the Presidency from her.
I thought the point Breitbart (according to him) was trying to make was the reaction of the audience to her racist remarks.
When she said she hadn’t tried very hard to help the white farmers the audience clapped loudly in obvious approval.
She is guaranteed to go far and get rich off American White guilt.
They sued the DOA as part of a class action lawsuit Pigford vs Glickman/Vilsack.
Their commune, New Communities, won $13 million+ with sherrod and her husband getting $150,000+ each.,P. http://pajamasmedia.com/zombie/2010/07/27/pigford-v-glickman-86000-claims-from-39697-total-farmers/
Sherrod and her husband got $150,000+ each PLUS whatever part of the $13 million. Since the property was in their names I wonder how much they gave the other “farmers”?
Remember in November
In my Criminal Law/Evidence class my professor said you can NEVER RELY on what the news media says in print or on television because it's always slanted in one way or another and most of the time their facts are wrong. I have found that to be true 99.9% of the time. An excellent example is the journo-lists conspiracy.
The citizens (heavy emphasis on citizens) of this country need to be nit-pickers on all information presented until all facts are known and then form their own conclusions. As far as the Breitbart video goes, he was correct in pointing out the racist mental attitude of the members of the NAACP through their responses to Sherrod's statements. NO mistakes were made on his part other than maybe taking people by the hand and telling them where to look.
Unfortunately, a lot of the populace can't think or see the forest for the trees unless someone points it out to them. We're doomed I tell ya, we're doomed! :O)
Go Shirley Go!
I still disagree with the premise that Breitbart “erred” in not showing the full clip of Sherrod’s remarks i.e. the lie about her overcoming her racism. Breitbart’s original intent was to show the NAACP for what they were, hypocritical bigots, and not to bring down Sherrod. That part has been overlooked. He admitted to Sean Hannity that Sherrod was a secondary consideration. But many people, including many conservatives, seem to think that he was primarily going after Sherrod.
That's why Breitbart made the tape in the first place. He wanted to get back at the NAACP, not specifically single out Shirley Sherrod. He wanted to show the bigots laughing at a speech where a black women talked about discriminating against a white person.
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