Shirley Sherrod Goes After Breitbart On AC360 (Can Breitbart Sue Sherrod Over What She Said Here?

YouTube ^ | 7/22/2010 | HotAirPundit

[Laissez-faire capitalist]

Shirley Sherrod: "I think that he [Breitbart] would like to get us struck back in the times of slavery. That's where I think he would like to see all black people end up again."

Anderson Cooper: "You think he's racist."

Sherrod: "I do."

[Laissez-faire capitalist]

Those words are from 2:31 to 2:51.

[Laissez-faire capitalist]

There is alot more that she said on that clip at AC 360.

Those words of hers sound defamatory.

Could Breitbart sue Shirley Sherrod over those words tha she uttered about him?

She plans on suing him.

[Westbrook]

She’s entitled to what she thinks.

If I were Breitbart, I wouldn’t give her the time of day.

Just publish more of her own words, without comment, providing links to the “context”.

She’s a racist with a chip on her shoulder no matter what context she’s in, and her own words reveal it.

Other than that, she, like Cindy Sheehan, has used up her fifteen minutes.

[jessduntno]

Anderson Cooper: “You think he’s racist.”

I notice that wasn’t a question. Good reporting...

[kbennkc]

He has a better case than she does, and he also has the good sense to bring it only if needed as a counterclaim.

[Laissez-faire capitalist]

But there are different rules for private citizens that public officials. She was a public official. He isn’t a public official.

And, how can she sue him for defamation without him suing her right back for defamation.

[Jedidah]

Question is: what can she sue him for?

Didn’t he just post video of her speaking?

Can’t see how that’s in any way slanderous or libelous or illegal.

[wac3rd]

She sued the USDA and won an award. Then they hired her.

WTF is going on with Political Correctness?

[Fred]

Go ahead and sue, every racist act and or word spoken from her and her husband will be revealed to all.

Just another Obama tool...

[Mr. K]

I saw that interview- That girly-man Anderson Cooper was going out of her way to give Shirlet a chance to redeem herself and she just kept digging and digging.

When Cooper got to the “You think [Breitbart] is a racist?” question, you could tell that Sherrod was going to say “yes” and Cooper was dreading it coming before he even finished the question.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Anderson Cooper: “You think he’s racist.”

I notice that wasn’t a question. Good reporting...

When spoken with rising inflection, as he did if you listen, it is a question. Andrew Breitbart is a public person and she's expressing an opinion, not stating a refutable fact, so I don't think there is anything resembling liable.

BTW, Shirley, I think you're a jerk and should have quit while you were ahead. So, sue me. Demanding to speak to the President was overreach, suing Breitbart is idiotic.

[Mr. K]

Also.. at that point I think she (Sherrod) was on auto-pilot and Cooper could have asked her “is Andrew a right-wing cracker?” and she would have plowed ahead with “hell yes” and more BS

[Enterprise]

I think he has a much better case of suing her than she has suing him. I would love to see her have to sit through days and says of depositions. And THEN watch her go through trial. BREITBART will get an excellent attorney who will have her sweating and stuttering a few moments after she swears to tell the truth. If I were an attorney, I would not like to have her as a client. I would take her money up front though, a LOT of it, knowing the case would be a lost cause.

[Neoliberalnot]

County Sheriffs should simply ignore the black robed bit... masquerading as the matrons of justice. At some point, people must take a stand and do what is right. Ignore the judge and enforce the law against the criminal invasion.

[jessduntno]

“When spoken with rising inflection, as he did if you listen, it is a question. Andrew Breitbart is a public person and she’s expressing an opinion, not stating a refutable fact, so I don’t think there is anything resembling liable.”

Ahhh...from the transcript, there was no question mark.

[Sans-Culotte]

I say just let her spout on. People (aside from blacks/hispanics) are getting tired of the race card. She simply reminds everybody about how racist the Obama administration is.

[MNnice]

The NAACP had just accused the Tea Party of being racist.

The whole purpose of showing that video was to show the reaction from the NAACP crowd when they heard someone espousing anti-white views. They chuckled and generally approved of her actions to “not help” the white farmer as much as she could have.

That was it right there. There was no need to show any more of the tape because Brietbart’s point had been made. It wasn’t about Shirley Sherrod’s words, it was about the NAACP’s racist reaction to those words.

[Laissez-faire capitalist]

AC did not say “Do you think he is a racist”?

That would be a question.

He said “You think he is a racist.”

[Westbrook]

He only needs to countersue if she sues.

Otherwise, all he has to do is continue to publish what she says, giving links to the larger context.

There’s enough for her to hang herself without him having to say anything.

[TexasCajun]

Did the butt-boy ask Ms Sherrod about her Black Nationalist Husband if she agrees with his views?

Did the butt-boy ask Ms Sherrod if she thought their were elements of racism in the National Association for the Advancement for Colored People?

[FrankR]

"Shirley Sherrod: "I think that he [Breitbart] would like to get us struck back in the times of slavery. That's where I think he would like to see all black people end up again." "

Words designed to fire up the blacks, that's all that is; she was caught with her hand in the cookie er, CRACKER jar, and needs support from "her kind" - using her phrasology.

As I have previously stated, whites don't want slavery times back again, there are some things that are just not profitable or enjoyable to own.

White people - like Breitbart - have enough to deal with, without the feeding and caring of another human being, at least one they did not procreate.

The most obvious point that makes her statement absurd - and yes, racist - is that there a hundreds of laws and safeguards in place to prevent such a thing from ever happening.

But Shirley needs to really take this to heart, WE DON'T WANT ANY SLAVES, period. She's still stuck in the 19th century, like most of her NAACP supporters, and I guess as long as that scenario works to create VICTIMS, she will remain there.

Obama and his race-based administration has created an atmosphere of distrust and intolerance that was supposedly on the wane; we're back to walking on eggshells and avoiding mention of any "color" to the point people are contemplating removing the black crayon from their kids' crayolas.

How much more ridiculous and childish can this bunch get? No one alive today can help what happened in slavery days. White Republicans eradicated slavery, and did most of the heavy lifting for civil rights, but because of handouts, they have been brainwashed to think the dems are the end all, be all of political parties.

Shirley, even if it did come back, no one would want you to listen to all the bitching. Go enjoy your new job and leave Breitbart alone...after all, all he did was expose you and your words to America, and let them see the NAACP agreeing with those same inflamatory words.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

The transcriber owes you a “?”.

[Laissez-faire capitalist]

If AC had said “DO you think he is a racist”? that would have been a question.

“You think he is a racist” is not a question.

[kbennkc]

depositions

You just know she would feel entitled to determine which questions she wants to answer. I wonder have many trips for orders and sanctions it would take to get her attention. Please , please let there be video tape of her deposition.

[swain_forkbeard]

Keep talking, Shirley.

[chatter4]

Shirley Sherrod is a racist. Although she was let off the hook in the case of the story she told about the white farmer, later in the video she clearly states that the ONLY reason people oppose Obama is because they are all racist.

[Maverick68]

To think of all the people on this forum that went out of their way to defend this lady and slam Breitbart....

[hosepipe]

Breitbart NOW can counter sue her.. and probably WIN...

[isthisnickcool]

The only thing she would prove by suing is that she is very stupid. Litigation will not allow her to dictate what happens. She is not in charge of some government program if she sues him. She cannot control what happens. It is not a one way street. She will get her head handed to her.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

In conversational English, a “declarative” sentence spoken with a rising inflection, as Mr. Andersen used, is a question. In a court of law it might be seen as a leading question, but journalist ask leading questions to elicit provocative answers. If Ms. Sherrod had said, “Oh, no, I don’t think that!” it would not have been provocative. Of course the poor, widdle, befuddled Sherrod obviously thinks any conservative is a racist.

[Enterprise]

She thinks she’s some sort of civil rights warrior. I bet she doesn’t have the mental toughness to withstand tough depositions. Then, even if she doesn’t have to answer questions if deposition, a good attorney can still get her to screw up on the stand and once she says something she will HAVE to answer more questions once she opens the door.

[bmwcyle]

Do I think liberals are the real racist of our age?

bmwycle: I do.

[Enterprise]

LOL - Shirley got caught with her hand in the cracker jar.

[Dr. Bogus Pachysandra]

“You think he is a racist” is not a question.

In a transcript, I agree, but voice inflections are very important in determining if something is actually a question. English is not a monotonic language, although our use of inflection is not remotely as complex as in Mandarin Chinese.

[freespirited]

I’m not a lawyer. But based on what I know I think the court would hold that both of them are public figures.

[Laissez-faire capitalist]

Problem is, is that whether or not something can be demmed as “rising inflection” is in the eye of the beholder, and a few on a jury might think of it as being a question, while the rest may think of it as being a declarative statement.

Not open and shut at all.

Secondly, she added to Coopers statement. She said that Breitbart is “vicious.”

[Laissez-faire capitalist]

It is nearly impossible for public officials to sue others.(politicians are public officials)

[jessduntno]

“The transcriber owes you a “?”.”

Was that a statement or a question? Which, of course is the point, right?

There’s no difference between a question and a statement.

There’s no difference between a question and a statement?

When read, do these two sentences mean the same thing?

Yeah, a transcription needs punctuation.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

If you listen, Andersen is clearly asking a (leading) question. Lawyers are not allowed to ask leading questions, unless the judge has deemed a witness hostile or unresponsive (like a child). Journalists ask, especially television journalists, ask leading questions for a living.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

I took some out of open stock. Help yourself.

[Gargantua]

This racist pig is yesterday's news.

Her 15 minutes of fame are up, she can go back to clipping coupons and whining about "whitey keeping her down" to a world that is largely uncaring, and whose time and thoughts are occupied with their own real problems instead of her imagined ones.

;-/

[jessduntno]

Transcription is the process of matching the sounds of human speech to special written symbols, using a set of exact rules, so that these sounds can be reproduced later. Punctuation is critical to transcription, it being a set of rules that help a reader discern the difference between types of sentences. You do agree don't you?

[jessduntno]

Keep them.
You need them more than I do!
Don’t you?
Punctuation is your friend.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Plenty more where they came from. No?

[jessduntno]

Are you really in Massachusetts, Lonesome in Massachussets?

Spelling is not your friend, either, I see. I understand the indifference to English a little better now. Good grief.

Let’s see, how should I write this next sentence?

Misspelling your home state was intentional.

orrrrrrrrrrrrrrr,

Misspelling your home state was intentional?

[jessduntno]

Plenty more where they came from?

Good.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

See my profile.

[jessduntno]

See your profile.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

There are punctuation Nazis, punctuation nannies, punctuation police and punctuation bores. You are coming perilously close to one of these categories.

[jessduntno]

Me? No way!

Interesting that your inability to admit you are wrong makes me a Nazi of some sort though.