Posted on 07/29/2010 12:33:22 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Via Ben Smith at Politico, the utterly predictable next step in the swamp that has become the Sherrod story has taken place:
Ousted Agriculture Department employee Shirley Sherrod said Thursday she will sue a conservative blogger who posted an edited video of her making racially tinged remarks last week.
The edited video posted by Andrew Breitbart led Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to ask Sherrod to resign, a decision he reconsidered after seeing the entire video of her March speech to a local NAACP group. In the full speech, Sherrod spoke of racial reconciliation and lessons she learned after initially hesitating to help a white farmer save his home.
She said she doesn’t want an apology from Breitbart for posting the video that took her comments out of context, but told a crowd at the National Association of Black Journalists annual convention that she would “definitely sue.”
Sue Breitbart for what, though? Defamation? Sherrod is a public official, which makes that kind of lawsuit darned near impossible. Breitbart used the clip to criticize the NAACP, not Sherrod directly, although she certainly came into the line of fire. People are allowed to criticize public officials in harsh and even unfair terms, especially when they make public remarks.
A court is not likely to look favorably on this for another reason — Sherrod’s public statements about Breitbart. She accused him of being pro-slavery, which is a ridiculous and demagogic attack. Even if a court somehow found that Breitbart acted with malice specifically towards Sherrod to a level that overcomes the right to criticize public officials and that he lied about Sherrod specifically in doing so, under those same terms Breitbart would have a countercase against Sherrod. Otherwise, Breitbart has become enough of a public figure that Sherrod’s statements about him would probably not be actionable, either.
This lawsuit will make a big splash and keep the story alive for a while, but its value is strictly limited to PR. I somehow doubt that the Obama administration will see that as beneficial to its own objectives, either, as they seem as anxious to bury the story as anyone involved.
Bring it on, Ms. Shirley. I hear discovery can be a real bitch.
LOL! I love it!
I want to know why, if she became so enlightened, did she feel the need to turn the farmer over to "one of his own"?
My dad was a farmer and whenever he needed a loan, he sure didn't "act all uppity and superior" to the person that could turn the loan down. Things that make me go hmmmmm.
What the hell are her damages? Not only can she have her old job back if she wants it, the dept is willing to create a super special tax payer funded awesomely wonderful job just for Shirley.
How has she been damaged by this?
Sherrod is going to sue Breitbart because he is white.
Love it. She’s a fool. Keep playing that video of the audience reaction to her story. Keep publicizing her views. Our most-racial pResident ought to be proud.
Guess what happens to your lawsuit if this cracker be on your jury...
Obama pulls this jerky stuff all the time...It's all about him.....and what else he didn't want us to know about Shirley and hubby...like REPARATIONS!!
Bury the communists and we’ll find there aren’t many racists left in America.
She is doing what comes natural to her..she is sue happy and got 13 mil..wonder if she will try to double that?
I hope Andrew has LOTS of video to make the point she is a racist.
RE: She’s gonna get millions of dollars of air time and become a martyr for the victimhood movement no matter how this goes.
Only if we as a people buy into this “I’m a black victim” garbage. It’s time the American People stand up and ignore this nonsense and not give it any importance.
Stick to your guns, Andy. If you were set up, it will come out.
This beach has more skeletons in her closet. Let’s bring them out.
. . . . . she’s all smoke and mirrors just like the blowhard Blago ,,,,,, Bieitbart probably has hours of tape and video of Shirley saying all sorts of stupid insane things and the world will really get to know who she is ,,,, not a good idea Shirley . Blago didn’t testify and Shirley ain’t suing .
Just came from the DUmmies site. They act like she’s the second coming of Cindy Sheehan (actually one of them compared her to Rosa Parks). They are absolutely positive that she’s going to win and not only take down Breitbart but all conservative media. Honestly, if you read the whole thread, it becomes very obvious that they have no idea of how this whole thing started or who did what & when.
Breitbart should sue all entities throwing barbs at him because they do not have proper reading and viewing comprehension.
Oh, yes she does. DC = black jury. Remember OJ?
"All rise, the jury foreman will now read the verdict. Jury, how say you?"
"Judge, we find cracka cracka cracka!! Hammer that dam' cracka! Fifty million dollars to the plaintiff, bless you dear!"
Bill Clinton never missed a night's sleep worrying about a criminal indictment by Ken Starr, as long as he could be sure the case would have to be brought in DC.
And incidentally, that was what that whole "I'm sorry for racist evil bad white America" trip to Africa was all about. The one that Joe Wilson did the advance work on, as a partisan, spear-carrying 'Rat scum "diplomat".
I wouldn’t be surprised if the DOJ acts on her behalf and she wins either - ignoring the purpose and intent of showing the world once again the racist side of the NAACP...
“They are absolutely positive that she’s going to win and not only take down Breitbart but all conservative media.”
Perfect. Let’s roll!
What, you think Obozo and Holder want a piece of this? Doubt it, but NAACP might show up; they're already involved and they're on the tape.
Then I guess we can sue Michael Moore for doing the same and calling it documentaries?
He did the same in Bowling for Columbine, Sicko, Rodger and Me, Farenhight 911 and every movie he makes.
So does NBC, CBS, ABC, PBS, CNN, Fox, MSNBC, and all the rest. It is part of reporting the news on most stations. You can’t show long video clips and most show only what gets their point across.
Regardless, the woman is still a racist and her saying she later helped the farmer (still to be proven) doesn’t void that fact. She, like most roaches, hates to be caught in the light of truth. Which she was.
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