Tonight, we're taking on the story of Shirley Sherrod. An African American worker at the Agriculture, she lost her job yesterday after Andrew Brietbart's Big Government site posted video of her recent speech to an NAACP gathering. In the version posted by Big Government, Sherrod says that she wasn't as motivated to help a white farmer who talked down to in her former job, in the 1980s.
It appears that Big Government left behind the moral of Sherrod's story, which is that she came to see the importance of treating people equally. Meanwhile, the white farming family in question defends Sherrod, saying she saved their land.
This is a big, difficult story, and we're aiming to give it the epic treatment. A few links to get you started, after the jump.
The original post on Big Government
NAACP says it was snookered into condemning Sherrod
NAACP posts full video of Sherrod's speech
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack's statement
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She must have really pissed the right wingers off... somebody wants her out of the way.
I find myself asking WHY would somone go back 26 years to find a video clip of this woman and edit it to get the result they have...clearly intent was to cause grievous harm....to this woman who eloquently (and courageously) wa;lked us through her own process and realisation that the poor have more in common than different. It so reminded me of the whole ACORN debaucle. Breitbart clearly has shown his hand...he ought to be accountable for his dishonesty and dispicable intent to fan the flames of hatred.
That's the real problem. They don't care. She was targeted because they found the tape and realized it could be edited to show her in the worst possible light, destroy a Democrat, and further their specious arguments that Democrats are "the real racists." It as simple, and disgusting, as that.
it wasn't old video it was a story of 24 years ago... follow along now
Why? The eternal question: stupid or evil? I trust you will make the appropriate choice.
You'll note it was a Black woman in the Black Obama Administration that fired this Black Woman.
must be Whitey's fault!
MSNBC bought into the Breitbart spin with the headline: "Black USDA official resigns after saying she only 'did enough' for white farmer" http://tinyurl.com/38vukly
Breitbart is not a journalist. He's a propagandist. The mainstream media needs to treat anything from him as toxic waste.
Everybody bought into it. But at least they are responding back to
the lie and not letting it stay. Big props to CNN for doing their interview.
Exactly what was on Morning joe this morning about this topic??????
MSNBC ----Dylan Ratigan called the president a boy. What type of stuff was that?
Showing that clip/commercail of Tamron Hall doesn't fool anyone MSNBC. Put on an OPINION Black host who thinks like the 98% of the Blacks who voted for PBO.
This mean no Black republicans. We know who you have on your shows.
Actually, Ratigan called Obama a "little boy".
Lets see what Fix News says about it. Bet they just let it go.
Because ignoring the truth is so easy for them.
Hannity regularly crops Obama's speeches in order to make it appear he said something he didn't, so the 'Big Government' blog's doing the same sort of thing isn't even going to register over there.
I can only say that O'reilly apologized on air to Sherrod and took responsibility for not doing his job thoroughly.
This should be criminal in its intent to deliberately smear an African American USDA worker, the President, and stir racial violence. Andrew Brietbart and FoxNews edited the 43 minute video and presented it as truth. They should be held criminally accountable for defaming Ms. Sherrod and her loss of employment. As Brietbart did with Acorn and virtually got away with it, this episode is another attempt to destroy the NAACP and race relations in this country. The FCC should investigate FOX NEWS about this matter as well.
Yes, this is courtesy of Playboy. Iit is anonymous, but worth the read in entirety, as in addition to ACORN, Sherrod is the latest 'scalp' for the right. Talks about the Tea Party, including Breitbart and Big Govt. and political 'dark arts' in general. For how the 'reptilian brain' mentioned in the article operates, see link that follows, or just do a search.... Check it out:
Rogues of K Street: Confessions of a Tea Party Consultant
http://www.playboy.com/articles/rogues-of-k-street/index.html?page=1
Cheney Speaks to the Reptile Brain
by Thom Hartmann
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0817-13.htm
I would love to see someone tackle Breitbart in person, calling him out for the liar he is. I doubt he would take the risk. Rachel Maddow could certainly do it. I'd love to see a linguist like George Lakoff do it. http://berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2003/10/27_lakoff.shtml My dream scheme:
Breitbart should go down, yes. I've never seen Lakoff speak (only read some if his written work); is he any good in a debate?
I want to know how it is, in the White House and among the Democrat leadership, everything coming from such dubious sources as...well, as Republicans, carries so much weight and credibility??? What are they afraid of?
I was involved with emergency relief in some rural areas - they have their own dynamic, some places in the deep south will run a caseworker out of town for having red hair, much less being African American. It's quite a dance, trying to get people what they need and speaking their sociological "language" while interacting with them as sensitively as possible...here you are, an outsider, and meeting people under the worst possible conditions at the worst possible time. It's everything a relief worker can do to even get them to admit they have a need, an emergency, usually not until their children are effected.
And then, the caseworker is too old or too young or male or female or the wrong color or has too many letters in their last name or look too Jewish or Asian or talks too fast or any numbers of things - but the only issue that matters in the field is the client, the person that needs the aid, and if you go through half your caseworkers until the individual gets someone they think they can open up to, that's what you do.
Where I come from, when you start getting talked down to or yelled at or even spit upon it's rough but you take it as a sign the person's still got some moxie and they'll get through this, the emergency is almost over.
I just want to see the rest of the tape. If she had the guts to step up and present this as a learning lesson, to help me see, along with her, I applaud her. I don't care who's laughing in the background, it WAS funny, without agreeing with it.
And how did the farmer act "superior"? I want to know, darn it.
So far, resignation seems a little harsh based on her sharing one 24 yr old injustice she served up for a positive cause.
Oh darn, there it is, the whole tape?, and not enough time. A single day of withdrawal was bad enough. I'll have to trust my ability to make my own assessment, after the show.
By now, Nitwit, the whole world knows and has seen the whole tape. If you truly believe Breitbart was not editing this, you are more ignorant than it seems. If you believed the videos with the dip@!$%# dressed as a Pimp months ago to discredit ACORN you are proving without a doubt you are past ignorant and well into hate and racism. A sign of Lack of Intelligence not a lack of facts.
I pity you, because there is a cog missing in your brain. A cog that prevents you from accepting knowledge. You would rather spend your life hating people and ideas. I hope you didn't reproduce.
Lockinvar, that was completely uncalled for. locknpost is a regular contributor here who admitted her error.
Sherrod should sue Breitbart & Faux News for libel. Demand several million in damages.
Yes Yes Yes Fox and Breitbart need to be sued for defamation. FCC needs to step up and punish Fox nuts. Free speech does not include, that a news service can just report false information. Blatant lying on a news network cannot be allowed to do this sort of things.
I propose that racism is no longer a word worth using. Soulism is. What is in a person's soul is the only thing that matters. Humans have found all kinds of ways to classify each other into groups; intelligence, race, physical characteristics, wealth, etc, and etc. The list is endless, and the truth is hidden. Tonight I ask the world to ask if you are a Soulist, and the answer best be yes! And remember in your heart and minds that nothing else matters.
Cool thoughts, Surfer Jim. See my post below, written at almost the same time as yours.
Soulist. I understand what you mean by this, and all I can say is that people need love and compassion to be a "soulist". Just watch a persons behavior, and that will tell you how they really are. I am not a religious person, but the Holy Bible has a passage that states "You will know a tree by the fruit it bears". A person, regardless of how they say they are for this, or are against that will reveal their colors in their behavior.
This idea is not very much use to atheists. I mean, nice concept, but not a great choice of terminology.
I think racism is one of the most overused words around. Now the right has turned it around as a weapon against the administration. Many seek to promote bigotry and hatred by twisting fact to meet their own warped perceptions. Ms. Sherrod admits to prejudice, then overcame a negative tendency to help a fellow human. This is an uplifting story of human relations among people of different races.
Racism is a real phenomenon but found among relatively few. Bigotry and prejudice are much more common. Stories like Ms. Sherrod's could be give as examples of overcoming human faults. But instead, the USDA responded as if Ms. Sherrod committed an extreme act. Her courage should be applauded, not condemned.
Bigotry and prejudice that is based upon race is, sociologically speaking, racism. The only reason racism is used, academically speaking, is so that we can give a name to the social behavior that is still found in the United States.
Maybe it's just me, but I find most of the blame is going to Tom Vilsack and NAACP while Andrew Breibart should not let be off the hook.
Am I the only one who feels this will end with a White House Beer Summit? Geez Louise, are we able to go one summer without a White House Beer Summit?
But conservative really do like get people fire for no actual complaint on their actual job performance i.e. Shirley Sherrod, Dave Weigel, Octavia Nasr, Dawn Johnsen, Van Jones
It is time for Black people to DEMAND equal access in the media. Black people are lied upon in the media and we are not able to respond in a respectable way.
News outlets keeps on trotting out Black Republicans to discuss Black issues. These Black people are scared to say anything to upset the white hosts. It is sickening to watch the step and fetch,rochester, routines displayed by Black people on these cable news shows.
The lying must stop. The silence of Black thought must be lifted on cable news.
That woman has only worked hard her entire life to help ALL people. She did not deserve this. This is just shameful.
What a disgrace the media has become.
Breibart is a snake, and snakes do what snakes do. I am surprised that the NAACP and members of the Obama administration have acted so witlessly.
The ball is now in President Obama's court. Is he the just man he says he is?
This is exactly right, and Rachel called it.
I don't know if it would be politically wise, but I for one think the Prez ought to call Mrs. Sherrod in to the Oval Office/Rose Garden for an official apology and a barn-burner speech about right wing media irresponsibility. Sec. Vilsack should be seen standing in the background, rubbing his hind end, sore from the whupping he got in the proverbial woodshed. (He was clearly acting--misguidedly--to protect the administration, so should not be fired. I can't tell yet if he acted on orders or not.)
What is not in doubt is that the lady should get her job back.
I agree. She should not only get her job back, but she should get a medal. Mr President, step up and do the right thing...very publicly!
Rachel...if you are going to be HONEST on your show, then you have to get your facts straight. Sherrod had already resigned BEFORE a single word was said on Fox news - so fox did not cause this. President Obama made the move to ask her to resign BEFORE it showed up on Fox...if you pride yourself on facts, then you should be honest with this one. You except Fox to be honest...you should be too!!!!
If what you say is true, then provide some proof to back up your statement that this former U.S.D.A employee "had already resigned BEFORE a single word was said on Fox news". Without it all you are saying is just hearsay.
I imagine that he heard of her resigning from Glen Beck. As we know he is a scholarly source for information????? It amazes me how moronic some people are. If you watched last night the Rachel show you would have seen the TRUTH. I can't understand "Kellyn-31" thinking is he saying that the showing of the edited video on FOX nutz was not the reason for her being asked to resign???? She resigned of her own free will.?????? If it were me I would SUE, I believe that a civil suit would result in a nice financial reward for her being humiliated. The prevailing excuse is that "WE WERE SNOOKERED". I guess news networks don't have to check the source of the news. All a personal injury attorney would have to do is show the full video and then show the Fox edited and commented on video.
I hope all you fox attackers read the LA Times this morning AND watched Morning Joe....both of who empphatically state Fox News had not one mentionof this incident until she had already ben fired (asked to resign).... there was a 30 second mention at the end of O'Reilly which contained a strip on the bottom noting that Sherrod had resigned.......and Glenn Beck (who Sherrod said the WH was afraid of) had NOT EVEN MENTIONED it on his show.....in fact, Glenn defended her the next day and said taking things out of context without getting all the facts is wrong...... so all you losers without all the correct facts should look within yourselves at your irrational hatred and lashing out at anyone who holds a legitamate difference of opinion....
Time for Secretary Vilsack and him minions to do the right thing and apologize to Ms. Sherrod and reinstate her. Fake news organizations like Fox and Breitbart need to be exposed for the propaganda machines that they are.
I would like to first state that there is no federal law stating that news has to be truthful. (I am not saying I agree with what Fox News and biggovernment.com has done.)
I am interested to see what will become of this woman, and if she will be reinstated back at the U.S.D.A. I can say that if she is not, and with some other things that I do not like coming out of the Obama administration, I will not be voting for him if he runs in 2012.
What has happened, if this ever existed, to a person objectively seeking out the facts of any story? Why is it that there are so many people in the United States that take what is being said on media as the gospel truth? One of my former college professors told us that we need to look into things for ourselves, and not take the word of others as the truth. In this regard, I will say that with all of the readily information out there in the world that is at our disposal to look up without government censorship, we should be fervently seeking out the facts, and stop listening to the talking heads.
I am currently contemplating a country that I can move to where there are people who have objective brains, and use them often.
If that woman was not fired the media would have continued to lie. Fox, CNN and MSNBC would have continued to show that 30 second loop without the context.
Cable shows don't let Black people on their shows to discuss anything of substance. I am angry at the whitehouse but understand they had to do what they had to do.
All the media should be taken to task for not telling the truth and letting lies stand as truth.
The White House did what they did under the circumstances of a woman's words that where falsely distorted.
Where are the apologies from the NAACP and others? And isn't this a "I was asked to resign..." situation? That's how these things work....but Sherrod should have her job back. Julian Bond spoke courteously and responsibly about this situation, but, alas, he is not the one who should be apologizing to Ms. Sherrod. I also must ask, what's happened to verification and attribution in the public media arena? It's embarrassing when we assume...we know what happens.
Fox news has to know the truth on all these fake stories they are telling. Someone need to do an investing report on them and expose what they are doing. They should not be able to call it a news network.
They need to be brought down.
You need to do MUCH more than this Rachel. You need to do a segment on the intentional destruction of people's reputation for the sake of 'politics'. NO person is expendable and this constant LYING about people and then shrugging it off is not only dangerous it is truly UNAMERICAN or at least the America that the tea partiers profess to 'want to take back'. You might ALSO want to do a quick less on 'the google'...these people say they are JOURNALISTS and it's only 'the people' that are able to ferret out the truth??? Please...
agree
If she investigates, she will then have to face the fact and admit that she too distorts the truth.
Sorry I meant a lesson on 'the google'. I am so damn mad that I'm having trouble typing.
Rachel, thank you so much for taking apart this vile lie so quickly and thoroughly.
I'm just glad that we've got you addressing this, Rachel.
And, could somebody please tell Breitbart to just rename his blog "BigLiar"? Really, it's a lot more accurate.
Please wake me up...or tell me this is a movie script....I just cant believe its real.
I only hope that EVERY government employee will be:
HONEST
HELPFUL (even if they feel that they might be holding back with prejudice)
SINCERE
EFFECTIVE
PRODUCTIVE
oh well I think you get the idea
After thought: Promote her to write the new manuel for government workers
Please just wake me up, this is 2010 isnt it
This is a wake-up call. A rude one. : )
Rachel handled the story well and you can guarantee that it is not over.
So Dave take your hatred and go watch Hannity and listen to Rush because you
are a Perfect fit. Go be a Ditto head and stop draining our IQs.
So Rachel reporting how someone has fabricated lies by careful editing/omission makes her hateful and ignorant in your book. Very strange and interesting take you have on life there.
Tim Wise wrote a really excellent article responding to this story and the insane claims of anti-white racism perpetuated by the right-wing.
Here's the link for anyone who is interested:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tim-Wise/140254320968?ref=search#!/notes/tim-wise/faux-pression-racism-and-the-cult-of-white-victimhood/10150209253760459
That is an interesting read and doesn't surprise me in the least, I shall have to look up some more of his writings. After all, we still see a certain level of institutional racism against those who don't share my lack of pigmentation even over here in the UK. And yes, we also have the rabid right claiming reverse racism at every possible opportunity while being the actual racists/xenophobes. Though it will often be couched in language that either needs a degree of decoding or, if not actual decoding, at least a familiarity with the style of rhetoric employed.
Tim Wise writes some very wise articles. Here's one from April on 'What if the Tea Party Were Black'?
http://www.alternet.org/story/146616/what_if_the_tea_party_were_black?page=entire
This current episode is clearly designed to stoke racial fear and animosity among white people prior to the midterms. It is blatant race-baiting of a very serious order.
I would love to see Rachel interview Time Wise and give his views another platform.
Thanks Endless Sheriff, I hadn't seen that piece, but it says it all really doesn't it and very eloquently.