Shirley Sherrod Fired for Wrong Offense

21Jul/1037

Shirley Sherrod Fired for Wrong Offense

Yesterday, my Twitter feed was all abuzz about the firing of Shirley Sherrod from her position with USDA in Georgia, after Andrew Breitbart posted video of her stating to an NAACP audience that she hadn't done all she could do for a white farmer. Well, it turns out that the video that Andrew had was partial, and that she goes on to say that she realized that it was not so much a matter of race as of what the academics like to term, "subject position."

The damage was already done, though, because Ben Jealous had issued a condemnation and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack had sacked her. Later, when the entire video became available, Jealous claimed that he'd been "snookered" by Breitbart and by Fox News. Glenn Beck came out saying that she shouldn't have been fired. The White House claimed that it had had nothing to do with forcing her resignation after Sherrod criticized them for not having contacted her for the rest of the story.

Charles Johnson immediately went into screech mode, claiming that Breitbart had deliberately chopped the video in order to smear the subject. The Usual Subjects, some of whom were involved in the JournoList capers detailed at The Daily Caller, yesterday, began deploring his underhanded tactics. Others, many of whom I respect, felt that Breitbart should have waited on the story until he had the full video, and that because he's in the public eye he has a greater duty of care. "Careful, Andrew, you might cause the Obama administration to do something stupid!" What? And in the circus, the JournoList revelations got buried.

Personally, I have no problem with Breitbart's having released the video he did have. It forced the NAACP to put up or shut up. Breitbart didn't fire Ms. Sherrod; Vilsack did. As far as Ben Jealous's claims of having been "snookered," it was his lame excuse for not being able to denounce the New Black Panthers that caused him to react in the knee-jerk fashion that he did. He's painted into a corner by his organization's own values and actions. For crying out loud, even the Southern Poverty Law Center, which sets policy for the FBI, it appears, identifies the NBP as a hate group.

No, Sherrod shouldn't have been fired for "racist" comments, but that's really on Vilsack and Jealous and the administration, not Breitbart. On the other hand, she should have been disciplined for her very obnoxious comments on how federal employees are immune from the effects of economic downturn, because this is a situation that needs to be rethought. And by rethought, I mean that we need to jump up and down on this sucker till we break its back. If they want to come back and whine about contracts, I've got two words for them: Chrysler, GM.

She was a political appointee. She got fired. I'm a little more outraged about IG Walpin, naturally, because I'm RAAAAACIST.

UPDATE: Appears that Sherrod might be un-fired. Can't be firing federal employees, or it might hurt the "economic recovery."

UPDATEx2: Jonathan Turley wonders whether Sherrod can sue Breitbart over his presentation of the "edited" version of the tape. Well, she'd have to prove, as Turley seems to assume, that Breitbart was in possession of the whole thing, which he disclaims, and shortened it in order to cause her harm with malice aforethought. Now she's apparently being offered her job back, but might not want to accept it. Seems she's got a lawsuit for wrongful dismissal (see, again, Gerald Walpin), which may be what she wants, anyway, only against the USDA.

I mean, who wants a job that they could possibly be fired from, anyway?

Moreover.

Dan Collins

Dan Collins is a dude who blogs. He used to blog elsewhere. Now he blogs here.

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Dede
July 21st, 2010 - 06:34

I am a huge fan of conspiracy theories. JFK, Roswell, Moon Landing, etc…. they are fun and you can argue either side and sound like you know what you’re talking about and that you are 100% correct. So, here’s my theory. Andrew had the whole tape. He edited said tape and released it, to see what would happen. As usual the Left reacted emotionally instead of checking a single fact..I think it’s hysterically funny and they very well may have gotten snookered, but that’s on them not Andrew.

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- Dan Collins
  July 21st, 2010 - 06:41
  
  I take Andrew at his word that he didn’t have the full tape.
  
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  - Dede
    July 21st, 2010 - 07:32
    
    oh I do too..I was just having fun. Told ya I’m a fan of conspiracy theories. lol. It’s more something I would do, than Andrew! lol
    
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- PCachu
  July 21st, 2010 - 09:38
  
  Oh, come now, that’s just weak sauce right there. If you’re REALLY conspiracy-minded, you have to go deeper than that:
  
  Breitbart aired the entirety of the video he received. This means that someone edited it BEFORE it even got to him. Which means someone ELSE made a video specifically calculated to produce a knee-jerk CYA response from the Thin-Skinned Administration and get Sherrod sacked. Which means that Sherrod has powerful enemies cloaked in mystery, who can even slip their work into the hands of Andrew Breitbart, a man who defines himself in his opposition to the Usual Channels of Power.
  
  If you’re going to play from the wheels-within-wheels deck, you gotta bring your A game.
  
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  - Dede
    July 21st, 2010 - 13:31
    
    Sorry about that…I’m trying to study, get a blog ready and keep up with all the goings on in Congress……that is no excuse for poor conspiracy theorizing but it’s what I got. :)
    
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Bob Reed
July 21st, 2010 - 08:44

The real smoking gun of this whole story is the non-reaction of the audience at times to her “story”, and as you noted, her recommendation to the crowd that they get gubmint jawbz since they can’t be fired and won’t be laid off.

All of the keystone cops-like antics of Jealous, the WH, and Vilsack are just a bonus slathered on top really. It’s like we all went to a gallery to see a certain exposition, and along the way got to see a black comedy for free!(no pun or play on words intended)

There is some background music here that you mightn’t be aware of Dan.

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/Examiner-Opinion-Zone/Shirley-Sherrods-Disappearing-Act-Not-So-Fast-98846149.html

It seems that she was involved in a lawsuit settlement already with the USDA; one involving some big bucks.

Me personally? I don’t think AB jumped the gun on this as much as I think his headline about how she colored her judgement at the USDA, by race and genderm was misleading. And it is a real shame that this firestorm erupted on the first day of the journolist revalations.

That, my friend, is the muuuuuuuuch bigger story here. Becaue, we’ve all seen the hypocrisy of the NAACP, at times, but more oftenthe professional race baiters like Sharpton, Jackson, et al; there’s been plenty of public proof, we’ve just been forced to “understand” their motibvations and “feel their pain”. But there has never been such damning proof of the long suspected jounalistic cabal, used to shape the approved public “narrative” and therefore serve as a means to an ideological and political end, until now. It’s an important story and I hope that a lot of folks who have the ability to shape their peers opinions are listening carefully.

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Falahime
July 21st, 2010 - 10:02

Maybe I just don’t “get it” but I don’t understand how all these people who have said that Breitbart doesn’t matter, is racist, is a loon, so on and so forth are the same people who are pointing the finger saying, “Breitbart made me do it! He tricked me!” Why would you make a decision based on the word of someone you thought was full of crap? Did I not get the memo that Andrew Breitbart is now awarded the power of hiring & firing in government agencies? I like the guy just fine but I think that’s giving him too much credit.

And no, I don’t think Breitbart did this maliciously. I think he was working with the information he had. Though Dede’s conspiracy theory certainly sounds a lot more fun.

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jd
July 21st, 2010 - 12:43

My conspiracy theory is that this story was put out to deflect any damage done by the Journolist story. After all, it is getting lots more attention.

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KillTruck
July 21st, 2010 - 13:14

I hate to comment on things I haven’t studied, but there’s no way in hell I’m watching a 45 minute NAACP speech.

I don’t know that Breitbart owes anyone an apology, but I do wish he’d acknowledge that this is going to be a total pain in the ass for a lot of us for quite some time. Deserved or not, our credibility will take a ding over this. It’s just a big mess.

OK, gotta go. That fruit basket isn’t going to send itself to Ezra Klein.

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Texan99
July 21st, 2010 - 13:29

Here’s what I don’t get. The new take is: she sounded racist at first, but then the story turned into a sweet, totally acceptable riff on how federal agencies shouldn’t be obsessing about black-vs.-white, they should be obsessing about poor-vs.-rich, so now she shouldn’t have been fired after all.

Wait a minute. When did it become the U.S. Dept. of Social Justice and Wealth Redistribution via Agriculture Policy? How about if she obsesses about agriculture instead?

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Charles Johnson
July 21st, 2010 - 17:15

God how I hate you all. Racist. Racist. Racist.

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happyfeet
July 21st, 2010 - 22:59

I for reals don’t think this is a circle the wagons moment Andrew should come under heavy scrutiny for perpetrating this fiasco.

And I imagine he will.

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- Meep
  July 22nd, 2010 - 05:18
  
  I’m not sure he’s going to come under much scrutiny, actually. A bunch of nitpickers online bitching about what he did is not what I consider scrutiny. He can defend himself re: what amount of coverage he actually had.
  
  For most of the public, mention Breitbart and they’ll say “Who?”. He’s in no official position. He’s just another guy.
  
  If anything, there will be scrutiny of the feds being a little too quick to throw somebody under the bus. She’s not the first person to get summarily ejected.
  
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- Dan Collins
  July 22nd, 2010 - 05:26
  
  I think that the fiasco part is clearly Ben Jealous. I mean, he thought, it seems, that it was likely that the full tape would demonstrate that this NAACP event in Georgia was racisty. If he were convinced that was unlikely, he would not have pulled the trigger right away.
  
  Surely, the people who owed the greatest duty of care to Sherrod were Vilsack and company.
  
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  - Name the country with a African President that's not in Africa
    July 22nd, 2010 - 06:00
    
    Breitbart is such a crap wiped pussy, a itchy 300-pound bed sore. Nothing but squid piss runs through the man’s veins.
    
    If he wishes direct correspondence, Dan, you may forward my address to your favored newsman of limitless unimportance:
    
    M Isidore Ducasse
    rue Notre-Dame-des-Victories
    23 Hotel, where nations meet
    
    Adieu, and Good Day.
    
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"Faggot Boy" Breitbart
July 22nd, 2010 - 00:53

Hi, Negro-hating dickless assholes, your dickless Negro-hating blog bores me so much that I’d rather piss on your white faces than admit I once knew you.

Andrew “Who Threw That Egg!” Breitbart is a I-secretly-want-to-suck-negro-cock panty boy, much like you fuckin’ tea Party faggots, but with a bigger NiGGIr HATe’N FooTPRInT in your wittle RIGhTyWInGy-HiTLeR redux blogosphere.

Suck Negroes, you racists. You’re a too obviously a bunch of welfare punks, ey ROCKETBOYQUEER. Whoosh, whoosh saving-America from twice freshened Communism! Whoosh! Whoosh!

A bird! A plane! A nigger-hating tea-party faggot!

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- Steve
  July 22nd, 2010 - 02:07
  
  “Faggot Boy” Breitbart,
  
  Do your parents know what a demented foul mouthed cretin you are? Is it because you can’t get dates?
  
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A cheek violate victim of ROCKETBOY
July 22nd, 2010 - 01:00

I will one day catch you in the face with a manure rake, you POPE WORSHIPPING PEDOPHILE!

HAHAHA!

You idiot, uneducated, assholes are a bad morning crap and a long yawn.

I told ya your future, mmm, yeah, I really think so.

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- You Tea Party Faggots Are Bad For Business!
  July 22nd, 2010 - 04:54
  
  Manure rake?
  
  You filched that from somewhere!
  
  Yeah well.
  
  Is this blog on?
  
  Swinging my loaded piss hammer!
  
  Boo! Dani California!
  
  The President is a black man, deal, beaten queers.
  
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Hahahahannity
July 22nd, 2010 - 01:08

You’re on the cheap.

Cheap.

Should’a stepped up, but ohnoe, that hard-work thing turned you off, eh.

Hard work.

Learn.

Bitch.

taibbi

ames

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10lizy
July 22nd, 2010 - 04:01

imo, you’re missing a big portion of this story. I doubt the media will have the guts to follow-up on this but you might look this over if you’ve not already:

Forty Acres & a Mule — Sherrod Style?

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2010/07/forty_acres_a_mule_sherrod_sty.html

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You Tea Party Faggots Are Bad For Business!
July 22nd, 2010 - 04:45

Ever since you goddamn tea party faggots started sporting your Sam Adams drag and your Betsy Ross pleats the freakin’ national economy has tanked.

You Tea-baggie hand-out queens epitomize the huge alien canker on the face of Alan Greenspan.

Grrr!

Hahaha!

Worthless, lazy Negro’n'Spick haters is what/all you are!

Breitbart – STOP! – the right-wing butt wrench!

Fuckin’ doughnuts, does that fat phuckin’ Breitbart even send you a sugar-glazed doughnut, Dan, I mean you so properly tug on that guy’s salty boner, no?

Be careful who you walk next to.

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Dan Collins
July 22nd, 2010 - 05:00

Yeah, Tom, you’re as good, good, good as we’re bad, bad, bad. We understand the primitive psychology. Keep fucking that chicken.

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- I come from Jamrock!
  July 22nd, 2010 - 05:09
  
  I thought I’d stop by with my wet phatmatic and my Glock rocket and give you a few needed page hits, Dan.
  
  Damien Marley in the morning never gets old.
  
  “In the name of love, one more in the name of love.” Bono
  
  Kiss me, piggies.
  
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  - Dan Collins
    July 22nd, 2010 - 05:10
    
    So manly!
    
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My Commie God Kicks Jesus Ass
July 22nd, 2010 - 05:02

Gil Scott Heron For President!

http://www.last.fm/music/Gil+Scott-Heron/+images/41129721

http://www.last.fm/music/Gil+Scott-Heron/+images/97102

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- Dan Collins
  July 22nd, 2010 - 05:05
  
  Nice of your commie god to give SS $13 million bucks for not wanting to stay down on the farm.
  
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  - I come from Jamrock!
    July 22nd, 2010 - 05:12
    
    I have no idea what $13-million you speak of, but hey, did you see that hot Russian spy-wanna-be-spy?
    
    http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Admin/BkFill/Default_image_group/2010/6/30/1277857999954/Suspected-Russian-spy-Ann-006.jpg
    
    Now that’s Godly.
    
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the Gods have left the museum for good
July 22nd, 2010 - 05:16

Nothing but cold calculation.

You do know that this year the Texas Rangers are gonna win the World Series, no?

Further proof there is no God.

Blood up to your knees! The earth is on fire! The Rangers!

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Faith shaken fag balls!
July 22nd, 2010 - 05:37

There’s a cure for you pain. It’s called football season. A sixteen-week cheese wedgie followed by four fuckin’ playoff games.

And I have from reliable sources that Tony Romo shagged pre-season Russian spy snapper, so the Commie fix is in.

Hey Dan, Savannah Guthrie. Devil words. Hot ass.

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Faith shaken fag balls!
July 22nd, 2010 - 05:37

it

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enoch_root
July 22nd, 2010 - 05:48

Dan – you had a theory that Tohr would come to his senses once he had a baby in his arms.

Clearly, this is not the case.

Hello TROLLLLLLLL

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- Name the country with a African President that's not in Africa
  July 22nd, 2010 - 06:04
  
  Oh ye of twelve dozen babbling monkeys, exactly when do they quit shittin’ and start talkin?
  
  Haha.
  
  Mine loves me so.
  
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  - Enoch_Root
    July 22nd, 2010 - 06:17
    
    once they stop shitting their pants, they never stop talking. so be careful what you wish for.
    
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Bob Reed
July 22nd, 2010 - 06:06

The Texas Rangers!?! Surely then the ~~apocalypse~~ Barackalypse is on us.

Really thor, what posessed you to crawl out from under your rock and do such an, er, impressive drive-by? It’s clearly not your best performance art, but, I get that you’re out of practice.

So how is thor jr and the missus? I hope all of you are doing well.

Still, I must admit my dismay that your act hasn’t been punched up any since we last crossed paths. I mean, really thor, the old saw about us being eeeevvvvollllll RAAAAAACISTS!; here’s a clue, anybody who opposes Mr. Obama’s agenda is decried as a racists, so we can get that anywhere.

And the whole wingnut welfare jag is also passe, but, I’ll give you a few style points for trotting it out before all of the lefty sites get on the bandwagon. And you know they will, thor, as a reactionary rhetorical cudgel to try and counter the inconvenient truth that Ms. Sherrod was part of a vast settlement paid out to people who might have thought about wanting to farm at one time on the family dirt plot that no one has visited in 20 years anyway. Oh, and here’s the punch line laughing boy; there have been 4 times the number of minority applicants paid a lump sum settlement than there were identified minority farmers in the nation at the time of the settlement! Riddle me that, buttman…

Do you know how little respect I have for those scammers? My whole life I have eschewed the set asides and payouts that I could have taken advantage of as a result of my Cherokee Grandma; because, as someone who had made their own way I thought it better to leave the resources for those who really needed it. But how come these folks, somehow more than were identified in the nation, are taking undue advantage of all of our monies; wgy are they tryin’ to “get paid”, why the “I’m gonna get mines” attitude? It’s inexplicable old bean; at least to this old hand.

So save your wingnut welfare meme for another site, son, ‘cuz none of us are gettin’ paid, that’s fo sure!

And finally, I hate to inform you of this, but my wife’s true loves, her New York Yankees will probably win again this year. Me? I’m a national league guy, but, I’m hatin’ life ‘cuz the Dodgers are stinkin’ up the west. Still, St. Louis looks real good, and so do the Padres, and as usual, Atlanta’s up in there; so I’m hoping that the Jankees will get eliminated. But, you know, I don’t tell that to the wife :)

thor, come around a little more mange. But, try and actually make some points then instead of just drive-by insults. You know we are always up to takin’ you on, you ol’ commie you, so don’t be a stranger.

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- Name the country with a African President that's not in Africa
  July 22nd, 2010 - 06:34
  
  Fuck the Yankees, you jug-eared ex-gublemint servant.
  
  My kid is huge and shits like a horse. Most likely a linebacker, first round pick, a hell raiser nonetheless, already enjoys passing gas in public.
  
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Bob Reed
July 22nd, 2010 - 06:53

“Fuck the Yankees…”

Finally!, something we can agree on!

I’m glad to hear that thor jr is doing fine. May God bless him, and keep him, all the days of his life. May He protect him from all harm, bestow His favor on him always, guide his steps, and keep him free from anxiety. And may He bless and protect you and his mother as well. I pray this from the bottom of my heart, in Jesus’ name.

And here’s a tip, get the boy a good education, because Football can’t last forever. But unfortunately, the gas thing can :)

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