USDA official resigns amid race controversy

[Ban Hammer 13,326]

An employee of the Department of Agriculture has resigned, after conservative media outlets posted video Monday of her describing a time in the past when she hadn't used the "full force" of her abilities to help a farmer because he was white.

In the video, which appears to be from March of this year, Shirley Sherrod, who is black, recounts having been asked to help a white farmer avoid foreclosure. She says she was torn over how much to help him because so many black farmers were also struggling, and decided to do just enough to be able to say she'd tried:

I didn't give him the full force of what I could do. I did enough. ... So I took him to a white lawyer. ... So I figured if I would take him to one of them, his own kind would take care of him.

Sherrod spoke to CNN on Tuesday, explaining that she told the story of her actions — which, she said, occurred 24 years ago when she was working for a nonprofit, not the USDA — to illustrate how she has since realized that everything is not about race but "about those who have versus those who do not have." She says she later became friends with the farmer and his wife. (i wonder if this friendship will continue after the farmer reads the news).

Even so, Sherrod resigned after conservative media activist Andrew Breitbart posted video of the story and Fox News picked it up. She told CNN that she tried to explain to USDA officials that the incident was in the past, but said "for some reason, the stuff Fox and the tea party does is scaring the administration."

In a statement quoted by CNN, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said of Sherrod's actions:

There is zero tolerance for discrimination at USDA, and I strongly condemn any act of discrimination against any person. ... We have been working hard through the past 18 months to reverse the checkered civil rights history at the department and take the issue of fairness and equality very seriously.

NAACP CEO Ben Jealous was also quick to condemn Sherrod's actions, though. In a statement Monday posted on Breitbart's Big Government site, he said:

Her actions were shameful. While she went on to explain in the story that she ultimately realized her mistake, as well as the common predicament of working people of all races, she gave no indication she had attempted to right the wrong she had done to this man.

In response, Sherrod told CNN that it was "unfortunate that the NAACP would make a statement without even checking to see what happened. This was 24 years ago, and I'm telling a story to try to unite people."

Watch her interview with CNN here:

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

I thought it was immpossible for blacks to be racist?

[HAL 9000 96]

Good. There should be no tolerance of racism period.

Of course it is quite strange how these 'admissions' come to light. Black racists have a lot to learn from their White racist counterparts in masking their racism.

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

She's bragging about being racist to a race based organization. I thought we were post racial?

The NAAWP should be outraged.

[HAL 9000 96]

That's what she said

[_Simpson_ 250]

So does this mean were getting past the days were blacks can be openly racist. I sure hope so.

[Ban Hammer 13,326]

Good. There should be no tolerance of racism period.

Of course it is quite strange how these 'admissions' come to light. Black racists have a lot to learn from their White racist counterparts in masking their racism.

the two sentences in bold - make up your mind.

[Peikko 1,575]

How on earth do you get to 'bragging about being racist' from something that she confessed to having done (I do not see how anyone could have known about it without this confession either by the way)? Unbelievable, and to seize on something done 24 years ago while she worked for some non-profit organization as somehow monumentally important and typical of anything is plain stupid, but hey, this is partisan politics where divide and rule is the norm.

[HAL 9000 96]

So does this mean were getting past the days were blacks can be openly racist. I sure hope so.

Its the likely progression of things.

the two sentences in bold - make up your mind.

Why? I had no idea I was condoning the second, bolded one.

[^_^ 5,021]

Good to see you back, HAL. Give 'em hell.

[HAL 9000 96]

How on earth do you get to 'bragging about being racist' from something that she confessed to having done (I do not see how anyone could have known about it without this confession either by the way)? Unbelievable, and to seize on something done 24 years ago while she worked for some non-profit organization as somehow monumentally important and typical of anything is plain stupid, but hey, this is partisan politics where divide and rule is the norm.

Indeed. Context matters, and although racist behavior spans all kinds of flavors, for some, that does not matter as long as they have something lo leverage either their own stupidity or worse, their own bias. Throw partisanship into the mix and you have yourself quite the confounding situation.

Good to see you back, HAL. Give 'em hell.

The Dead of Space gets lonely.

[Ban Hammer 13,326]

Why? I had no idea I was condoning the second, bolded one.

condemning it in one sentence and then giving suggestions on hiding it better in another sentence is a mixed signal.

[_Simpson_ 250]

How on earth do you get to 'bragging about being racist' from something that she confessed to having done (I do not see how anyone could have known about it without this confession either by the way)? Unbelievable, and to seize on something done 24 years ago while she worked for some non-profit organization as somehow monumentally important and typical of anything is plain stupid, but hey, this is partisan politics where divide and rule is the norm.

Your assuming she has changed and she will claim that she has but I have my doubts. I wouldn't want somebody on my staff that would do such a thing.

I need to see the video to see if I can tell what her tone and attitude was when speaking about this, did she sound remorseful.

[HAL 9000 96]

condemning it in one sentence and then giving suggestions on hiding it better in another sentence is a mixed signal.

Maybe to you Chuck.

As I speculate to Simpson- its likely the natural progression of things to come. Masking will happen more and more, as racism outright is weeded out of [at least] our modern society. That's really got to piss off many racists out there.

Anyway, timer is going off. The VTC incubator and then the microtome need my immediate attention.

[Peikko 1,575]

I particularly love the part where Charles speculates on the nature of the friendship between the farmer and Ms Sherrod. Of course, if she really is stupid enough to claim friendship with the farmer without having 'confessed' her bigoted behaviour towards him, then she'll get just what she deserves, but I somewhat doubt the reason she became 'friends' with these farmers was to be able to lend credence to her story that she is a reformed bigot