From his website, one of the writers there wrote this. If there is one thing this has shown is that we must look at all sides, so now they are going to defend themselves. It should also be said that Fox did not release this story till after she had resigned. Her blaming Biggovernment.com is understandable, but blaming Fox is inaccurate.
The sandal surrounding the firing of Shirley Sherrod is getting weirder by the second. Now the NAACP is blaming Fox News and Andrew Breitbart for the NAACPâ??s own overreaction to the release of the video of Ms Sherrod, released on Big Government yesterday.
The video showed Sherrod, USDA Georgia Director of Rural Development, speaking at an NAACP Freedom Fund dinner in Georgia. The part of her speech covered in the video saw Ms Sherrod tel a story about providing only minimal help to a Caucasian farmer who came to her for help.
Today Sherrod said the video was taken out of context. She said that a video of her entire speech would reveal that she described the 24 year old incident as a turning point in her life. Ms Sherrod said that was the point where she learned it was not all about race, it was about poverty. She eventually helped that white farmer to keep his farm and even became friends with the farmer and his wife.
Almost immediately after Shirly Sherrod resigned, the NAACP President Ben Jealous released a statement condemning her.
â??We are appalled by her actions, just as we are with abuses of power against farmers of color and female farmers,â?? the statement said.
â??Her actions were shameful,â?? it continued. â??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.â??
When this statement was released it seemed very important , after all Ms. Sherrod was speaking at an NAACP function, and while Big Government only had access to the video they released, the NAACP had access to the entire video. Certainty they must have seen the entire video before they condemned Shirley Sherrod. Well Certainly not!
As soon as Ms Sherrod blasted the NAACP for not talking to her before bashing her the NAACP withdrew their statement. Thatâ??s when Ben Jealous then called Sherrod to find out her side of the story.
Following their conversation NAACP President Jealous released the following statement
â??With regard to the initial media coverage of the resignation of USDA official Shirley Sherrod, we have come to the conclusion we were snookered by Fox News and Tea Party Activist Andrew Breitbart into believing she had harmed white farmers because of racial bias,â?? said Jealous. â??Having reviewed the full tape, spoken to Ms. Sherrod, and most importantly heard the testimony of the white farmers mentioned in this story, we now believe the organization that edited the documents did so with the intention of deceiving millions of Americans.â??
â??The fact is Ms. Sherrod did help the white farmers mentioned in her speech,â?? he continued. â??They personally credit her with helping to save their family farm.â??
Snookered??? How could they be snookered, Shirley Sherrod spoke at an NAACP event. Mr. Jealous had access to the entire tape but he never bothered to look at it before he blasted Ms Sherrod.
Sorry Mr. Jealous, but you canâ??t be snookered when you hold all of the evidence. And you are still missing a major part of the video its not necessarily about Shirley Sherrod. Watch the video again, listen for the approval of the crowd as she talked disparagingly about the white farmer and how she sent him to one of his own for help. You see, Ms Sherrodâ??s story doesnâ??t change the fact that the NAACP audience seemed to have approved of her actions when she talked about not helping the white farmer.
Shirley Sherrodâ??s story doesnâ??t change the fact Ben Jealous had access to the entire video and blasted Sherrod without watching it. That is not the fault of Andrew Breitbart, nor is it the fault of Fox News, it is the fault of only one person, Ben Jealous President of the NAACP.
