First, here is the evidence as posted at Crooks and Liars:
Here is Breitbart's attempted smear of Sherrod on his dubious Web site. The bottom line is that Breitbart, one of the chief defenders of racist elements within the Tea Party movement, has been on a mission to find ways of attacking black people and making them look racist (aided on many occasions by his buddies at Fox News). Fox News jumped all over this issue led by thick-headed partisans like Bill O'Reilly (who called for her resignation) and Sean Hannity.
Here is more from Crooks and Liars:
Shirley Sherrod was an employee of the USDA; specifically, the USDA Georgia director of rural development. In a speech to the Georgia chapter of the NAACP, she tells a story that appears to indicate she prefers to put black folks ahead of white folks.
Breitbart edits the video, puts it up, and the world goes mad. Sherrod is fired, after being told pressure is coming from the White House to fire her.
Breitbart heavily edited the video to try and portray Sherrod as a racist black woman who purposely discriminated against white farmers and told that story at an event put on by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. His mission likely was to paint a black person from the Obama Administration as racist against white people, show liberals to be racist, show the NAACP to be racist and show that black people can be racist.
From CNN:
(Agriculture Secretary Tom) Vilsack told CNN on Tuesday that he "didn't speak to anyone at the White House. ... I made this decision, it's my decision. Nobody from the White House contacted me about this at all."
A White House official also told CNN that "the White House did not pressure her or the USDA over the resignation. It was the secretary's decision, as he has said."
President Barack Obama was briefed on the situation after Vilsack decided to seek Sherrod's resignation, according to a White House official, who said the president fully supports the decision.
The White House and Vilsack (getting his information from Breitbart and Fox News) appear to have jumped the gun and it appears an innocent woman has been punished by people who caved to political pressure from Breitbart, a fringe right-wing freak known for his dubious and sinister tactics against those considered liberal.
CNN has wisely retracted its condemnation of Sherrod and the White House should reinstate her to her position (if she so desires) and, if necessary, conduct a full and fair investigation.
Shirley Sherrod deserves justice. So far, she has not gotten it.
By the way, in the wake of this controversy, here is what those white farmers (Roger and Eloise Spooner) said of Shirley Sherrod during an interview with CNN's Rick Sanchez:
SANCHEZ: In all your time knowing Shirley Sherrod, has there ever been anything about her, either through her attitude, her words, her opinions or behaviors that would lead you to believe that she is in any way a racist?
ROGER SPOONER: No way in the world. No way. No way. I don’t even want to talk about it. It don’t make sense. She was just so nice to us as — she didn’t — there wasn’t no — there wasn’t no racism attitude at all in it. Heck no. … They don’t know what they’re talking about. Let me say. They don’t know what they’re talking about, if you want to know my opinion.
ELOISE SPOONER: She always treated us really good. She was nice mannered, thoughtful, friendly. Good person.
They seem convinced - that she is a good woman who was a victim of character assassination for sinister political gain.
The Obama Administration is looking weak when pressure is brought to bear by the far-right Fox News and the fringe fake-ass "journalism" of Andrew Breitbart.
First it was Van Jones and now it's Shirley Sherrod.
