Wingnuttery Debunk: Shirley Sherrod, Bill Ayers, and the New Black Panthers?
When Glenn Beck speaks, a little more truth dies. In usual right-wing echo chamber fashion, they just can't let go of Shirley Sherrod. They're milking her story so dry the cows are screaming.
The latest accusations, which I have seen repeated verbatim on the Illinois Review and the Washington Examiner so far, and which appear to be from a press release sent out for posting across all conservative blogs in an effort to game the Google, are nearly unintelligible. But I'll try. (h/t BillieGirlToo)
Oh noes! Shirley Sherrod's group, New Communities, was involved in the Pigford lawsuit against the USDA
Oh, seriously. They were, that's true. And who better to hire to actually make reparations than the person who actually understood the damages?
From the press release:
... Over the years, USDA refused to provide loans for farming or irrigation and would not allow New Communities to restructure its loans. Gradually, the group had to fight just to hold on to the land and finally had to wind down operations.
... The cash (settlement) award acknowledges racial discrimination on the part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the years 1981-85. ... New Communities is due to receive approximately $13 million ($8,247,560 for loss of land and $4,241,602 for loss of income; plus $150,000 each to Shirley and Charles for pain and suffering). There may also be an unspecified amount in forgiveness of debt. This is the largest award so far in the minority farmers law suit (Pigford vs Vilsack).
This particular round of crazy asks a series of questions that are irrelevant, not particularly interesting, and attempt to suggest that hiring her was the USDA's effort to "shut her up", and she was summarily fired so as to cover up the dastardly news that she was involved in the Pigford suit.
This question really takes the cake, though:
Given that New Communities wound down its operations so long ago (it appears that this occurred sometime during the late 1980s), what is really being done with that $13 million in settlement money?
Oh wow, wingnuts! She must have STOLEN IT. RIGHT?
The release then goes on to suggest that the USDA might be worried about possible waste, fraud and abuse (you know, that bill the Republicans all voted AGAINST?).
Step back, think. If a court-ordered settlement is to be made from the government to people who were wronged, how is that waste, fraud or abuse? It's only in the minds of the crazy folks like Breitbart, who is desperately trying to intimidate Sherrod out of suing him, as far as I can tell.
Meanwhile, over at the Illinois Review...
Writer Teri O'Brien manages to conflate the New Black Panthers, William Ayers, AND the Pigford case, citing the strength of character and discernment in Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck.
Somewhat breathlessly, Ms. O'Brien heaves forth the knowledge that Sherrod's husband...
...was a former honcho in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee back in the 1960’s. You can read more about it in Bill Ayers book “Fugitive Days.” Yes, that Bill Ayers. He was involved in SNCC as well.
Now see? That's how you take an apple and an orange and make it into a prune. You find out about a group, link up 'scary guy' Bill Ayers without any corresponding direct link between the two or between the SNCC and the Weather Underground and all of a sudden it's a story! Who needs journalists when we've got Breitbart and his merry minions to keep us stupid?
Media Matters has a thorough debunking of this story and all of the companion versions here.
Here's a newsflash for conservatives: Shirley Sherrod is not going to be your tea party wedge issue for August. You don't have health care reform to kick around anymore and your conduct in Congress should earn you a one-way ticket home. It might be time to quit milking dead stories and get on with life on the Planet Earth. Planet Teabag can't be reached by normal humans yet.
For a palate cleanser after this tripe, I highly recommend Joan Walsh's essay on the Shame of Right Wing Journalism, and especially, this brilliant essay from her about the wrong lessons of the Sherrod story.
certainly are twisted, the more i read about them, the more i am convinced they do want to turn the clock back to '63, ain't going to happen.
people have to be really ignorant to not know what went on back during jim crow, organizers registering blacks to vote killed, that little kid from chicago killed (can't think of his name right off) emmet till?
it really is an outrage for them to attack this lady, whose dad was killed by a racist sheriff no less (if i have it right) who overcame this crap, helped this farmer guy, and now they attack her?
sometimes i think people on this site attack people too much, but in this case, this fucking guy mr. andy, i had better just stop right here..
Another good piece of work.
Thanks
"I know that there are people who do not love their fellow
man, and I hate people like that! " ~ Tom Lehrer (1928 - )
It's all part of the "black people around the country are all secretly in cahoots to destroy white people" narrative the right wing has been pushing these days. Epic Fail.
We aren't supposed to go THERE.
They're coming HERE. They're going to bring their racism and hatred and religious wingnuttery to our cities, steal our jobs, pollute our cities, teach our children their perverted ways. Why, they don't even speak the same language as we do!
/snark
The reason they won't let go is because they are so blatantly wrong that even their own can see it. This is not permissible reality. They will beat it until they can believe amongst themselves that they are right. That there is a far bigger evil lurking amongst them.
Remember his Mother said he was all worked up about the Tides Foundation? I couldn't even tell you what the Tides Foundation does, but that is because I never watch Blech. Media Matters has put together a montage of Blech vs Tides. Watch the video and tell me this man is not a danger.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v54QMl4Wtb0&fe...
Why don't these assholes get on the CheneyBushCo tits and
askdemand to know what happened to the pallets of money shipped to Iraq?As for MS Sherrod's husband belonging to the 'Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee,' they sound dangerous, don't they? Slinging all that non-violence around.
I think this clip should be blasted in Blech's face, every time that gobshite opens his piehole.
me-oww!
they know and understand is violence towards their fellow man, violence is the only way they can relate to other people, and when someone decides to opt out of it, the righties just don't know what to do with this foreign concept or themselves in general? Just my guess.
I've never seen change without a fire
everyone knows the facts of shirley sherrods life, they never had a point to begin with, but now; my father (the sob), had an expression, "to take a horsewhip" to whoever, at this juncture i share his sentiments. violates my pacifist side, but sometimes you just get so mad..
So much for Beck trying to act like the big aversion to the Fox News attack on Sherrod.
Obama's been pulling their strings from the very beginning. He's been orchestrating this entire illicit operation from socialist indoctrination camps in Kenya, Indonesia, Boston, and Chicago, ostensibly pretending to be a "community organizer" (re: communist) or "child who was too young to possibly have an interest in such issues" (re: voodoo priest) as cover. The only thing keeping Obama out of prison is the MSNBC/Al Gore/ACLU liberal axis.
oh horseshit. community organiser != communist.
let alone the rest. /applies troll-be-gone
Uhm, I'm pretty sure you mean well and all, but that comment you replied to: It's snark. Sarcasm. Humorous.
CFAmick has been commenting here for a looong time, and isn't a troll. Just sayin'...
:D
Don't try to confuse the issue with half-truths and gorilla dust.
no worries, it was done very well then - my apologies to Mick!
needs more snark tags
problem is theres far too many people ive seen lately all too ready to believe and repeat that crap. sorry bout that, my tolerance level is low.
It's not the first time it's happened, and it won't be the last. =D
And I'm with ya- my tolerance for that kinda thing- when it isn't snark, that is- is being tested hourly, if not more frequently. I'm just hoping that the peak-wingnut singularity occurs soon so shit can get back to normal.
Don't try to confuse the issue with half-truths and gorilla dust.
i dont think theres any chance of that happening. theres so many ground 0 for wingnut singularities i think we remove one we move onto the next one :S
and you are right its getting to hourly... fwiw id just come from ars technica and a helping of Paulian libertarianism in the two climate threads that came up earlier today... normally ars is pretty sane but any time a climate thread comes up there will almost guaranteed be some right-wing rhetoric fielded in the comments. gore copped a slap too, and the usual conspiracy theories around climate science got an airing. even the "New Deal and Great Society ponzi schemes" (presumably Social Security deficit peacocking again) made an appearance. rrrrrrrr.
on the Sherrod incident because I had received an email about this suit settlement. What I found is the most un-informing, not constructive,lack of substance group of commenters than I have ever found in any other forum. So.....guess I'll look elsewhere.
Hopefully, my post will spark a little more serious and constructive discussions. Simply hurling the same rock into thin air is a totally waste of time.
Good night and good luck.
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