Another Straw for the Camels Back or More Hamster Chow

i Received this today from a usually reliable source. Nothing current on About.com(trusted site) and absolutely nothing linked to this woman's name on Snopes.com(questionable site) Everyone who felt pity for Shirley Sherrod being dealt a bad hand, think again... This story doesn't seem to have made the media - yet! Andrew Breitbart is a media genius. He proved it originally with his brilliant handling of the ACORN 'hooker' scandal which he skillfully manipulated so that the corrupt media was forced, against its will, to broadcast corruption in one of Obama's most powerful political support groups. But Breitbart's handing of that affair is nothing compared to his brilliant manipulation of the Shirley Sherrod 'white farmer' scandal. It all began last Monday, July 22, 2010 . As the country watched in horror, Breitbart released a snippet of a tape on his "Big Government" site which showed an obscure black female official of the Dept. of Agriculture laughing to a roomful of NAACP members about how she'd discriminated against a destitute white farmer and refused to give him the financial aid he desperately needed. As she smirked to the room, she'd sent him instead to a white lawyer - 'one of his own kind' - for help. The black woman was Shirley Sherrod - and almost immediately she became the center of a firestorm of controversy which exploded throughout the country. Within a day of the release of that infamous tape, the head of the Dept. of Agriculture, spurred on by Obama, demanded - and received - Sherrod's resignation. Breitbart had won. But then seemingly Breitbart's actions began to explode in his face. As Sherrod screamed in protest, FOX News released the entire text of her speech last March to the NAACP . And there on tape Sherrod was shown supposedly repenting of her racism against a white farmer and instead championing his fight to win funds to keep his farm afloat. Within hours of that entire tape being revealed, the entire world turned against Andrew Breitbart. Conservatives throughout the country were enraged that he'd endangered their reputations by releasing a 'doctored' tape. Breitbart, they thundered, had dealt a fatal blow to the conservative media. I confess that I also was horrified at what I saw as the clumsiness and stupidity of Breitbart in 'doctoring' a tape to make a supposedly innocent woman look guilty. But now I discover I have been as guilty of haste to judgment of Br! eitbart as the Dept. of Agriculture was of Ms. Sherrod. Only now am I realizing the real purpose for Breitbart's release of that tape snippet. It was to allow him to cunningly trick the media into exposing one of the most shocking examples of corruption in the federal government - a little known legal case called " Pigford v. Glickman " . (Read about it here.) " In 1997, 400 African-American farmers sued the United States Department of Agriculture , alleging that they had been unfairly denied USDA loans due to racial discrimination during the period 1983 to 1997 ." The case was entitled " Pigford v. Glickman" and in 1999, the black farmers won their case. The government agreed to pay each of them as much as $50,000 to settle their claims. But then on February 23 of this year, something shocking happened in relation to that original judgment. In total silence, the USDA agreed to release more funds to " Pigford". The amount was a staggering $1.25 billion. This was because the original number of plaintiffs - 400 black farmers - had now swollen in a class action suit to include a total of 86,000 black farmers throughout America . There was only one teensy problem. The United States of America doesn't have 86,000 black farmers. According to accurate and totally verified census data, the total number of black farmers throughout America is only 39,697. Oops. Well, gosh - how on earth did 39,697 explode into 86,000 claims? And how did $50,000 explode into $1.25 billion? Well, folks, you'll just have to ask the woman who not only spearheaded this case because of her position in 1997 at the " Rural Development Leadership Network " but whose family received the highest single payout (approximately $13 million) from that action - Shirley Sherrod. Oops again. Yes, folks. It appears that Ms. Sherrod had just unwittingly exposed herself as the perpetrator of one of the biggest fraud claims in the United States - a fraud enabled solely because she screamed racism at the government and cowed them into submission. And it gets even more interesting. Ms. Sherrod has also exposed the person who aided and abetted her in this race fraud. As it turns out, the original judgment of "Pigford v. Glickman" in 1999 only applied to a total of 16,000 black farmers. But in 2008, a junior Senator got a law passed to reopen the case and allow more black farmers to sue for funds. The Senator was Barack Obama . Because this law was passed in dead silence and because the woman responsible for spearheading it was an obscure USDA official, American taxpayers did not realize that they had just been forced in the midst of a worldwide depression to pay out more than $1.25 billion to settle a race claim. But Breitbart knew. And last Monday, July 22, 2010 , he cleverly laid a trap which Sherrod - and Obama - stumbled headfirst into which has now resulted in the entire world discovering the existence of this corrupt financial judgment. Yes, folks - Breitbart is a genius. As for Ms. Sherrod? Well, she's discovered too late that her cry of 'racism' to the media which was intended to throw the spotlight on Breitbart has instead thrown that spotlight on herself - and her corruption. Sherrod has vanished from public view. Her 'pigs', it seems, have come home to roost. Oink!

Odd....you failed to mention that Republican Senator Chuck Grassley was Obama's senior co-sponsor of the bill in 2008. Sin of omission lol? I would hardly think Senator Grassley would co-sponsor this bill unless he thought it was a good idea, and had the backing of the Republican Senate leadership. Maybe Senator Grassley is a maverick. At any rate, you (or your usually reliable source) failed to do proper research, or just omitted the fact to spin the story a wee bit. For true, you would not do anything like that? Maybe a little bit of conspiracy theory a la a certain news organization? I did not know bills that were passing Congress were considered to be passed in "dead silence" unless they made the front page. OMG that means HUNDREDS, maybe THOUSANDS of laws are passed EACH YEAR in DEAD SILENCE. It is nice of you to defend Andy Breitbart. He needs a friend right now. GG, but alas, epic fail.

Hey Chip, I posted some information, how is it a fail if some Republican politician had dirty hands also? The point is there was a major fraud perpetrated on the taxpayers of America by Shirley Sherrod and coconspirators. One of those conspirators was Barack Obama. Whoever else was involved does not diminish the fact that “The Almighty Socialist” has his name connected to many off color (no pun intended) endeavors. Obama, as a state politician, often voted present instead of taking a stand on an issue. This sets a precedence of the “Almighty” obviously supporting only those things in which he is willing to take a stand. Having supported this fraud he obviously took a stand. Chip in your little hamster mind you seem to think that if some Republican went along with “The Chosen One” this absolves Obama of any wrong doing. I think not. You on the other hand will take any small nugget in a larger picture and attempt to discredit it thinking that somehow the big picture has vaporized into the nether world, North Carolina or some other fantasy location. I do not feel the need to blindly defend Republicans as you seem to with your president. I am not a Republican, I am a conservative. I do not see every Democrat as evil threat to this country, just the one in the oval office. The hamster may be lounging about in his wheel but he is still in his cage.

Yes Cali, you failed. <--------- Sarcasm. You exposed the scumbag for what he is, a scumbag. Now Hammy will be spinning and chomping on that article. He should burn lots of calories on that one. Never be critical of Hammy's hero. There will always and forever be a "way out". That way is Chicago style Politics. Hammy Hail the Chief, Hammy Hail the Chief. You'd think the SOB hung the moon. BTS, did you and Obie...........Meh, forget it.

Good ol' Dingo. Always ready to chime into the discourse with some salient points. I hope writing that post did not exhaust all of his mental resources. The man is a scholar. Maybe Texas will elect him governor. Run Dingo, Run! Caliph, for the life of me I can't even begin to discuss your post, because I really can't find much that holds water (in the real world). Now Fortner, the guy who originally wrote this little screed, is a bit of a Wingnut, so we'll allow some leeway there. I can't really discuss the merits of the class action suit, but I will allow that over the years, black farmers probably did not get the same treatment as white farmers in respect to farm loans, at least according to empirical evidence. And here's a little tidbit to help you understand the numbers: The class action suit also covered black farmers who quit farming prior to the class action suit, and those who were prevented from getting farm loans to begin farming. Also some farms had multiple operators. Like any other lawsuit, there were those who tried to take advantage of the system. Lawyers be lawyers and lawyers gotta get paid too. Can't get paid without clients. After doing a little more research, I am not exactly sure what Andy Breitbart has done to expose Ms. Sherrod's "corruption". If that corruption relates to the bill and class action suit, well you are welcome to tilt at that windmill all you want. It does have a nice ring to it, if you are of that mind... As to media's non-reporting on this, I assume it must be a ginormous left wing conspiracy that even Faux News is going along with. (Faux did do an article titled "Obama Backs Off Support for Black Farmers Suing USDA for Discrimination" back in '09: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/04/21/obama-backs-su… but I don't think that will help your case). Maybe Faux is doing some deep investigative work and this will be splashed over the headlines soon. I have seen Fortner's original blog post repeated on more than 20 blogs, each a little more...off center...than the last and some have even creatively edited it. I guess if that qualifies it as "news" for you, well then good for you. I believe even Faux News would classify it as "unsubstantiated opinion" and that's going some... I guess I'll just have to write this one off to "if its on the internet, by God, it must be true". Until Fuzzy News breaks the story, I am going to file it under conspiracy theories with "Orly Taitz" and Roswell and Maury Island..... PS: I got a chuckle over Ron Wilkins article about Shirley Sherrod's time with New Communities and how farm workers were only being paid $.67/hour to $1.63/hour. He sorta fails to mention that the minimum wage was $1.60 at the time and it was standard practice to pay young'uns and farm workers much less (My daddy paid me $.10 per car to wash cars...should I sue him?) I got paid $1.60/hr the first summer I worked construction and I was forced to work 10 hours of overtime each week! Slavery! Sources: http://www.nationalaglawcenter.org/assets/crs/RS20430.pdf http://www.agri-pulse.com/uploaded/20100527%20Pigford.pdf

BTS I am very impressed with your desire and follow through to research everything that I post. I wonder if you had put in the same effort before you voted for "The Chosen One", would you have still supported this man. Somehow I believe that your answer is probably YES! Anyone who defends this president with such enthusiasm as do you must truly support obie's agenda. From obie's past associations with Marxists domestic terrorists, to his stated idol Saul Alinsky, his stated belief in redistribution of wealth and his trampling of the Constitution obie is intent upon moving this country towards a more socialist model. Why else would he put such effort into apologizing to the rest of the world for his imagined transgressions of the United States? As his popularity and support continues it's downward spiral each and every day more and more Americans realize the tragic mistake that they made less than two years ago. Perhaps it is mearly your ego that will not allow you to see the man for what he is, but if that is not the case I must refer back to an earlier post. One in which you asked me to define a socialist. Well my friend the answer to that is that a picture is worth a thousand words and although not an actual picture a reflection would acomplish the same thing. If you would look into a mirror you would see my idea of a socialist. A text book example of a socialist? No. But a supporter of an ideal and agenda of bringing this country to it's knees? Absolutely. Words can be hallow, empty and insincere but actions tell the true story. Obama's actions have told his real story. I can forgive many Obama supporters because they lack the intellectual tools to see that they are following a pied piper down a very dark path. Chip, you on the other hand appear to be an educated man who has chosen an anti American ideology that would have the founders of this great nation rolling in their graves. You appear to be a self sufficient and productive member of society. Unlike so many Obamtrons who are waiting patiently with their hands out to be taken care of from the labors of hard working Americans. I truly wish that you could see the error of your ways and be a positive force for this country instead of a cheerleader for the end of a dream that born and survives only in America. To Domingo,\\\STRIPES///, Lotmarker and others I am glad that there are other Americans on this forum that will also speak out when they see the wrongs that are being perpetrated by the "Teleprompter King".

My answer is of course, YES, especially considering the antics of McCain and Palin since the 2008 election. And I am sure a lot of white fellows are not happy having a Chicago Negro (oh my, a gangster at that!)leading the country, but I am of the opinion that the halfbreed is at least diligently trying to fix the multiple clusterducks that he inherited. From your post, I might wonder if you never took the time to expose yourself to different political orthodoxies as a young adult. I had the opportunity to investigate alternate politics and came away convinced that while other forms of government had their pluses, American democracy, for all its flaws, has the potential to provide its citizens with the most stable, open form of government in the world. I think Mr. Obama availed himself of the same opportunity, and may have had youthful infatuations, in the end he came away with a similar viewpoint. After all, how do you know what ice cream tastes best if you do not sample all 31 flavors? I have simply chosen a path that is divergent to the ultra conservative orthodoxy you espouse. Most conservatives I know want the U.S. to remain the U.S. of the 50's and 60's when the U.S. was the preeminent democracy in the world, and ignore the fact that the world has moved on from that point in time. The new reality is that the U.S. is no longer the only country with unlimited intellectual and natural resources, and if we don't learn to live more as citizens of the world, the world will find us more and more irrelevant, except maybe as customers for their cheaper, and often better wares. America's natural resources are limited, or dwindling, and we are buying more and more from overseas. America's intellectual resources are being eclipsed by those of other countries. And yet, America is very self satisfied these days. We set examples for our video gaming, endlessly texting kids by going deep into debt to buy houses that are monuments to ego and avarice. My father's generation bought what they needed, and saved their pennies. My generation buys what they want, and spends the rest on toys. Lord knows what the next generation will do, but they all want BMW's on their 16th birthday. Currently our politicians in DC are divided on our economic recovery. Then Dems are pursuing a policy guided by Keynesian economics, which has been used to recover from almost every recession of the 20th century. Whether it will work is still in the balance, but the conservative Repubs seem to prefer that the recovery not happen, rather than have the Dems succeed in the attempt. The Repubs and Conservatives scream about out of control spending, when it is a fact that the spending spree started in 2000 under conservative, Republican rule. Sure the Dems could have stood up and said "STOP THE WAR(s)", but then they would have been crucified as unpatriotic. So they went along and are just as guilty in that respect. From this new atmosphere of antagonistic politics, we get pithy catchphrases such as "Teleprompter King". I guess you are of the opinion that Obama is the first president to use a teleprompter, instead of Eisenhower. (I think we all wish that W had used one a little more. The mashups of his verbal missteps are still some of the best comedy on YouTube. Unfortunately his verbal ineptness reflected on all Americans. I would rather we had a well spoken leader than one that sounds like Goober from Andy Griffith and gives unwanted backrubs to the German Chancellor) We have the wacky fringe politics of the John Birch Society reborn as the wacky fringe politics of the Tea Party Movement. And the representatives we send to DC seem to worry only about what is happening in DC and how much face time they can get on Hannity and Matthews. That ain't no way to run a country. So now folks all want to turn out the old corrupt incumbents and put new representatives in their place. Well guess what....that is exactly what we did when we elected Obama. So you can predict the failure of the present administration and strenuously fight their every move. The present administration is reality and you are wishing for our government, and us, to fail. You can call us cute names and condemn those that voted for him as idiots. You can relish any real or perceived misstep the president makes. You can believe that Obama is out "bring America to its knees", and you will only be happy when America has bruised knees. You can be like Ken and predict Obama's early demise (can I get in on that pool?) based on some imagined transgression. You can even believe Obama has the power to change the course of the American democracy. Have fun, Mr Gloom-n-Doom. And call me when the Socialism Store has its grand opening. I bet they'll have some nice stuff. I plan to spend my time being economically conservative, and enjoying myself by tweaking the tails of my conservative friends and hoping the country does come to its senses and pull together. When the next election comes, I shall weigh my options, and if I find the Republican offering lacking in vision or depth, I'll toss O my vote. If Ken hasn't shot him yet. You can always hope for that, I guess.

No one that I know or associate with will be happy with America's knees or anything else being bruised. The country is in trouble. A muslim socialist at the helm. Bet you're proud of yourself for helping out in getting him there. So, you found him rich in vision and depth. Check the 3 principles of Islam and then rethink your post. They lie when needed to achieve their goals. Prime example; Obama and his 20yr church attendance with Jeremiah Wright. How many times has he been back to church? How many times has he observed a Christian holiday? 2 observations of ramadan so far. They might be 2 small ones, but they are only the first tiles of a million more. The lies and deception to the people are many and continue to escalate. He will bring/is bringing this country down. You feel the repubs are all to blame. So it's O.K. for him to continue to bring it down further. So his "change" is bad to worse? The "hope" is that we won't be 3rd world before he's done? Let the sheep follow. Chicago style politics now playing out at the national level. Pray for our country and its leaders.

Man, Dingo, the Muslims are gonna be pissed when they find out you lost two of their pillars. And enlighten me, were you discussing the Sunni Pillars, or the Shia Pillars? The Sunni Pillars are very, very similar to the Christian Pillars. The Shia pillars are a bit more weird and dense and I don't pretend to understand them, so if you grasp them, please to be explaining them, sahib. The Shia are a minority, I don't really worry about them. I worry more about Evangelical Christians like them fine folks over at Westboro Baptist.... And of course there is the Islamic call to spread the religion. We have the same thing here in the South, but the Baptists and Catholics handle most of that. I had a nice mother daughter tag team come to my door the other day. I told them I was a "Neo-Papist" and they looked frightened and ran away. I never knew Baptists were so terrified of Episcopalians. You'd of thought I said I was a Snake Handler... Maybe we should repeal the First AND the Fourteenth Amendment. Just have one great big religion and anyone whose parents weren't born here has to go home. Me? I believe religion is a personal choice and I don't care if you go to church on Sunday or stay home and diddle sheep. Jeremiah Wright? LOL. I've visited a bunch of churches over the years and I guess a goodly number of the folks in the pulpit are as big a crackpot as he is, and goodly number more are just plain hypocrites. So Obama is a "muslim and a socialist". Heard any other good fairy tales lately? Really? Is he hiding under your bed, getting ready to sneak out in the middle of the night and emasculate you too? Really? I wonder....if I come to your neighborhood, will I hear the banjo music from "Deliverance"? You can keep grasping at Obama straws if it gives you solace, but how bout you post something to back it up instead of just making that WAAwaaWAAwaaWAAwaaWAAwaa sound. I had enough of that during the World Cup. It's nice you have your own personal boogeyman. Have some Tea!

BTS, you should write in the off season. I do not agree with most of your ideas,( sorry I know that must hurt you) but you do make me laugh more than getting upset.

Thanks, Coop. I don't care if you disagree, I just want you to read and consider....and maybe do a little research on your own. Too many people fail to think outside of their comfort zone. And some people need to be reminded that just because the internet says so, that don't make it true. I like doing research. Right now I am researching why the blonde on Faux News always looks pissed off. Like someone just stuck a frog gig up her backside. She's got a job and makes money talking, what's she got to be pissed about? Maybe she wants to be known as the Angry White Girl. Maybe I will write a book about why some people in media always sound mad. Anyway, I am hoping them Tea Partyers will get on the stick and get the Child Labor Act repealed. Them slacker kids need to quit texting and join the work force. Want a BMW when you get your license? Work for it, dang ya! I had to work long hours to be able to afford my grandpa's 1966 Rambler Cross Country station wagon. It was light pea green, smelled like wet bird dogs and cigars and probably was the best contraceptive ever invented for a 16 year old, but I loved it. Cause I WORKED for it.

Hey Chip, I lost my virginity in a 15 year old pea green '56 Rambler with the typewriter transmission. I had to use a metal blade sabre saw to cut the 6" x 9" speakers in the 1/8" thick metal package deck to install my "top of the line" 8 track stereo to play James Taylor and Carole King to seduce my first. One year later it was determined to be unroad-worthy by park police and I had to sell it for $71 (the cost of 4 new tires). Those were the days: stores closed at 11:00 pm during the week and closed on Sundays: my dad was the sole supporter of a family of eight; 2 week vacations every year; doctors made house calls for $10, black and white TV. How I wish I could re-live those days. Seeing the the rhetoric being espoused between you and Southwest participants I had to interject. I find it interesting that some people think that a 2 year president will bring about the end of the world. No one person has that much power any more. Barry is but a pimple on an (expletive) compared to Truman, Kennedy or Reagan. I fear Wal-Mart, Sallie Mae, Wells Fargo, capitalism and UAW unions more than Iran, Korea or Muslims. Barry did not send millions of American jobs overseas, or invade Mid-East countries with ficticious "weapons of mass destruction " or cause the financial meltdown of our mortgage and automobile institutions. He did not turn our nation from a productive industrial goods producing behemoth into a needy consumer demanding society. He is not trying to socialize our industrial complex to save them from thier own corporate greed, but rather save jobs. I find the arrogance of people in our meager 225 year old democracy who feel that military superiority supercedes 2000 year old cultural values of other countries scary. Things change. America has to adapt to the world, not visa versa. I still believe we are the greatest, strongest nation on this planet, whoever is president. Our greatest strength is also our greatest weakness: we have the power to elect great leaders to advance our patriotic goals or elect career politicians who put personal gains ahead of national advancement.

Hey Chip While your researching that blond on Fox news that always looks pissed off how about adding the first lady to that list. You said “From this new atmosphere of antagonistic politics, we get pithy catchphrases such as ‘Teleprompter King’". I would ask if your use of “Faux News and Blush Bimbo” would make you a hypocrite but I realize that liberals are never hypocritical. There is nothing wrong with using a teleprompter, it’s only when it appears that you cannot form a cognizant statement without one that it becomes an issue. Two teleprompters in the middle of an outdoor rodeo arena in Pueblo Colorado made Obie look a little incompetent. Your erroneous information is almost excusable due to your predilection to revisionist history. From my economic and historical schooling I believe that your view on Keynesian economics is flawed. I do not believe Keynesian theories have ever worked with any great success in this country. After the Great Depression it was only after most of the New Deal programs were dismantled did the economy start to recover. After Roosevelt’s death the economy blossomed under Harry Truman’s administration where he allowed the free market concepts to work. I choose not to bore others with an entire treatise on economics but the following link would be useful to others who would like to understand and educate themselves about what happened after the Great Depression. If you read the following link compare what happened during Roosevelt’s administration and what is happening today. http://www.engdahl.oilgeopolitics.net/History/New_Deal/ne… “We have tried spending money. We are spending more than we have ever spent before and it does not work ... After eight years of this Administration we have just as much unemployment as when we started ... And an enormous debt to boot!” Henry Morgenthau - Treasury Secretary under FDR, after 2 terms of FDR's "New Deal". It did not work for Roosevelt and it is not working for Obama. Most intelligent people tend to learn from mistakes, but I guess this administration figured they were above it all. It did not work in Europe either. Even in Germany, the birth place of the redistributive social justice that Obama is so partial to, has told our President to go shove it, as they have no intention of spending themselves into an abyss!! Hey Joe in Ohio, if Obama’s intention is to save jobs I wonder when he will start. We were promised an 8% unemployment cap if only congress would pass a rush rush bill that they were not given time to read. Whoops on that one. Free enterprise creates jobs. Obama in eighteen months has grown the government by 25%. These are jobs that create nothing and are just part of the growing burden on the American people. If you think government jobs are a bonus it’s a shame that you wasted all of that time in school.