In order to give a very brief overview we must first talk about what you think you know about racism, and what Shirley Sherrod knows about racism. As an African-American Person of Color, her perspective deals with growing up in the south amid immense racial discrimination. Racism is very important to this story because one needs to understand just a little bit about this dreadful disease.
Unless you're a minority, a minority of color, an African-American Person of Color or of Hispanic origin, then you really don't know what the sting of racism feels like. For African-American People of Color, Black people, whose heritage is largely based on the slavery here in America, you probably never felt the full brunt of this disease, which is based on hatred of your people. And unless you're like Shirley Sherrod, who grew up in the southern part of this great country, and whose father was killed by a White man that was never charged in that murder, then you don't know how Shirley Sherrod really felt after this tragic event or how it molded her. If you consider yourself a Christian, but don't understand how Shirley Sherrod overcame her views of the White man, then you really don't know Shirley Sherrod and you definitely don't know how God works.
Unless you had a cross burned on your lawn and were denied simple things like using a common bathroom, eating at any restaurant of your choice, being able to go to any hotel that you wanted to, being able to sit downstairs in the movie theater, or drink from a public water fountain of your choice, and go to any school in the United States of America, then you really don't know what racism is all about, and you definitely haven't felt the sting of racism.
The timing couldn't any be better for the person or persons who were trying to destroy the career of Shirley Sherrod, an African-American Person of Color. What was done also caused a huge distraction to President Obama's Wall Street Reform Bill, which he signed into law. There was also the Republican Party's refusal to vote again on the Unemployment Extension bill, which passed, but do to what is called cloture, the Republican Party was able to hold up the final vote and the signing of that bill by this 30 hour rule. http://www.senate.gov/reference/glossary_term/cloture.htm
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cloture
There is a "how to' do everything. As I said in my book "Born In The Wrong Country," " "So you see one needs to be responsible. You see there is a "how to' do many things that we do, things we do every day but take for granted." The key is being responsible; even when you fire someone you need to be responsible because there is a "how to' involved in firing someone too. It's too bad law enforcement can't apprehend a criminal as fast as the USDA fired Shirley Sherrod; ""..she says she was called on her cell phone while driving and told to pull over. Her resignation was then demanded." This is unheard of; it sounds like something from a movie script, but it wasn't; this was real.
When someone wants to try and harm a person's reputation they'll do just about anything, and Andrew Breitbart did just that, or did he? Whether he acted on his own, and without any help from anyone else seems suspect to me; there are just too many in the political circle, who refuse to give President Obama the praise that he deserves. I wouldn't be surprised if this went much deeper; the timing was just too perfect. Though the focus is on Andrew Brietbart, this could also be a distraction of a mass cover-up; politics is dirty. The Obama Administration must be stay on guard to prevent his administration from being sabotaged. When he was running for the Presidency, one major roadblock that was throw into the midst of his campaign was his association with Rev. Wright; however, he was able to rise above all of his obstacles becoming the first African-American Person of Color to win this prized office. Though he won this battle, his winning infuriated those that were out to stop him; now that he's President, his opponents have not become any less angry or aggressive; racism works that way; it is relentless.
First of all, the incident of Shirley Sherrod being forced to step down from her position is shameful; it's unconscionable. Evidently there was a rush to judgment by someone who did not have her best interest in mind. People's lives are very important and deserve to be preserved to the best of ones ability. It is a crime that this was not done, but more of a crime what this person, Andrew Breitbart tried doing to ruin Shirley Sherrod's reputation. What he did was mean spirited, hateful and racist. It's shameful that the NAACP believed what was shown them and hastily commented before watching the entire tape. I know that they retracted their statement, but had they done their homework, their eyes would have opened widely before making such a mishap. The NAACP should be aware of these underhanded schemes; their organization has been in business for over 100 years, and having gone through all kinds of racial strife and the Civil Rights Movement, there just isn't any excuse.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
