Here We Go! Reparations, Anyone?

I can’t believe Micale Berry didn’t latch onto this for his 950 Man Talk show today (especially after Chris Baker spent 2 hours talking about a Brit chick bagging 1K men).

Here’s the next meme — I thought it would be about the struggle of poor farmers.  NO NO NO NO NO.  It can’t be about that.  It’s about BLACK farmers and Reparations and La Raza and SNCC and every other nonwhite boogy man you can conjure all in one.  From Kathleen McKinley’s Houston Chronicle blog:

We are getting played on the Shirley Sherrod coverage. I did a little research last night and then sat back to watch what was being said about the latest on this case. Fox devoted the opening segment of their 6 o’clock news hour and while I noted Shepard Smith went out of his way to denounce Andrew Breitbart and show Shirley Sherrod as the exact opposite of what the shorter video seemed to imply.

Nightline devoted a segment with fawning coverage of her career as someone who assisted the poor and they didn’t hold back on cracking Fox and Breitbart. This morning they continued with an opening that I tolerated until almost 7:20 with George repeating what had been said last night and then some.

No one mentioned that Shirley Sherrod was a plaintiff in the Pigford vs Glickman case that had sued the USDA and that 1999 settlement has paid out right at $1 billion so far.(1) Nobody has mentioned that Obama allowed the justice department to reopen the 1999 settlement and allow another 73,200 plaintiffs to have a crack at that money that so far has been paid to 16,000 rural southern black farmers (original plaintiff estimate was 3,000.(1) No one mentioned that Obama has already authorized another $1.25 billion be allocated to compensate these new plaintiffs that total four times the number of black rural farmers (est. 27,500) that were identified when the case was filed 1997.(1)

Not a peep was said of the $13 million settlement Mr. and Mrs. Sherrod and their New Communities group received a few days before her July 25, 2009 appointment to her current position by Vilsak.(2) Note that New Communities is solely an enterprise of the Sherrods now as it has not been active for years.

And oh by the way, Mr. Sherrod is Charles Sherrod, a founding member of the Student Nonviolence Coordinating Committee which in 1966 had the reliable John Lewis as it’s chairman.(3) Remember John Lewis and his claims about being spit on a called the n-word a few short months ago? After John Lewis was replaced by Stokley Carmichael they renamed themselves the Student National Coordinating Committee and merged with what became the Black Panthers.(4)

Now here’s a kicker. One of the last active chapters of the SNCC/Black Panther group was in San Antonia and had an officer named Mario Salas who went on to assist in building La Raza.(5)

Now all of that may look like a bunch of tangential information until you realize that the original stated goals of the Rural Development Land Network, whose Vice Chair is Shirley Sherrod, was to “resolve to work toward reform of the land ownership patterns in this country”.(6), (7) Kind of sounds like reparations to me.

For the administration and especially Tom Vilsak to say they shot from the hip and over reacted when Obama, Holder and Vilsak have been shoveling money into the burgeoning settlements of a suit brought by Shirley Sherrod defies integrity, honesty and hopefully the law.

Oh my.

Someone please email this information to Michale Berry.  He’s behind the curve.  I can’t do it because he is afraid of me.

Please someone reading this blog send this VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT REPARATIONS to Michale Berry.  He was all hot and bothered about this topic when he was on the city council.  He would love to have his conspiracy theories confirmed.

What is this really about?  The USDA treated people differently in the past based on their skin color.  The people were finally able to file suit and win their case in court.  THEY WON.  IN COURT.  And there are some people out there — connected with Fox News and Andrew Brietbart, who think this constitutes reparations.

Fucking idiots.

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A follow-up to what I wrote yesterday

I don’t have time to read all of these, but here are just a few links to more of the story about what Andrew Breitbart did and what Shirley Sherrod has achieved in working to help others.  For me, there could be not brighter contrast between good and utterly contemptible.

TPM — links Brietbart’s attack to settlement of a suit of racism on the part of the USDA.

Willy Nelson knows her and praises her here.

More later.

About Shirley Sherrod

There’s something that has been lost in all of the commotion about Ms. Sherrod and what Andrew Breitbart did to her:  she has obviously worked for years to help all types of people keep their family farms.  This is a long term mission for her.  Perhaps I noticed this because I have started my own little garden and I also remember what sank my grandfather’s farm.  In other words, family farms have been fighting for decades just to stay alive.   It also brings back memories of the dust bowl and the specter of agribusiness.
Ms. Sherrod has devoted her life to helping family farmers.   She has fought against banks. She has actually helped people in a tangible way.

That’s why I was so sad yesterday — so dejected.  If a woman like her could be dragged though mud by a person like Andrew Breitbart, then no one — no one is safe.  No good anyone does will be rewarded without the possibility of someone like Breitbart attacking.

What happened is clear.  Brietbart had a video in hand and published it on the Monday after all of the discussion about racists in the tea party people.  It was his attempt at exacting a piece of flesh.  It’s also clear that he didn’t give one whit about Ms. Sherrod.

The same bloggers who pounch on and/or make things up, pounced on the video and false characterization and I watched it, hoping that someone somewhere would ask the question — is this accurate?

Finally yesterday morning, I saw one hot link on memeorandum — it was from the Atlanta paper.  It had an interview with Ms. Sherrod.  I clicked that mother fucking link on every computer I could log onto.  Why?  Because it discredited everything Brietbart had said.  Everything.  I’m certain that there were many people like me who clicked on that link, knowing that it would rise to the top of memeorandum.  We may not be big blogger types or radio types, but we can push a story, too, even on a wingnut site like memorandum.

When did someone anywhere say WTF?  If you believe Kathleen, she did, as well as others who travel in her circles (she seems to only read the Corner).  But truth be told, Kathleen’s friends were the first ones on the bandwagon to call Ms. Sherrod a racist.  You will have to look at their blogs/facebook 😦 pages to see if they have apologized.  Here’s what Michela Berry had to say on his teenage facebook page:

Federal Official resigns after caught on tape making racist remarks against white farmer at NAACP event…Andrew Breitbart released the tape which shows Shirley Sherrod, USDA’s Georgia State Director of Rural Development, admitting that she did not help a farm with ‘full force’ because he was white. Interestingly the NAACP crowd was not outraged by the incident. NAACP put out a statement about Sherrod saying, “Racism is about the abuse of power. Sherrod had it in her position at USDA. According to her remarks, she mistreated a white farmer in need of assistance because of his race.”

Michela hasn’t corrected anything. I didn’t expect him to. He just lies and lies and lies.

At any rate, Kathleen claims to have been sole support for Ms. Sherrod.  Given what I have read about Ms. Sherrod’s view of FOX News, Kathleen might not feel so comfortable having a beer with her.

But let’s get back to the main point I have:  for years — decades — farming policy has been dominated by big agribusiness.  Family farms have struggled to survive — and I am not talking about “family” agribusiness farms — just simple family farms.  Capitalism would dictate that the large companies win — little family farms can’t compete — look at any industry and tell me that consolidation doesn’t happen when the market is left to itself.

It’s my hope that this mess will lead to a greater examination of what Ms. Sherrod was working on and perhaps bring some media attention to it.

As an addendum:  Kathleen doesn’t seem to have heard that Ms. Sherrod is no fan of Fox News and proclaims:

She said Fox showed no professionalism in continuing to bother her for an interview, but failing to correct their coverage.

“I think they should but they won’t. They intended exactly what they did. They were looking for the result they got yesterday,” she said of Fox. “I am just a pawn. I was just here. They are after a bigger thing, they would love to take us back to where we were many years ago. Back to where black people were looking down, not looking white folks in the face, not being able to compete for a job out there and not be a whole person.”

Still, Fox continued to push for an interview with her, Sherrod said.

“It was unbelievable. I am refusing to be on there. They have been calling me and calling me. I have refused to do an interview because they are biased,” she explained. “I don’t think Fox News does it fairly. It is worse so now. I have sat and listened to the way they cover the news even before this administration and I saw what was going on.”

Sherrod said this situation has worsened her view of racism in media coverage.

“I think it is race. You think we have come a long way in terms of race relations in this country, but we keep going backwards,” she said. “We have become more racist. This was their doing, Breitbart put that together misrepresenting what I was saying and Fox carried it.”

And reading this, Kathleen says:

This is what happens when one is constantly on the defensive, and trying to control the narrative. Pres. Obama and the left need to stop worrying about Fox News, the blogs, and radio talk show hosts, and DO THEIR JOB.

I guess because Kathleen nor Michela read anything but Fox sites they missed that interview.

Cal Thomas Frightens Small Child, Mother

While Cal Thomas was out shopping on President’s Day (like all good American Patriots), he chatted up a grade schooler and her mother.  You tell me, but if this guy

started talking to my child, I’d do something other than just be polite.

What am I talking about?  Cal Thomas spouts his “thoughts” around 7:22 every morning on KNTH.  This morning he related a story of standing in line at a store and talking to a little girl.  He supposedly asked her who the FIRST president of the United States was and the little girl replied, “OBAMA!”  According to Thomas, he scolded the girl and told her no, it was Washington.  The mother then confused Thomas — still according to him — by stating that, “you learn something every day.”

Thomas wasn’t sure if the mom meant herself or him or the child.   He then bashed “government” schools for good measure.

My first thought was that the little girl probably thought the old geezer asked her who the president was and then was confused by this dottering old man telling her that it was some guy named Washington.

Haiti

It breaks my heart.  Just Monday, The PBS News Hour had a segment on as part of their series on fragile states, detailing how the Haitian textile industry was set for a comeback, particularly through the work of Bill Clinton.  The title of the report?  “Despite Years of Crushing Poverty, Hope Grows in Haiti.”  I can’t even bring myself to read the transcript.

I donated to the Red Cross and UNICEF.  There was no question in my mind.  In listening to wingnut radio this morning, I was happy to hear that both of the hosts were advertising a number to call for a charity to donate to.

This afternoon was quite different.  I pulled up “Katrina Trash” Chris Baker while I was at work and found that his producer was on the air, making jokes about having fired Baker.  (I’ll leave that to another post.)  The producer also decided that he was obligated to mention the earthquake in Haiti, but what he really wanted to talk about was how there is scientific proof that men are better than women.  How insightful producer guy!

Later, on the way home, Michael Berry wasn’t much better.  He just couldn’t decide if giving aid to Haiti was a good thing to do and asked his listeners to call in (or text or email).  Most of the arguments were about Hurricane Ike and how people are hurting here at home and that the government shouldn’t be in the charity business.  A couple of callers I heard used Haiti’s history to decide that it wasn’t a good idea to donate or help them.  Sort of like it’s their own fault that two tectonic plates decided to slide against each other.  (For example:  one caller pointed out that Haiti and the Dominican Republic are on the same island and what a difference there was between them.  How could one plate and another exist under one island?!?  How could one city get hit by a hurrican and not another? How could one part of an island flood and not another?  Gee, I don’t know!!!!)  It’s clear that neither Michael Berry or his listeners saw the News Hour piece — otherwise all of them would have been lamenting the fact that Haiti had it’s hopes dashed.

I would be irresponsible not to speculate that wingnut listeners, after having seen wall to wall coverage of poor black people (“it’s Katrina all over again!”) in a foreign country on their teevees all day, as well as yet another appearance by the president guy reading from his teleprompter, had decided by 5:00 CST that it was just not their problem.  But they have to have some excuse, so they fired up their computers and looked around Free Republic or other websites and decided that, heck, there are houses somewhere along the Texas coast that still haven’t been rebuilt since Hurricane Ike, there are Americans unemployed, our country is in debt, and you know what, fuck those Haitians.  I would be irresponsible not to speculate that many of Michael Berry’s listeners had had about enough of the blacks on the teevee for one day.  And last but not least, for every excuse each had for not giving or doing something for the people in Haiti, none of them did or will ever do a damn thing for anyone else.

It’s a no-brainer — whether or not to help.  In the aftermath of Katrina, many nations offered to help us, though that was more because they had competence in the problem areas rather than something about resources.  Those nations got burned by the Bush administration.  Again.  And wrt to Ike or unemployment, sorry, there is no equivalence.  Problems with Ike recovery are not about a lack of funds on a national level.  Far from it.  If all of Michael Berry’s callers are so worried about Ike victims (I can still hear Berry cry over the air “PEOPLE DIED!11!11!1!1!11!!), then they would have done something about it before now, dontchathink?

So, I send out a big FUCK YOU to Michael Berry’s callers.  The posse leader will keep riling up the troops no matter what I might say.

More Hyperventilating Wingnuttery — International Edition

I heard a snippet about this earlier in the week on Glenn Beck’s radio show, and then again this morning on a local Libertarian– wingnutty radio program.  President Obama has granted Interpol “unprecedented liberties to control Americans.”  All of the usual suspects are there in that Google search, including a few I’d never heard of.

Jake Tapper and the NYT painstakingly walk the wingnuts through what exactly the Executive Order the President signed on the 17th actually involves, but I doubt that will stop any of them from believing that some guy from Scotland Yard will be breaking into their homes to arrest them at ANY MOMENT!!1!!11!!!!  And control them.  Or something.  And you know what?  You’ll never hear about it in the MSM.  Fucking liberals.

Important Dates for 2010

In the order I found out about them:

On August 28, 2010, Glenn Beck will have a rally at the Lincoln Memorial.   It’s something about his 100 year plan.  Does that date sound familiar?  I look forward to the debate over attendance that will follow this display of Beck’s.

Another, earlier date to look for:  “The Tea Party Patriots group is planning a ‘National Day of Strike’ for Jan. 20.”  We all know what that day is.

MLK, Jr. Day is still open, as is President’s Day.  I’m sure that TAX DAY will be another protest date.  The olds and unemployed and libertarians have way too much time on their hands.  Why aren’t they buying gold or seeds or freeze-dried food?

Winding Down My Day as a Pajama Blogger

I have a few techical questions:

1) How do you deal with the belt on your gown/robe?  I tried stuffing both ends into the pockets, but sometimes I leave it in the chair.

2)  How do you get up the energy to follow up on anything?  I decided to watch a movie and now I am not really into the bloggy thingy.

3)  What?

You wingnuts are mighty fun 🙂

John Walsh will be next on the wingnut hit list

I’m watching America’s Most Wanted, and John Walsh (who supported that Foley guy in FLA), has actually gone down to Mexico and spoken with Mexican military and police.  He was quite sympathetic.

Now he’s back on this side of the border.  His first topic is a ‘Man on Fire’ type thing.  Many of them don’t call the cops because they are illegally here.  Walsh lets one office make the case that their status doesn’t matter.  They should call the police.

Walsh seems to be moving away from the base.  How much longer will he be welcome?