![](\"https:\/\/i4.photobucket.com\/albums\/y125\/TheAnchoress\/poolofbethesda.jpg\")
\nThe Pool of Bethesda<\/em>, 1645, Joost Cornelisz Droochsloot<\/p>\n
Shirley Sherrod says she is not certain<\/strong> that she would accept a reinstatement to her office<\/a> even if the USDA offers it to her.<\/p>\n I think she should not. This woman needs to write a book. Politics aside, (and Sherrod may have had a little time to reconsider her absorption of the NAACP\u2019s message that tea parties = racists) her personal story is gripping, poignant and wholesome \u2013 a staggering snapshot of where America was 50 years ago, and how far the nation has come, despite the political opportunism and flame-fanning of the worst elements of our society. Sherrod\u2019s remembrances of parents and siblings are gorgeous lovesongs to the value of the nuclear family. \u201cMy father was just everything to us,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Her father sounds like the sort of unsung hero<\/strong>\u2013hardworking, good-humored, family-focused, liberty-seeking\u2013who should resonate with all of us who do not wish to be told where or how we may live, or whether our house may be built of brick or blocks.<\/p>\n And his murder\u2013two months before the birth of his longed-for, beloved son\u2013(watch from 8:00 on<\/a>) and how it impacted Sherrod\u2019s decisions as a 17-year old, and the story of her own evolved thinking \u2013 this is the stuff of a book that could be more than a great, inspiring read. This is a book that could teach, and unite and bring real healing. Her story encompasses the lunacy of a bygone age, the shared personal sorrows to which all can relate, the lessons of faith, surrender, personal and social triumph and, finally, how precariously we all stand in our present moments.<\/p>\n Talking about the slowly risen dawn of her understanding, Sherrod said to the young people attending her talk:<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you are true to what God wants you to do, the path just opens up.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n She is so right.<\/p>\n We make a lot of jokes about Rahm Emmanuel\u2019s obnoxious dictum<\/strong> to \u201cnever let a good crisis go to waste.\u201d Yes, it\u2019s a cynical politicians mindset. But it is also true<\/em> that great things are often born from leaning into what seems like a destructive storm. The waters of Bethesda did not heal until they had first been stirred by an angel. The Resurrection of Christ did not overcome death until death first had its illusory moment.<\/p>\n Perhaps Sherrod (who\u2013according to Breitbart\u2013was not meant to be the focal point<\/a> of his ill-played response to the NAACP\u2019s needless provocation of the Tea Party) is not meant<\/em> to return to her old job. The country doesn\u2019t really need another bureaucrat\u2013she could use a good deal fewer, in fact\u2013but she does need someone to tell a true American Story, one that can strike common chords of liberty, aspiration and the constantly-evolving conscience.<\/p>\n God is not done with anyone, until their last day.<\/strong> He is not done with Shirley Sherrod, or with you or me. We are all on quite a journey, and perhaps this debacle is meant to shake up stagnant entrenched thought\u2013on personal and societal levels\u2013on the right and the left. For certain, we cannot continue on our present trajectory.<\/p>\n If it is still possible for people to, even briefly, put politics aside and simply listen<\/em> to each other (and I\u2019m sure Ms. Sherrod and I would disagree on many policy issues) that<\/em> would be a book I want to read, and to see discussed in America.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t go back to the office, Ms. Sherrod; tell your story; it is ours.<\/p>\n UPDATE:<\/strong> I think she\u2019s owed apologies<\/a> from pretty much everyone, including my good friend Andrew Breitbart. I generally think Andrew is on the side of the angels and a great champion of the cause. He says he received the video in its edited form and I believe him. But the relevant question is, Would he have done the same thing over again if he had seen the full video from the outset? I\u2019d like to think he wouldn\u2019t have. Because to knowingly turn this woman into a racist in order to fight fire with fire with the NAACP is unacceptable. When it seemed that Sherrod was a racist who abused her power, exposing her and the NAACP\u2019s hypocrisy was perfectly fair game. But now that we have the benefit of knowing the facts, the equation is completely different.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Read it all.<\/p>\n And check back\u2026I have a feeling I\u2019ll be updating this story several times throughout the day!<\/p>\n UPDATE II:<\/strong> Also, Richard Cohen,<\/strong> writes of \u201cthe cowardice of Tom Vilsack,\u201d<\/a> for firing Sherrod. He makes no note of the NAACP\u2019s fast initial condemnation of Sherrod \u2013 without first talking to her, and even though they were in possession of the full tape of her speech. There is lots of blame to go around, here\u2013no one associated with this story is covered with glory\u2013but perspectives and narratives are being carefully parsed by all the usual suspects, which indicates that lessons are not really being learned, after all.<\/p>\n UPDATE III:<\/strong> When he saw that video, Jealous\u2019s reaction against Sherrod was immediate. She was toxic and had to be spat out.<\/p>\n To react like that is to display the same human weakness that underlies racism itself. You see one thing, you see the whole person as nothing but that one thing, you feel instinctive aversion and fear, and you reflexively push that person away. Blaming those who showed you that one thing does not absolve you from your responsibility to rise above the level of instinct and fear. It is up to you to go beyond your first perception, to search for the truth, and to use reason and judgment before you make a decision about someone.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n UPDATE IV:<\/strong> Mary Katharine Ham<\/a> Sounds the right notes\u2026but her last link just depresses me. Apparently this \u201cteachable moment\u201d doesn\u2019t do much to advance anything.<\/p>\n UPDATE V:<\/strong> Breitbart Needs to Apologize<\/a>. I\u2019d call that a big \u201cduh.\u201d He needed to do it already.<\/em><\/p>\n Meanwhile,Instapundit:<\/strong> Rounding up the Journolist stuff<\/a>, and enjoying it!<\/a> Well, it has made for some fun\/sad reading.<\/p>\n Also writing (linked to but not always read by me due to time constraints):<\/strong>
\nJonah Goldberg:<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nIn mild hysterics, David Frum<\/strong> goes after some of the very \u201cconservative\u201d folks<\/a> who were very quick<\/em> to say, \u201cwaaait a second, there,\u201d<\/a> (note the date<\/em>, Dave!) and ask to see the whole tape. In this, he is almost as negligent about doing due diligence as was Breitbart. Frum rides in on a horse of hindsight, though, and with great<\/em> nobility, with his sword drawn to slay the savage hoard as he does precisely what he essentially accuses Breitbart of doing: tries to tar many with one brush. Opportunism, flame-fanning and posturing will apparently not be abated by what should be a thoughtful moment for the whole nation.<\/p>\n
\nAnn Althouse:<\/strong> getting analytical<\/a>:<\/p>\n
\nSissy Willis:<\/strong> NAACP & Tea Party in Last Throes of the Fear and Smear Machine?<\/a>
\nHot Air:<\/strong> Should she get her job back?<\/a>
\nConfederate Yankee:<\/strong> summing it up calmly<\/a>
\nExaminer:<\/strong> Journolist stuff<\/a>. The WaPo must be so glad the Sherrod story appears to be dwarfing the Journolist stories<\/a>.
\nThe Macho Response: (Language Warning) <\/strong> Tired of this stuff<\/a><\/p>\n