GOP Rep. Zach Wamp Talks Secession

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If in 2065 Alaska, California, Hawaii, or Texas (just to consider some examples) assert a right to secede, the argument that “in 1865, the victorious Union government concluded that no state has a right to secede in opposition to the wishes of the Union, so therefore you lack such a right” will have precisely the weight that the Americans of 2065 will choose to give it — which should be very little.
http://www.newyorkpersonalinjuryattorneyblog.com/2010/02/scalia-there-is-no-right-to-secede.html

steve of IL 9:54PM July 27, 2010

Claiming the States cannot secede is contradictory to the Declaration of Independence. That great Founding Father Thomas Jefferson declared it was a natural right and I can see no reason that you can invalidate that body of work.

Michael S of TX 7:45PM July 27, 2010

But this is not the only issue regarding FOX's racist coverage of the story. Even after it was proven that Sherrod had not made racist remarks, FOX continued to attack Sherrod and Obama in an effort to sustain the momentum of the racially charged atmosphere;
"Ingraham: "My mistake was believing" the White House "had read the entire transcript." After previously appearing on Fox News' Fox & Friends, where she stated that Sherrod was evidence that people with "radical outlooks, a radical agenda and in this case a racist sentiment" had "burrowed their way into the Obama administration..."
http://mediamatters.org/research/201007250022
Walsh: "How Fox News or anybody else could run a story and not seek comment from a person that they were calling a racist -- it's quite extraordinary." During her July 25 appearance on CNN's Reliable Sources, Salon's Joan Walsh dismantled the media's attempt to deflect responsibility for their false accusations of racism onto the White House. Affirming that "Fox played a much bigger role than people want to admit," she stated that "[i]t doesn't matter that merely the Obama administration overreacted" -- "pouncing on Shirley Sherrod without getting her reaction or her response" is still "unconscionable." From Walsh's appearance on CNN:
WALSH: "I think they [the TV networks] bear a lot of responsibility. You know, I want to give CNN credit, because I believe CNN was among the first to search out Shirley Sherrod and find out that there was a very different story than the one that was being told. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, I believe, was also very quick to go to Sherrod. How Fox News or anybody else could run a story and not seek comment from a person that they were calling a racist -- it's quite extraordinary. And you know, a lot has been made about "Fox didn't do -- Fox isn't the cause of her firing." I'm going to stipulate that. Let's say that that's true. But Fox played a much bigger role than people want to admit. It -- that story -- the Breitbart version of the story ran on FoxNews.com all day Monday. O'Reilly mentioned it, Sean Hannity went on to mention it, Sean Hannity and Newt Gingrich had a lovely conversation about what a racist this woman was after she had resigned. Fox & Friends went crazy the next morning. It doesn't matter that merely the Obama administration overreacted. It matters -- that's terrible that they did that -- but there was this pouncing on Shirley Sherrod without getting her reaction or her response that I think is unconscionable. She was easy to find."
http://mediamatters.org/research/201007250022
Whether or not FOX's coverage resulted in Sherrod's firing is less relevant than the fact that they rushed to judgement without investigating the authenticity of the video or getting Sherrod's side of the story. Other networks like CNN didn't do this. The Obama administration had respond to the charges of racism immediately for political reasons. This does absolve FOX's actions.

steve of IL 4:54PM July 27, 2010

"Newsbusters is hardly the reliable source that Media Matters is. MM is much better respected as well."
Not good enough. Disprove my information or it stands. Back door negating my source no good.

Bill Hedges of MO 10:37PM July 26, 2010

OK. I proved Bill O'Reilley did not show doctored tape until she was fired.

Bill Hedges of MO 10:07PM July 26, 2010

You seem to make this same mistake with every issue we discuss. FOX ran the story before she was fired. Period. They also continued to run her story as well as many others so as to needlessly create racial hysteria and hostility. This seems to be the views of most of the mainstream media and I think they're right. I don't actually think anyone is trying to take FOX off the air but they should. They're not a real news organization but simply a propaganda machine and a very vicious one at that. They appeal to people with low education levels and low intelligence. Part of the reason that FOX exists is that so many people aren't smart enough to understand CNN, CBS or MSNBC. That is why they call them "elitist" out of their frustration at not being able to comprehend their stories.
You tried to tell me that Obama's having brought back PAYGO earlier this year was the reason that unemployment benefit extensions couldn't be passed by the Congress; the GOP claimed that there was no revenue neutral way to add this to the federal budget as per the law. But you ignore two important things. First, Obama signed an executive order waiving PAYGO so that the unemployment benefits legislation could pass. Secondly, you never addressed the question of the $1.35 trillion in tax cuts passed in 2001, one year before the PAYGO legislation passed in 1990 was due to expire. The GOP never asked how the tax cuts bill of 2001 would be affected by the PAYGO requirements at the time. They didn't care. The top 5% of the people that received over half the tax cuts until now were their prized constituents. Impoverished unemployed workers who need benefit extensions due to high unemployment and a slow labor market recovery don't matter to the GOP. This is quite clear.

steve of IL 9:43PM July 26, 2010

Either prove with video that you are correct or you lose.

Bill Hedges of MO 9:27PM July 26, 2010

Your sources are always better because they agree with you. Mine bad. Yahoo answer is good sometimes according to you. Even when you leave out whole story as I proved.
Did I not notice your commenting on CNN mistake. I must have.
If Media Matters is good so are my sources.
Stop your complaining about mine.
“The video sparked a conflagration in the blogosphere and cable news that at first outraced the facts. O’Reilly was the first on cable to air the video, calling for Sherrod’s resignation Monday night. (By the time his taped show aired, she in fact had already resigned, a fact Fox News noted on the screen.) “
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2010/07/bill-oreilly-apologizes-to-shirley-sherrod-for-not-doing-my-homework.html
There may have been conditions set before showing that section.

Bill Hedges of MO 9:24PM July 26, 2010

First of all, Steve Doocey is a liar and a shill. He is no professional journalist as far as most people are concerned. FOX, unlike the rest of the media, ran this story much more than the other news channels and in a much more unprofessional manner as well. They also continually propagated lies about ACORN, and a number of other issues based on the dubious video productions of people like Breitbart and Giles and O'Keefe. You haven't answered any of my charges about their continuing racism and race baiting. FOX used the story in order to spread racial hysteria which no other network did.
"Frank Rich wrote that "[e]ven though the egregiously misleading excerpt from Shirley Sherrod's 43-minute speech came from Andrew Breitbart, the dirty trickster notorious for hustling skewed partisan videos on Fox News, few questioned its validity." Rich further noted that Fox News touted Breitbart's edited video clip of Sherrod's comments as "what racism looks like."
http://mediamatters.org/research/201007250021
The next morning, Brietbart’s video was played on Fox & Friends, as the hosts portrayed Sherrod as a racist:
“On Fox News’ Fox & Friends, Steve Doocy said Sherrod had been caught “making a speech to the NAACP that sure sounded racist.” Co-host Alisyn Camerota then accused Sherrod of “touting this in this anecdote as though this is, you know, a feather in her cap, somehow, for her to be congratulated.” Then Camerota and Doocy agreed that the comments were “Exhibit A” as far as “what racism looks like.” On-screen text during the segment read, “Racism caught on camera” and “USDA official admits racism on tape; Forced to resign after dicey video leaks.”‘
“On Fox & Friends, Laura Ingraham praised Breitbart’s video and his coverage of the story, stating “Andrew Breitbart, by the way, did a great piece on this whole thing. Fantastic.” Ingraham went on to ask “where was the media on this” and claimed that it took “Breitbart to come forward with this story.”‘
Fox News has been promoting an ugly campaign of racial rage and race-baiting, for months leading up to its disgraceful attack on Shirley Sherrod. This is nothing new.
http://chattahbox.com/us/2010/07/25/howard-dean-to-fox-news-your-coverage-of-shirley-sherrod-absolutely-racist-video/
Doocy previously falsely claimed, "Fox News did not do the story until after she had already resigned." On the July 21 edition of Fox & Friends, Doocy also falsely claimed, "Fox News did not do the story until after she had already resigned."
Doocy's assertion that Fox News Channel didn't report on Sherrod "until she had actually quit" belies the fact that FoxNews.com reported on the story well before this occurred. A July 19 FoxNews.com article reported on the video, noting that it was "first posted by BigGovernment.com" and reported that:
FoxNews.com is seeking a response from both the NAACP and the USDA.
http://mediamatters.org/research/201007220003
FOX clearly ran the story which led to Sherrod's firing.

steve of IL 8:52PM July 26, 2010

Media Matters entire existence is to try and destroy Fox. Good luck Media Matters and you Steve.
"Blaming Fox for Shirley Sherrod’s Firing 'a Lie,' Fox & Friends Host Declares"
By Rich Noyes (Bio | Archive)
Wed, 07/21/2010 - 11:00 ET
"On Wednesday’s Fox & Friends, co-host Steve Doocy took strong exception to the NAACP’s claim it was “snookered” by Fox News into denouncing former Agriculture Department official Shirley Sherrod based on excerpts of a speech she delivered at a dinner in March."
“There’s a timeline problem,” Doocy pointed out, noting that the NAACP had on Monday night denounced Sherrod as “shameful,” the same day that she was pressured to quit her job (she says by the White House). But Fox News never mentioned the story until after Sherrod had quit. “So for anybody to say that Fox News pressured her out, that is simply a lie,” Doocy asserted."
"The liberal media have gone from largely ignoring the Sherrod story on Monday night and Tuesday morning to embracing it as a case of a woman maligned by an unfairly edited video clip. But if Sherrod is indeed the victim, much of the damage seems to have been caused by the precipitous reaction of the NAACP and the Obama administration — not liberals’ favorite target, Fox News."
"Here’s how Doocy explained the matter at the top of the July 21 Fox & Friends, about 6:07am ET:"
"Co-host STEVE DOOCY: The NAACP has done, essentially, a double-back flip. First, here's what she said regarding the NAACP: [Words on screen] "They got into a fight with the Tea Party, and all of this came out as a result of that." But here's what she says about the NAACP, she says, she blames them for her getting in trouble."
"Now, here's what the NAACP said on Monday night — on Monday night, as soon as the news had hit the fan. They said [reading] "her actions were shameful. While she went on to explain in the story that she ultimately realized her mistake, as well as the common predicaments working with people of all races, she gave no indication she had attempted to right the wrong she had done to this man."
"That was on Monday. Then yesterday, the NAACP came out and they said that we're now apologizing to her and they say they were snookered by Fox News and Andrew Breitbart. But as [fill-in co-host] Dana [Perino] mentioned, there's a timeline problem. Fox News did not do the story until after she had already resigned."
"So she was pressured by the Department of Agriculture to quit. She quit. And then we did the stories. So for anybody to say that Fox News pressured her out, that is simply a lie."
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/rich-noyes/2010/07/21/blaming-fox-shirley-sherrod-s-firing-lie-fox-friends-host-declares#ixzz0upYEegx7

Bill Hedges of MO 5:44PM July 26, 2010