CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR ON PIGFORD: Why are USDA officials off the hook in case of bias against black farmers? “As President Obama signs a taxpayer-funded settlement in case of bias against black farmers, some Americans ask: Why didn’t any heads roll? Ex-USDA employee Shirley Sherrod is one. . . . USDA’s failure to punish those responsible for bias against black farmers has drawn criticism from an unlikely alliance that includes black farmers, conservatives such as Rep. Steve King (R) of Iowa, Sherrod herself, and, bizarrely, conservative activist Andrew Breitbart, who posted the video that got Sherrod fired.” I don’t know why the Breitbart bit is bizarre — he’s been consistently against racism, at USDA and elsewhere, after all.

Plus this:

Some conservatives argue that USDA failure to punish certain career officials, many of whom still are in place in county offices across the US, is an indication that the Pigford settlement is less about USDA practices and more about righting generic historical wrongs to score political points with the Democratic base, including blacks.

“They admit to no wrongdoing, they press the taxpayers and apparently have succeeded in squeezing $2.3 billion out of the taxpayers, but they don’t have any blame, and they’re not punishing anybody,” Representative King said recently. “So, how can Americans that think logically accept that as a rational position?”

Sherrod herself struck a similar tone in a July interview on NBC’s “Today” show.

Read the whole thing.