| When I was asked by the Editor of
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| | on as they reported firebrand Black film
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| The-Latest to write a thought-provoking
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| | director Spike Lee's attack on Rice over
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| piece about US Secretary of State
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| | her apparent indifference to the issue of
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| Condoleeza Rice, I drew a long breath and
| |
| | race. Lee said: "I dislike Condoleezza
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| hesitated. For me as a Black woman,
| |
| | more than Bush. The thing about it is
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| Rice's presence, as an African-American
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| | that she's gotten a free ride from Black
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| female, at the highest level of
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| | people. People say 'she's so successful
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| white-male dominated politics, stirs a
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| | and 'look at her position as a Black
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| certain admiration and pride. Alas, in
| |
| | woman'. She is a Black woman who grew up
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| much the same way as former British Prime
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| | in Birmingham, Alabama, and said that she
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| Minister Margaret Thatcher was demonised
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| | never experienced a day of racism in her
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| by many people in the 1980s because of
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| | life. Condi stop smoking that crack!
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| her socially divisive right-wing
| |
| | While people were drowning in New
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| ideology later known as 'Thatcherism', so
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| | Orleans, she was going up and down
|
| too has Condoleeza Rice been damned.
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| | Madison Avenue buying Ferragamo shoes.'
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| She has been dubbed the 'warrior
| |
| | Lee's comments provoked passionate
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| princess' and is seen as a main architect
| |
| | responses from Americans. Here is a
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| of President George W. Bush's Iraq war.
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| | sample what they had to say:
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| That is why she is so unpopular among
| |
| | Anastasia Beaverhausen: "Hey Spike, get
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| progressives, Black and white. For most
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| | back to me when you become the Secretary
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| people, Rice is the embodiment of the
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| | of State of the most powerful nation on
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| Bush administration's hawkish,
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| | the planet. Until then keep making your
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| conservative fundamentalism. A key player
| |
| | racist movies and flapping your pie
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| in possibly the most reviled of American
| |
| | hole.'
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| presidencies, might Rice's private
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| | Lisa: 'Rice is a sell-out? You know, that
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| persona differ greatly from her public
| |
| | kind of attitude is what is perpetuating
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| image, I pondered?
| |
| | racism in this country. I find it
|
| The facts of Condoleezza Rice's ascent to
| |
| | disgusting that Black women are expected
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| power read like the archetypal 'American
| |
| | to he unwed mothers, multiple children
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| Dream'. Rice, 51, was born in the Jim
| |
| | with multiple men, welfare, crack heads,
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| Crow 'redneck' city of Birmingham,
| |
| | etc. When they actually do something with
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| Alabama, in the United States. Her early
| |
| | their lives, they are selling out. Would
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| years were spent encircled by racial
| |
| | you say the same thing if she was working
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| segregation and the epic Civil Rights
| |
| | under a Democratic administration?'
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| struggles in the leafy suburb of
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| | Mo: 'Spike Lee is married to a very
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| Titusville.
| |
| | successful Black lawyer who was raised
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| Rice's parents, the Rev. John W..Rice and
| |
| | with a lot of money. He too is from an
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| his school teacher wife, Angelena, were
| |
| | educated successful family. So he is not
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| part of a Black middle-class elite in the
| |
| | criticising Condi Rice for being
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| American South who believed that
| |
| | successful. He is criticising her for not
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| individual advancement was best achieved
| |
| | having enough of a connection to her
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| through education. So they eschewed the
| |
| | roots by supporting insensitive policies
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| call to collective action of Dr Martin
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| | that Bush tells her to support. Why do
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| Luther King and his mass movement.
| |
| | people think just because she is Black,
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| They 'turned a blind eye' to the issue of
| |
| | she represents Black people? No she does
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| racial discrimination, according to
| |
| | not represent Blacks. She is too busy
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| sources close to the family, and
| |
| | supporting Bush while he alienates the
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| preferred not to 'pay any attention to
| |
| | rest of the free world with his offensive
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| it'. The Rev Rice would persistently tell
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| | policies and disregard for the rest of
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| his only daughter that 'she would be able
| |
| | the international community. Condi Rice
|
| to become the President of the United
| |
| | is a sell-out. So what if she is
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| States if only she had a wish to work
| |
| | Secretary of State? Oh what any Black
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| hard for it'. Eugene Robinson, a
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| | will do? No, the right Black person will
|
| highly-respected Black journalist who
| |
| | do - the one with balls and who has the
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| interviewed Rice last year for The
| |
| | ability to be humane and of service to
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| Washington Post, noted that she was
| |
| | mankind - neither of which she is. Spike
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| sheltered from the harsh world outside
| |
| | Lee is right and he is the only one who
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| the cosy home. But, 'inside the bubble,
| |
| | has the balls to speak up against her.
|
| Rice was sitting at the piano in pretty
| |
| | Good for him. So many famous people are
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| dresses to play Bach fugues. It sounds
| |
| | so by the book and express views that
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| like a wonderful childhood, but one that
| |
| | their PR people tell them to express.
|
| left her able to see the impact that race
| |
| | Thanks Spike for saying what you feel.'
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| has in America - able to examine it and
| |
| | That said, even Condoleezza Rice would
|
| analyse it - but not to feel it'.
| |
| | have found it difficult to ignore the
|
| She told Robinson, revealingly: 'I have
| |
| | racism directed at her recently by an
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| always said about Birmingham, that
| |
| | American radio show host, widely reported
|
| because race was everything, race was
| |
| | on websites like
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| nothing.'
| |
| | Dave Lenihan used the word 'coon' while
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| In another interview four years earlier,
| |
| | presenting a live programme on KTRS radio
|
| she spoke about her mother and father
| |
| | in St Louis, Missouri in the US. He
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| ('Lessons of Might and Right', Washington
| |
| | apologised immediately, saying it was a
|
| Post, 2001). 'My parents were very
| |
| | slip of the tongue and he meant to say
|
| strategic. I was going to be so well
| |
| | 'coup'.
|
| prepared and I was going to do all of
| |
| | The boss of KTRS agreed the remark was
|
| these things that were revered in white
| |
| | accidental but said it was nonetheless
|
| society so well, that I would be armoured
| |
| | 'unacceptable and unforgivable'. Lenihan
|
| somehow from racism. I would be able to
| |
| | used the abusive word while arguing live
|
| confront white society on its own terms.'
| |
| | on air that Ms Rice deserved to become
|
| She added: "My family is third-generation
| |
| | the next boss of America's National
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| college educated. I should've gotten to
| |
| | Football League. He said: "She's got the
|
| where I am.'
| |
| | patent resume of somebody that has
|
| A child prodigy, Rice could play the
| |
| | serious skill. She loves football. She's
|
| piano at the age of three and gave her
| |
| | African-American, which would kind of be
|
| first recital at four. Her unique first
| |
| | a big coon. A big coon". After realising
|
| name originates from the Italian musical
| |
| | that he used a racial slur, Lenihan
|
| term 'dolcezza' which means, 'with
| |
| | apologised immediately: "Oh my God. I am
|
| tenderness'. An accomplished ice skater
| |
| | totally, totally, totally, totally,
|
| with a precocious intellect, she was
| |
| | totally sorry for that." Listeners soon
|
| accepted by the University of Denver in
| |
| | began calling the radio station to voice
|
| the US to study political science at 15.
| |
| | their complaints. About 20 minutes later,
|
| It was Josef Korbel, a Czech migrant to
| |
| | KTRS boss Tim Dorsey went live on air to
|
| America and father of former Secretary of
| |
| | apologise to Ms Rice and to listeners.
|
| State Madeleine Albright, who inspired
| |
| | Dorsey said: "There can be no excuse for
|
| Rice's interest in international politics
| |
| | what was said. Dave Lenihan has been let
|
| and specifically the Soviet Union. She
| |
| | go. ... There is enough hate. We
|
| wrote her thesis on the Czech armed
| |
| | certainly are not going to fan those
|
| forces and became a Sovietologist at
| |
| | flames," Lenihan - who had been working
|
| America's top Stanford University.
| |
| | for KTRS for less than two weeks - later
|
| Consequently, Rice speaks fluent Russian
| |
| | said he was preparing a letter of apology
|
| as well as four other languages.
| |
| | to Ms Rice.
|
| Her talents were quickly spotted by Brent
| |
| | * Sexuality. Rumours about Condoleezza
|
| Scowcroft, national security adviser to
| |
| | have persisted on internet message boards
|
| Republican President George Bush senior,
| |
| | and sites like the gay since the
|
| who later confessed that everything he
| |
| | Washington Post decided not to run a
|
| knew about the USSR he learnt from Rice.
| |
| | comic strip which suggested that Rice's
|
| According to the influential Russian
| |
| | single status may be contributing to
|
| state-owned newspaper Pravda, Rice
| |
| | President Bush's divisive 'War on
|
| believed from an early age that 'if a
| |
| | Terrorism', which she allegedly
|
| person becomes an expert in the field of
| |
| | conceived. The exact words in a caption
|
| US-Soviet relations he or she would be
| |
| | were: "Maybe if there was a man in the
|
| able to approach the doors to which
| |
| | world who Condoleezza truly loved, she
|
| others will never be able to make even a
| |
| | wouldn't be so hell-bent to destroy it.'
|
| step forward'.
| |
| | While no other newspaper suppressed the
|
| For many Americans and political
| |
| | strip that day, the Post defended its
|
| observers abroad, Rice remains something
| |
| | decision to self-censor by invoking a
|
| of an enigma. She is carefully protected
| |
| | questionable newspaper policy not to
|
| by the White House press and public
| |
| | comment on the personal lives of
|
| relations machine and therefore is able
| |
| | political figures. They stated: 'We had
|
| to attend to affairs of state free from
| |
| | no way of knowing whether Mr McGruder's
|
| the usual media intrusion into her
| |
| | (the cartoonist) assertion that
|
| private life. Unlike other prominent
| |
| | Condoleezza Rice had no personal
|
| American and European politicians, Rice
| |
| | relationship was true or not.'
|
| avoids the Tv chat show circuit.
| |
| | It should be noted that Rice represents a
|
| With President Bush due to end his second
| |
| | neo-conservative ruling Republican Party
|
| and final term of office in 2008. there
| |
| | whose natural constituents are the
|
| is now a vigorous campaign by Republican
| |
| | rabidly anti-gay, male chauvanist
|
| 'Condinistas' ( who want to 'draft' in
| |
| | religious far-right who fervently
|
| his female alter ego into the
| |
| | promoted racial segregation in her native
|
| presidential race. So public interest in
| |
| | Deep South of America. Some commentators
|
| Rice's racial identity and unmarried
| |
| | might say that, in order to be the
|
| status has intensified. The-Latest's
| |
| | tribune of these 'neo-cons', Rice has
|
| 'view of Rice, gleaned from the web,
| |
| | sacrificed her race, gender and personal
|
| provides an uncensored snapshot of
| |
| | life and this explains a character that
|
| America's second 'First Lady' and the
| |
| | is brilliantly calculating but has a cold
|
| controversies which could plague a
| |
| | lack of humanity.
|
| presidential campaign of hers.
| |
| | To see the pictures with this story click
|
| * Race. "Condoleezza displeaza Spike" was
| |
| | on the link and go to the site.
|
| the front page headline earlier this year
| |
| |
|
