Yes, Condi, it is Relevant
The House is Rice and Bean's.
Are you done laughing? Because, while it certainly has its funny side, it's really just another example of the hypocrisy of another conservative politician.
Secretary of State Condi Rice and another woman, documentary filmmaker Randy Bean, own a house together in Palo Alto, California. The story was first reported by Michelangelo Signorile on his Sirius Satellite Network radio show. You can find more details here: Secretary of State co-owns home with female filmmaker.
Rice and Bean (I admit it, I giggle every time write that) not only share a home, but also a line of credit that has been used to renovate the property. "We advise clients to be very cautious when purchasing a home. Home ownership records are public and may trigger an investigation under the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy," Steve Ralls of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) told me today. The policy prohibits out gays and lesbians from serving in the nation's armed forces.
"SLDN is aware of cases where servicemembers have been investigated for owning a home with a person of the same gender," Steve shared.
When I think of these men and women who have given so much for our nation it makes me, at the same time want to scream and cry.
A recent investigation into the Don't Ask, Don't Tell case of PFC Christopher Mastromarino by PageOneQ found that reports of the military citing Mastramarino's living with his gay cousin and his cousin's partner were cited in the military's arguments. The case, which had no evidence presented that indicated Mastramarino is gay, was dismissed last month. Mastramarino was a member of the Army's prestigious Old Guard.
Ralls told me that SLDN requested meetings with Secretary Rice when she was National Security Advisor. Those requests were never granted. "To my knowledge, the Secretary has made no public statements regarding Don't Ask, Don't Tell," Steve said.
"Silence," my friend and colleague Andy Humm of Gay USA told Raw Story today, "gives consent." He is right.
Of course, almost worse than silence, is when the rank hypocrisy shines through. Here's Condi last October 10:
Thank you. Thank you very much. I am truly honored and delighted to have the opportunity to swear in Mark Dybul as our next Global AIDS Coordinator. I am pleased to do that in the presence of Mark's parents, Claire and Richard; his partner, Jason; and his mother-in-law, Marilyn. You have wonderful family to support you, Mark, and I know that's always important to us. Welcome."
Like Mary Cheney and Heather Poe, Dybul and his partner are welcome into the Bush/Cheney inner circle. I don't know any one who ever said Condi has a problem with gay people in her life. The GOP is great at trotting out a few Auntie Toms to show you how loving they are. At the same time the Karl Roves of the party will inflict damage upon millions and millions of Americans. They are, of course, laughing all the way to the next State Dinner.
Is the person who is fourth in line to the presidency, right behind the Speaker of the House and President Pro Tempore of the Senate, in a relationship with a woman? Well, certainly a financial one. And as she sits silently by, the very men and women who carry out our foreign policy are hounded by their country and stand to lose their livelihoods for exactly the same thing.
After all, Condi Rice is the highest appointed official in the Federal government -- discounting Bush v. Gore, of course.
Yes, Condi, it is relevant.
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Once the VP reads this, will Rove be put to work? The breakthrough, the country needs. With Rice fully outed, from closet and from GOP, then the diplomacy program with Iran can end. America can gayley (?) get on with the 'lets bomb Iran', policy.
Yes! joint ownership of a home or peice of property does not mean anything....... and that guy that did theatre in high school was just a bit feminine, and that short haired woman with the 'born to lose' tatoo, and an arm like (bless his soul) Brett Farve was just a "Tomboy". Lets face it. If it looks like it, smells like it, and wears a strap-on, it just IS. Of course every liberal here is chomping at the bit to lean into some more conservative closet homosexuals, even if the jury is still out on this one. I myself feel the need to comment on this particular topic BECAUSE the party that cares about sexual preference is in the closet about being in the closet. It's not like any political party with half a brain would actually attempt to remove a person from their position simply because of his or her intimate relationship choices right? and really, who else besides me was not shocked to find out who she owned the property with.... if anything is more full of fiber than rice, its beans.
Please someone tell me why this was taken off the front page of HuffPo so quickly.
Now, is that Rice on Beans or Beans on Rice?
I don't care if she's a lesbian personally, but, I feel it's my duty to inform all the scared and hatefull bigots in the nation that they're wasting their votes on many in the Republican Party and their "Family Values".
You won't see any beans and franks at Rice and Bean's house.
right wing lesbians should get together with craig and party at the WH--Foley can come too
I knew it, and she's a Klingon too..!
Just wait till they out Josh Bolton. In fact, I do believe that Republican closet gays will be outed about every 2 weeks until the election. There wont be many left in a year, then how will the GOP use the religious right for votes.? LOL..
Isn't Condi worth millions? Why would she need to have someone else's name on the house? God knows she owns a ton of oil stocks.
Rice's policies, and her support of this administration, are awful. Even so, it seems to me inaccurate to label her a hypocrite if she is gay; I have never heard her say the sort of garbage or act in a bigoted manner as Larry Craig or some other GOP politicians have. The GOP is hypocritical, sure; but unless there is evidence that she herself attacked gay people in word or deed, it seems to me unfair. (I know about the dismissal of gay translators and other analysts. I have not heard that she supported this bigotry, and if there's evidence she did, let's hear it. It is even possible she tried to stop it, but was thwarted by the likes of Rove.)
There's plenty of well-founded criticism to lay against her and the rest of the GOP. This particular charge leveled against this particular person seems to me unwarranted.
They'd make a great country western duo: "Rice and Beans."
The Homophobic bigots are always the first to send other peoples Children to die for illegal and immoral wars to benefit the super Oil and arms dealers.
America is certainly a sick joke these days.
It's all about the wrapper. Bright and Shiney Wrapper. Great marketing. They sell the packaging but what is in the middle is NOT what they advertise. MOST republicans don't even realize that the REAL RETHUGS aren't really letting them play in the sandbox....they only need them long enough to get the vote.
Really anyone in this situation should just form a corporation or REIT (real estate investment trust) buy the property with the help of a good real estate attorney and be protected from all manner of stuff like this. tsk tsk
there is a strong logical inconsistency between being gay and being republican.
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