Heinz Kerry, the forgotten radical

news.scotsman.com...

As a would-be Democratic First Lady, Teresa Heinz Kerry nailed her radical colours to the mast with stories of the struggle against South African apartheid while a student in the country.

But now contemporaries from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg say her participation in an anti-apartheid protest march, which she used to describe her fearlessness, was an isolated event.

John Kerry�s billionaire wife is remembered either as very religious or beautiful, but certainly not as a radical political activist.

[edit on 04/9/9 by GradyPhilpott]

www.newsmax.com...

'Throughout the 1990s, Heinz Kerry referred to herself as "African American," the Baltimore Sun revealed on Tuesday. And when her use of the term set off a firestorm of controversy in 1993, she defended the claim.

"African-hyphen-American belongs to blacks," Heinz Kerry's spokesman told reporters, insisting that it was proper for his boss to call herself African American as long as no hyphen was used or intended.
The one-time Republican's depiction of herself as African rankles some who knew Heinz Kerry in the days when her father ran a medical clinic in Mozambique.

Some say the wealthy "African American" has snubbed blacks in her homeland, because she has done next to nothing with her vast Heinz Foods fortune to improve living conditions there.

"We are proud she is a daughter of the land," Neo Simbine, 75, a retired black nurse who worked with Heinz Kerry's father, told the Sun. "But you have to live what you say. If she really loves Mozambique and has lots of money, why doesn't she build us a hospital?"

Heinz Kerry's fortune is equal to nearly a quarter of Mozambique's annual Gross Domestic Product.

But aside from a contribution to her homeland's Save the Children Fund, the woman who repeatedly invokes her Mozambican roots has limited her generosity."

I think Bono does more to help Africa then Teresa Heinz Kerry ever did. Bono also grew up in Dublin Ireland not Africa and I dont think hes a billionaire.

She's no more radical than the Neo-cons who have hijacked the Republican party and are now using the US Military as an arm of Israel's foreign policy.

[edit on 9-9-2004 by cstyle226]

Originally posted by ShadowXIX
I think Bono does more to help Africa then Teresa Heinz Kerry ever did. Bono also grew up in Dublin Ireland not Africa and I dont think hes a billionaire.

We reckon Bono can bank on a personal fortune totalling around �108 million - having earned around �26m of it from U2's songs. And that's despite splitting all profits not four, but five ways - with all band members and manager Paul McGuinness.
www.bbc.co.uk...

Hmmm...well Grady this is what I found:

H.J. Heinz Co: In light of some misleading speculation, the H. J. Heinz Company would like to make clear that neither Mrs. Teresa Heinz Kerry, Senator John Kerry nor any member of their family is involved in the management or board of the H. J. Heinz Company. . . . They have no involvement in the Heinz� Ketchup business or any of the company�s other brands or products.

The Heinz company also said it is "nonpartisan." Worth noting, however, is that the company's Political Action Committee has given nearly all its donations to Republican candidates, including $5,000 to the Bush campaign and nothing to Kerry's as of the most recent reports available. That's additional evidence, as if any was needed, that the company isn't "owned" by Kerry's wife.

Neither John nor Teresa own Heinz. Public records show Heinz Kerry is'nt even an officer of the company. The Heinz Endowment do own Heinz stock, less than 4 per cent of the company but income from that stock goes to charity, not to the Kerrys personally.
The largest shareholder is actually a California investment company that owns roughly three times as much as the Heinz charitable foundations.

If you want public records go to Guidestar.com. It requires registration but information is free.

I actually didn't post anything about the Heinz Company. I seem to recall that the Kerry's are not involved in the company business. The article I posted came from one who had been involved in the South African Liberation Movement and was surprised to hear Heinz Kerry making such a big deal of it at the convention.

I posted the article simply as a point of discussion based on a general view by South Africans of Heinz Kerry that differs with Kerry's supporters. The person in question noted that lying seems to run in the family.

In your own words that I see you put in another post Grady thats
Mulemuffins

How did she lie? Even if she protested just once, she can still say she protested or was a political activist.

Originally posted by elaine How did she lie? Even if she protested just once, she can still say she protested or was a political activist.

Elaine

I actually have no first hand knowledge of this situation. I did not watch the DNC and I have never lived in South Africa. I was sent an article by one who has first hand knowledge of the Liberation Movement in South Africa and that person stated to me that Heinz Kerry's statements about her involvement in the movement are at odds with most South Africans.

You will note that I posted the article with no personal comment. It is an interesting article and it is timely and worthy of discussion, in my opinion. I cannot be the only person here who posts topics of discussion without any first hand information about the topic. I may, however, be the only person who will admit it.

I believe that the article speaks for itself and I think that anyone who chooses to do so may comment. But, please, do not harangue me about its content.

[edit on 04/9/9 by GradyPhilpott]

Lets see she "implies" ,if one can use that euphemism for her "so-called activism", that she was active in the struggle against apartheid. being part of a college wide march isn't quite activism its more fitting in with the crowd. Apartheid was finally dismantled in April 1994 - at this time she was already a very wealthy woman and could have helped the liberation movement in the country... but she didn't.
It is quite ok not to be politically active even when living in a totally unjust society where to quote Hendrik Verwoerd:"Bantu Education" that education for blacks should make it plain that there was no place for them among whites "above the level of certain forms of labour".
It is however not ok to years later when it suits your argument and political aspirations to claim active participation in the liberation from gross injustice and disenfranchisement.

Secondly its kind of tough convincing African American communities that you are actually one( an african american) of them when you were part of the rather priviledged class back in africa with black maids and servants. During those days there were serious pass laws - implying that you were basically an indentured laborer who could only work for one "master"with police raids at midnight.

The point I am trying to make here is I am sure she is (in her own words) a "sexy and cheeky woman" who feels that Americans who don't agree with John Kerry's health care policies are "idiots". But to pretend that you actually got down and dirty in the fight against one of the greatest injustices of the 20th Century ,apartheid, is being disingenious and willing to twist the truth to score votes.

[edit on 9-9-2004 by Mynaeris]

This is every bit as interesting as Laura Bush, the forgotten man killer...

And as relevent to the election IMO.

You will forgive me if I don't really see the similarity between the two situations. The horrible accident that a 17 year old Laura Bush had is quite different from the situation where a 60 something Teresa Heinz Kerry trying to win votes by parading a rather anaemic activist record from her youth.

The situations are really totally different - in the one it is something I am sure Laura Bush wants to forget as most of us who have ever had accidents would. On the other the past is embellished and put on display for discussion as another reason why Mr Kerry and Mrs Heinz-Kerry should be voted for.

Maybe I am missing your point if so I would like to apologise in advance. Some days I can be a little dense.

Originally posted by Mynaeris
You will forgive me if I don't really see the similarity between the two situations. The horrible accident that a 17 year old Laura Bush had is quite different from the situation where a 60 something Teresa Heinz Kerry trying to win votes by parading a rather anaemic activist record from her youth.

Just a bit 'o bitterness on my part for old unrelated attacks on Hillary and the like that have become "fair game" in politics. Teresa has obviously been deemed fair game as well, while Laura remains a no show in both posturing and critique alike. Which is fine.

To the issue being implied here that Teresa is a hypocrite with the obvious undertones of an elitist if not an outright reformed racist, it would have been more appropriate of me to point out she was Republican then.

Taking jabs at "African Americanism" was much more in line with her political affiliations then (and being a good Republican now), but if she's indeed remaking herself into a good Democrat now, that's certainly shameful (though entirely understandable). Perhaps she should have gone "Zell" at the convention lambasting the Republican Party she once supported instead of pretending she was always a good person.

I don't know. The similar attacks on people like McGovern or Democrats that once were "DixieCrats" just strike me more as a perverted defense of the attackers moral failings, not exposing the hypocrisy of the "reformed."