Spike Lee Slams America, Lays Off Hugo Chavez

Spike Lee … profile in courage: [emphasis added]

Filmmaker Spike Lee championed a free press Friday during a visit to Venezuela, where broadcasters are under pressure to avoid criticizing President Hugo Chavez’s leftist government.

The director didn’t directly refer to the dispute in Venezuela, but he said there are “no circumstances” under which news media should be silenced.

Lee’s never had a problem “directly referring” to America or Bush, so why do Venezuela and Hugo Chavez rate a pass?

1. Lee just can’t bring himself to criticize a fellow Leftist?
2. Because he was in Venezuela, Lee was afraid he might need a food taster if he criticized Uncle Hugo?
3. Because he has dinner with Sean Penn and Danny Glover, Lee was afraid he might need a food taster if he criticized Uncle Hugo?
4. Lee is a gracious and mature individual who would never insult his host country?

Other than knowing it’s not “D,” I have no idea.

Though shy about “directly referring” to Chavez, Lee walks the path blazed by many of his celebrity counterparts and is more than happy to criticize America on foreign soil. Speaking of American race relations:

[T]here is still a way to go, he added, citing shootings by New York City police officers involving blacks, including the May death of a black undercover cop killed by a white officer.

Lee said he has struggled in his own career as a black film producer, director and actor, but added he is grateful that from an early age his parents impressed on him the need to face challenges.

“It was drummed into my brain that in order to be successful in America you had to be ten times better than white folks,” he said.

Just imagine how much better the world (and movies) would be if Leftists were as critical of fascists and terrorists as they are of America and conservatives.

As far as being “ten times better than white folks,” Lee’s made a couple of great films (“Do the Right Thing” and “Malcolm X”) and a handful of good ones, but nothing ten times better than his white contemporaries — nothing even “twice better.” But if by “ten times better” he means as a human being, that’s an even bigger joke.