My e-mail reply about that Citgo thing.

[Touchdown]

I'm not as well versed on Chavez as many other are, so I'm willing to learn more about what I left out. I tried to include everything that came to mind.

Anyhow, here's the right wing propaganda (Are there well financed, politically/corporately connected e-mail farms that churn this shit out, or is this really grass roots?)

CITGO Changing Name To PETRO EXPRESS

VERY IMPORTANT

Hugo Chavez is starting to feel the loss of revenue from his U.S. holdings. He OWNS CITGO, and this is a very important move that everyone should be aware.

ANNOUNCED JUST RECENTLY, CITGO, BEING AWARE THAT SALES ARE DOWN DUE TO U.S. (CUSTOMERS NOT WANTING TO BUY FROM "CHAVEZ"), HAVE STARTED TO CHANGE THE NAME OF SOME OF THEIR STORES, TO: "PETRO EXPRESS"

DO NOT BUY FROM CITGO OR "PETRO EXPRESS"

"PETRO EXPRESS" IS ALSO 100% OWNED BY "CHAVEZ"

KEEP THIS MEMO GOING SO EVERYONE KNOWS WHAT IS HAPPENING.

My friend asked me to telll her what was up on this (for once she didn't send it to all creation, and at least asked if it was true)

My reply;

Hugo Chavez is the President of Venezuela. He has been re-elected 4 times, each with an increasing margin of victory. A few years ago, he nationalized the oil production of Venezuela, and re-directed the profits to the small villages, and towns in the countryside, rebuilding schools, hospitals, and farms. Before, Venezuela was much like Mexico. Enormous wealth held by just a handful of rich families, and the rest of the people were starving. Last winter, he offered heating oil at a deep discount to poor American families. The US Government declined, so he went around them, and sold quite a bit to poor families in New England.

We Americans are supposed to hate him.

He is a socialist in the classic sense, helping the poor with government money, instead of the rich.
He doesn't respect, like, or worship George Bush the way Bush thinks he deserves to be worshipped, and he's very vocal about it.
He regularly criticizes US foreign policy, and the corporate takeover of the world. This is wrong. We should worship our corporate overlords for the benefit of all their profits.
He is called a dictator. He is not. He was Democratically elected 4 times.
He saw Fidel Castro. We hate Castro, so we hate Chavez. Make sense?
He was visited by Harry Belafonte and Cindy Sheehan (the mother of the dead Iraq soldier who protested one of Bush's vacations), so both of them are traitors now.
At the UN he called George Bush "El Diablo" (The Devil) at a speech, where he also said that he could still smell the sulfur at the podium after Bush stepped down.

He is hated by the US because he doesn't play by the rules of "free markets", "globalization", privatization, and concentrated wealth in the hands of the rich, and that pisses off our oil companies. He has been the subject of at least 2 coup attempts and he claims that the CIA was behind it (hard to doubt that). This e-mail is coming from a right wing e-mail farm, with an expressed intent to muddy the waters of the issue, and create another bad guy we can be afraid of and demonize. When are we going to say enough of this divisive shit?

This is MOST important, whatever you think of him. Chavez DOES NOT OWN CITGO/PETRO EXPRESS. The people of Venezuela does. This e-mail is lying to you, and whoever you got it from. He's also not feeling any loss from US holdings, since HE DOES NOT OWN CITGO. He is just another, in a long line of people who criticized Georgy and needs to be smeared and demonized because of it. He helps his people build a better life. He's gruff, obnoxious, and a bit of a showman, but the Venezuelans like him enough to keep voting for him, so who am I to question that?

I buy from Citgo (7 Eleven) as much as I can...because they're not owned by Saudi Royalty who suppress their people with an iron fist. Everybody else who sells us gas are Kings, Emirs, and Sultans. The power they hold is divine, and elections are illegal. Chavez helps his people.

Did I get anything wrong, or miss something important?:shrug:

[pitohui]

1. oil production in venezuela was nationalized in 1976

Venezuela benefited from the oil boom of the early 1970s. In 1974, President Carlos Andrés Pérez took office, and in 1976 Venezuela nationalized foreign-owned oil and steel companies, offering compensation.

be careful to fact check so you don't dilute an otherwise excellent letter

they lie, they distort, they get facts wrong...we must be careful not to do so

but your main point is excellent, just fix this nit

[Touchdown]

4. Ok, got it, but is there more to this?

Did Chavez do anything specific to oil production to piss off American business, cutting off the money spigot to the rich and well connected in Venezuela, or was it just his flamboyant style of calling Bush the asshole he is?

[pitohui]

6. they just can't tolerate a liberal/socialist south american leader

in my opinion only that's the whole issue

venezuela has always struggled very hard to steer its own course

[bahrbearian]

8. He pissed them off by making the Oil companies live up to the

contracts, and pay the taxes and Royalties

[silverlib]

2. 7/11 contract expires soon.

Citgo has opted not to renew the contract, not the other way around as has been suggested in e-mail and some news outlets quoting 7/11's misleading comments. You can do a search on DU to provide a link.

Yours is a great response -

[ellenfl]

3. you might mention that by not buying oil from the

middle east, you are not funding the war and terrorism there. i buy almost exclusively from citgo and when not, i buy sunoco, which mostly comes from canada, i believe.

lots of great points in your response. may i use it if necessary?

ellen fl

[Touchdown]

5. Just fix my ignorance on the nationalization, and go for it.

I wrote this off the top of my head, and admit that I'm not fully in the know about Venezuela/Chavez as many DUers here. Hate to put you in a position to explain something that isn't true.:dunce:

[TahitiNut]

7. Petro Express is a totally separate (retail) oil company from Citgo.

In other words, it's a myth.

http://lighthousepatriotjournal.wordpress.com/2006/11/07/myth-blaster-petro-express-and-citgo/
http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_citgo_boycott.htm
http://www.snopes.com/politics/gasoline/citgo.asp

[Touchdown]

9. Kicking

:kick: