Venezuela Provides Discount Oil to Mass.

[Sean]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,176503,00.html

QUINCY, Mass. — Thousands of low-income Massachusetts residents will receive discounted home heating oil this winter under an agreement signed Tuesday with Venezuela, whose government is a political adversary of the Bush administration. A subsidiary of Venezuela's state-owned oil company will supply oil at 40 percent below market prices. It will be distributed by two nonprofit organizations, Citizens Energy Corp. and the Mass Energy Consumer Alliance. The agreement gives President Hugo Chavez's government standing as a provider of heating assistance to poor U.S. residents at a time when U.S. oil companies have been reluctant to do so and Congress has failed to expand aid in response to rising oil prices. U.S. Rep. William Delahunt, D-Mass., met with Chavez in August and helped broker the deal. He said his constituents' needs for heating assistance trump any political points the Chavez administration can score. "This is a humanitarian gesture," Delahunt said, speaking after a news conference with Venezuelan officials outside the home of a constituent who will receive heating aid. Citgo is the Houston-based subsidiary of Venezuela's state-owned oil company and has about 13,500 independently owned U.S. gas stations. It is offering Massachusetts more than 12 million gallons of discounted heating oil over the next four months, starting in December. The two nonprofit organizations will screen recipients for financial need and cooperate with oil distributors that will make discounted deliveries to qualifying homes and institutions, such as homeless shelters and hospitals.

[RickSp]

As a way for Chavez to tweek Bush's nose it is amusing at least and those in need in Massachusetts will benefit.

[PatrickHenry]

Man, Chavez is ASKING for it! You think this is making Bush mad...!

This is making the puppetmasters who manipulate Bushinocchio apoplectic!! Undercutting their profits!!

Just like the Jamaica thing but now it's in Massachusetts. I see a coup coming in a certain South American country any day...

[Osborn F Enready]

Patrick Henry said:
Just like the Jamaica thing but now it's in Massachusetts. I see a coup coming in a certain South American country any day...

I say:
Wise words, and I would say it's almost assured. C.I.A. probably just got the full green light to start recruiting and training rebels.

I wonder if the U.S. is going to use poppy money for this pet war too, since arming the rebels will have to be officially "unaccountable"?

[PatrickHenry]

Quote by: Osborn F Enready I wonder if the U.S. is going to use poppy money for this pet war too, since arming the rebels will have to be officially "unaccountable"?

Ve haf our vays...

[Technosoul]

Hmmm? The Bush people could organize a "sin tax" for those who use too much low budget oil - the tax would being the cost back into conformity. We are still paying sin taxes at the gas pump to prevent smog.

Technosoul.

[Milton Bradley]

Quote by: Technosoul Hmmm? The Bush people could organize a "sin tax" for those who use too much low budget oil - the tax would being the cost back into conformity. We are still paying sin taxes at the gas pump to prevent smog.

As good as that would set with some people, that is not the kind of behavior we should encourage from our politicians.

Quote by: Patrick Henry Man, Chavez is ASKING for it!

You do have to wonder what his true motivation for this type of a stunt is could be.

Quote by: Osborn F. Enready Wise words, and I would say it's almost assured. C.I.A. probably just got the full green light to start recruiting and training rebels. I wonder if the U.S. is going to use poppy money for this pet war too, since arming the rebels will have to be officially "unaccountable"?

Already? Well, I guess Bush is not one really known for his negotiating, is he. I do think you might be jumping the gun a little bit though.

Quote by: Patrick Henry Ve haf our vays...

On the other hand, I have heard that there are people here who think we already had Covert Operations down there prior to this story. I guess that shouldn't be too surprising since we have troops in Columbia that could just divert, and trample somebody else's laws, and constitution.


Our ways, can at times remind one of a certain 20th century, expansionist war machine, Hell bent on ruling the world whether they like it, or not. The bastards.

[dotcoma]

You guys are too paranoid. Why would an already unpopular president who is having a hard enough time maintaining support in Iraq further destroy his popularity by invading another country? Chavez is not getting invaded anytime soon-especially since most Americans likely see him differently after this event.

[Nono]

Quote by: dot Why would an already unpopular president who is having a hard enough time maintaining support in Iraq further destroy his popularity by invading another country? Chavez is not getting invaded anytime soon-especially since most Americans likely see him differently after this event.

There's probably much truth to this. I have trouble imagining event the Bushistas doing something that stupid. If they did, they would completely cash their cheque in Latin America and reap one bitch of a whirlwind.
Even if Chavez skidded on a banana peel or something, who wouldn't see the hand of the CIA behind it? I certainly would.

Man, Chavez is ASKING for it!

That's what I thought reading what he'd said in Argentina a couple of weeks ago.

[Osborn F Enready]

Dotcoma said:
You guys are too paranoid. Why would an already unpopular president who is having a hard enough time maintaining support in Iraq further destroy his popularity by invading another country? Chavez is not getting invaded anytime soon-especially since most Americans likely see him differently after this event.

I say:
LOL

Yea, his polls were at what, 56% when he went to Iraq, now that loss of a whole 20% of that total which puts him at what 36% out of 100% should really make a difference, considering how much his poll support numbers are heeded.......

Bush does what Bush wants, not what the people want, or need.

[Milton Bradley]

Quote by: dotcoma You guys are too paranoid. Why would an already unpopular president who is having a hard enough time maintaining support in Iraq further destroy his popularity by invading another country? Chavez is not getting invaded anytime soon-especially since most Americans likely see him differently after this event.

How about the same premise he used to justify the invasion of Iraq, well, since now there are no WMD's, it looks like the ultimate justification Bush will have to fall back on is he felt like it. Thats a rather broad pallet to paint from.

[PatrickHenry]

I was talking about a coup, not a US invasion. I suppose if the neocons wanted to, they could make Chavez out to be another Saddam, but why not just turn his own military against him with "inducements..."

[Osborn F Enready]

9 chances out of 10 Patrick, if it were a coup, it would be at the instigation of the U.S. CIA.

[tinybear]

What?? Only Massachusetts gets cheap gas?? That's outrageous!!

[RickSp]

Quote by: tinybear What?? Only Massachusetts gets cheap gas?? That's outrageous!!

OK tiny, Chavez buys gas for Massachussets. Why don't you buy gas for some other state? Pick a small one. How about Rhode Island? That'll do. Go ahead, you give them cheap gas.

[Nono]

Quote by: PH I suppose if the neocons wanted to, they could make Chavez out to be another Saddam, but why not just turn his own military against him with "inducements..."

Yes, I was thinking about how -- what with the Cold War over, Khomeini dead, Kadaffi having come in out of the cold, Saddam deposed and whatnot -- the US is in sore need of a new bogeyman.

Naturally, America's mass media are only too willing to oblige. Notice that other leaders, no matter how poor their democratic credentials, get to be "president" and so on. But Chavez -- who's been repeatedly elected in votes no one seriously condemns (again a contrast) -- is invariably the "Venezuelan strongman" or some such thing.

[Nono]

Woops, forgot Osama, as the Bushistas hope we all will.

[gr8fuldaniel]

Quote by: dotcoma You guys are too paranoid. Why would an already unpopular president who is having a hard enough time maintaining support in Iraq further destroy his popularity by invading another country?

Remember when bush was unpopular, but OBL was less popular? Come to think of it they are probably looking for somebody for the people to hate more than shrub, again.

Quote by: tinybear What?? Only Massachusetts gets cheap gas?? That's outrageous!!

Chavez offerred cheap oil to all poor neighborhoods. Mass. is only the first to accept. I dont know if you noticed (oh yeah you are far away, right?), but gas prices dropped about 30 cents since this story broke. They greasy-oily cabal (junta?) doesnt want to lose ANY money to competitors. NOW WE KNOW HOW TO AFFECT GAS PRICES!!!

Join the Buycott.........CITGO Locator

Quote by: Nono Woops, forgot Osama, as the Bushistas hope we all will.

Indeed! In fact its gonna be real hard to demonize Chavez the same way when Chavez is delivering oil and not terrorism. Chavez is looking like Robin Hood, now. Its would have to be a coup.
But these guys already failed once (Chavez got it on tape).
The people wont rally behind a war on benevolence, I dont care how well they catapult the propaganda.

I think oil prices are gonna drop, and the bush regime will just have to bite their tongues.