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OBJECTIVE
Hugo Chavez, President of Venezuela must sell CITGO
TERMS

If we reach exactly 100,000 people, then we will boycott it

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THE PITCH

As the USA Today article below shows, Hugo Chavez not only hates America, but also has the means to hurt everyday people by affecting our oil supply. CITGO, the oil company wholly owned by the Venezuelan government, is completely under President Chavez’s control. This campaign aims to remove CITGO from his hands by making it an unprofitable venture for as long as he controls it. Please join our campaign!

Article excerpts below:

Has Citgo become a political tool for Hugo Chávez?
By David J. Lynch, USA TODAY
HOUSTON — From the glass-walled building and manicured lawn to the security guard who greets visitors in a cheerful Texas drawl, everything at Citgo Petroleum seems perfectly ordinary.

But in fact there’s nothing ordinary about Citgo. One of the USA’s largest refiners, Citgo is a subsidiary of Venezuela’s state-owned oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA). As such, it ultimately belongs to Venezuelan Presi Read More

ORGANIZER
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Bob Saldeen
message Launched about 1 year ago
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ahamed anjhazzallah started this discussion on Oct 25, 2007

I WOULD LIKE TO JOIN WITH YOU

Last 6 replies

  • 7 posts, 7 voices
    Jeffdshades_icon
    Jeff Dorchen replied on Sep 20, 2007

    Chavez has also offered free oil to victims of Katrina when our government was letting them rot.

    Chavez nationalized the oil because the oil profits were not going to the Venezuelan people, and the oil company owner were among those who colluded in the failed coup of 2002.

    I think rather than force Chavez to privatize oil again, which was the problem in the first place (led to a ridiculous gulf between rich and poor, for example), we should use the fact that we have consumer clout to hold the President of Venezuela accountable for keeping his promises. Make sure he delivers on land reform, education, and health care. Make sure he holds free and fair elections in a timely fashion, and discontinues trying to stay president for the next 25 years. But I don’t think reversing the gains the poor have made under Chavez is the morally supportable thing to do.

    A friend of mine, Mark Weisbrot, at the Center for Economic and Policy Research, is a studious observer of the Venezuelan economy and could be a good monitor of the status of any goals we want Chavez to achieve.

  • 7 posts, 7 voices
    Bike_icon
    J P replied on Oct 26, 2007

    I purposely buy only Citgo gas when I rent an IGO car (I don’t own one.)

    I appreciate Chavez’s efforts to help the poor, to wrestle resources away from corporations which pillage them taking profits for the rich. I appreciate Chavez’s criticism’s of Bush. Chavez is very thoughtful and articulate and does not hate America. I think you should provide evidence of your claim that he “hates America.” I have heard him specifically reach out to the American people, explaining that he is not a threat. I know people are concerned about statements he has made about Iran and about the amount of power he has, but please.. compared to President Bush?

    And what gas station is better? Shell? (Shell oil police have killed, tankers crashed) Exxon (the WORST for the globe, actively funding groups trying to confuse the public about global warming for the past 10 years), Texaco (funding the military regime in Burma)

    Best to just get a bike or take the bus. or walk.

  • 7 posts, 7 voices
    Default_user_icon
    Matt Motherway replied on Nov 13, 2007

    Done and done. Love how the Spanish king told Hugo to shut up the other day.

  • 7 posts, 7 voices
    Default_user_icon
    Joe Hoover replied on Nov 13, 2007

    I already boycott Chavez

  • 7 posts, 7 voices
    Dance_icon
    Adriana Sandoval replied on Nov 13, 2007

    I need to do more research on him. Frankly I was very moved by the doc The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, and have leaned to his favor ever since. I’m concerned about loss of civil liberties and erosion of democracy in Venezuela and at home.

    As for the gas. . . is Saudi Arabia a better source? Have we been proven to be safer with a dependency there? I don’t think so. I’ll continue to buy from Citgo.

  • 7 posts, 7 voices
    Default_user_icon
    Josh Kenny replied on Mar 1, 2008

    OMG! Citgo is owned by Venezuela, and that Pedro Chavez guy owns Venezuela, or Columbia, or something, and he’s like, the new Hitler! OMG! </teh stupid>

    Here’s a tip: if you’re concerned about the leverage that foreign governments have over our energy supply, park your SUV and take the bus to work.

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Hey Jeff, I love your comments. If you follow the...

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Dan Seals started this discussion on Sep 20, 2007

Hey Jeff,

I love your comments. If you follow the link that is in the overview you will some some other donations that Chavez has made—and questions around the politics of his gifts. Never the less, I think you make some interesting points. Would you and your friend mind taking a crack at launching a campaign that reflects those points?

Also, you should know that I am on staff here at The Point and put together this campaign to reflect some of what I’ve been reading on the blogosphere. If you need any help in forming a campaign please let me know.
Thanks,
Dan

Last reply

  • 2 posts, 2 voices
    Jeffdshades_icon
    Jeff Dorchen replied on Sep 20, 2007

    Thank you, Dan. I’ll get it together. Pete Z brought me on board.

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Campaign Details

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Z_bob_square
Bob Saldeen started this discussion on Sep 6, 2007

As the USA Today article below shows, Hugo Chavez not only hates America, but also has the means to hurt everyday people by affecting our oil supply. CITGO, the oil company wholly owned by the Venezuelan government, is completely under President Chavez’s control. This campaign aims to remove CITGO from his hands by making it an unprofitable venture for as long as he controls it. Please join our campaign!

Article excerpts below:

Has Citgo become a political tool for Hugo Chávez?
By David J. Lynch, USA TODAY
HOUSTON — From the glass-walled building and manicured lawn to the security guard who greets visitors in a cheerful Texas drawl, everything at Citgo Petroleum seems perfectly ordinary.

But in fact there’s nothing ordinary about Citgo. One of the USA’s largest refiners, Citgo is a subsidiary of Venezuela’s state-owned oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA). As such, it ultimately belongs to Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, an avowedly anti-American leader who counts Fidel Castro among his closest friends and mocks President Bush as a “genocidal murderer…”

…Some worry that Venezuela’s ownership of more than 6% of U.S. refinery capacity gives Chávez, a former paratrooper given to wearing red berets and military fatigues, the power to cripple as well as comfort.

As Hurricanes Katrina and Rita demonstrated, any disruption to the nation’s refining industry instantly increases gas prices. What if Chávez, who periodically threatens to curtail oil shipments to the USA, closed Citgo’s refineries?

“He’d only have to do that for 90 days, and he’d destroy our economy,” worries Matthew Simmons, a prominent energy investment banker. “He actually has our livelihood in his hands…”

For the complete article copy this link: http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/2006-01-11-citgo-cover-usat_x.htm

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