Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire We were set up, and walked right into it.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060926/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/venezuela_us

What a bunch of bozos. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro set us up for a diplomatic flap. Now Hugo rubs our noses in the mess, and threatens the US with retaliation "if it happens again"
From a trade standpoint, its gonna be hard to counter this. We could stop all Venezuelan government people from entering the US, but that opens up another whole can of worms. Looks like they got us on this one.

yawn....

I think it is funny how the public in Venezuala thinks we are going to invade them!

what a joke!

Ken_L, Touche? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

If Americans would just quit buying Citgo gas, we could maybe put a dent in that jerk's income. The good thing is that he is a South American dictator and even his people will get their fill and do him in. Sooner rather than later I hope.

Sorry chuckles, but you don't know what you are talking about......

First, Chavez was elected......he is not a dictator......

Second, you can't tell where crude originated or who refined it by looking at the sign on the gas station......oil companies "exchange" product, there aren't specific Citgo, Texaco, Shell etc.....hoses at the terminal where fuel delivery trucks load product.....the fuel is the same, if one "brand" requires a specific additive, it is added as the truck fills........

Third, Citgo does not own a single retail gas station in the US....they are all independently owned and are simply "branded" stations.....that means they have a contract with Citgo to supply their fuel......however, the fuel they actually have in the tanks and offer for sale doesn't necessarily come from a Citgo refinery.

Fourth, Venezuela could easily sell all the crude they produce on the world market.....if the US banned the import of crude from Venezuela, it wouldn't exactly cripple Chavez or Venezuela.

There is no doubt that Chavez is an idiot, but boycotting Citgo products isn't going to cause him to lose any sleep......

Energy independence, is the only answer. Until the socialists, (democrats) are erradicated, prepare to support terrorist countries and petty dictators.
The US, is rapidly becoming a punching bag, because of environmental scare tactics.

Chavez has already reached US liberals, making them feel guilty, for having so much, and the rest of the world, having so little.

Answer to what, higher priced oil?

Answer to what, higher priced oil? [/quote]

No, safer, cleaner bicycles. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Energy independence is the answer to putting up with garbage from foreign oil producers! The problem isn't the high cost of oil, it's that we need too much of it! Chavez wouldn't be a pimple on a flea's butt if the world didn't need oil......think about it.....Iran, Iraq, etc wouldn't have ANY power if they didn't have oil that the world needs......

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7-Eleven dropping Venezuela-backed Citgo 51 minutes ago



DALLAS - Convenience store operator 7-Eleven Inc. is dropping Venezuela-backed Citgo as its gasoline supplier at more than 2,100 locations and switching to its own brand of fuel

The retailer said Wednesday it will purchase fuel from several distributors, including Tower Energy Group of Torrance, Calif., Sinclair Oil of Salt Lake City, and Houston-based Frontier Oil Corp.

A spokeswoman for Dallas-based 7-Eleven said its 20-year contract with Citgo Petroleum Corp. ends next week. About 2,100 of 7-Eleven's 5,300 U.S. stores sell gasoline.

Citgo is a Houston-based subsidiary of Venezuela's state-owned oil company, and the foreign parent became a public-relations issue for 7-Eleven because of comments by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

Chavez has called President George W. Bush the devil and an alcoholic. The U.S. government has warned that Chavez is a destabilizing force in Latin America.

7-Eleven spokesman Margaret Chabris said that, "Regardless of politics, we sympathize with many Americans' concern over derogatory comments about our country and its leadership recently made by Venezuela's president Hugo Chavez."

Chabris said a boycott of Citgo gasoline would hurt the 4,000 employees of the U.S. subsidiary, who have no connection to Venezuela.

7-Eleven had been considering creating its own brand of fuel since at least early last year. Company officials said at the time they had spoken with independent fuel distributors.

I do not understand what all the bit*hin is about, he did not get treated any worse than any US citizen who flies on an American Airline from an American Airport.
Heck I was detained once in Dallas, because my guide dog didn't care for the security guy feeling her and she growled at him. I had to take her harness and leash off to go through the metal detector then this bozo started feeling over her body and she growled, he got huffy and I told him that i had told them NOT TO TOUCH HER she remained in a sit unharnessed and uncollared while I went throught he metal detector then she came to me at command. Nothing was set off. I was going home from the VA blind rehab unit in Waco we were flying to Dodge city Kansas. I was being checked because i had a one way ticket. His supervisor agreed with me My dog and I had passed the metal detector my dog just did not like being rubbed and squeezed by someone she did not know.

7-Eleven's move is good PR, but nothing more.

m

isaac

That "news" story is hardly news to those "in the loop".......for more than a year both Citgo and 7-11 had planned to end the business relationship and not renew the contract......and it had nothing to do with Chavez......7-11 is taking advantage of recent events in hopes of gaining a "political bounce" out of the announcement....make no mistake, this decision is about profit, not about taking a stand against Chavez.........

I have no doubt your thoughts may be right on point. I just threw it out there for an FYI kind of thing. Timing is everything and Chavez's speech seemed perfectly timed for 7-11 to implement some PR, I guess!!

can't blame them for taking advantage of a gift horse!