U.S. threatens to ban Venezuelan oil: Venezuela's vice president

[Judi Lynn]

UPDATED: 12:08, March 18, 2006
U.S. threatens to ban Venezuelan oil: Venezuela's vice president

The United States is threatening to ban oil exports from Venezuela, Jose Vicente Rangel, Venezuela's Vice President said on Friday.

"There is a veiled threat from the U.S. authorities to ban Venezuelan oil," Rangel said, adding that the Venezuelan government has been preparing for it.

"If we can sell gasoline to China, India and Latin America, as we have been doing, we will not have a problem," he said.
(snip)

In response to a question about the likelihood of a U.S. invasion of Venezuela, Rangel said the U.S. government is unpredictable, and run by "a group of irresponsible madmen headed by George W. Bush."
(snip/...)

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200603/18/eng20060318_251616.html

[acmavm]

1. Right. They'll ban oil shipments. This I gotta see to believe. What with

Mexico's main field being contaminated with water seepage, and OPEC making new business plans with China to supply her oil, I can't see these fools turning down oil from anybody.

I could see them attacking Venezuala ala Shock and Awe and trying to take their oil though.

[IndianaGreen]

7. What impact on gasoline prices at the pump if US blocks Venezuelan oil

from reaching the US?

Such a move will not hurt Venezuela one iota, but it will hurt American workers employed by CITGO, and will hurt American consumers at the pump.

Couple a Venezuela oil embargo with a US/Israel attack on Iran, with a possible major disruption in oil shipments from the Persian Gulf, and you could be talking of gas rationing in America.

[leftchick]

2. he is absolutely right

irresponsible madmen, indeed. :(

[Richard Steele]

3. That's like an ICU patient threatening to BAN their own life support.

Stupidest...threat...ever.

[bemildred]

4. That would be most amusing to watch.

"Rapist threatens to shoot his penis off."

[Vidar]

9. And he is that dumb.

[eppur_se_muova]

12. Hi bemildred! Like your new avatar. WK was the best! nt

[bemildred]

17. And still is.

Mencken of the cartoon world. Unfortunately not as timely as he once was.
Took me a while to go through the boxes of books and dig it up. And you
never can be sure which bat is Bemildred.

:hi:

[eppur_se_muova]

19. IIRC, neither could they. Who they were depended on which pants they wore.

[bemildred]

20. It seems to vary, and of course "Bemildred" is a deliberate mispelling.

Here is the earliest occurrence I've located, a parody on the John Birch Society:

[dipsydoodle]

15. Ready for planting

in Texus so's it can run for President in the future. Just another pr*ck in the wall.

[cliss]

5. This is a rather strange threat.

The State Department had better watch its big mouth, because they are rapidly becoming known as 'Blusterer'. They make constant threats, warnings, prognostications, in general loose cannons.

They lie routinely. It doesn't take long for other leaders to see you're full of shit, and then they discount everything you say.

Stupid clowns in Washington.

[Beacho]

6. That's it MORE Citgo for me

Time to make it the exclusive choice to keep the beast fed

[HuffleClaw]

8. what a hollow threat

HOW would they possibly accomplish such a thing? do they mean banning oil shipments TO the US? they could do that i suppose, i think that recent program of venezuelan 'oil charity' isn't helping bushco. one little bit. that could sure be why they'd talk about an oil 'ban' from them scary scary socialists!

[daleo]

10. It's like a heroin addict threatening to boycott a supplier

It'll never happen.

[mom cat]

11. Oh that must have Hugo shaking in his boots!

:sarcasm:

[Judi Lynn]

13. The failure of Chavez-bashing

The failure of Chavez-bashing

Sunday, March 19, 2006

It was yet another public relations coup for Venezuela: Vila Isabel, the samba club sponsored mainly by the Venezuelan government, won the parade competition in Rio de Janeiro's Carnaval. A float with a giant likeness of Simon Bolivar, combined with thousands of ornately costumed participants parading down the avenue, trumpeted the winning theme: Latin American unity.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice just last month called for "a united front" against Venezuela, continuing a long-term policy of trying to isolate the country. But Washington has been spitting into the wind. Venezuela's influence in the hemisphere has continued to rise while the U.S. has succeeded only in isolating itself more than at any time in at least half a century.

It might be worth asking why.

First, Venezuela is a democracy -- despite the best efforts of the Bush team to use President Hugo Chavez's close relations with Cuba's Fidel Castro as evidence to the contrary. Its elections are transparent and have been certified by international observers. Freedom of speech, press, assembly and association prevail, at least as compared with the rest of the hemisphere.

In fact, most of the media remains controlled by the opposition, which attacks the government endlessly on all the major TV channels. It is the most vigorous and partisan opposition media in the hemisphere, one that has not been censored under Chavez.
(snip/...)

http://pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/opinion/columnists/guests/s_434380.html

[Judi Lynn]

14. UNITED STATES: Venezuelan cheap heating oil program expands

UNITED STATES: Venezuelan cheap heating oil program expands

Stuart Munckton

The sale of heavily discounted heating oil by the Venezuelan government to poor citizens inside the US continues to spread despite opposition from the US government. Venezuela uses Citgo, the refining and distribution subsidiary of its state-owned oil company based in the US, to establish the means, with the aid of supportive politicians or community organisations, to distribute the heating oil.
(snip)

In response, the US Congress has launched what was described in an opinion piece by Juan Gonzalez in the February 24 New York Daily News as a “bizarre investigation” into Citgo over alleged anti-trust violations. The investigation was launched by “powerful Texan Republican” Joe Barton, the head of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Barton, one of the highest recipients in Congress of campaign donations from the energy industry, sent a letter to Citgo on February 15 giving it 10 days to produce all records, minutes, logs, emails “and even desk calendars” relating to the program.
(snip)

In response to this growing support for Venezuela’s pro-people economic policies, the campaign by the US government to harass the Chavez government is being extended to its supporters inside the US. The Venezuelan embassy in the US released a statement on March 10 that expressed the alarm of the Venezuelan government at what appeared to be the targeting of a US academic for his views in support of the Bolivarian revolution.

The statement reported that “Two agents from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force visited Miguel Tinker-Salas, a widely respected professor at Pomona College” in California on March 7. Several of Tinker-Salas’ students were also questioned. Tinker-Salas, who said he believed the visit was an attempt “to intimidate and silence” him, was asked about his relations with the Venezuelan government and questioned on links between terrorism and Venezuela.
(snip)

In an article on increasing US aggression against Venezuela posted on Voltairenet.org on March 10, French academic Salim Lamrani pointed out how the pro-people policies practiced by the Venezuelan government, both at home and abroad, compared extremely favourably to the anti-people policies promoted by the Bush administration. Lamrani noted that while Venezuela contributes US$3.6 billion annually as part of its assistance for Latin America, the US plans to significantly decrease its $1.2 billion annual assistance.
(snip/...)

http://www.greenleft.org.au/back/2006/661/661p17.htm

[yellowcanine]

21. They should give Barton the records. Do a "data dump" on his office

in Washington, D.C. Call his bluff. What the hell is he going to do with the information?

[0007]

16. I guess in reality that means Venezuela is about to cut the U.S.

off, 'eh?

That 14% of oil we receive helps to keep the price down.

[1932]

18. Huh?

I don't understand the logic?

[TrogL]

22. How can they ban "exports" of another country?

They certainly can go ahead and attempt to ban the importing of Venezualan oil but last I heard Venezuala was not a US protectorate/colony and hence has its own foreign and economic policy.

[YankeyMCC]

23. A Rovian tactic

Turn your own weakness into a strength or at least a "perceived" strength or put another way attack your opponent's perceived strength directly and try to make it appear ineffective at best and a weakness if possible.

Venezuela has oil, this is perceived as strong leverage available to Venezuela (probably rightly so) by Venezuela and the general public here in the US.

So ala Rove, take away the power of this by saying "We'll ban your oil here." Even if it's ridiculous (which I think it is) it chips away at least at the perceived strength of Venezuela's position due to it's oil at least in the minds of the US public if not in Venezuela's president.

It plants a seed of doubt, a seed that might find very fertile ground in the uninformed.