Kennedy Criticized Over Chavez Link

[Judi Lynn]

Kennedy Criticized Over Chavez Link
Friday February 16, 2007 7:31 PM

By STEVE LeBLANC
Associated Press Writer

BOSTON (AP) - In a TV commercial, former Rep. Joseph Kennedy stands aboard an oil tanker moving across the Boston skyline and promises that millions of gallons of discounted heating oil are on their way to poor, shivering families, courtesy of ``our good friends in Venezuela.''

What he doesn't mention is that those ``good friends'' include Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, a socialist and staunch U.S. critic who famously called President Bush ``the devil'' in a speech last year at the United Nations.

The reference to Venezuela has led to accusations that Kennedy is a shill for Chavez.
(snip)

Kennedy fired back by saying that if Mack wants to create a moral litmus test for oil-exporting countries and other trade partners, the congressman should hold Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Russia and China to the same standard.

``Once we've followed the Mack Doctrine and refused oil from every country that fails to meet our disciplined moral standards, I'm sure you'll enjoy your walks to Washington, because there certainly won't be fuel to fly you there,'' Kennedy wrote to Mack.
(snip/...)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,,-6420671,00.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Note: Connie Mack has been a supporter of his right-wing Cuban "exile" constituents a long time, even to the point of throwing his weight behind Orlando Bosch, one of the men who planned the bombing of the Cubana airliner in 1976, along with _{Jeb Bush} and his father:

After Bosch was released in 1988, the U.S. Justice Department ordered his deportation, citing reports from the CIA and FBI about the enormity of his terrorism. At the time, CANF was supporting Republican Ileana Ros-Lehtinen for Congress to succeed the late Claude Pepper in his Miami seat in Congress. With Jeb Bush as her campaign manager and President Bush appearing on her behalf, she won and took the campaign for Bosch to Washington. Jeb Bush and Senator Connie Mack, Florida Republican, also campaigned for his release.
(snip)

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/JBFranklins/canf.htm



Connie Mack speaking, surrounded by right-wing Cuban "exiles," Senator Mel Martinez, Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, Lincoln Diaz-Balart

[demnan]

1. Now that showed some spirit!

Thanks Joe Kennedy, you did your Dad proud by smacking down that Republican!

[EFerrari]

2. Looks like we're either with Kennedy or we're with the terrorists.

:rofl:

[MADem]

3. Connie Mack is no Connie Francis, that's for sure!

He can whine but he can't sing. He's a caterwauling asswipe.

I'm quite sure the folks who get their deep-discount Citizen's Energy oil are grateful for the help, and they don't give a shit if the helper is a socialist or a libertarian or a friken Whig, for that matter.

And that commercial has been running for, what--two years at least? And NOW he gets excited?

Lastly, a sanctimonious asshole living in eighty degree weather should just shut the fuck up--let him spend a weekend or two in Massachusetts or Maine without heat and then he can talk to those of us who aren't from Florida. Jerk!!!!

Cheesy attempt to grab headline and cause nitwits who don't pay attention to morph Joe into Ted.

He should be ashamed, but you have to actually HAVE a sense of shame for that to happen.

[TomClash]

20. Connie Francis was tougher nt

[Peace Patriot]

4. Disgusting thieves and war profiteers! That's what they are! Go, Joe! n/t

[partylessinOhio]

5. I'd be proud to stand with Chavez. Viva, Joe Kennedy!

[stillcool]

6. seems like doing any thing..

that helps the people, or the health of our society, can only be accomplished by those outside the government.

[bemildred]

7. Screw the shivering poor.

What an ass.

[shawmut]

8. No one around here gives a shit what you think, Connie

[Joe Chi Minh]

14. But, the one person whose interest he would have preferred not to engage,

God... will be very interested in them.

[happydreams]

9. When is the liberal biased press going to criticize the Bushies

for their Nazi/fascist links?

Poppy fired a number of Nazis who were discovered working on his presidential campaign. The Bush family has had a long and cozy relationship to Nazis and other fascists.

Hell, their fascists period!

[rman]

10. Good for him, he has good company: Kucinich.

[Doondoo]

11. K&R

[Eugene]

12. Citizens got its oil from Venezuela long before the politicians got into the act.

That includes Chavez.

I'm not wild about Hugo Chavez, but he is not an enemy of the US.
Chavez's Bush bashing was unhelpful, but it was only talk.

If Congressman Mack wants politically cleaner oil, does he suggest
we restrict ourselves to imports from Canada, the UK, and Norway?

[Joe Chi Minh]

13. So, is it a crime, a sin, now, for a Roman Catholic to take the Church's

Social Doctrine seriously? At last, a Catholic national leader who takes Christ's Gospel teachings seriously. Little wonder that he is mistaken for a Communist.

Remember Brazilian Archbishop Helda Camara's bitter lament, "When I give to the poor, they call me a saint; when I ask why the poor are poor, they call me a Communist...".

As Christ stated concerning their counterparts in his day, in Luke 20:47:

"Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and have greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues and the chief rooms at feasts;
Which devour widows' houses, and for a shew make long prayers: the same shall receive greater damnation."

Dead men walking, all enemies of the poor and afflicted. We have Christ's own word for it in Matthew 25:32-46.

[Vidar]

15. Kudos to Kennedy & Chavez! Down with corporate oligarch &

their gusano running dogs.

[MethuenProgressive]

16. Bush/Cheney energy plan = ZERO HELP for the poor/elderly

If the repugnants don't like the help from CITGO, they're welcome to offer an alternative.

[Judi Lynn]

17. Yeah, that's so odd, after all. The Democratic Congressmen and the leaders of the Native American

gribes approached, at their own pace and timing, individually, the American oil companies, some two years ago, possibly longer when they first started trying to work out a deal for a winter discount for their struggling constituents.

They were blown off unceremoniously, and left, hats in hand, with absolutely no good news to take home to their states and to their tribes.

It was only after they had been flat out firmly rejected that they ever decided to keep on going, and contact Citgo officials to see if Venezuela would assist them. Venezuela has a pattern of offering discounted oil to poorer countries in Latin America and the Caribbean going back to even before Hugo Chavez was elected, being born in the San Jose Accord (with Mexico participating with Venezuela in offering discounted oil), and later, in the Caracas accord.

After ALL THIS, U.S. right-wing idiots howl over the audacity of Democratic Congressmen in a bunch of states, and over 100 Native American tribes' leaders in negotiating with Venezuela. They have NO ONE but their own avaricious, beady-eyed, porky American oil company executives to thank for it.

More "patriotic" companies in the States would have seen some value in helping Americans stay alive through the winter coldness.

[killbotfactory]

18. Remember the tribe who refused oil from Chavez, after he called Bush the devil?

Patriots, right?

THEY SAID THEY WOULDN'T SLEEP WITH PARIS HILTON, EITHER

THE TRIBAL GOVERNMENT OF KING SALMON GRABBED PUBLIC ATTENTION FOR SAYING IT WOULD REFUSE THE HOME HEATING OIL DONATION OFFERED BY VENEZUELA'S ANTI-U.S. PRESIDENT HUGO CHAVEZ, BUT THE COMMUNITY WAS NEVER INCLUDED IN CHAVEZ'S OFFER.

http://www.adn.com/opinion/view/story/8530519p-8424269c.html

Yep, they were never offered oil in the first place.

[Judi Lynn]

19. That's easy for THEM to say!

Isn't it creepy when the feeble corporate media continue to claim various people are "Anti-US," when they are actually "disgusted by _{George W.?"}