I am weary of the ridiculous e-mail forwards clogging my in-box begging Americans to boycott such and such gas company because they are based in a country that hates us or boycott Exxon because that might show them we're ticked off about gas prices. Simple minded solutions are for simple minded fools.The latest forward I received of this ilk begged all patriotic Americans to boycott Citgo. Boycott Citgo, the e-mail begs, because it is soley owned by the Venezuelan government. And the Venezuelan government is firmly in the hands of a leftist anti-American President named Hugo Chavez. Yet...despite his anti-American rhetoric...America remains Venezuela's number one oil consumer. So, the e-mail says, boycott Citgo and buy American gas.
Ironically Chavez and Fidel Castro are good buddies. We can see how well embargos and boycotts worked in bringing down Castro.
I'm always suspicious of where these mass e-mail forwards originate from. Optimistically I assume they are from well-meaning Americans who are frustrated about the rising price of gas and our dependence on oil from nations not so sympathetic to the United States. Pessimistically I could guess they are sent from a source that has an agenda to pursue and knows it can influence the ignorant American masses who are too lazy to research the complexities of these issues. Who knows?
I do know that these types of problems are too complex for simple answers. Yet that is what most American's crave...simple answers. We're too busy watching NASCAR or American Idol to give any issue more than a moment's thought. We want our ideas and ideologies spoon fed to us. It's much easier that way. Thinking is hard.
I was in Venezuela in 1993 when Chavez's coup failed. I met a lot of good, honest, hardworking people. Many good people...including Nazarenes live in Venezuela and work for Citgo. I would hate to see them suffer because of an unresearched and ill-advised boycott. Not to mention the hardworking Americans who work for Citgo in this country.
You want someone to blame? Blame me. I drive a Chevy Avalanche that gulps oil in mass quantities. My Chevy Avalanche runs on an internal combustion engine. The internal combustion engine was invented over 100 years ago and yet remains our major source of locomotion in our society. Yet, I haven't effectively expressed my outrage to the automakers that they purposely sabotage any new environmentally friendly alternative to that type of engine. I haven't even tried.
I also buy my gas from Wal*Mart with a gas card that saves me 3 cents a gallon. Wal*Mart pays its workers less and provides far less benefits than Venezuelan Citgo.
Some of the gas I pay for comes from the Saudi Arabian government who in order to maintain their rule made a deal in the 1930's with the ultra-conservative Wahabbi sect of Islam. The Sauds give millions to the Wahabbi imams who in turn get their followers to support the legitimacy of the Saud ruling family. The Wahabbi's as a result use the millions from oil revenue to build the biggest madrasas that reach the most people who in turn stomp out the more moderate voices of Islam. It is from these madrasas the Taliban and Al Queda were born. It is my money that helps pay for these schools which promote the killing of people like me.
So blame me. However, I have a sneaking suspicion I'm not the only one to blame. Americans want to blame somebody about our dependence on oil from Venezuela and the Middle East? Maybe we should all look in the mirror.
