[Peace-discussion] Another reason for Washington to bomb Venezuela

Wed, 21 Mar 2007 19:31:31 -0400

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  /...and another reason for us to *BUY CITGO GAS...*/

http://www.indianz.com/News/2007/001929.asp 
<http://www.indianz.com/News/2007/001929.asp>

Venezuela steps up for Indian nations
Tim Giago | Indianz.com | March 19, 2007

Native American journalist Jodi Rave Lee of Lee
Enterprise Newspapers was recently lambasted in a
letter to the editor to our local daily for having the
temerity to laud the donation of funds for heating
fuel for the very poor Indian nations of the Northern
Plains.

The criticism was initiated by the fact that the donor
was the Citgo Petroleum Corporation based in Houston,
Texas and headed by the President of Venezuela, Hugo
Chavez, the man reviled by many Americans for
referring to President George W. Bush on the floor of
the United Nations as the "Devil."

How did it happen that the President of Venezuela
reached out to help the poor and the indigenous people
of the United States? After two major hurricanes
devastated the Southern U. S., a group of U. S.
Senators sent out a plea to the major oil companies to
help low-income families with energy assistance. Most
major oil companies were coming off of scandalous
profits because of the sharp rise in fuel costs. Only
one company heeded the plea of the senators and that
was Citgo Petroleum Corporation headed by Chavez.

Federal and state funding for low-income energy
assistance programs has dropped dramatically in the
past few years. A late winter blast in the Northern
Plains hit at a time when most of the federal dollars
for low-income energy assistance had run out. The late
winter freeze left many indigenous people in dire
straits. When it comes to a matter of surviving,
Indians and other impoverished people reach out to any
assistance available. Olympic Gold Medallist Billy
Mills, an Oglala Lakota, used his non-profit Running
Strong Foundation to raise energy funds for some
low-income households, but even his generosity could
not fill the need.

Many tribes in Montana and North and South Dakota were
advised to attend a meeting in Polson, Montana on
December 13, 2006 to listen and discuss how they could
avail themselves of the money for heating assistance.
Rafael Gomez, Vice President of Citgo, and Brian
O'Connor of the Citizens Energy Corporation of Boston
attended the meeting. O'Connor's non-profit
organization administered the program last year and
would be charged with administering the program for
the Indian tribes.

Although major oil corporations like Exxon had reaped
more profit last year than at any time in their
history, they declined the invitation to lend a
helping hand to the poor people of America. Hugo
Chavez stepped in to fill the gap. What motives would
prompt him to do this? Certainly it would not help him
politically, at least not in America where one of this
Nation's top religious figures, Pat Robertson, called
for his assassination.

Some of the very poor Indian tribes like the Chippewa
Cree of the Rocky Boy Reservation in Montana, the
Cheyenne River and the Oglala Sioux Tribes in South
Dakota needed the funds in order to keep their people
from freezing to death and accepted the donation from
Mr. Chavez willingly. Where was the rich casino owning
tribes? Busy counting their money I would guess.

There is an old saying out here that goes, "You will
know me better when you walk a mile in my moccasins."
Hugo Chavez is a member of an indigenous tribe in
Venezuela. He has been called "Indio" and worse while
growing up as the child of very poor parents. He has
walked in the moccasins of the indigenous people.

In America it is very easy to hate someone who
verbally attacks the president of the United States.
Chavez has never held his tongue even amongst his own
people or in criticizing other nations in South
America. I am told that he was appalled when the major
oil companies in America did not step forward to help
their own poor and low-income people when called upon
to do so. He saw this as the kind of colonialism he
has grown to despise.

Chavez is not alone in his mistrust of America. In
fact, America's status is at an all-time low in many
Central and South American countries. Chavez did not
create this situation and he is not above using it as
a tool to annoy Bush and his administration.

Hugo Chavez is a controversial figure to America,
especially amongst its politicians. But he has done
much to improve the living conditions, the health care
and the educational opportunities for his own people
in Venezuela, especially for the very poor and the
indigenous. As a matter of record Republican
presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani's law firm
lobbies for Citgo Petroleum Corporation. Does he keep
his fingers crossed behind his back when he attacks
Chavez?

However, if the profit mongering oil companies of this
Nation had stepped forward when called upon, there
would have been no reason for Chavez and Citgo to step
up.

There is a lot of respect for President Chavez among
the Indian nations of this country. He didn't make
promises that he couldn't or wouldn't keep, but
instead put his money where his mouth is. American
Indians appreciate that form of directness.

Go to some of the blogs so prevalent in America and
you will find all sorts of names for President Bush
and most of them are considerably worse than "Devil."
Chimp and Chimpy are two that come to mind. But, I
suppose most Americans feel it is their inherent right
to speak out against their president, but they would
damn to hell any outsider that does likewise.

Jodi Rave Lee didn't think of the politics of the
low-income energy assistance offered by Chavez.
Instead, she thought of the people that would have
suffered unnecessarily if Citgo had not been willing
to do what the American petroleum companies and the
United States government refused to do. She didn't
have to read about the plight of the indigenous people
of America to understand it because like Hugo Chavez
and me, she has lived it.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
/McClatchy News Service in Washington, DC distributes
Tim Giago's weekly column. He can be reached at
najournalists@rushmore.com <mailto:najournalists%40rushmore.com>. Giago 
was also the founder
and former editor and publisher of the Lakota Times
and Indian Country Today newspapers and the founder
and first president of the Native American Journalists
Association. He was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard in the
class of 1990 -- 1991. Clear Light Books of Santa Fe,
NM (harmon@clearlightbooks.com <mailto:harmon%40clearlightbooks.com>) 
published his latest
book, "Children Left Behind."/

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<div class="moz-text-html" lang="x-western"> ...and
another reason for us to BUY CITGO
GAS... 
 
<a href="http://www.indianz.com/News/2007/001929.asp">http://www.indianz.com/News/2007/001929.asp</a> 
<big> 
<big>Venezuela
steps up for Indian nations</big> 
Tim Giago | Indianz.com | March 19, 2007 
 
Native American journalist Jodi Rave Lee of
Lee 
Enterprise Newspapers was recently lambasted in a 
letter to the editor to our local daily for having the 
temerity to laud the donation of funds for heating 
fuel for the very poor Indian nations of the Northern 
Plains. 
 
The criticism was initiated by the fact that the donor 
was the Citgo Petroleum Corporation based in Houston, 
Texas and headed by the President of Venezuela, Hugo 
Chavez, the man reviled by many Americans for 
referring to President George W. Bush on the floor of 
the United Nations as the &#8220;Devil.&#8221; 
 
How did it happen that the President of Venezuela 
reached out to help the poor and the indigenous people 
of the United States? After two major hurricanes 
devastated the Southern U. S., a group of U. S. 
Senators sent out a plea to the major oil companies to 
help low-income families with energy assistance. Most 
major oil companies were coming off of scandalous 
profits because of the sharp rise in fuel costs. Only 
one company heeded the plea of the senators and that 
was Citgo Petroleum Corporation headed by Chavez. 
 
Federal and state funding for low-income energy 
assistance programs has dropped dramatically in the 
past few years. A late winter blast in the Northern 
Plains hit at a time when most of the federal dollars 
for low-income energy assistance had run out. The late 
winter freeze left many indigenous people in dire 
straits. When it comes to a matter of surviving, 
Indians and other impoverished people reach out to any 
assistance available. Olympic Gold Medallist Billy 
Mills, an Oglala Lakota, used his non-profit Running 
Strong Foundation to raise energy funds for some 
low-income households, but even his generosity could 
not fill the need. 
 
Many tribes in Montana and North and South Dakota were 
advised to attend a meeting in Polson, Montana on 
December 13, 2006 to listen and discuss how they could 
avail themselves of the money for heating assistance. 
Rafael Gomez, Vice President of Citgo, and Brian 
O&#8217;Connor of the Citizens Energy Corporation of Boston 
attended the meeting. O&#8217;Connor&#8217;s non-profit 
organization administered the program last year and 
would be charged with administering the program for 
the Indian tribes. 
 
Although major oil corporations like Exxon had reaped 
more profit last year than at any time in their 
history, they declined the invitation to lend a 
helping hand to the poor people of America. Hugo 
Chavez stepped in to fill the gap. What motives would 
prompt him to do this? Certainly it would not help him 
politically, at least not in America where one of this 
Nation&#8217;s top religious figures, Pat Robertson, called 
for his assassination. 
 
Some of the very poor Indian tribes like the Chippewa 
Cree of the Rocky Boy Reservation in Montana, the 
Cheyenne River and the Oglala Sioux Tribes in South 
Dakota needed the funds in order to keep their people 
from freezing to death and accepted the donation from 
Mr. Chavez willingly. Where was the rich casino owning 
tribes? Busy counting their money I would guess. 
 
There is an old saying out here that goes, &#8220;You will 
know me better when you walk a mile in my moccasins.&#8221; 
Hugo Chavez is a member of an indigenous tribe in 
Venezuela. He has been called &#8220;Indio&#8221; and worse while 
growing up as the child of very poor parents. He has 
walked in the moccasins of the indigenous people. 
 
In America it is very easy to hate someone who 
verbally attacks the president of the United States. 
Chavez has never held his tongue even amongst his own 
people or in criticizing other nations in South 
America. I am told that he was appalled when the major 
oil companies in America did not step forward to help 
their own poor and low-income people when called upon 
to do so. He saw this as the kind of colonialism he 
has grown to despise. 
 
Chavez is not alone in his mistrust of America. In 
fact, America&#8217;s status is at an all-time low in many 
Central and South American countries. Chavez did not 
create this situation and he is not above using it as 
a tool to annoy Bush and his administration. 
 
Hugo Chavez is a controversial figure to America, 
especially amongst its politicians. But he has done 
much to improve the living conditions, the health care 
and the educational opportunities for his own people 
in Venezuela, especially for the very poor and the 
indigenous. As a matter of record Republican 
presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani&#8217;s law firm 
lobbies for Citgo Petroleum Corporation. Does he keep 
his fingers crossed behind his back when he attacks 
Chavez? 
 
However, if the profit mongering oil companies of this 
Nation had stepped forward when called upon, there 
would have been no reason for Chavez and Citgo to step 
up. 
 
There is a lot of respect for President Chavez among 
the Indian nations of this country. He didn&#8217;t make 
promises that he couldn&#8217;t or wouldn&#8217;t keep, but 
instead put his money where his mouth is. American 
Indians appreciate that form of directness. 
 
Go to some of the blogs so prevalent in America and 
you will find all sorts of names for President Bush 
and most of them are considerably worse than &#8220;Devil.&#8221; 
Chimp and Chimpy are two that come to mind. But, I 
suppose most Americans feel it is their inherent right 
to speak out against their president, but they would 
damn to hell any outsider that does likewise. 
 
Jodi Rave Lee didn&#8217;t think of the politics of the 
low-income energy assistance offered by Chavez. 
Instead, she thought of the people that would have 
suffered unnecessarily if Citgo had not been willing 
to do what the American petroleum companies and the 
United States government refused to do. She didn&#8217;t 
have to read about the plight of the indigenous people 
of America to understand it because like Hugo Chavez 
and me, she has lived it. 
</big>
<hr size="2" width="100%"><big>McClatchy News Service in Washington, DC distributes 
Tim Giago&#8217;s weekly column. He can be reached at 
<a href="mailto:najournalists%40rushmore.com">najournalists@rushmore.com</a>.
Giago was also the founder 
and former editor and publisher of the Lakota Times 
and Indian Country Today newspapers and the founder 
and first president of the Native American Journalists 
Association. He was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard in the 
class of 1990 &#8211; 1991. Clear Light Books of Santa Fe, 
NM (<a href="mailto:harmon%40clearlightbooks.com">harmon@clearlightbooks.com</a>)
published his latest 
book, &#8220;Children Left Behind."
</big></div>
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</html>

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