KONY 2012: OBAMA MAKES GEORGE SOROS RICHER

The KONY 2012 scam has been revealed and now it is time to look at Obama’s motivation to use American blood and treasure to wage war in Uganda even though Kony has not been seen for six years, is believed to be dead and American interests do not warrant this war.

Follow the money. Where George Soros invests, U.S. taxpayer dollars follow.

UGANDA:

Recall that we recently learned U.S. taxpayer dollars were spent on the writing of Africa’s new Constitution. The obvious question is “Why”? In October 2011, WND’s Aaron Klein provided the answer [emphasis added]:

Also in 2008, the Africa Institute for Energy Governance, a grantee of the Soros-funded Revenue Watch, helped established [sic] the Publish What You Pay Coalition of Uganda, or PWYP, which was purportedly launched to coordinate and streamline the efforts of the government in promoting transparency and accountability in the oil sector.

Also, a steering committee was formed for PWYP Uganda to develop an agenda for implementing the oil advocacy initiatives and a constitution to guide PWYP’s oil work…

PWYP is directly funded by Soros’ Open Society as well as the the Soros-funded Revenue Watch Institute. PWYP international is actually hosted by the Open Society Foundation in London.

The billionaire’s Open Society Institute, meanwhile, runs numerous offices in Uganda. It maintains a country manager in Uganda, as well as the Open Society Initiative for East Africa, which supports work in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

Soros will make millions – if not billions – off of Uganda’s oil industry and his other interests there.

BRAZIL:

Remember when we were perplexed that Obama’s 2009 stimulus plan (which is refunded each and every year) includes $2 billion per year for Brazil’s oil industry? We later learned that Soros was invested in Brazil’s oil industry prior to Obama’s 2009 infusion of $2 billion.

Public uproar caused Soros to liquidate those investments, but after the publicity died down, Soros went right back in and reinvested. Despite ‘paper’ losses in 2011, it appears Soros is staying in for the long-term gain.

Given that Soros has been a White House visitor since Obama’s election, do you think insider information, collusion and corruption may be in play?

CONCLUSION:

Does Obama work for George Soros or for the American people? While only two oil connections are presented here, there are many other examples of Obama’s use of American assets to aide and abet Soros’ interests, investments and agenda – as well as Obama’s support to other anti-American subversives.

Will Congress investigate and hold Obama accountable? Not likely.

Without doubt, Soros’ financial interests are being directly supported by Obama at the expense of American blood and treasure.

Imagine what Obama would do during a second term when he is unrestrained. Inform others so that they may consider who Obama really serves (and the lies he tells on the campaign trail) before casting their vote in November.

Clearly Obama works for Soros and does whatever is necessary to make Soros richer and more powerful at America’s expense.

By AJ - Cross-Posted at the Noisy Room and the Daily Thought Pad and added as update at AskMarion

Here's the link to the financials for the Invisible Children group (2008/2009).  Shows their huge 'take' on what they raise.  On page 7, out of nearly $9 million, less than $3 million went to direct support - that's less than 34%.  They kept/used more than 66% for themselves.

OIL - You better be sitting down when you read this!

OIL… And Energy Independence

As you may know, Cruz Construction started a division in North Dakota just 6 months ago. They sent every Kenworth (9 trucks) we had here in Alaska to North Dakota and several drivers.

They just bought two new Kenworth's to add to that fleet; one being a Tri Drive tractor and a new 65 ton lowboy to go with it. They also bought two new cranes (one crawler & one rubber tired) for that division.

Dave Cruz said they have moved more rigs in the last 6 months in ND than Cruz Construction moved in Alaska in the last 6 years.

Williston is like a gold rush town; they moved one of our 40 man camps down there since there are no rooms available.

Unemployment in ND is the lowest in the nation at 3.4 percent last I checked.

See anything in the national news about how the oil industry is fueling North Dakota 's economy?

Here's an astonishing read. Important and verifiable information:

About 6 months ago, the writer was watching a news program on oil and one of the Forbes brothers was the guest.

The host said to Forbes, "I am going to ask you a direct question and I would like a direct answer; how much oil does the U.S. have in the ground?" Forbes did not miss a beat, he said, "more than all the Middle East put together."

The U. S. Geological Service issued a report in April 2008 that only scientists and oil men knew was coming, but man was it big.

It was a revised report (hadn't been updated since 1995) on how much oil was in this area of the western 2/3 of North Dakota, western South Dakota, and extreme eastern Montana.

Check THIS out:

The Bakken is the largest domestic oil discovery since Alaska's Prudhoe Bay, and has the potential to eliminate all American dependence on foreign oil. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates it at 503 billion barrels.  Even if just 10% of the oil is recoverable,   (50.3 billion barrels) at $107 a barrel, we're looking at a resource base worth more than $5.3 trillion.

"When I first briefed legislators on this, you could practically see their jaws hit the floor.  They had no idea.." says Terry Johnson, the Montana Legislature's financial analyst.

"This sizable find is now the highest-producing onshore oil field found in the past 56 years", reports The Pittsburgh Post Gazette.

It's a formation known as the Williston Basin, but is more commonly referred to as the 'Bakken.'

It stretches from Northern Montana, through North Dakota, and into Canada.

For years, U. S. oil exploration has been considered a dead end.  Even the 'Big Oil' companies gave up searching for major oil wells decades ago.

However, a recent technological breakthrough has opened up the Bakken's massive reserves, and we now have access of up to 500 billion barrels. And because this is light, sweet oil, those billions of barrels will cost Americans just $16 PER BARREL!

That's enough crude to fully fuel the American economy for 2041 years straight. And if THAT didn't throw you on the floor, then this next one should - because it's from 2006!

U. S. Oil Discovery - Largest Reserve in the World  Stansberry Report Online - 4/20/2006

Hidden 1,000 feet beneath the surface of the Rocky Mountains lies the largest untapped oil reserve in the world.  It is more than 2 TRILLION barrels. On August 8, 2005 President Bush mandated its extraction.

In three and a half years of high oil prices none has been extracted.

With this mother load of oil why are we still fighting over off-shore drilling? They reported this stunning news: We have more oil inside our borders, than all the other proven reserves on earth.

Here are the official estimates: 8 times as much oil as Saudi Arabia, 18 times as much oil as Iraq, 21 times as much oil as Kuwait,  22 times as much oil as Iran, 500 times as much oil as Yemen, and it's all right here in the Western United States.

HOW can this BE?  HOW can we NOT BE extracting this?

Because the environmentalists and others have blocked all efforts to help America become independent of foreign oil!  Again, we are letting a small group of people dictate our lives and our economy. WHY?

James Bartis, lead researcher with the study says we've got more oil in this very compact area than the entire Middle East , more than 2 TRILLION barrels untapped. That's more than all the proven oil reserves of crude oil in the world today, reports The Denver Post.

Don't think 'OPEC' will drop its price even with this find?  Think again!  It's all about the competitive marketplace, it has to.

Think OPEC just might be funding the environmentalists?

Got your attention yet?  Now, while you're thinking about it, do this: Share this. If you don't take a little time to do this, then you should stifle yourself the next time you complain about gas prices, by doing NOTHING, you forfeit your right to complain.

By the way, this can be verified. Check it out at the link below.

http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=1911

Cruz Construction: http://www.cruzconstruct.com/

Oil is the answer to our independence, fixing our entire economy and turning America’s decline around!!  The Republicans in Congress are trying force our Progressive Green President’s hand by adding the Keystone Pipeline Project to the tax deal presently in play.  Even many Democrats agree that the Keystone Pipeline should be approved now rather than in a year from now, as Obama has had it pushed back to, for even just serious consideration.  As the Republicans and reasonable Dems have pointed out… The Keystone Pipeline would create needed jobs, including many for military men and women who are now coming home that will increase unemployment if there aren’t any new jobs created.

Obama and his Progressive team and supporters are stealing American jobs and energy independence in the name of their ideological agenda by halting the expansion of the Keystone pipeline, in the name of their created Green energy goals. Then Obama has approved deep water drilling in The Gulf for Brazil, where were can’t drill, and will allow Canada to rapidly expand production of oil from “tar sands”, affecting our environment without any job or energy rewards and will end up turning around purchasing their oil either directly or from China, who they will be selling to.

Ask Marion~ -  h/t to Deonia Copeland

Now I just wonder what would happen in this country if every one of you sent this link to every one in your address book.

Trump to OPEC: Oil Should Be $40-$50 a Barrel. not $150

Mitt Romney on U.S. Energy & Oil Independence

GOP on Keystone Pipeline Delay: ‘Utterly Irrational’ 

Fracking Butter and the EPA’s Fracking Report

** Obama has become so arrogant that even left leaning 60-minutes edited out Obama’s laughable claim that he is the 4th best President. **

Apocalypse Nowish

I can’t take it any more. Did someone order an apocalypse? I know there is always one bearing down on us somewhere, but come on! Have you read the headlines lately? By Friday of last week, I was ready for a major meltdown. Looks like I wasn’t the only one:

Video on site.  Or… Here

Video on site or Here

 

Oh, how I can relate. (Massive screaming and hair pulling.) What the hell is wrong with us? Everything is upside down and backwards. Just the highlights:

1. Europe is melting down and about to fall into a black hole of debt which will draw us into the whirlpool right along with them. No one seems to really want to control their spending. It’s like the elite are paying all their crony friends, providing for themselves and knowingly bringing on the destruction of finances planet-wide. Screw the common man – they are taking the system for all it’s worth and then getting out before the implosion hits.

2. Our government — in secret — gave out 7.7 Trillion dollars worth of bailout money to banks – worldwide. Where the hell did they get it? I suspect, they just ‘digitized’ it and spread it around. It made NO difference, just forestalled the inevitable implosion. See #1 above. Say it with me: Weimar Republic.

Digitize me, Fred…

And it exploded…

3. Any time now, the Middle East is going to blow up and hello $200 a barrel for oil. It could be Iran and Israel (or Iran and us). It could be Syria. Hell, it could be Pakistan. WWIII is about to announce itself on the global stage and I’m not convinced we’ll be on the right side of the fight.

4. The minority inmates of the asylum are in control of our country, all the while claiming they are the 99%. (Really, does anyone in government look like a 99 percenter?)

5. Communism never went away… It has surged back thanks to the Progressives putting their comrades in positions of power throughout our nation. The red menace is back baby and it is within our own walls and halls, not to mention spreading across the globe again.

6. Hyperinflation is on it’s way as the world prints money trying to stave off a global depression. Never worked before, won’t work this time. Don’t these idiots ever learn?

7. Our government has gone rogue. They no longer fear having to pay for any transgressions from insider trading to falsifying testimony on things like, oh, I don’t know, running guns to Mexico. There are soooo many corrupt issues in our government these days, I just don’t even know where to start. Get rid of all of ‘em and start over.

8. Taxes, taxes, taxes…

9. Regulations out the wazoo. It’s Atlas Shrugged come to life. We literally can’t breath without violating one law or another.

10. God is being removed systematically from every part of our society. In it’s place, some of the most violent and horrific examples of barbarism are taking place right here in America and elsewhere that I have ever seen.

11. Antisemitism is raising is ghastly head once more. Those that stand against God’s chosen ones will surely fall from grace. Count on it.

12. The Constitution is being utterly ignored and circumvented by our politicians and elite Progressives on both sides of the aisle. I’ve just about had all I can take from these politicians. We must restore the original intent of the Constitution and the ideals our founders based this country on or we are toast.

And speaking of our current economic and political situation, this episode was badly written:

What’s happened to personal responsibility? What’s happened to independence and innovation? Where are morals and ethics any more? Maybe they are all still there, it’s just that the minority is in control and they have the morals of an alley cat and the ethics of, well, a politician. In fact, many of them are politicians. Isn’t it time America put people of character back in control of our homeland? Isn’t it time for the majority to say that’s enough, we aren’t going to take this crap any more? I really, really think so.

Can you blame people for panicking? Can you blame them for storing food, paying off debt and moving to a state that has some sanity left? Gun sales are the highest they have ever been and I personally believe that it has everything to do with what is happening in our country and worldwide today. No longer are survivalists being called crazy, everyone is at least attempting to prep. I’d say if you just read the headlines, you can’t help but think things are trending darkly – Apocalypse Nowish.

By: Terresa Monroe-Hamilton – the NoisyRoom

Obama’s Choice: Dirty Oil (Keystone XL Oil Pipeline) or Clean Water and Land?

By Syver Alton Larsen and MJ

One big decision looms ominously on Obama’s horizon and he will not be able to blame anyone but himself for the consequences.  Obama must render the momentous verdict by November 1 to give or not to give approval for the historical Keystone XL Pipeline Project.  This pipeline will carry one of the world’s dirtiest fuels… tar sand oil which is vastly different from regular oil being ten times heavier than water and very corrosive.

Presidential permission is required because the 2,147-mile pipeline crosses the border between Canada and eight states of the United States.  The present route is scheduled to cross prime agriculture heartland, 19,000 square mile wetlands, and the world’s largest fresh water aquifer—the Ogallala. 

The Keystone XL pipeline would carry 900,000 barrels of dirty tar sands oil into the United States daily, doubling our country's reliance on it and resulting in climate-damaging emissions equal to adding more than six million new cars to U.S. roads.

Originally proposed on February 9, 2005, it is still in the making.   It began supplying oil to Illinois and Missouri in 2010. Phase II of the project, launched in February 2011, would extend the pipeline from Steele City, Nebraska, to Cushing, Oklahoma — a pivotal crude oil refining and pipeline hub and then on to the Gulf of Mexico.

According to The New American, the new segment of this project is waiting for Obama’s approval, but the Keystone XL is facing fierce opposition from landowners and concerned citizens.

“Though the pipeline has been in operation for almost a year, a new segment of the project, the Keystone Gulf Coast Expansion, also known as Keystone XL — which would originate in Hardisty, Alberta Canada, and run southeast through Montana, South Dakota, and Nebraska, while incorporating Phase II of the pipeline to extend to Oklahoma markets and the Texas Gulf Coast ports of Houston and Port Arthur — is facing formidable hurdles. The Canadian government’s National Energy Board approved the expansion in 2010, but is awaiting final approval from the Obama administration”

According to the Nebraska Farmers Union, many landowners have been intimidated and threatened with the Right of Eminent Domain.  Does a foreign country owned business have that right?

In 2007, Congress passed and President George Bush signed into law Section 526 which disallows the U.S. purchase of tar sands oil.  Congressman Henry Waxman, Chair of the House Energy Committee, wrote to the Senate Commerce Committee in 2008, the law "applies to fuels derived from unconventional petroleum sources such as tar sands which produce significantly higher greenhouse gas emissions than are produced by comparable fuel from conventional sources." 

In the article it also states that the Canadian government and big oil are working  behind the scenes to get section 526 changed.

“Meanwhile, the Canadian government has been working behind the scenes to strike Section 526 from the books to clear the way for tar sands extraction. Using Freedom of Information requests, the Pembina Institute and Climate Action Network Canada uncovered a 2008 strategy memo by Canadian Embassy official Hélène Viau which urged U.S. oil lobbyists to send letters to the U.S. Department of Energy and the Department of State to show "concerns with regard to section 526 and argue that oil sands products should not be targeted by this provision," and to develop "a comprehensive oil sands advocacy strategy to focus on outreach to allies, influencers, legislators, etc."

And Big Oil lobbyists have taken Viau's suggestions to heart. Matt Fox, senior vice president of oil sands for ConocoPhillips warned U.S. legislators that Section 526 "could bring [oil sands] development to a screeching halt. You'd have to think twice about oil sands development if your intention was to deliver oil to the lower '48."

The debate regarding the Keystone XL involves the economic issues versus environmental issues. The final impact statement was released by the White House in August.

Video:  Why Oil Sands Pipeline Is Just Too Risky

Those who favor the pipeline list these benefits:

1. Making money for states tax revenues

2. Providing jobs

3. Advancing national security by less foreign oil dependence

Those who are against the pipeline submit:

1. Money cannot replace clean water and land

2. Jobs provided will be temporary

3. The U.S. already imports three-fourths of its oil from western sources

Quote from the Nebraska Senator Tony Fulton:

"I would be doing a bad job if I didn't step up and say that I have some concern about the proposed route of this pipeline. If that puts me on the same side as environmentalists, or folks that I don't typically see eye to eye with, so be it."

Narrator: Fulton wants TransCanada to re-route the pipeline. He is promoting legislation he hopes would give state government the power to force the company to by-pass the aquifer. He says building this pipeline without the Nebraska's input is a violation of state's rights. We ought to have some say as to how that pipeline makes its way through Nebraska. And at this point it has been President Obama, Secretary Clinton and TransCanada who have chosen this route.

Environmentalists site the Enbridge tragic tar sand oil leak in the Kalamazoo River occurring in July 2010, as an example of what will be repeated again.  Enbridge, competitor of TransCanada, says that there is no oil remaining in the river.  The EPA has estimated that over one million gallons of oil leaked into the Kalamazoo River and has still not been totally cleaned up.  Because the tar sand oil is heavier than water, it has sunk down into the river and the only way to remove it is through drudging. 

China has actively been investing in Canadian oil and many believe that the true intent of the oil pipeline is to make it easier to ship the oil from Texas ports to Asian markets.  The pipeline happens to follow part of the same route as the notorious North American Free Trade Association (NAFTA) Super Highway.

The only thing Obama fears more than the Environmentalists are the Labor Unions.  The political reality is that Obama would risk losing the votes and campaign donations of ALL 1.8 million Nebraskans whose lives depend on the Ogallala for clean drinking water and even most of the Environmentalists, but he cannot afford to lose the support of ANY Labor Unions that want the pipeline built at any and all costs for the jobs and tax-base it will generate.

TransCanada has refused to reroute the Keystone from going over the Ogallala, so they are trying to save money with pipe line construction, and is choosing economic concerns over environmental concerns that relate to the aquifer. Does greed always win in this world? 

We will know for sure by November 1, which one Obama will choose… Dirty Oil or Clean Water and Land.

Related:

Obama Allies’ Interests Collide Over Keystone Pipeline

Exxon Pipeline Release in Yellowstone

Headline News

07/02/11 - 10:22 AM Pacific Daylight Time (U.S. and Canada) Statement by ExxonMobil Pipeline Company Regarding Crude Oil Release into Yellowstone River in Montana

Dang it… It’s not even fun to be right anymore!

July 02, 2011 01:22 PM Eastern Daylight Time

Statement by ExxonMobil Pipeline Company Regarding Crude Oil Release into Yellowstone River in Montana

BILLINGS, Mont.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ExxonMobil Pipeline Company issued the following statement concerning a crude release into the Yellowstone River in Montana:

“Early on the morning of July 2, we discovered an undetermined amount of crude oil was released into the Yellowstone River from an ExxonMobil Pipeline Company (EMPCo) pipeline. EMPCo deeply regrets this release and is working hard with local emergency authorities to mitigate the impacts of this release on the surrounding communities and to the environment.

The release originated from a 12” crude pipeline operated by EMPCo that runs from Silver Tip, MT to Billings, MT. The pipeline has been shutdown and the segment where the release occurred has been isolated. All appropriate state and federal authorities have been alerted.

At this early stage, we have no information on the cause of the incident, and we are working to determine the amount of oil released. ExxonMobil has activated its North American Regional Response Team to assist in the clean up efforts. A claims number 1-888-382-0043 has also been established to assist individuals who might have been impacted by this event.

We recognize the seriousness of this incident and are working hard to address it. Our principal focus is on protecting the safety and health of the public and our employees. We will, of course, also begin a thorough investigation of the cause of this unfortunate event. We will provide additional information as it becomes available.”

About ExxonMobil

ExxonMobil, the largest publicly traded international oil and gas company, uses technology and innovation to help meet the world’s growing energy needs. ExxonMobil holds an industry-leading inventory of resources, is the largest refiner and marketer of petroleum products, and its chemical company is one of the largest in the world. For more information, visit www.exxonmobil.com.

Contacts

Downstream Media Relations
703-846-4467

Source: Market Wire

Funny… Last week when we were talking about it, it was a conspiracy theory.

Ruptured pipeline sends oil coursing down the Yellowstone River

Story/ article here with video

Here is another link with pictures of Yellowstone oil spill
short version for twitter:  bit.ly/lvh81a

Cincinnati - appears to be related to the flooding ??

Interesting Laurel Montana is known for it's July 4 fireworks. I heard on the news over the weekend that some communities are NOT having fireworks because of the dry hot weather calling it "Patriotic" not to have fireworks.  Then next year or in the future there will be a precedent for skipping fireworks.

Exxon oil spill in Mont. river prompts evacuations

An ExxonMobil pipeline that runs under the Yellowstone River near Billings in south-central Montana ruptured and dumped an unknown amount of oil into the waterway, prompting temporary evacuations along the river Saturday morning.

Full story: WXIX-TV Cincinnati

An ExxonMobil pipeline that runs under the Yellowstone River near Billings in south-central Montana ruptured and dumped an unknown amount of oil into the waterway, prompting temporary evacuations along the river Saturday morning

h/t to Jean Stoner and Tim Algier

DICK MORRIS: NEXT TO FALL: SAUDI ARABIA

We can do without Libya's two million barrels a day of oil albeit with significant disruptions in the global economy.  But if we lose Saudi Arabia's nine million, we will face a global catastrophe.

And the Saudi monarchy will be the next casualty of the Middle East revolutionary wave.  The king is 86 years old and very ill.  The next two men in line are both over 80 and both sick.  And, behind those three in line are 7,000 princes, each ambitious and at war with one another.  The monarchy will not be able to buy off the opposition for long with cash subsidies.  (We are indebted to Bret Stephens of the Wall Street Journal for these insights).

The fall of Saudi Arabia will accelerate the stagflation that will mar the final two years of the one-term Obama Presidency.

Republicans need to ratchet up their rhetoric about new drilling for oil.  The 2008 liberal counter-argument that new drilling is not a short term solution begs the question of why the Administration has not used the intervening two years to effectuate the longer term solution that it offered.

Republicans need to be more vocal in criticizing the Administration for its defacto moratorium on off-shore drilling.  Obama's people are so sensitive to these criticisms that they just approved the first permit since the BP spill.

Republicans must call for reining in the regulatory hoops that on-shore slate drilling has to go through to get approval.

Republicans should press for much, much shorter approval times for nuclear power and a ban on EPA regulation and taxation of carbon and coal.

The Party should attack Obama's proposed elimination of the Oil Depletion Allowance and other energy tax breaks and make clear that these incentives are vital for new energy development.
Finally, the Republicans should resurrect the issue of drilling in the ANWR Preserve in Alaska.

Sarah Palin should take the lead in this critique since energy development is her major field of real substantive expertise.  It is an ideal opportunity for her to speak to a broader constituency.

Republicans should also propose a moratorium on the federal gas tax by passing legislation in the House to trigger a reduction once gas goes above $4 and total suspension if it rises above $5 per gallon.  When the price drops again below $4, the gas tax can come back on line.  Such a proposal will mean a cessation of campaign funding from highway contractors, but so be it.

Obama's opposition to fossil fuels is his real Achilles Heel. At some level of gas prices, everybody is for fossil fuel development. Nobody is "green" at $6 a gallon!

By DICK MORRIS & EILEEN MCGANN  -  Published on DickMorris.com on March 9, 2011

Printer-Friendly Version

Please Vote:  Should Obama Release Strategic Oil Reserves?

*** The other night on Hannity, Dick Morris explained that the best thing to do rather than dig into our reserves, because those really should never be touched, is for the government to drop the federal taxes on gasoline/oil until prices go back down.  And for anyone with common sense, the answer is obvious… we must begin to open up more areas and drill.  Developing electric cars and biofuel and  moving forward on wind, solar, tidal, wave, nuclear and hydroelectricity are all needed and suggested… as well as continuing to develop more and better mass transportation, but bottom-line we are far from any of those meeting our energy or transportation needs.  In order to survive as a nation, fix our economy and protect our independence and sovereignty… we must be drilling for more of our own oil, gas and oil shale. ***

Related:

3 to 4.3 Billion Barrels of Technically Recoverable Oil Assessed in North Dakota and Montana’s Bakken Formation — 25 Times More Than 1995 Estimate - March 8, 2011

Boycott Citgo Oil and Gasoline – Owned by Venezuelan Government… O’s Friend Chavez

Did you know that Citgo is owned by the Venezuelan government…?? That’s Hugo Chávez… Marxist dictator who openly hates America and is known for his civil rights violations.

Citgo Petroleum Corporation or Citgo, a subsidiary of Petróleos de Venezuela S.A., the Venezuelan state-owned petroleum company, is a United States-incorporated firm refiner and marketer of gasoline, lubricants, petrochemicals and other petroleum products. PDVSA is controlled by the Venezuelan government. The Citgo gasoline brand was inaugurated in 1965 by the Cities Service Company, a United States based energy company that first rose to prominence in the early 1900s. Cities Service Company was acquired by Occidental Petroleum Corporation in 1982. That same year, Cities Service Company transferred all of the assets of its Refining, Marketing and Transportation division (which comprised its refining and retail petroleum business) into the newly formed Citgo Petroleum Corporation subsidiary, to ease the divestiture of the division. In 1983, Citgo and the Citgo brand was sold by Occidental to Southland Corporation, owners of the 7-Eleven chain of convenience stores; 50% was sold to Petróleos de Venezuela in 1986, and the remainder in 1990. As of 2004, it is headquartered in Houston, Texas, with over 4,000 employees and annual revenue in excess of $32 billion. Citgo has supplied 14,000 retailers, but in July 2006 announced plans to cease serving 14% of their independent retailers in the United States. Before relocating its headquarters to Houston, Citgo was headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (Cities Service Company continued on under various Occidental names as a part of OXY's domestic exploration and production business, but all Cities Service trademarks are now owned by Citgo.)

A number of 7-Eleven stores in the U.S. are licensed to sell motor fuel and lubricants under the Citgo brand.

Has Citgo become a political tool for Hugo Chávez?

By David J. Lynch, USA TODAY

HOUSTON — From the glass-walled building and manicured lawn to the security guard who greets visitors in a cheerful Texas drawl, everything at Citgo Petroleum seems perfectly ordinary.

Motorists pump gas at a Citgo gas station in October. Chavez could destroy the U.S. economy in 90 days, an energy banker said.

By Tim Boyle, Getty Images

But in fact there's nothing ordinary about Citgo. One of the USA's largest refiners, Citgo is a subsidiary of Venezuela's state-owned oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA). As such, it ultimately belongs to Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, an avowedly anti-American leader who counts Fidel Castro among his closest friends and mocks President Bush as a "genocidal murderer."

The question of Chávez's influence over Citgo was highlighted by the company's recent provision of 25 million gallons of subsidized home-heating oil to poor people in the northeast USA. More than 100,000 households in four states should eventually benefit from the low-cost heating aid.

But some worry that Venezuela's ownership of more than 6% of U.S. refinery capacity gives Chávez, a former paratrooper given to wearing red berets and military fatigues, the power to cripple as well as comfort.

As Hurricanes Katrina and Rita demonstrated, any disruption to the nation's refining industry instantly increases gas prices. What if Chávez, who periodically threatens to curtail oil shipments to the USA, closed Citgo's refineries? (Read Full Article)

Chavez Furiously Backtracking As Venezuela Petro-Economy Deteriorates

(Translation: Chavez Begs for Foreign $$ After Running Economy Into Ground)

In anticipation of Thursday's Carabobo oil field auction, outspoken Marxist president Hugo Chavez quietly pleaded for foreign investment.

""Investment and experience from foreign oil firms is necessary in Venezuela. We need it," Chavez said, according to Dow Jones.

The statement is a serious turnaround for a government that has nationalized dozens of foreign oil companies in recent years. But they 'need' foreign investment because mismanagement is turning the country into just another failed petro-state.

This is also the second instance of Chavez backtracking today.

Chavez reversed a six-year ban on the sale of U.S. dollars by Venezuela's central bank, in an effort to control the vast amount of money that was leaving the country through unregulated exchange, according to Bloomberg.

He had previously threatened to "burn the hands" of speculators who speculated against the bolivar.

Hopefully the president understands that if the U.S .government sends (more) aid to his Marxist friend, it could mean curtains for him!!

And Americans need to stop purchasing Citgo products and invest in U.S. stocks and US friendly (country) stocks.

President Trump? What If?

What if Donald Trump were President? What would he do?

As a guest on Greta Van Susteren’s show, on Fox News tonight, Donald Trump said that OPEC is laughing at us and the banks aren’t lending… and both are killing us financially!

He said that there is oil sitting in tankers everywhere and OPEC will dump it rather than sell it to us at a decent rate. HMMMM… so much for Obama’s cow-towing (and bowing) to the Arabs having any positive effect for America… in any arena!!

When Greta asked Donald Trump what he’d do if he were President he said he would force the banks to loan the stimulus money that we, the taxpayers, have given them. He said no matter how wealthy you are, you cannot go out and get a loan. The banks are just sitting on that money, covering their bottom-line.

Then Trump added that he would get the smartest and toughest guy he knew… a businessman, not a politician, to get over to the Middle East to negotiate, as well as splitting up OPEC. OPEC is a monopoly that would be illegal by the standards of most countries and they have destroyed many countries in the process by their greed. Trump said that OPEC has taken advantage of us for years; oil should be $20 a barrel, not $70.

There is an old blog post online from 2005 where Trump was saying these same things. Amazing how we don’t listen to people who know how to make and how to manage money?!? It is like the old adage: Those that can… do. Those that can’t… teach. The same goes for government: Those that can… do. Those that can’t… go into government service; just take a look at the Obama Administration.

Trump said that some of the smartest people he knows say if oil costs more than $20 to $30 a barrel, you have a problem. Last year OPEC pushed oil over a $100 a barrel, now it is at $70, and America can't afford it! He closed by saying, "Very few people, except me, are telling you that or trying to do anything about it". Perhaps you need to ask yourself why?!?

Ask Marion – Knowledge Creates Power