Home > BELAFONTE PRAISES VENEZUELA’S OIL DISCOUNTS
Solidarity Energy USA South/Latin America
Country slashes fuel prices to help ease heating costs among U.S. poor.
*Singer/activist Harry Belafonte has given public props to the government of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez for providing cheap home heating oil to poor families in the United States.
"This generosity that has been offered to the United States says very much about the Venezuelan spirit," said Belafonte during a visit to the country Wednesday to meet with a delegation of civil rights activists.
Venezuela’s state-run oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela SA, and its Houston-based affiliate, Citgo Petroleum Corp., are providing access to more than 20 million gallons of heating oil with a 40 percent discount from market rates to poor families living in Massachusetts and New York. A similar effort is planned for Rhode Island, according to Citgo.
The fuel discounts fly in the face of the Bush Administration, which maintains strong political opposition to the Venezuelan President and his close relationship with Cuban leader Fidel Castro.
Belafonte, who has been a UNICEF goodwill ambassador and was active in the U.S. civil rights movement, said he wanted to learn more about the "Bolivarian Revolution" led by Chavez.
“There are many places in the world where they don’t speak well of President Chavez, or the efforts he is making for the Venezuelan people,” he said. “We’ve decided to come to see what is really happening with our own eyes.”
Forum posts
9 January 2006, 10:31
They don’t speak well of Chavez because he isn’t lining their pockets. End of story.
10 January 2006, 06:04
They don’t speak well of Chavez because he is lining the pockets of arms dealers. End of story.
10 January 2006, 02:53
Harry Belafonte’s favorite politician is the un-elected dictator of Havana. End of story.
10 January 2006, 06:13
Wrong his first choice is Chavez then Castro which is not all that important outside of the US.
Bush 1’s favorite unelected boys are the Kings of Saudi Arabia and Jordan, which given his interest in the Carlyle Group should not surprise anyone, in his spare time he relates well to the elected leaders in Kuwait, Yemen and all the other little countries in the area who coincidentally have oil and 100% control of the people.
Noriega was a favorite of his when he served with the CIA...unfortunately he had to be taken down when he fell out of favour with big George. My favorite statement of his : "I don’t care what the facts are I will always defend America..guess that where Jr learned how to interrupt reality when it didn’t exactly fit facts...examples not needed as the people are slowly figuring this out. Jr’s favorite is the military dictator of Pakistan.
All countries in the UN have voted against the US and Israeli over the blockade of Cuba, on occasion the Marshall Islands will join them.
Harry’s his statement about Colin Powell was rather poignant; " a house nigger" he later added the iron butterfly to this category..he certainty knows about the building of America on the cheap with slavery. Beginning of story..latest episode New Orleans looks to the rest of the world like a third world country...still does when I checked the news yesterday...and the hundreds of other ghettos in America...end of story.
Do you recall this line from one of his songs,"it was as clear as mud but it covered de ground" a good description of US Foreign Policy .
cheers, jt
14 January 2006, 06:29
it takes a nigger to know a nigger, I reckon.
15 January 2006, 07:05
I think the Clan would be offended by your evaluation.
cheers, jt