[uNkNowN ElEmEnt]

Rep. Joe Barton, the powerful Texas Republican who is chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, launched a bizarre investigation last week into possible antitrust violations by a major oil company.

You will be surprised to learn that Barton, one of the top recipients in Congress of campaign donations from the energy industry, is not probing whether ExxonMobil or Chevron or any of the other oil giants engaged in price gouging when gasoline and heating oil costs skyrocketed the past few years.

No, the good congressman has set his sights on the only oil company that actually dared to lower its prices last year - at least for the poorest Americans.

In a Feb. 15 letter to Citgo, the Houston-based company owned by the Venezuelan government, Barton demanded that company officials produce by tomorrow all records, minutes, logs, e-mails and even desk calendars related to Citgo's novel program of supplying discounted heating oil to low-income communities in the United States.

[lutherquick]

Looks like the Americans don't like NGO's opened here in America...

To me, Chavez is just promoting some democracy in America.

tisk, tisk...

[rogerhb]

How dare they not put profit of the shareholders first. It's un-American.

[shakespear1]

Excellent observation

[emersonbiggins]

State-owned Chinese oil company wants to buy Unocal? Problem.
State-owned Venezuelan oil company wants to sell oil to the poor at a discount? Problem.
State-owned UAE ports company wants to buy operations at 6 U.S. ports? No problem at all.

I think I get the picture.

[PrairieMule]

It's not about the oil, it's about how Citgo soaks it's customers with the price of Camel Lights and Diet Pepsi. Glad to see someone is on it.

Ever see a Black Chevy Suburban getting gas anywhere else but a Shell or Exxon? It's a conspiracy man! Everything is slight of hand, nothing is what it seems.

[Specop_007]

Oh good. More freebie handouts to the wasted dregs of society. How nice.

[rogerhb]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Specop_007', 'O')h good. More freebie handouts to the wasted dregs of society. How nice.

[PrairieMule]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('rogerhb', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Specop_007', 'O')h good. More freebie handouts to the wasted dregs of society. How nice.

[Zardoz]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Specop_007', 'O')h good. More freebie handouts to the wasted dregs of society. How nice.

[rogerhb]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PrairieMule', 'W')hen did you find Jesus?

[PrairieMule]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('rogerhb', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PrairieMule', 'W')hen did you find Jesus?

[azreal60]

I suppose although I tend more towards rogers point of view, I too would say why not have restraint? But see, I have to disagree with the call for restraint in this case, because what he is saying is not that Chistians are bad. As i understand him, he is saying the Christians in this country are hypocritical and not following their religion very well. Is that the just of what your saying Roger? Because if that's the case, I can not only understand but agree with that statement.

[rogerhb]

I'm not anti-Christian, I am however anti-hypocrit. I consider my upbringing and lifestyle following the christian moral traditions.

My reference to the "fairy tale" was specifically to Revelations, and hailing from the UK you would find few vicars from the C-of-E who would claim that Revelations is a literal prediction. The US, as exampled by the left-behind series, seems to follow a more literal interpretation (the term fundamentalist does not actually apply) of the epilogue to the good book.

Religious wars are the last thing we need in addition to the resource ones.

[Specop_007]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Zardoz', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Specop_007', 'O')h good. More freebie handouts to the wasted dregs of society. How nice.

[HonestPessimist]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('rogerhb', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PrairieMule', 'W')hen did you find Jesus?

[Corpsicle]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Zardoz', '
')Right on, Spec.

[The_Toecutter]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I')t is about time we realized people are resources. A lot of the problems we are facing today could be easily solved by restricting the underproductive surplus population's access to scarce resources such as gas and oil.
Let's face it, if Joe Blow working down at the local McDonalds isn't needed anymore, any rational society would accept his demise as a small loss. And in that vein, I'd like to suggest - if I may - a modest proposal...

[HonestPessimist]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('The_Toecutter', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I')t is about time we realized people are resources. A lot of the problems we are facing today could be easily solved by restricting the underproductive surplus population's access to scarce resources such as gas and oil.
Let's face it, if Joe Blow working down at the local McDonalds isn't needed anymore, any rational society would accept his demise as a small loss. And in that vein, I'd like to suggest - if I may - a modest proposal...

[Dreamtwister]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Specop_007', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Zardoz', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Specop_007', 'O')h good. More freebie handouts to the wasted dregs of society. How nice.