Dial Joe-4-Chávez - Massachusetts Democrats love Venezuela's strongman (Kennedy barf alert)

Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chávez is an ally of the Iranian mullahs, a supporter of North Korea, a close friend of Fidel Castro and a good customer for Vladimir Putin's weapon factories. Now he's also a business partner of Joseph P. Kennedy II.

The former Democratic Congressman describes the deal he's cooked up with Mr. Chávez as charity for low-income consumers of heating oil. But it's worth asking what the price of this largesse is to Venezuelans and to U.S. security interests.

The arrangement is this: Mr. Chávez's Citgo--a Houston-based oil company owned by the Venezuelan government--is supplying home heating oil to Mr. Kennedy's Citizens Energy Corporation at a 40% discount. Citizens, a nonprofit outfit, says it passes the savings onto the poor, aiming to help 400,000 homes in 16 states that would otherwise have trouble heating their homes. In the process, Mr. Kennedy happens to get a high-profile publicity plug. If you think you qualify, says the television ad that drew our attention to this partnership, just dial 1-877-Joe-4-Oil.

The Kennedy's always find ways to help the poor without using any of their own fortune.

They are just so philanthropic with other people's money. They always see that they get the credit for it too.

I remember years ago I was on a detail to the Childrens Handicapped Olympics. The kids were doing great, then the Kenndys appeared, the snapshots were popping and ten minutes later they were gone. Photo-op concluded. Its enough to make a grown man Nauseous.

Hmmmm...can you just imagine if this was someone with the last name of Bush instead of Kennedy??!!

Discount Heating Oil Delivered (Philadelphia, PA - 11/28/06)

NICETOWN -- November 28, 2006 - It's not often that a Kennedy comes to the Nicetown section of Philadelphia...especially not a Kennedy who's making a heating oil delivery.

But that's what happened Tuesday morning, when former Congressman Joe Kennedy personally delivered a tankful of discounted Venezuelan heating oil to Ann Henry, a 68-year old great-grandmother.

Last year, it cost Henry about $1,000 a month to heat her 17 room house. She said "I get ten prescriptions a month. Sometimes I'm not able to pay for all of them, so by being able to get this oil at a 40% discount, it means everything to me."

25,000 low-income households in the Philadelphia area are eligible to receive the discounted heating oil.

It's being provided by Citgo, a subsidiary of the state-owned Venezuelan petroleum company, as a goodwill gesture.

Citgo CEO Felix Rodriguez, who was with Kennedy on Tuesday, said "When the oil price increases, the poor people suffer."

Kennedy's non-profit Citizens Energy Corporation will oversee the distribution of the discounted heating oil in 16 states and to more than 160 Native American tribes.

"The Venezuelans are going to provide us with over 100-million gallons," said Kennedy, "committed to over 400,000 low-income families throughout our country.".....

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