Boston city councilor wants Citgo sign taken down

Associated Press (via ESPN) ^ | 9/22/06 | Associated Press

[RedCell]

Boston city councilor wants Citgo sign taken down Associated Press

BOSTON -- A city councilor wants a landmark Citgo sign taken down in response to a speech in which Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez called President Bush "the devil."

Citgo is a subsidiary of Venezuela's state oil company, and Councilor Jerry McDermott wants to replace the sign, which is visible from Fenway Park, with a U.S. flag.

"Given the hatred of the United States displayed by dictator Hugo Chavez, it would be more fitting to see an American flag when you drive through Kenmore Square," McDermott told The Boston Herald. "I think people would soon forget the Citgo sign."

Citgo paid $1 million to refurbish the sign last year, said company spokesman David McCollum, who downplayed McDermott's proposed, nonbinding resolution.

"We leave the politics to the politicians," he said.

Chavez called Bush "the devil" in a speech to the United Nations on Wednesday.

[RedCell]

Amen to THAT! I cringe everytime I see that friggin' thing. Tear down that sign!

[SoldierDad]

There could be many ways in which to rid the square of that sign.

[MIchaelTArchangel]

I have the perfect solution to making the Citgo sign the Citgone sign. All Boston University has to do is place a new face on the sign reading: HALIBURTON. There will be thousands of yogurt eating moonbats suffering from apoplexy crashing nearly simultaneously into the base of the stantion causing the ugly sign to crash to the ground resulting in a beautification of the area in two ways--no more ugly lighted sign and numerous vehicles with various moonbat bumperstickers taken off the road.

[fireman43]

This is Boston, fer cryin' out loud! Who's going to object to CITGO or Chavez? By their standards, the guy's a moderate.

[Coldwater Creek]

Sad, but true. LOL

[SheLion]

It's time for us to stop spending our money at Citgo!

[muir_redwoods]

How long has that sign been there? I recall using it as a landmark to orient myself when visiting Kenmore sq back in '68 or so. Anyone know?

BTW, Those sure were the days

[rep-always]

I am boycotting them. Neither my family or I will ever buy one drop of gasoline from any Citgo. A few blocks from my job there is a Citgo Station that is cheaper than all the other stations nearby. But I have noticed since that idiot Chavez started with the trash talk, the station has seen business drop. It used to be pretty full all the time,

[SheLion]

I am boycotting them. Neither my family or I will ever buy one drop of gasoline from any Citgo. A few blocks from my job there is a Citgo Station that is cheaper than all the other stations nearby. But I have noticed since that idiot Chavez started with the trash talk, the station has seen business drop. It used to be pretty full all the time.

Well, the day he was here spewing his trash against our President, Fox News stated that EVERY penny we spend at CITGO goes straight to Chavez!!!

I know that this will hurt the franchises and the American's who work there, but I REFUSE to spend MY money at a business that supports those idiots.  NO WAY!!!

[rep-always]

I agree. I feel bad for the American employees but I feel very deeply that we have to take a firm stand. How long are we going to let these two bit morons continue spewing their venom and not do anything about it. I am done. I refuse to put my pocketbook in front of my country and principle.

[RedCell]

This info brought to you by Wikipedia. Take it for what it's worth:

The Citgo sign

Citgo refers to its logo as the "trimark." A large, double-faced sign featuring this logo overlooks Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts and has become a landmark, partly because of its appearance in the background in televised baseball games. The current 60 foot by 60 foot incarnation, unveiled in March 2005 after a six-month restoration project, features thousands of light-emitting diodes (LEDs). LEDs were selected for their durability, energy efficiency, intensity, and ease of maintenance. Earlier versions featured neon lighting; the previous sign contained some 5,878 glass tubes with a total length of over five miles.
The Citgo sign viewed from the end of Yawkey way by Fenway Park.
Enlarge
The Citgo sign viewed from the end of Yawkey way by Fenway Park.

The first sign, featuring the Cities Service logo, was built in 1940, and replaced with the trimark in 1965. In 1979 Governor Edward J. King ordered it turned off as a symbol of energy conservation. Four years later, Citgo attempted to disassemble the weatherbeaten sign, and was surprised to be met with widespread public affection for the sign and protest at its threatened removal. The Boston Landmarks Commission ordered its disassembly postponed while the issue was debated. While never formally declared a landmark, it was refurbished and relit by Citgo in 1983 and has remained in operation ever since. In 2005, during a major renovation, the neon lights of the Citgo sign were removed and replaced with a light-emitting diode display.

There is no associated Citgo gas station -- the sign is now a historical landmark, visible over the left field wall of Fenway Park during most televised Boston Red Sox games. It was highlighted in the 1968 short film Go, Go Citgo and a 1983 Life Magazine photograph feature. The association with Fenway and the Red Sox is so strong that local little league fields often are decorated with replicas of the Citgo sign, as is Hadlock Field in Portland, Maine.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenmore_Square

[Fiddlstix]

......making the Citgo sign the Citgone sign......

LOL! I Love It!

Citgone

LOL

[pleikumud]

If Chavez weren't the socialist dictator of Venezuela, he'd be a Congressman from the Peoples Republic of Massachusetts.

[EUPHORIC]

AMEN! I will no longer patronize ANY Citgo affiliated business and I believe that EVERY God Fearing American should do the same.

Chavez can just take his "Noam Chomsky" and stick it where the sun don't shine and enjoy his marxist fantasies without my money.