Military Intervention; Receivership: What If Venezuela’s Citgo Caused The Gulf Oil Spill Instead Of BP?
Read Time:3 Minute, 4 Second
Barack can’t part the sea for BP to repair the oil gusher, but one thing he can and should have done a month ago was send the military to assist in keeping the oil from reaching the shorelines. This is a disaster, and the US is well known for taking responsibility for helping for other countries for all sorts of reasons. We help them time of need, as well as “fighting for democracy” or “fighting against terrorism”. Why not help and fight for ours during this crisis?
Another option President Obama has is to place BP in receivership. Doing so “gives the government authority to take over BP’s operations in the Gulf of Mexico until the gusher is stopped,” wrote Robert Reich, a policy professor who served under two former administrations.
Now there’s an idea to strike fear in the money-shaped hearts of every major stockholder and bankster on Wall Street, and their buddies they bankroll in politics. This is why the idea has received scant attention in the media.
And no, receivership won’t change BP’s work on trying to solve the problem. It will be the same company – with a different master. Before you jump and say, no, we can’t do this, BP is not an American company, I say Yes We Can. And now I’ll prove it to you.
What if this disaster had been caused by Citgo?
Citgo is owned by Venezuela. You know… them. Yes, that oil-rich South American democracy run by Hugo Chavez whom George W. Bush and the Right in particular loves to hate and wanted so badly to undermine, if not destroy.
My oh my, but how different things would be if the Gulf Oil Spill had been caused by Citgo. Right off the bat, we can multiply the existing outrage.
There would be no BP executive with a cute British accent, or a blond haired American spokesperson to sooth the public, or even a political puppet for the corporatocracy to justify how it’s been handled so far.
Nope, if it were Citgo, the media and a good portion of the public would be far more aggressive and screaming for their heads, hating on even more Latinos here, and calling the Gulf Oil Spill an act of terrorism. They and a bunch of our politicians would be fully ready to use this catastrophe, to not only take over the company, but to invade their country.
Ya think Barack wouldn’t go along with that? Think again.
Given his track record to date, I think President Let’s Be Bipartisan & All Get Along would buckle under the pressure from Big Oil, Big Defense, the GOP, and the Far Right faster than he did on healthcare reform, FISA, and that bill that says the government can kill Americans on US soil suspected of terrorist activities.
Lao Tsu, a Chinese philosopher around the time of Confucius, said “Never let someone be your priority when you are their option.”
I wish someone would remind Barack of this, because that’s my assessment of his relationship with Big Oil and some of the other Big Bastards running the show. No long term good can come of this, for him or us.
I want to see Barack down and ready for taking over BP in a receivership, and sending the military to the Gulf like he did in the Haiti earthquake. Aren’t our disaster needs as worthy as theirs? Why is BP’s negligence any different than Citgo’s would have been in the same situation?
We we need to see Barack take full charge, regardless of the politics involved or who did it, because it’s the right thing to do under the circumstances.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://i0.wp.com/img.zemanta.com/reblog_b.png?w=1140)
Happy
0 %
Sad
0 %
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
0 %
Surprise
0 %
0
0
Oso: “I can only imagine the hysteria from Fox and the rest of the Right. But the thing is, they hate him anyway… So if he stands up here …oh hell …he’s not…”
Tim: “Mr.President get out in front of this. Be proactive.”
Randall: “BP’s fault? Okay. Citgo’s fault? Histrionics.”
Gwen: “…what a good, sound piece, I mean, this IS THE SHIT.”
Thanks y’all. I give credit to the guy whose idea has been all but censored by the media.
And from Holte: “Citgo [does] not drill in the Gulf…”
No shit.
Also from Holte: “Plus Chavez suspended democracy…”
Laughable.
Holte, what’s up with your comments that duck and derail the issue? I’ll be candid b/c I think you know the point: if Citgo had done the deed, the country and the Prez would be doing a smackdown on Venezuela and have Citgo’s assets here in receivership, and it would take five days, not fifty years as you want to think.
I wouldn’t care if Barack was my daddy or my husband, this shit is BIG, and one time when principles are, or should be, more important than politics or Superman O.
Kit,
regarding Obama, there’s a phrase we learned at rehab hella years ago. “Playing goodboy”. Wanting to please, to please someone in authority or someone who didn’t like you. Doing something maybe slightly demeaning or contrary to your nature to try to show the authority figure you’re doing what they want or to show the person doesn’t like you that you can do things their way.
There are certain people, ClusterFox news or bigots or just your garden-variety dumbass who are gonna hate you no matter what. I don’t know if Obama really doesn’t get that or if it’s part of the Kabuki.
I had to look up the word Kabuki, which jogged my memory. I was lucky enough to have seen a Kabuki play in Seattle given for free in the ’80s. What I remember most about it was an absence of the color blue, and against other strong colors, the effect was amazing.
So I looked it up. “Generally the subject matter would be based around a conflict in which the characters of a play become entangled. This would always move to a logical conclusion that lay within the recognised code of ethics, which governed the Edo period society. If a hero transgressed, he would pay with his life. Honour always had to be served.”
Yeah, with Obama and this drama, that sounds accurate. Excellent, excellent metaphor for his dilemma, Oso.
Thanks Kit. I’ve never had the opportunity to see a Kabuki play. Lack of blue is interesting. Wonder why that would be?
Thanks for correcting my bad grammar, I really enjoyed that, but I do (does) speak a lot cuter than I write.
Well, glad you ain’t mad. I’s get passionate about criminals hurting Mother Earth.
I mean I can’t tell you, … I mean what a good, sound piece, I mean, this IS THE SHIT. Great piece Kit. I’ve reread it now several times. Comments, too. This a good discussion. I’m good sitting at the end of the bar just listening. 🙂
Prez for life? No no no no.
I quite like the idea of a dictatorship over here – tempered with assassination…;-)
BP’s fault? Okay. Citgo’s fault? Histrionics.
Israeli terrorism? Self defense. Islamic terrorism? Fundie whackjobs. Death, taxes, and fuckery.
Holte
On this I believe you are mistaken. Under a National Emergency The President reserves the right to extraordinary things if not for the long term, an intervention. By putting BP in receivership for the short term (hopefully) until this National emergency has subsided will enable us to get information as it happens. Case in Point, were trying to find out if the casing did fail during “Top Kill” as evidence suggest oil is emanating from the Sea floor. This would be a Doomsday Scenario.
Since BP still must work for their investors, this news is not from BP. Pardon the pun, it leaked out. So yes, as I’ve written on this too, Mr.President get out in front of this.
Be proactive.
Made my statement based on the belief that assets that are overseas cannot be sequestrated. If they could the IRS and Treasury should be taking a long hard look at The Caymans. But perhaps that’s a different subject. Thanks Tim.
Citgo do not drill in the Gulf, their oil is local, and without knowing for 100% sure, I will state that the technology needed for Citgo to provide Chavez with his bravado is American made. Plus Chavez suspended democracy when made himself president for life.
BP is not strictly a British company any more, but an international one registered in London, and if President Obama took your advice and nationalized them, he would have to go through British courts to do it. Might take 50 years.
Chavez didn’t suspend democracy, he did campaign to end term limits and far as I know that thing passed last year.his second term doesn’t expire till 2012 and he claims he’ll step down. Whether he will or he won’t who knows, but he’d still have to run for office every six years.
Your turn to be right Oso. But I believe he will be president as long as he wants to. Power is a drug.
LOL I’ll most likely be wrong about something within the hour.We can keep this up forever!
I agree, much as I’d like to believe him my gut tells me in 2012 he’ll run again. I believe it’s more altruism than corruption-but your drug analogy is likely closest to the truth,sadly.
Kit,
I commented at your site, but reading this portion here brought to mind something that I think Reich touched on, the fact that BP is ALWAYS gonna have their shareholders uppermost in their effort but if we nationalized them, then uppermost in the effort would be the public good.Full speed ahead and damn the shareholders.
Yes, I just saw that. Thank you, Oso.
Perhaps the BP execs are more concerned about their bonuses than even the shareholders?
And, I think this would cause a panic in the stock market and possibly a crash, but since it’s a train wreck waiting to crash anyway, it might not make a difference.
I believe you’re right about the stock market. And I can only imagine the hysteria from Fox and the rest of the Right. But the thing is, they hate him anyway. If he snapped his fingers and everything was as it was before the disaster they’d still find reason to condemn him. Fox and what they represent are partisan and racist and stupid and nothing will change that.
So if he stands up here, had he stood up for healthcare or financial reform…oh hell it’s a moot point he’s not gonna stand up, he’s gonna pursue a middle option which doesn’t scare the bond and stock markets and try to spin it. Spin worked on HCR and financial reform, it’ll probably work here. Dems will lose some seats in November and will be desperate for any positive news. I’ll just keep saying Hail Mary’s cause not much else to do.