If The Shill Fits
James Martin, writing in the Charlotte Observer, takes Joseph Kennedy II to the woodshed today for Kennedy's acting as a shill for (T)Hugo Chavez. Touting the beneficence of a tyrannical thug who is turning Venezuela into a police state is not something to be proud of.
Former Massachusetts Rep. Joseph Kennedy II has been playing a strange game of political footsie with the virulently anti-American Venezuelan caudillo Hugo Chavez, who is in the final stages of turning a once-flourishing democracy into a South American replica of Fidel Castro's Cuba.
He is willing to turn a blind eye to the repression of 26 million Venezuelans because Chavez ordered state-owned Citgo to donate millions of gallons of discounted heating oil to Kennedy's non-profit Citizen Energy Corp. for distribution to low-income households.
Kennedy has been featured in Citgo TV ads running in 16 major markets touting the heating oil program as an example of a socially conscious corporation helping the downtrodden.
The ads show grateful elderly Americans bemoaning their inability to buy heating oil at "affordable" prices. Kennedy then steps forward as a shining knight of altruism saying: "I'm Joe Kennedy. Help is on the way …heating oil at 40 percent off from our friends in Venezuela and Citgo."
As the head of a national senior citizen's organization, I have testified before Congress on the need to increase energy funding to help low-income senior citizens stay warm in the winter. Yet aiding and abetting a thug who hates America ought to be well beyond the pale.
Kennedy's timing is less than impeccable. He ought to know that Chavez already has moved to nationalize most of Venezuela's industries and is brow-beating their owners to accept pennies-on-the-dollar compensation.
Kennedy calls Chavez a "true friend of America and social justice". The lights are going out in Venezuela and Kennedy sings the praises of the man who is killing that nation. That's pretty shameful. Not exactly what America is supposed to stand for, either.
Left Wing, World news | Gaius March 19, 2007
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Maggie's Farm — March 20, 2007 @ 9:35 am
By BlogDog, March 19, 2007 @ 8:49 am
I’ve been wondering when the Venezuelan people will come to their senses and see that their Maximum Leader is giving welfare to the Gringos.
Perhaps after the entire Venzy economy has been flushed, Chavez will be called to account by his own people. But I’m not holding my breath.
By Jim Rose, March 19, 2007 @ 9:59 am
You are, of course, aware that Joe the Commie is drawing 400K per annum from his scam charity. I’m sure that plenty of other neer-do-well Kennedys and their hangers-on are on the charity payroll also. You know the trust-fund kids motte: Don’t Touch The Principal!
JR
By Rightmom, March 19, 2007 @ 12:11 pm
Those Kennedy’s always at the forefront of “socialism” unless of course it would mean they would have to give up their goodies. I recently saw that documents were released in Russia that showed Teddy himself working behind the back of President Reagan (traitor). So I am hardly surprised at this piece of news. The problem seems to be that when people are rich they tend to get “elitest guilt” disease and guess who pays for that? not them! us!