No matter what, the proceeds still go to Hugo Chavez.
A recent letter from South Carolinian Traci Powers urged members of our community to be good Americans and avoid buying gas at CITGO stations.
As small business owners who own Curgin's Corner CITGO gas station in our local area, we want to set the record straight.
Aside from the numerous factual errors raised in the letter, the underlying message of urging a boycott against American-owned local businesses to send some sort of geo-political message could not be further off the mark. Around Augusta, the CITGO network is represented by more than 500 locally owned service stations as well as a terminal, generating more than 3,500 jobs for hard-working Americans in their communities.
These CITGO locations provide consumers with quality goods and services, and in turn pay taxes to federal, state and local governments.
In addition, local CITGO suppliers and operators are active in charitable giving in their communities, supporting programs such as the Muscular Dystrophy Association. In Georgia alone, the network of independent CITGOs raised $625,000 for MDA so far this year. In addition, for the past several years CITGO has been a sponsor and promoter of the American Red Cross, which covers Georgia, South Carolina and a northern section of Florida, working closely with them during the summer months to give away free gas to those who donate blood.
These are just a few of the charitable activities CITGO engages in locally. Many of our fellow Georgia and South Carolina CITGO distributors and their retailers contribute to the American Cancer Society, Breast Cancer Awareness and school sports. Our CITGO location, like all CITGO stations in the United States, is dedicated to helping millions of Americans through the fuel we sell, the taxes we pay and the jobs we help create.
If you buy CITGO, you are supporting local American businesses and your local community. Driving past an independently owned CITGO station ultimately hurts our community and the employees we help put to work -- and that's not good for anybody.
Russell & Rachael Curry, Curgin's Corner Citgo, Graniteville, S.C.
Comments
No matter what, the proceeds still go to Hugo Chavez.
As if the Saudis and the rest of the swine are any better? Just because he's not OUR dictator doesn't make him any worse or better!!
Boycotting heroin sales only hurts the local drug dealers...not the terrorists poppy growers.
Way to go reader54.....keep supporting a socialist dictator. You didn't, by chance, VOTE for a socialist as well?
Mr. and Mrs. Curry, you and other local owners are not the problem. What you do to employ and contribute is not the problem. Your fuel supplier is the problem. You should have picked a different brand of fuel to sell. I'll bet that if more of us continue to boycott Citgo, you will wise up and go with a different brand, or you will go out of business. Murphy USA sells American produced fuels. Could you carry out those same charitable acts and employ the same people while selling fuel for someone other than Hugo Chavez?
Chavez's crude is going to get marketed and consumed whether by the USA or others. It's time for folks to realize there is a nation outside the CSRA and even a global econommy beyond the USA. This is an excellent letter for those who chose to make decisions based on facts.
I agree with mutt. Change to another brand and stay in business. I refuse to send my dollars to a dictator who called Bush a devil and who wants the US to go down.
According to Murphy's website they obtain oil from the US, UK,Equador,Canada,Malysia (the most Muslim population in SE Asia and is a Muslim government and home to the terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah which is linked to Al Queda), and expect to start getting oil from the Congo in 2009. I'm not sure but I would imagine any station you stop at has received it's original crude from the saudi's or some other country that is not a bastion of democacy. At least I can't find anything online about a company that uses only US oil.
There is no right or wrong as long as you contribute to a good charity. With enough layers, there's also no culpability. Sending money to terrorists and supporting the Chavez regime are okay if you seem to do good otherwise. While this is a fine LTE, mutt's response seems to ask all of the right questions.
Great reasoning RA. Lots of blather, not much thought.
Just listen to yourselves (sister, rbk and mutt), complaining about where the oil originates. So you also boycott Walmart, where all those products come from COMMUNIST China?
Reader -good point concerning "just because he's not our dictator." A prime example of that is Saddam was okay in the 80's when he was at war with Iran, it didn't matter then that he was a brutal dictator.
Also, excellent post from Retired Army.
As Retired Army pointed out the 911 terrorists were from Saudi Arabia, yet I don't see you complaining about that country. I just don't understand the logic of some of these posts.
There's a news report that Indian authorities believe a school in Pakistan officially supported by an Islamic radical group was the headquarters for the terrorists that attacked in Mumbai and is funded by Saudis. But hey, don't worry about the Saudis, Chavez is the boogie man.
Thank You, Retired Army, for sharing your INFORMED observations. Chavez, like so many of our own monkeys, is merely a politician who knows which emotional button to press. I have been a CITGO customer since it was Cities Service.
You all miss the major point: We have to buy oil from despots and dictators because the idiots in this country keep sending socialists to Washington. Wake up people, if you keep supporting those who hate this country you are guilty of thier crimes. At least our laws would call you accomplices. Get us a government which will allow us to drill for the oil under our sovreign territory, and we can stop helping others destroy us. Most of the support for the local Citgo operators here above is a passionate plea for us to keep supporting their friends. Mine is a passionate plea for us to begin supporting our own country to the detriment of the rest of the world.
I'm with mutt. All the Currys need to do is change the brand of fuel they sell. Their business practices can stay the same.
Geistlich..and just how long is that domestic supply of oil going to last us? How about investing in energy alternatives research and getting away from fossil fuels?
Also, surprised to see Geistlich refer to Cheney as a socialist, it's been his energy plan that has been operating for 8 years now. And it was that socialist republican congress that passed it.
It is none of my business where you buy your gas. My only comment is the unfair reference to the 9/11 terrorist. They were not state sponsored. To blame the Saudies seems unfair. McVeigh was a U.S. citizen, we don't hold all Americans responsible for his actions.
Little Lamb - and do you also think that Walmart should buy American instead of COMMUNIST China products? But of course, Walmart's business practices could certainly use some changes.
As soon as I learned that profits from Citgo fuel go to the Venezuelan dictatorship I promised myself I would never ever buy from a Citgo station. You local business folks have a choice in whose label you want on your gas stations and stores. I have made my choice to not do anything that is even remotely supportive of communistic, socialistic, dictator regimes as Chavis' Venezuela. If I ran out of gas in front of a Citgo I would walk before buying gas from Chavez, who admittedly hates the U.S.A., but loves our money. You have a choice of what name you want on your business. This American man will never buy from Citgo.
You're right fd1962, and that's what's about to happen in the US because so many feel it doesn't affect them personally. So many can't see past today. So many don't realize that this is just a first step. So many don't understand the lesson taught by "how to boil a frog".
Dictators come...dictators go. Where the oil comes from is of little difference. The problem is our dependence on these dictators(all of them) for any thing. We need alternative energy sources now. It's kinda like being addicted to crack. Keep using and they eventually have the upper hand.
Curly- as I stated earlier to others, so you don't shop at Walmart either? Remember Huffy Bike and Etch-a-sketch? Both used to be American companies in Ohio until Walmart demanded them to produce their products at lower and lower costs. This forced the companies to move factories to China.
Sorry I went so fast RA. My comment was meant to say " Al Capone was generous and kind and gave much to charities. Everyone gaining wealth by doing business with him should have been beyond criticism." The support of Chavez seems to be the same sort of thing.
Lot's of people in here with their heads in the sand! As PT and and IPUTT says, this is the beginning of things to come if us Americans do not take a stand ! I am taking my stand without regret or intimidation from liberals with blinders on.
reader54 Where in the hell did you get you degree in stupidity I would like to write them to let them know they succeeded
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