Jesus - could there be a better example of largescale/accepted exercise of greed/elitism and selfishness of corporate executives than this????

While Chavez is about to take over billions of dollars of privately owned commercial enterprises from these companies...it appears a good deal of the "negotiations" was about how much money was Chavez going to give the outgoing executives.

If I owned this property...I would f*cking blow it up before I would allow a government to take over my life-long work.

BBC NEWS | Business | US firms reject Venezuelan deal

I wish "socialists" such as Chavez could see that you can (and should) expand public industry significantly without stealing the property of others.

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Any hour now, the Chavez supporters will rant how great he is.

I'm with Iam though, I'd burn the place(s) to the ground.

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Anyone who thinks freedom comes cheap, please put the blindfold on and stand against the wall.

Many times I believe Americans will have to take back the country and start a new government.

Whoa, at first glance, I thought you were accusing Jesus of these things. Ha.

Have you read Atlas Shrugged? In the beginning of the novel, Dagny is cirisized by someone (may be a steel supplier, I'm sure there is a resident Randian that can help me, well, not help me, but give the correct answer) for having defurnished the trains in Mexico. She did this because a few days later, the Mexican government was going to nationalize the railroads. Sounds like a similar scenario. I have no idea how people like Chavez get away with this crap for so long.

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"Sometimes it is said that man cannot be trusted with the government of himself. Can he, then, be trusted with the government of others? Or have we found angels in the form of kings to govern him? Let history answer this question."
-Thomas Jefferson in his first inauguration address

quite evocative of the fountain head by ayn rand as well atlas shrugged. I totally agree though, if they are going to steal it then it is frickin worthless to you, just blow the stuff up or use some other manner of rendering it useless.

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"Liberty is not a means to a higher political end. It is itself the highest political end - Liberty is the only object which benefits all alike, and provokes no sincere opposition - The danger is not that a particular class is unfit to govern. Every class is unfit to govern. - Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." - Lord Action

Another point...ever notice how the American media has utterly ignored this story?????
American companies worth billions and billions of dollars are about to be taken over by a dictator sworn against our country - and not a whisper from almost all the American media.

But hey, at least we saw live action of Paris Hilton walking out of the jail...thank God for that.

This isn't surprising at all. Governments can take what they want when they want as long as nobody stops them. It's the ultimate thuggery. They usually take as much as they can without angering someone, and that's precisely what Chavez is doing. He's operating within the boundaries that people let him. He knows he can push the US and get away with it.

this guy is proving over and over that he is a despot....yet as you say there are so many who still think this dude is the man

Those who think "he is the man" in his country are usually those who are threatened with losing their jobs and being evicted from their homes if they don't show up to support him on any given day he calls for a protest and a media blitz.

Those in his country who think "he is the man" are those who are threatened with prison if they even think of speaking against him.

Those in his country who think "he is the man" are those who he has brought into his circle and given incredible wealth and power that he just stole from his own people and his own country.

Those in America who think "he is the man" are

Danny Glover

Jane Fonda

George Clooney

Al Franken

Cindy Sheehan

The Dixie Chicks

The Breck Girl (John Edwards)

Ted Kennedy

etc etc


Nuff said.

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I hope those Exxon, Chevron, and BP employees are getting hazard pay for working there. I believe that it's just a matter of time until it will be too dangerous for them.

Pull out what you can, render it useless as much as possible so as to not contribute to his totalitarian government. I wonder if enough qualified chemical and petroleum engineers will remain after all other oil companies pull out? I doubt enough to continue supporting him in the manner to which he has become accustomed.

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I am an American. That's the way most of us put it, just matter of factly. They are plain words, those four: you could write them on your thumbnail, or sweep them clear across this bright autumn sky. But remember too, that they are more than just words. They are a way of life. So whenever you speak them; speak them firmly, speak them proudly, speak them gratefully. I am an American. ...a tradition

It seems that some posters are oblivious as to how the oil industry functions outside the US. No American company owned any oil rights in Venezuela, that was nationalized in the 1970s about the same time the US deregulated oil in the US.

All American oil companies in Venezuela were operating under PSAs, production sharing agreements. Under contractual agreements those companies were providing their professional expertise and capital for a share of the profits from actual production. A business arrangement, nothing else. They did not own any oil rights. The original PSAs were signed in 1992/3 after an auction in which 75 international companies submitted bids. Five companies were awarded PSA contracts with original terms of nine years, renewable on mutual agreement. Venezuela decided to terminate those contracts, perfectly legal and acceptable business practice under international law.

Saudi Arabia did the exact same thing several years ago, as have all other ME oil producers friendly to western nations. There was no US outcry of greed or demands for destruction when that happened.

PSAs are agreements which allow countries lacking capital to exploit their natural resources on a profit sharing basis. When the developing country amasses adequate wealth and expertise to perform exploration and development on its own, the PSAs become rather stupid; why give all that profit to someone else for performing certain functions when internal capability is available.

In the US individuals and corporations own oil rights. They lease those rights to oil companies for purposes of exploration and development, being compensated on a royalty basis, a percentage of production profits or PSA. How many posters advocating destruction of Venezuelan property would feel the same way if an American decided to do his own exploration/development and terminated his agreement with Exxon?

This blind patriotism Americans are following at the prompting of government serving special interests is a classic example of the warnings of our forefathers that the biggest danger to America will come from within.

Jesus - Communist Menace

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Because its quite normal for a country to own their own energy industry nobody talks about it.

And the fact it has absolutely nothing to do with American companies being taken over.

Well, he was a hippie, after all.

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When they come a wull staun ma groon
Staun ma groon al nae be afraid
Thoughts awe hame tak awa ma fear
Sweat an bluid hide ma veil awe tears