This is Adam Carman's original article. Thankfully, it was edited before print.

Latin American Dictator Owns Houghton Gas Station: Students Organize Protest
Guest Article by Adam Carman.


Should American college students, already strapped for cash, pay what little money they have to a gas company solely owned by a government hostile to the United States? Some of us say, no. To this end, in the following weeks, a petition will be circulating to the owners of Houghton’s only gas station to change their supplier from Citgo to Mobil, a reverse to a change they made in the past. The reason for this petition is, on the surface, a political one. Citgo is owned, solely not in part, by the government of Venezeula, whose dictator-like president, Hugo Chavez, has declared open enmity for the United States, vowing to be President Bush’s “worst nightmare.” I recognize that hyperbole is a big part of these dictators’ lives—remember Saddam Hussein—but is it fair to ask Americans, however they may personally think of President Bush, to support a left-wing thug determined to make trouble for their country? I urge everyone who reads this to look for the petition at dinners in the upcoming weeks leading up to the Break. The petition will be respectful, and will simply request the change on the basis of who the owner of Citgo is; if the owners of the gas station do not see fit to meet the request, we will take it to the next stage, meaning a boycott and public protest of the gas station. Houghton only has one gas station so we already have been denied a choice, unless we want to spend gas money to drive further, and it is unfair to have to choose between spending gas money and supporting a third world enemy. But beyond this there is an economic concern. As I drove through Allegheny and the surrounding counties the last couple weeks, I noticed a pattern. Citgo gas was routinely ten to twelve cents more expensive than all its competitors. When the Houghton gas station has one of their “gas sales” you can get a pretty good idea of what other gas stations are charging regularly, particularly Mobil. So not only are college students supporting the extremist Venezuelan government but they are paying more money for gas. If you’re anything like me, you have little money to spare yet even the money you spend driving to Fillmore or Nunda is saving you money at the pump. Of course this is an argument for the other side, who insist that as filthy Westerners we ought to pay more for the same (or inferior in the case of Fair Trade coffee) kinds of goods to assuage our consciences about being powerful and “rich.” This is not at all fair and I don’t see in the end how we are helping the “noble savages” of the Third World by encouraging them to sell us high-priced, under-quality material. Consciences are tricky things and you can’t depend on them forever. Sooner or later, people are going to wake up and say, “Why in the world are we paying so much money for this stuff?” And they’re going to stop. And the Third World peasants will be in deep trouble again. As for gas companies, I see no reason to continue to support the existence of a Citgo as the only gas station in this college town. It’s more expensive than any other, and it is supporting a very questionable cause. Taken together, I believe this is good cause for a change. I urge my fellow students to sign the petition and to demand a change. Democrat or Republican, we are all Americans, and the enemy of our country should be our enemy as well.

This is our rebuttal to Adam's article above.

CITGO ROCKS!

Adam Carman’s accusations and rants against Citgo, Venezuela, and Hugo Chávez in his recent (National Enquirer-styled) Star article are more damaging than constructive—and more false than true. His accusations are baseless. Do not believe his hokum. Don’t sign their hogwash petition!

· Hugo Chávez has not declared enmity towards the American people (more details below); yet he is a very strong critic of the US government operations and foreign policy—not the same thing.
· Hugo Chávez has never said he would be Bush’s “worst nightmare.” Adam, you got your presidents mixed up.
· Chávez is a democratically-elected president. He has won elections and referenda with irrefutable majorities—certified by American and other international organizations.
· The US government, too, has been hostile against the Venezuelan government by covertly backing a coup in 2002, among many other things.
· Pat Robertson, a famous American evangelist and influential leader, called for Chávez’s assassination (though he later apologized).
· US senators sent a letter to 10 major oil companies asking them to donate a portion of their recent record profits (remember Fall 2005 gas prices?) to go to the poor. The only response came from Citgo. So what did they donate? Read below…
· On Jan. 12, 2006, the state of Maine and the Venezuelan government signed a contract through Citgo to provide 8 million gallons of heating oil at a 40% discount to low-income residents and Native Americans.
· A statewide heating assistance program in Massachusetts began, through Citgo, Nov. 22, 2005; and a similar program in the Bronx started Dec. 6. Many more have started throughout the Northeast—a total of 25 million gallons of heating oil. (Any New Yorkers or New Englanders reading this?!) PA and DE are also on the list!
· Chávez, through Citgo, responded more quickly than FEMA and pledged US$1 million in oil, food, and material for Katrina victims. Chávez also offered two mobile hospital units, and 120 rescue and first aid experts.
· Chávez’s vast social programs in Venezuela provide healthcare, education and housing, and promote land reform, nutrition, rural development, and indigenous rights.

If we are going to pick on somebody, let’s pick on Mobil…
· ExxonMobil, which owns Mobil, has a remarkably worse reputation than Citgo over many issues (e.g., environment, human rights, price gouging). Check their record…
· Mobil has repeatedly lobbied against researching for renewable energy sources and is the only oil company member of Arctic Power, a pro-drilling lobby.
· It’s been nearly 17 years since the Exxon Valdez spilled 11 million gallons of crude oil along the Alaska coast in one of the country’s worst environmental disasters, and a jury’s $5 billion judgment against the company is still tied up in the courts. The company only wants to pay $25 million.
· On January 30, 2006 ExxonMobil reported $36 billion profits on $371 billion sales during 2005—42% more than in 2004—more than any other oil company has ever earned during a single year. (The company’s record profits came at a time when working families across America struggled with ever-increasing gas and home heating costs.)
· Oil companies like Valero (a big one) reaped 4.7 cents per dollar in profit last year. Citgo earned just 1.3 cents per dollar.
· Places in the Middle East and other Muslim fundamentalist-influenced countries, where Mobil gets most of its oil, indoctrinate citizens to hate America and everything it entails. There’s no religious freedom, no democracy, women are treated like property. At least Venezuela is a democracy. So, we ask, where do you want your money to go?

· Prices at our Citgo are comparable to prices at other gas stations. “Students' calculations show that money spent driving to Fillmore or Nunda is reimbursed by savings at the pump”—ridiculous.
· The mini-mart has competition. That competition makes its money off selling beer, cigarettes and lottery tickets.
· The mini-mart was started by the Willard J. Houghton Foundation. The foundation is non-profit, dedicated to developing the Houghton College Campus and community. The mini-mart and Citgo are a service to our campus and community, without which everybody would have to travel to other towns to get gas.
· The same distributor of gasoline for the mini-mart also distributes Sunoco gas elsewhere, including Belfast. Chávez does not control the distribution channels or the pricing of gas. No retail seller in their right mind would pay more for gas to make some form of political statement. They all want to pay the least. Venezuela does not own the distributors or the retailers. Venezuela only owns Citgo’s name.
· Carman gave no indication of respectfully discussing the proposed “public protest and boycott” with the gas station managers. As a community-focused campus, don't we have the obligation to communicate such dramatic intentions with those whom our protest will affect? Shouldn't we be concerned for the economic well-being of those whose livelihoods depend on us?
· Finally, Carman’s Star article (which was originally twice as long and blatantly less sensible—you can ask Adam Carman for a copy) is a combination of research failure, and opinions presented as fact. Certainly, as an academic institution, we should strive to have intellectual debate about matters of this gravity, rather than seeking to motivate a student body by utilizing deplorable means.

To sign or not to sign, you decide.

--Endorsed by the Houghton Coalition for Truth, Evangelicals for Social Action, Jeff Spear, and Ted Murphy

Please submit any questions or comments to Chelsea.Kinsman@houghton.edu

Nota Bene: All of our sources are of reputable nature, public dominion, and common sense.

--Approved by the Office of Student Life--