Wednesday, February 01, 2006

I Got Fucked by ExxonMobil and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt

The oil giant just posted the largest profit earnings reports by any American company. Ever. Okay, kinda lame but not unexpected. Now remember that we're fighting a war, in an oil-producing country, and that two hurricanes supposedly hampered their production. Then remember how high prices have been at the pump since the war started. Remember how long you waited in line to get gas after Katrina and how much you were paying for months afterwards. Folks, we have just been fucking fleeced. And it wasn't just ExxonMobil; ConocoPhillips, Chevron, Shell and all those motherfuckers made out pretty well in a year when they should've downgraded profit forecasts and posted only slight gains. But when the story broke, it was a one-day story. So what the hell are we gonna do about this? If you have to buy gas, buy it from Citgo or BP. BP has just as many evil merit badges for controversial pipelines and human rights abuses as any other oil company and its forward-thinking image is criticized for being merely a marketing gimmick, but under John Browne they've become more progressive than any other petroleum company. They devote more to the development of alternative energy than any other energy company, are a leading producer of solar panels (which most of their gas station run on), have renounced campaign contributions and actually acknowledged global warming! They also have a reputation for taking opponents such as Greenpeace seriously and actually sitting down at the table with them and following through on negotiations. There aren't any BP stations in Utah, but some BP brands include Amoco, Castrol, AM/PM and ARCO. As for Citgo, they are owned by the Venezuelan state-owned petroleum company. Their president Hugo Chavez (whom the religious right loves to hate; Pat Robertson even called for his assassination) puts most of his country's petrochemical profits into social and economic programs, a move he has been criticized for (by soulless business suits). Buying gas from these folks probably wont even put a dent in big oil profits, but at least you won't be an asshole.

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