Venezuela has been well and truly Fracked by the USA

Editor’s Note: We’re not sure about the accuracy of some of the statements by Peter Binose. We encourage our readers to research what Mr. Binose says and to state their opinions in the comments section.

Let ‘er rip!

By Peter Binose

Oil prices are down worldwide due to the Americans discovery and application of a process called fracking, and an oil pipeline from Canada.

“It’s such a shame that Chavez is no longer with us to experience Venezuela getting a good fracking.” 

Fracking is the process of drilling down into the earth before a high-pressure water mixture is directed at the rock to release the gas inside. Water, sand and chemicals are injected into the rock at high pressure which allows the gas to flow out to the head of the well.

The Venezuelans held the USA hostage with oil supplies for years, even offering cheap oil to certain cities and communities as a snub to the US Government. The Venezuelans own gas stations all over the US, thus squeezing those extra dimes from the Americans.

Citgo is a U.S. refining and marketing firm that is a wholly owned subsidiary of Venezuela’s state-owned oil company. Money you pay to Citgo goes primarily to Venezuela. There are 14,000 Citgo gas stations in the US. By buying gasoline at Citgo, American are contributing to the billions of dollars that Venezuela’s democratic government is wasting on military arms.

Venezuela Dictator Hugo Chavez Vowed To Bring Down U.S. Government. Chavez, president of Venezuela, told a TV audience: “Enough of imperialist aggression; we must tell the world: down with the U.S. empire. We have to bury imperialism this century.”

It’s such a shame that Chavez is no longer with us to experience Venezuela getting a good fracking. 

Britain in the Turks and Caicos: Is it about oil?

TCI Post: Are the British here to help us or themselves?

Then I asked myself, why now?  Why do the British want the oil now years after the oil discovery.  At first I thought it was because of British economy was doing so poorly that they wanted access to cash from the oil.  The timing makes sense because the British muscled in during the height of their economic crash, but then I read this, “The entire Caribbean Basin is sitting on one of the largest oil and natural gas reserves ever discovered, but they are deep, and are only now in 2010 proving accessible.”

This oil accessibility announcement came right after the British forced their way into Turks and Caicos.  It’s too much of a coincidence for this editor…

… from the TCI Post article Is Britain after the oil?

Barbados Awards Oil Rights To Company Responsible For Worst Environmental Mining Disaster!

“Every (year) over the past twenty years, the Ok Tedi mine in Papua New Guinea (PNG) has dumped 80,000 tons of waste into the Ok Tedi and Fly Rivers. The result has been an environmental disaster that has destroyed thousands of square kilometers of rainforest and caused terrible hardship for local people…

Australian mining giant BHP Billiton was the major shareholder in Ok Tedi Mining Ltd (OTML) and the mine operator until early 2002. At this time, the company handed over its majority stake in OTML to the newly formed and ironically named Sustainable Development Project Company.

This quiet revolution demonstrates the power of transnational corporations in PNG. With the transfer, BHP gained legal indemnity from PNG government action with respect to all the pollution and destruction it has already caused and will cause in the future. The government surrendered its sovereignty, failing to protect its citizens by setting environmental standards and monitoring corporate activities.” … Friends of the Earth International

BHP Billiton Destroyed A Country, Took The Profits And Then Transferred The Mess To Another Company To Limit Ongoing Liability – JUST LIKE SHELL DID IN BARBADOS

I don’t know whether to laugh or cry at this my friends.

Prime Minister David Thompson and the Democratic Labour Party have just awarded the first Barbados offshore oil exploration rights to a company that does hit and run environmental disasters.

No Rules: Thompson awarded oil contract to a company known to bribe government officials

You know the type of company that goes into a small country and rapes vast areas without a care about destroying the environment? That is BHP Billiton. A company that brings long-term sickness that injures thousands. A company that leaves malformed babies and miscarriages in its wake. Then after they make hundreds of millions, they “sell” the entire operation and leftover mess to some little nothing of a shell company so BHP Billiton can walk away without liability for the disaster.

Then they go to another little country like Barbados, pay lots of bribes and start all over again.

Oh… and here is the BEST PART….

BHP Billiton themselves started as a little company that SHELL OIL used to walk away from an environmental disaster! You know, the same SHELL OIL that walked away from the environmental damage they caused in Barbados with jet fuel. (see To HELL with SHELL – Barbados Boycotts Shell)

That is BHP Billiton.

Full story and many links at Keltruth Blog’s Barbados Awards Offshore Oil-Exploration Rights To Company Responsible For Worst Environmental Disaster

Prime Minister Thompson: I am ashamed that I once supported you and your government.

Oil Dropping – But LIAT Keeps High Fuel Surcharges!

With Oil now dropping to around US$40 a barrel WHY have LIAT’s fuel surcharges not been further reduced?

Buy the cheapest currently available return airline seat from Barbados to St. Lucia and you will pay US$200.45.

Of that figure US$125.45 are passenger facility charges, VAT, Airport Departure taxes (US$52.50) Airport Authority or Passenger tax and a massive US$47.50 in fuel surcharges and insurance.

First of all I wonder how consumers would respond, if hotels and other tourism partners starting showing insurance as an additional add-on?

Secondly, exactly what is the current fuel cost of flying a full Dash 8 to St. Lucia from Barbados and back?

Less than US$2,375 or the fuel surcharge applied methinks!

So when exactly is LIAT going to pass on their fuel savings?

They chose to run to the media when a token reduction of US$5 came off previous surcharges. Now that the cost of oil is nearly a quarter of price paid a few weeks ago, how much longer will it take to respond?

Is this another case of price gouging?

And as LIAT is owned by a number of Caribbean Government’s are they complicit in that price gouging?

Many airlines have already substantially reduced or totally eliminated fuel surcharges, so have cruise ship companies, but not LIAT!

So many questions!

Adrian Loveridge

Which “Oil Consultants” Received A Share Of The $2 Million Paid Out By Barbados?

“We spent about $2 million doing the marketing and promotion, producing literature and so on to send out to the companies, to attract them as well as in consultancy fees. We have made about BDS$8 million so far.” …former Minister Liz Thompson talking about the Oil Bidding Process in November 2007.

Where Did The “Consulting Fees” Go?

One of the methods used by crooked Barbados politicians to transfer public funds to their own bank accounts is to engage a series of “consultants” and “consulting companies” for government projects. Sometimes the “consultant” will later give a “gift” to the government official or politician who did the hiring. Sometimes the “consulting company” just happens to be owned by the spouse, son or uncle of the government official.

And here’s the best part, folks… there is no law against this unethical behaviour in Barbados!!!

That’s right… it is not illegal or against any government code for a Minister of Government or other government official to receive a “gift” from the same company they awarded a fat government contract to! We have no ITAL (Integrity, Transparency, Accountability Legislation).

Prime Minister David Thompson and the DLP promised to adopt a Ministerial Code right away, but they failed to do so mere weeks after making the ITAL promise that won them the election.

So where did YOUR $2 Million dollars get spent in the oil bidding process? Do any of the consulting firms have any association with any Barbados government official? Have any of the oil companies provided any “gifts” to any Barbados government official?

Don’t ask, folks. Under the DLP David Thompson Government, you have no right to know the details of how your tax dollars are being spent!

The Nation News Says Venezuela Oil Claim Story Wasn’t Important Enough To Print!

Do you need a chuckle this morning, friends?

Albert Brandford published a Nation News story “Oil Block“ where he claims that the newspaper had the details of the new Venezuela claim to two blocks of Barbados offshore oil last Monday… and that he interviewed Minister Sinckler last Monday.

Seeing as how The Nation News didn’t publish the story until today, Thursday, I guess they just didn’t think it was important enough to do so!

Minister Sinckler claims he knew about the Venezuela story on Sunday – which was the day before Petroleumworld published it. Could have happened that way I guess, but the Nation News story sure seems to be going to a lot of trouble to get the point across that neither the government nor the media were asleep.

Mr. Brandford, methinks thou protesteth too vigorously!

Barbados Free Press first published our story Venezuela Claims Two Blocks Of Barbados Offshore Oil! on Monday June 16, 2008 at 5:13am (Bridgetown) and updated it with a photo at 8:10am (Bridgetown).

Gee… do you think that Albert Brandford read Barbados Free Press on Monday morning?