-A city councilor wants to take down the famed Citgo sign in Kenmore Square in response to controversial remarks by Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, who called President Bush “the devil.”
The Citgo sign has been a Boston landmark for decades, in part because it is so prominently visible over the left-field wall at Fenway Park.
But after Chavez called President Bush “the devil” during a speech Wednesday at the United Nations, Councilor Jerry McDermott said the sign has to go. Citgo is subsidiary of Venezuela’s state oil company. McDermott wants replace the sign with an American flag.
“Given the hatred of the United States displayed by dictator Hugo Chavez, it would be more fitting to see an American flag when you drive through Kenmore Square,” McDermott told The Boston Herald. “I think people would soon forget the Citgo sign.”
I don’t see what the big deal is. First of all, it’s not as though cutting a promo on W. wasn’t the sort of thing countless other world leaders have considered. And McDermott cannot really expect anyone to believe that Kenmore Square is part of America.
A giant American flag? Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Do some homework on what Chavez is doing in Venezuela:
1 He controls the legislative, judicial and executive branches of the Venezuelan government, as well as the electoral commission and the central bank.
2. He is shutting down private media outlets that are critical towards him.
3. He is pushing to ammend the constitution so that he can run for president indefinitely.
4. He is actively working to elimante all political parties in Venezuela other than his own.
5. In a country of immense oil wealth that he has led since 1998, there are no food shortages, 45% inflation, 40% -50% unemployment, 40-50 homicides a day and 80% of the population living in poverty.
6. In a country that has huge economic needs, he takes funds, from his own personal piggy central bank, and has been running around the world throwing money at countries to promote his own personal agenda.
7. He is a friend and political ally of such enlightened political leaders as Robert Mugabe, Muammar el Qadafi, Mahmood Ahmadinejad, Alexander Lukashenko and Fidel Castro.
I grew up in Boston and am I life long Sox fan. To see the Citgo sign from Fenway now makes me sick.
None of the above were cited by Jerry McDermott, by the way — just Chavez’ anti-Bush remarks.
Dave,
You seem to really have your facts together about autocratic leaders of oil-rich countries. Have you done as much “homework” about Messrs Obaing, Nazarbayev and Aliyev as you have about Hugo Chavez?