Another objectionable mass email

A relative sent this email to most of my family.

Subject: Fw: News Flash

> Verified with SNOPES--this is unnerving
>
> AT A CITGO STATION REGULAR WAS PRICED AT $2.82 PER GALLON, NO
> CUSTOMERS, HOWEVER ACROSS THE STREET IT WAS SELLING FOR $2.85 PER
> GALLON AND ALL PUMPS WERE HAD CARS
> WAITING TO FUEL. HERE'S WHY!!!!
>
> Have you noticed how the Citgo signs have disappeared in the past 7-8
> months? Very clever move by Chavez. But guess what...........
> CITGO IS CHANGING ITS NAME...this is serious Americans...make sure you
> read ..
>
> NEWS FLASH:
>
>
> Chavez is NOW getting a Russian Weapons Factory built by Putin The
> RUSSIANS are building an AK-47 Kalashnikov Assault Rifle factory in
> Venezuela , to give armament support to Communist Rebel groups
> throughout the Americas.
>
> Chavez NOW has IRANIANS operating his oil refineries in Venezuela for
> him. It is likely only a matter of time, if not already, before Chavez
> has Iranian built LONG RANGE missiles, with variety of warhead types
> aimed at: Guess Who?
>
> CITGO is NOW in the process of Changing Its Name to PETRO EXPRESS due to
> the loss of gasoline sales in the USA due to the recent publicity of
> ownership by Chavez of Venezuela .
>
> Every dollar you spend with CITGO or PETRO EXPRESS gasoline will be
> used against you, your basic human rights, and your freedoms. He will
> start wars here in the Americas that will probably be the death of
> millions.
>
> THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT because Chavez is starting to feel the loss of
> revenue from his holdings. HE OWNS CITGO. This is a very important move
> that everyone should be aware of.
>
> ANNOUNCED JUST RECENTLY, CITGO, BEING AWARE THAT SALES ARE DOWN DUE TO
> U.S. CUSTOMERS NOT WANTING TO BUY FROM "CITGO-CHAVEZ", HAVE STARTED
> TOCHANGE THE NAME OF SOME OF THEIR STORES TO: "PETRO EXPRESS"
> DO NOT BUY FROM "PETRO EXPRESS" EITHER!!! "PETRO EXPRESS" IS ALSO 100%
> OWNED BY "CHAVEZ."
>
> KEEP THIS MEMO GOING SO THAT EVERYONE KNOWS WHAT IS HAPPENING.
>
> BOYCOTT "CITGO" AND "PETRO EXPRESS"
>
> MAKE SURE THIS IS PASSED ON TO EVERYONE IN YOUR E-MAIL LIST IN THE
> UNITED STATES AND OUTSIDE OF AMERICA

I sent this response to everyone.

If we're concerned about weapons in the hands of dangerous people that might be counter-productive to America's interests, we might want to be more concerned about this kind of thing. Nobody arms dangerous people with more weapons than the United States.

Additionally, some of the claims in the email might be a wee bit silly, like " Every dollar you spend with CITGO or PETRO EXPRESS gasoline will be used against you, your basic human rights, and your freedoms." This article explains how this claim is wildly inaccurate from an economic perspective, although economics are the least of the problems there. The idea that Hugo Chavez is actively attempting to violate American human rights and freedoms on a massive scale is pretty silly. Note that he has offered cheap heating oil to American poor. In his own country, he's fought poverty in numerous ways, getting real results. Let's worry about human rights violations and attacks on personal freedoms committed by our own government before we start worrying about hypothetical future violations by someone else.

Or "he will start wars here in the Americas that will probably be the death of millions." If we're worried about wars that will probably be the death of millions, maybe we ought to get our own forces of Iraq. As of a year ago, the best scientific estimate of the number of Iraqi deaths that had occurred since our invasion that wouldn't have happened if we had not invaded was 655,000. We're easily on pace to kill well over a million.

Note that none of this should be construed as blanket support for Hugo Chavez. There might well be valid criticisms of his policies and practices, but absurd fear-mongering hype isn't the way to address such issues. And my other objection is that if we're concerned about war and weapons and personal freedom, we'd be wise to tend to our own affairs first.