(What)-Free Oil?

I've been meaning to post this for a couple weeks, but unfortunately I am usually reminded of it at o'dark-thirty, and not around my computer. Still, this ticks me off to no end.

There is a new oil company in Omaha-- and allegedly going national-- which opened it's doors this month. They call themselves Terror-Free Oil.

OK, now I've gone quite sometime without a profanity-laced rant on something, but please pardon me for a moment...

Terror-Free Oil?

Fuck off.

No, just... fuck off.

(Thank you.)

For me to go through everything I find offensive with that name, we would have a blog that reads longer than the game sheet of some recent hockey games I've called-- and believe me, I take a lot of crap for calling everything... though to my defence, that was the mandate given to us at the start of the year.

Back to the topic at hand, this should not be an option in the American business world. There is most definately a political statement being made by the owners of this rubbish branding, maybe saying a little more than they think.

To start, it's racist. It is nothing more than pure racism, at it's worst. There is no way about it-- in fact, there's a direct quote from the owner-- who I refuse to name-- made to the local media: "Terror Free Oil only buys oil that did not come from the Middle East."

Being a little stereotypical, aren't we?

Not everyone in the Middle East is a terrorist. Not everyone in the Middle East hates America. But obviously, this absent-minded, self-righteous, redneck of an owner hates everyone in the Middle East. That is just wrong.

...And contrary to what he thinks, it's un-American.

We are not a people who should be holding grudges. Seriously... is this not Black Heritage Month? Excuse me... is this not Equality Awareness Month? What kind of a message are we sending to the future generations of American by allowing, partonizing, and even promoting this kind of establishment?

It is unacceptable. If I were of Middle Eastern heritage, I'd be uber-pissed. You're not branding gasoline-- you're branding an entire group of people based on where they happened to have come from. It's racism any way to slice it.

This company would also have you believe that NONE of their oil comes from the Middle East.

Wow, does that statement open all sorts of doors.

Let's start with how they know this? The owner claims the information on the origin of the oil comes from the American Government. Now, if I have learned anything in almost 26 years on this planet-- all but about two of those in this country-- it's that the American Goverment should really never be cited as a source. They are of questionable integrity as it is, and let's face it-- if politicians were Pinocchio, we'd have about 301-million people impaled on the ever-growing noses of Congressmen, Senators, and Presidents.

And that number is generous, because it implies they haven't done any collateral damage to Canadians, Mexicans, or even stretched across an ocean or two to include Europeans or Asians.

We really don't know where this oil is coming from, and there is no way to prove it.

Of course, there is the other side of that equation: that the American Government is conspiring against foreign-oil. Yes, I just said it... the American Government may be in on this venture. And what a shame that would be. The ambassadors or our nation using dirty politics and ill-conceived notions in a fight against an alleged enemy.

Haven't I seen this movie already?

This does stink to high heaven of another anti-Muslim... anti-Arab... anti-something sentiments. It's not right. We can not continue to live by the mantra of 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend' or 'the friend of my enemy is my enemy'. The world just does not work that way. The wonder of international business practices is this ever-growing web of business connections slowly bringing the world together.

Though, I can name one company that needs to be left out of that loop.

The fact that goverment would permit such a company to exist, let alone provide information to help this company stake a claim, is sickening to the point that I almost want to wish ill-will on this company and anybody involved with it.

I said almost... but being a Christian, I can't.

I can not believe the extents at which the ill-will towards the Middle East still exists. The attacks of September 11 were five and a half years ago. And while we shall never forget, we should have figured out by now that it was the act of a few, not of an entire region. Besides, pissing on the Middle East isn't going to help oil prices come down here on the homefront.

This is not Terror-Free Oil. This is Brain-Free Business and Common Sense-Free Practices.

It's pure rubbish.