KUDOS TO JOE KENNEDY AND CITIZENS ENERGY!

"...For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required:..." (from Luke 12:48)

"Whoso mocketh the poor reproacheth his Maker:
and he that is glad at calamities shall not be unpunished." (Proverbs 17:5)

I think sometimes ideologies can become idols.

Biblically speaking, and idol is anything that we make a "god" of - that becomes "front and center" in our lives; but turns us away from God and away from what's right. It's something we may believe is harmless, but can be destructive. When we become prisoners of our ideologies - whether on the political left or on the political right - that's just not of God and it's not healthy. There are a few times that I've written about my political views on my blog and how they've changed. At one time I was quite the "far right" Republican. I'm still a registered Republican. My views today would be described as more moderate, albeit leaning more conservative than liberal,

I felt the need to write all of the above because I have a number of friends and acquaintances who will be surprised that I would write a highly favorable piece about Joe Kennedy and Citizens Energy. Joe's Dad was Bobby Kennedy, and his uncles were President Kennedy and Senator Ted Kennedy. Joe served for a number of years of the late twentieth century as a Congressman; frankly as a Congressman that most conservatives believed epitomized the worst of political nepotism. Some even felt he was an embarrassment to the people of Massachusetts. Joe Kennedy's been vilified as a bleeding heart liberal who (because of his business partnership with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez) is seen as a soft-hearted and weak-headed Communist sympathizer.

Yes, I'm fairly conservative and I say, "God bless Joe Kennedy!" This will probably make home heating oil dealers angry, and I don't mean to do that, but heating with oil heat, as so many residents of the northeast do, is in my humble opinion a pretty dismal proposition. I grew up in a house heated by oil heat, and my father loved oil heat. Fifty years ago, oil heat was considered cheap and safe, and I guess it really was. Today, it's expensive and can sometimes become scarce. In Massachusetts, the law says a utility company cannot shut off natural gas or electricity between the dates of November 15 and March 15. That just doesn't work for oil heat, though! In really cold weather, even with the thermostat set at 52 degrees, the furnace can empty a tank of its oil pretty quickly. There's no law that says a home heating oil dealer has to drive out and deliver one hundred gallons of oil with the promise to be paid ninety days in the future. Listen, no independent home heating contractor can afford to do that and stay in business. I understand that. But there are poor people, elderly, children, the disabled, and others who live in cold conditions during the winter months which are disgraceful. Someone may comment, "It's their own fault," Honestly, in SOME cases, it is. But in most casts, it ISN'T. (And even if it IS, would the Lord really want us to just let people suffer in the cold?) There are many wonderful people in Massachusetts this year living with these cold harsh conditions. "There but for the grace of God go you and I."

Citizens Engergy is running a very powerful ad this winter. In their ad, Joe Kennedy laments the tax breaks for billions while federal fuel aid is cut. I hope I get his quote correct. If not, it's close. He says something like:

"Of whom much is given, little is required;
and
from those who have little, much is taken away."

AMEN.

I'm no fan of Hugo Chavez...are you kidding?! But Joe Kennedy says Chavez and Citgo are the only ones who'd work with him. All the other oil companies turned him down. If that's true, it's a crying shame! This right leaning registered Republican is saying, "Thank you Joe Kennedy and Citizens Energy. You're doing a truly great work!"