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3 Letter Word on Billboard Draws Attention

By Tiffany Craig Investigative Reporter

No one said the word out loud but it's staring at drivers just off I-65 and County Road 287 in Bay Minette. 3 Letter Word on Billboard Draws Attention

Published: Wed, October 17, 2007 - 4:54 pm

Tiffany Craig

Cameron Adams made a U-turn to get a picture. "Don't Buy Gas From This Ass! That's what it says right there in yellow and blue and red." Once you spot the sign at Interstate 65 and County Road 287, it's hard to look away. Mickey Donaldson says he's never seen anything like it. "We just don't see ASS on the side of the road everywhere we go in America." Right now, you can find it on the side of the road in Bay Minette.
Tommy Rabon says it's just not right! "Little kids come down here then they be saying mama, what is this right here? You know, that just don't make sense." Pam Brooks at the nearby BP gas station believes it's bad for business. "Well if you're going fast, you'd think it meant the next gas station which is BP, not a Citgo!"
Citgo is a subsidiary of Venezuela's state-owned oil company. The picture on the billboard is the country's president, Hugo Chavez.

John McCombs owns the entire billboard and says he had some free space so he put up that message. He believes that if people truly understand world events, they will be a little less opposed to that 3 letter word. "He called my president the devil so I don't like him. He's in with Iran's president and he hates America. That's the main thing."

So, the three letter word will remain a pain for some. McCombs says he has no plans to take the sign down and might even move it around the county!

Workers at the BP station near the sign say they have talked to the city about getting it taken down.

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ceci Says:

Wed, Nov 07, 2007 at 8:41 pm

I suport John McCombs 100%
For those who think so much of Chavez and so little of Bush and this great Country, why don’t you pack your stuff and move down to Venezuela. You’ll get to have Chavez for a long time since he’s planing on staying for a long time.
And while you’re there go visit ALL the VENEZUELANS who are dying of hunger while he uses the oil money to arm Latin America against US, to buy planes to visit Irak, Iran, Libia, and yes to buy a little heating oil to the poors in the Bronx.John McCombs
I don’t buy Citgo even if I have to drive extra miles to get to the next gas station. It’s a matter of dignity.
Way to go

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oldmariner Says:

Tue, Oct 23, 2007 at 10:45 am

Citgo, is the only oil company owned by the Venezuelan government that does business in the U.S., however, it is not the only oil company to have interests in or doing business with Venezuela or Iran. So i assume in order to reach Mr. McCombs goals we should all start riding bicycles. No more
gas !!

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FreeSpeachAintFree Says:

Tue, Oct 23, 2007 at 6:11 am

Not all oil $$ goes to the same place. US oil comes from in order Canada, Mexico, w/ Saudia Arabia, Venezuela and Nigeria virtually tied for 3rd. Citgos rep is in the toilet and it is well deserved. Hugo Chavez calls for the distruction of the US every chance he gets and cuddles up with North Korea, Iran and Cuba. Last I checked those were all the opressive regimes or dictatorships. Never mind he staged a coup against his government; suspended a public televisions liscence because they talk bad about him and he is again re writting the consitution to give himself more power. Never mind that he blatantly violates his countries election laws and uses govt money and resources for his campaign or the fact promoted in govt or military unless you are an active “Chavista”. Why has US govt has not moved to recover the 1 trillion barrels of shale oil in the continental US to replace Hugos oil so we can tell him to stuff his oil where the sun dont shine. PS VE in excess of 95% of Venezuelan oil goes to Citgo refineries.

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SouthernBeale Says:

Sat, Oct 20, 2007 at 2:32 pm

Wake up, sheeple. Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel. If you don’t know what fine American said that, look it up.

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imnoangel512 Says:

Sat, Oct 20, 2007 at 9:48 am

jtulj Hello....it’s called taking a stand or drawing a line in the sand. It doesn’t matter where the other oil/gas comes from. Most of the money goes back to the same place anyway. Boycotting Citgo is more symbolic than anything else. If enough of us do it, it will be noticed and it will hurt the right person’s pocketbook. BUSH DID NOT do anything worse. He may have been a little impatient and made a rash decision but at least he took a stand and did not back down despite all of the opposition. The worse thing would have been to do nothing.

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MeAmerican Says:

Fri, Oct 19, 2007 at 6:30 pm

jtulj --- Ahhhh! Don’t TAZ me bro! Who else is being hurt by sending a message? The Brand name belongs to the small minded dictator hugo. Therefore if people bypass that brand name it gets into his billfold.

Oh, I get it now, there’s a citgo less than a mile from my house. I have to drive an additional mile to avoid doing business w/hugo. Oh my, Does anybody know where I can buy some carbon offsets for that extra mile?

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pinkcar Says:

Fri, Oct 19, 2007 at 6:07 pm

what other signs do we need to put up im all for it. this is america, if you need any help to spread the word i will help you ....I love the sign.....

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jtulj Says:

Fri, Oct 19, 2007 at 5:01 pm

People please wake up. Don’t you know that you are not hurting Chavez by not buying gas at a CITGO station. Venezuela sells crude to all major american oil companies. The Chevron you just bought could very well be Chavez crude. Also most oil companies sell gas on the spot market which means that it is unbranded. This means that you never know who you are buying gas from. Also most companies market under more than on name. Why not stick to important issued and stop being stupid. Besides, many Americans have called Bush far worse!!!!!!!!!!

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Bama Chief Says:

Fri, Oct 19, 2007 at 4:14 pm

Great sign, it should be a 7 letter word. We need more of these signs. Don’t take it down kids hear worst than that on TV.

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SNOWWHITE2000 Says:

Fri, Oct 19, 2007 at 2:53 pm

“Read and understand before you show the world your ignorance”
I THINK WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO SAY MORE ABOUT WHAT WE THINK ! THE NEWS PAPERS SURE DO NOT PRINT ANYTHING, NOR DO WE SEE IT ON THE NEWS. WE NEED TO SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, AND GET AMERICA BACK ON TRACK HERE !!!!!!!!!!!
ASS IS A MILD WORD.

GOOD BLESS AMERICA !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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