I’ll be honest, sort of mailing in today’s post, it’s more or less a regurgitation of some news events. There’s a lot going on at the household this week taking away from blogging (& unfortunately keeping up with my blog buddies’ posts).
That said, there was an interesting development over the past few days that on one hand is unbelievable, yet on the other so believable. Here’s the short of it.
It was leaked to the press the other day that Pennsylvania Homeland Security has been collecting, tracking, and forwarding to local law agencies the names of citizens and activist groups that have been documented as opposing natural gas (Marcellus Shale) drilling in the state. The explanation is that these groups could become violent in their protests. Basically support the ‘Gasland‘ movie and you’re on the list.
Fear of violent protest is one thing, but what…folks that want clean drinking water and an end to the corporate abuses of natural resources are now a homeland security threat?
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| Natural Gas in your tap water…anyone? |
Stinks of special interest money (read pro-drilling lobbyists) influencing Pennsylvania government actions to me. There’s only billions of dollars to be made by these gas extraction companies over the next few decades, right?
Interestingly, PA Governor Ed Rendell held a press conference yesterday to announce the tracking would stop; or actually that the state will not renew the contract of the company used to track these names once the current contract expires. Good move out of the Governor, but I wonder if any action would have been taken if the state wasn’t being embarrassed in the press.
I actually saw this on the news last week. I'm not sure if it had anything to do with the Marcellus Shale drilling, but it showed several people holding lighters to their taps and lighting the water. Kind of scary. Mark
Lists are OK! I think most of the Founding Fathers were on somebody's shit list and I've probably had my name published a time or two as well.
That's interesting… water that catches on fire? How the heck would that put out the blazes we've been having out here in CO???
@ Shoreman – This is really scary stuff. Makes me shutter to think it's happening so close to home; what's the saying, “everything runs downstream”?@ Midgeman – Agreed. I hope after today's post my name is on there twice. @ Sowbug – Yeah, and the picture I posted was one of the least dramatic. Not good.