Opinions need not be feared nor suppressed.

Friday, September 23, 2011

This has gotten ugly

I was there, I was at the one and only GasStock event that was staged in 2010. Truth be told, I walked something like 217 miles to get there.

And I would have been all-in for the 2011 event. But the folks who organized the well-attended and well-reported protest event, the folks who repeatedly and steadfastly claimed they had the most at risk--namely their homes and lands and water supplies--retreated back to the relative ease of protesting by way of electronic pulse. In my mind, a huge mistake.

And now, the loosely-knit, ad-hoc coalition members, so strident while walking amongst their many supporters just a year ago, are being individually targeted for financial retribution by LLCs of the gas-drilling world that came here claiming to be good corporate neighbors, but turned out to be predatory and vindictive when the last few voices of dissent refused to die quietly.

Susquehanna River Sentinel: Bloggers Beware: Chief Sues for Facebook Comments

Another Monkey: Thugs to bloggers: "Watch what you say online!"

They are the good corporate neighbors. And still, some of us are sullying their good names.

Here, kid, have a yo-yo.

And tell your father to shut the fu>k up!!!

Folks, we need some pro-bono stewardship and a renewed sense of committment. This is wrong on too many levels to list.

Later

5 comments:

Nanteen said...

Just want to point out that the First Amendment protects your freedom of speech from the Govt doing anything about it.

It does not protect you from private citizens or companies from suing you to shut you up.

zorcong said...

Sure, that's true and all well and good and whatnot.

But Chief fully intended to build a natural gas compressor station within spitting distance of a high school...a ridiculously questionable pursuit.

But, what, they didn't expect to hear any dissenting voices on that dubious introduction to the surrounding community?

In my mind, this so-called "good neighbor" is wantonly dealing in intimidation. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Nanteen said...

Oh sure you are right and Chief is being shady on all this.

All this is, showing that people need to make sure what they blog/facebook/radio/newspaper talk about companies they need to make sure they are 100% accurate in which they say.

ie saying this project could ruin my property values and my piece of mind vs this project could kill everyone in the back mountain.

Anonymous said...

Freedom of speech isn't freedom from slander or libel.

zorcong said...

Thank you for stating the obvious.

I'm not sure what we'd do without your intellectual prowess, Mr. or Mrs. Anonymous, whatever it is as of today.