Last week, Cleveland Scene ran a feature I wrote on urban oil and gas drilling in Ohio. The story unleashed a flurry of online controversy that my editor Frank Lewis wrote about for this week's paper. As most of you know, I normally write humor and essay. The drilling story was a nice departure that required droves of research and interviews, but the aftermath of comment wars was sure difficult to take at times. I'm getting those tell-tale hang-ups as well. It's funny how people behave.
In the end, I hope the story ignites a few appropriate fires. This issue begs different points of view and plenty of attention.
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10 comments:
"New York Times columnist Paul Krugman noted in 2005, “[W]e’re living in a country in which there is no longer such a thing as nonpolitical truth.” That’s the result of decades of conservative howling about alleged liberal bias in the media. And it’s worked. “Objectivity” has come to mean, “Facts schmacts — tell the story the way we want it told and no one gets hurt...."
Don’t bring that weak shit to my site and expect to be taken seriously." — Frank Lewis
I'm liking Frank.
RJ
Yah, Krugman nails it. The American reactionary right is getting more reactionary and more right. In response, the reactionary left is getting more reactionary.
I don't think I have seen a topic of any importance on which someone, somewhere, hasn't commented on the leftedness or rightedness of the spin.
This is the problem all across the country. People don't want to hear the truth. They want to hear support for what they already believe.
I have stopped posting on a blog at www.dragraceresults.com for this reason. There is a section there called "Not Necessarily Racing News". It has been hijacked by the right wing nut jobs. Check it out, you won't believe the stupidity.
There was one comment on oil resereves: "...Oil was put in the ground by God for us to use...and will never run out." You can't fix stupid!
Erin, thanks to you and Frank for fihgting the good fight.
I really enjoyed your article, but I love Frank's closing line. I wonder if I could use that at work without getting fired ...
According to the latest scientific theories, oil was put in the ground by a giant asteroid that killed all the dinosaurs. Next time you gas up, give thanks to that ancient chunk of rock.
Kirk, Thank you for clearing that up.
VideoDude, if your comment is sincere, you're welcome. If it's sarcasm, I deserve it because I just re-read what I wrote, and it is a bit confused. It sounds like I'm saying that petroleum arrived in an asteroid. No, the asteroid killed the dinosaurs, and, over time, they became petroleum (hence, the term "fossil fuels") Even if those dinosaurs had died of old age, they would be oil by now, anyway, so screw the whole joke!
As for petroleum being a gift to humanity from God, why did He wait until the 19th century, when humans first discovered it could be used as a fuel source? Why not during the Roman Empire? Ben-Hur would've been a lot cooler with two cars trying to run each other off the road!
So the oil was put in the ground for good use by God, huh...Well all the bad things that come from Oil, Gas and Drilling must be the devils fault...Get real...
Yikes on this kind of thinking...
sasces
"When the Fowlers purchased their home in 2003, they weren't thinking about mineral rights and didn't know that the subdivision's developer, Lucky Acres, retained them. When Cutter showed up, Lucky Acres forked over the mineral rights under the Fowlers' home and 23 others and now reaps royalties from the well" Shouldn't Ohio Residential Property Disclosure Form have a disclosure about ownership of mineral rights?
the erin o'brien blogs are cool, well done.rvargas@ranchomargot.org www.ranchomargot.org
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