Keep it Civil
On July 25, 2009, on the day that my Letter to the Editor in the Oneonta Daily Star was published, I got a call from a guy asking if I was Brian. When I said yes, he said, “How many acres do you own?”
I asked why he was asking, and he said, “I just want to know.”
I asked who was calling, and he said, “I just want to know how many acres you own.”
I asked him if he knew who he was calling, and he said, “Yes.”
I then asked if he would give me the courtesy of letting me know who was doing the calling.
In a flustered voice he said, “Just tell me how many acres you own.”
I told him I’d gladly have a conversation if I knew who I was talking to, and he hung up.
This is the not the typical kind of person we are dealing with. In the past, Otego has fought against putting a maximum-security juvenile prison in, and both sides were cordial and intelligent. It was a good way to get to know and appreciate your neighbors.
But the landmen and the gas lobbyists have done their best to dupe and “het up” some people. They are interests from out-of-state who think we are a bunch of hicks, and treat us like such. Unfortunately some have not seen through them. It is sad. Some of the same people who we are trying to protect from being bilked and abused are the ones who don’t understand how have an open and honest debate in order to understand the issue.
My neighbors anti-gas signs have been trashed from her yard. Other signs have been destroyed. Another neighbor has even been threatened on the phone. This is no way for neighbors to behave, and I am glad that most of the people on both sides are open to honest communication. They aren’t embarrassed to identify themselves, either.
“Argue hard, but argue fair”, seems to be a good way to go. It’s an American tradition to honor free speech. You can’t really respect or honor your own opinion, though, if you won’t identify yourself. You also aren’t respecting freedom of speech if you call to harass people.
As far as “how many acres” I have, that is a bogus and shameful argument. The caller assumed I made my decision based on money. That is not the case. It is based on the safety and heritage of the area.
Believe me, if the day ever comes when horizontal hydraulic fracking is safe, I’d sign up for it even if I had one square foot. I’m not against the money at all. But you have to use your head.
It’s not the “nuisance factor” either. I don’t think we should be against any and all inconvenience. We have to accept some sacrifices. But we are not talking about inconveniences here – we’re talking about a notoriously irresponsible industry, who will do anything to mislead people into believing something that is too good to be true.
As a note to any neighbors who have signed:
Look, I am totally not against anyone making money. I’d love it for all of us to get as rich as the guys who are trying to rip us off. But that’s the problem, they don’t tell the truth, and you know they came to lowball you. They lowball people so badly that “down” looks like “up” to them.
What the Landowners Coalitions are promising is pure pie-in-the sky, but it seems preferable compared to what the gas companies try to weasel out of us.
What they are offering is a false choice. Compared to cancer, tuberculosis seems preferable, too, but I don’t want either of them. Do you?
Anyone else have any thoughts on this?