Jon Stewart-What theFracking Hell?

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Three hours of Waterboarding With Jon Stewart “I knew that the Daily Show is a comedy show masquerading as a news program. My peers told me horror stories of how the show had treated others whose views didn’t mesh with those of Jon Stewart—not that the guests were personally abused, but that the final product didn’t represent what was really said during the taping. ”  On Thursday, February 27, I received an email that said: “I’m a producer at the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. We’re working on a segment about fracking & I wanted to reach out to see if you’d be interested in participating. I read your column in Town Hall a few months ago & it’s just what we’re looking for—we’d like to have someone dispel a lot of the myths & untruths about fracking.” I responded that, yes, I was interested. After doing my research, I agreed to participate. On March 6, I flew to New York City for a taping on March 7. I knew that the Daily Show is a comedy show masquerading as a news program. My peers told me horror stories of how the show had treated others whose views didn’t mesh with those of Jon Stewart—not that the guests were personally abused, but that the final product didn’t represent what was really said during the taping. I weighed the pro and cons and decided to take the risk. I figured that no matter how good I might be, I was unlikely to change the opinions of the young audience that watches the Daily Show and thinks it is real news. Additionally, my audience doesn’t generally watch it—and if they do, they’ll know my comments were heavily edited, as my views are well known. What really pushed me to accept the invitation was the fact that the following week, March 10-13, I was scheduled to be in Southern California speaking on college campuses and my Daily Show taping would enhance my “street-cred” with the potential audiences. I knew I was not the first person to whom they had reached out. Others had turned them down. If I said “no,” they’d continue down some list until they found someone who’d say yes. I figured it might as well be me because I know that I know my topic. I know I will represent it accurately. The next person on the list might not be as well informed. I expected that they’d try to spring something on me and make me look foolish. Based on the pre-taping interviews, I felt that I had a sense of where the interview would go. They had a few questions about which I was unsure. I sent an email to the several thousand people on my enewsletter list asking for input on specific questions. Many sent me helpful information that I read on the plane on the way to New York. I talked to industry experts. I studied up as if I was heading in for a final exam. I wanted to be sure they couldn’t trip me up. When I walked into the offices of the Daily Show, I felt that I was ready. I told them: “I know your job is to make me look bad, but mine is to be sure I look good.” I wore a favorite red silk blouse with gold jewelry. The team was very kind to me. They shot some “B roll” of Aasif, the correspondent who’d be doing the interview, and me walking toward the room where the taping would take place and some of me working at a computer. I was escorted to a dark, dreary-looking room with camera and sound guys, and Jena, the producer. It is not really about fracking. It is about fossil fuels—and hating them. The average person doesn’t have a clear understanding of the role that energy plays in their lives The interview started straight enough. They asked one of the questions they’d asked via telephone: “Why do environmentalists hate fracking?” I explained that I didn’t think it was really about fracking, as thousands, if not millions, of wells had been drilled using hydraulic fracturing since modern techniques were developed in 1949. I pointed out that a primitive form of fracking was done in the late 1800s when a nitro glycerin torpedo was dropped down a well hole. Despite this long, safe, and prosperous history the frack attacks had started in October 2007—shortly after the technologies of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling were successfully combined and began to unleash America’s new energy abundance. I continued: It is not really about fracking. It is about fossil fuels—and hating them. The average person doesn’t have a clear understanding of the role that energy plays in their lives (which is why I do what I do). All most people know about energy is the price of gasoline and they know “drill, baby, drill.” They know that increased production of oil translates to lower prices at the pump. So the anti-fossil fuel crowd can’t come out with an anti-drilling campaign, but they can use a term that sounds scary and that people do not understand: fracking—the vernacular for hydraulic fracturing. To prove my point, I told about driving through Starbuck’s two days earlier. I’d bantered with Jason, the young man selling me my Café Mocha. I told him I was going to New York for the Daily Show to talk about fracking; that they’d have a pro-fracking guest and an anti-fracking guest; that I was the pro-fracking guest. He replied: “Whatever that is.” Because people, like Jason, do not know what fracking is, the antis can give it whatever definition they want and use fear, uncertainty, and doubt to turn people against the proven technology that is almost singly responsible for creating millions of jobs in America and bringing us closer to energy independence than previously ever thought possible. In a recent Fracking by the Numbers report, on page 6, Environment America offers a definition that basically covers the entire drilling process from permitting to production—including “to deliver the gas or oil produced from that well to market.” Once they had scared people, those against fracking set out to stop the procedure—with the ultimate goal of banning it all together. Since 96-98% of all oil-and-gas wells drilled in the U.S. today are stimulated using hydraulic fracturing, banning fracking essentially bans oil-and-gas production. I backed up my opinions by citing the November 2013 elections where four towns in Colorado and three in Ohio had fracking bans on the ballot. All passed in Colorado and one in Ohio. Earlier in 2013, the commissioners in the little county of Mora, NM, voted to ban all oil-and-gas drilling outright—not just fracking (however, the Los Angeles Times coverage of the Mora County story called it a fracking ban—illustrating how the two concepts, drilling and fracking, have become interchangeable). Even though some of the communities voting to ban fracking have no potential oil-and-gas drilling, the wins provide momentum for a national movement. In a press release celebrating the Mora County vote—which also calls it a fracking ban—the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund, the group fomenting opposition in Mora County, said: “Mora County joins over 150 communities across the country which have asserted their right to local self-governance through the adoption of local laws that seek to control corporate activities within their municipality.” In January, 2014, left-wing advocacy group MoveOn.org heralded its “#FrackingFighter” campaign in which it calls for “grassroots organizing and people power to beat back big industry in town after town and county after county.” They declare: “now it’s time to double down on our strategy.” Aasif asked about fracking accidents. I asserted that there were none that I was aware of and cited the fact that three leading Obama Administration secretaries—hardly fossil-fuel fans—had declared fracking to be safe: former Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, former Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, and current Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz. Now, in hour three of what I told the crew was like three hours of waterboarding where they kept throwing stuff at me in hopes I’d give something up, the tone changed. Suddenly, Aasif repeatedly asked me about pizza and whether it was appropriate compensation for a “fraccident.” I stopped and told them: “I will not say that word.” Since I was not aware of any fracking accidents, I wasn’t going to let them get me on camera saying “fraccident.” He pushed on anyway and carried on about how wonderful New York pizza was. Surely, it would be appropriate compensation for a “fraccident” that caused a four-day fire and killed one person. No, it wouldn’t. I offered: “The courts have established damages for loss of life and loss of property.” He continued with the pizza theme. Somewhere in there, he mentioned Chevron. Frustrated, I finally said something to the effect of: “If the person who’d received the damages wanted pizza, then yes, it would be appropriate.” When we were about to wrap, they thanked me and, on camera, gave me a pizza. Later I received an email from the producer who’d invited me saying: “Thanks again for coming out for this interview. I hope it wasn’t too silly! Aasif & Jena thought you were great, though.” On the plane on the way home, I reflected on the experience and deduced what they were up to. I sent the producer a follow up email: “I am glad that Aasif and Jena thought I was great. I told them it felt like three hours of waterboarding. I can’t wait to see what you all do with it. I am assuming that you are going to do a fake news story on a fracking/drilling accident that results in a four-day fire and one death and the evil oil company offers pizza as compensation. You will have me saying that there has never been a fracking accident that I know of. Then you have me saying, yes, I watch the news…” Once I was back at my desk, I did a search on Chevron, accident, and pizza. The story came up. It wasn’t a fake accident, but it also wasn’t a “fraccident.” While the exact cause of the Greene County, PA, well fire is still under investigation, the local news reported: “Chevron had previously completed drilling and hydraulically fracturing, or fracking, the well and was in the final stages of using steel pipe to hook it up to a pipeline distribution network for production.”  The Pennsylvania Depart of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Scott Perry stated: “the problem may have come from a defect in the wellhead itself. Chevron’s wellheads are ringed with collars that have set pins running horizontally through them.” Perry says one of the pins may have blown out of the collar, releasing the gas. Apparently, according to the DEP the “gas well explosion is the first serious Marcellus shale well blowout in our region.” Houston-based Wild Well Control, which responded to the Greene County accident, says in the past year it responded to five-surface well blowouts accompanied by fires. The statistics suggest major fires are relatively rare. The accident referenced by the Daily Show, took place in a rural area and no homes were endangered. But Chevron realized that the increased truck traffic and other activities inconvenienced the folks of Bobtown. In an effort to be a “good partner” in the community, Chevron offered vouchers to the only eatery within 80 miles. While the locals aren’t upset with Chevron for the gesture, saying: “The whole issue was blown out of proportion,” comedians have had a field day with it and the anti-fossil fuel crowd is using it for messaging. A petition has been started at MoveOn.org (surprise) demanding that Chevron apologize for the free pizza—calling it “an insult.” There are currently 1200+ signatures, mostly from distant locales, but none from Bobtown. Local resident Gloria Garnek commented on the contrived controversy and the coupons: “People here, you know, we were kind of overwhelmed a little bit with all the publicity and people coming in. So I think it’s a nice thing.” Thank you, Daily Show, for flying me to New York and taking good care of me while I was in town. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to talk about hydraulic fracturing and alerting me to Bobtown Pizza. Without the March 7 taping, I wouldn’t have told the story of the anti-fossil fuel crowd’s efforts to ban fracking and exploit the good people of Bobtown. While it felt like three hours of waterboarding, I believe I’ve been able to make some good come from the experience. I can’t wait to see how they turn three hours of recording into a 3-5 minute segment when it airs in late March or early April. Story and Links HERE Brains and due diligence prevail.  Unfortunately, her audience are largely—you know.

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Amish Drive By

What goes clip clop, clip clop - bang bang bang - clip clop, clip clop? t mann

Borders

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If When Crimea “rejoins” Russia, it’s only the latest twist in 1,000 years of European border shifts  The borders of Europe have been static since the breakups of the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia, and the reunification of Germany, but look set to shift shortly, if the Duma in Moscow ratifies the stated desire of a Crimean majority to quit Ukraine for Russia. But a broader perspective, taking into account the past 1,000 years of European history, shows that change on the continent has been a near-constant. [Market Watch] Watch as Centennia Historical Atlas software condenses Europe’s history into a 3 ½-minute video representing the shifting borders from A.D. 1,000  through 2003: cuzzin ricky

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You Can't Beat a Good Cucumber

Cucumber sandwiches

You may need to turn captions on - (via Major Metzger with the Candlestick)

Check out the numbers ...

“ Denny has this up today -- check out the numbers: Attention Merrily   Also check this vent in the Atlanta Urinal and Constipation. The “American Dream” is a myth. You will almost certainly be born, grow up, and die, in the same economic grouping in which you were born. ”

A Shirt Burning

Catharsis “ Epitaphs for the Obama Presidency—Sort of See also: Epitaphs for the Obama Presidency (1), Epitaphs for the Obama presidency (3)  Bringing home the point that the youth vote has caught on that Obama is a big phony, a former Obama groupie has taken to YouTube to vent her disgust with the man she voted for. Worse, she has done so with a compelling visual image. Tom Tillison of BizPacReview writes: Saying she was once among President Obama‘s “most hysterical supporters,” Carey Wedler wants the world to know she has come to see the president in a different light these past five years. Wedler, who now calls Obama “the criminal-in-chief,” posted a video Thursday on her Youtube channel titled, “Why I’m burning my last bridge with Obama.” In the video, she is seen burning an Obama t-shirt she wore on the night he was first elected in 2008. Watch her, and enjoy her rant: American Thinker via skoonj Even airheads are now becoming disillusioned with Obama. But they're still airheads. Watch the video, but make sure you watch to the end, where it becomes clear that, despite falling out of love with Obama, she's still a Utopian anarchist. - Stu T ”

The Bequeather

The Bequeather  Morris Schwartz is on his deathbed, knows the end is near, and is with his nurse, his wife, his daughter and 2 sons.   "So", he says to them: "Bernie , I want you to take the Beverly Hills houses." "Sybil, take the apartments over in Los Angeles Plaza." "Hymie, I want you to take the offices over in City Center." "Sarah, my dear wife, please take all the residential buildings downtown." The nurse is just blown away by all this, and as Morris slips away, she says, "Mrs. Schwartz, your husband must have been such a hard-working man to have accumulated all this property." Sarah replies, "Property? The asshole had a paper route!" Metzger

A Call for Help

“ HELP! Ppl post this shit on FBook. I don't know how to refute it. Merrily We Go Along Yes you do Merrily Statistics are used much like a drunk uses a lamppost: for support, not illumination. (Vin Scully)   First,  it's an irrefutable truth that all elected democrats are liars.  These  message factoids are targeted at the dismally Lo-Fo consumer.  Additionally, there is irrefutable truth that the very genetic structure that create Liberal receptors, tangentally  make it impossible to understand national defense, economics, or right from wrong.  I personally think it's caused by Monsanto.  Obama continues to set new records for mendacity.  First, and most importantly, he and his congressional lickspittles front-load all legislation so that true costs will not kick in until he's out of office.  In the case of Obamacare, for example, after miscalculating the true disastrous consequences of that legislation, he's used his magical pen to extralegally change the dates when piper is to be paid. Anyway, don't worry about it; we'll have to kill all of them (in the good way) at some point anyway. They are a cancer.

Apres Biden, WHAT?

Biden in Poland to 'reassure' allies...

Deploying our best and  brightest

They Blow Up So Young Anymore

CAPTION          “ ”

In a Flash he escaped!

Nanny State: One regulation away from total bliss          The Police State                how to disappear online skoonj

The Hypnotist

What day is it?  Horry Clap.  It seems cuzzin rickey hypnotized me against my wishes!

Mission: VALOR

“ TODAY'S PSA  Rodger, Figure a few of your readers might like a place that opens champagne the right way — with a sword. :) If I haven’t told you, I’m helping stand up a new charity focused on Veteran’s employment.  There is a real crisis with Veteran unemployment, and Mission: VALOR (http://missionvalor.org) is focused on practical efforts to bridge the gaps and provide solid careers, not just a job.  We incorporated last Monday, and have already been doing things to try to help even before incorporation.  Our flagship program will focus on the culinary/hospitality fields, and the testbed will be in the culinary/hospitality capital of the U.S., New York City. The wonderful people at The Baroness are hosting a launch party on 27 March from 7-9, both to help introduce us to New York and to help raise funds for our 501(c)(3) filing.  Donations are not (yet) tax deductible, but we hope to file ASAP and will be requesting (and paying for) expedited determination.  Please know you are invited to this and any of our events, and I hope you might share the news as well.  Figure a few of your readers might like a place that opens champagne the right way — with a sword.  :) Any questions, drop me a line or call me at 765-409-5646.  Thanks! Blake (C. Blake Powers) Blake is doing God's work, so if you're in the area, what the hell.  I might even make the trip myself.  Or read  one of his books ”

Eyes on the Target

Hitler's Mustache                           “ Is the regime obsessed with fears of a military coup? Year of the long knives .... “The SEALs feel increasingly politicized under the Obama administration. One of the things that we demonstrate is SEALs who have been prosecuted for crimes they didn’t commit, found innocent, but sort of forced into retirement. We’ve seen a record number of retirements from the Navy SEALs. Excerpt from Eyes on Target: All of this—the purge of top military flag officers, the purchase of billions of rounds of military grade ammo—not for the military, but for use by "Homeland security" and the EPA et. al., can leave any sensible observer with but one of two conclusions: Obama fears a military coup (why?) This is, as Garry Kasparov observed, the most inept administration in American history. 3. Both ”

Or, What?

John Kerry: Russia has until Monday to reverse course in Ukraine

Two Poignancies

Two Poignancies

Click For Ryan Jolley

Dear Leader Climbs a Ladder

Catharsis                                                            “ "The Glorious Day"... Rodge, you probably have this pic already, but I've always found it particularly soothing to imagine sundry Democrats dangling from its branches, come what my friend Mr. Free Market refers to as "The Glorious Day"...   Use it in good health.   Kim Thanks.  We shall.

But, they have free health care?!?

France's Reckoning: Rich, Young Flee Welfare State "A warning to Americans .... Obama following in France's footsteps." Mass confusion in Washington, D.C. BUT WHY? They have free healthcare?     cuzzin ricky

Fitbit

TECHNO CHILLS                                FitBit Two  weeks ago my dentist waxed on about her Fit Bit, and how much it had changed her lifestyle.   It's one of those black wrist bands everybody seemingly wears now.  Never paid much attention to them; figured they were just another  "pink  ribbon" statement of some kind. "Last night I got home, dead tired.  But then Cheryl (a friend) taunted me about my measly 6899 steps,  so I went out a ran until I hit 10000!" When I told MoSup about it she volunteered that son Greeper (who I think has a UP 24 Jawbone), told her that I would like it since it would appeal to my competitive nature.  That did it.  I went  to AMAZON and bought two Fitbit Flex bands. They sell for about the same thing everywhere ($98.47 ), but no tax or shipping,  what the hell. .   Setting it up was relatively easy.  Until.  When I tried to add MoSup onto my computer it got confused (or at least confused me) by seemingly transferring my account to her.  I still have no idea.  Finally,  I just went upstairs and installed on her computer.  Then I had to delete my account and reinstall (losing two days of data).   I created a group with just two people, so she could see and applaud me, and I could see and taunt her (I will never ever let her beat me!). There was one more surprise.  My dentist-ette told how she could track her progress on her iPhone while running.  I don't use a cell phone at all;  MoSup's phone is not an uppity one, so I didn't expect it to work for us.  But, I do have an iPad (gen 1), so I did expect it to integrate; but oh-no.  I need a gen III iPad for that.  I finally found what I'll call a "sponsor site" to log into with (MoSup had Facebook; I used Google).  There are still things I don't understand.  For instance, it seems that MoSup's data is updated when she passes within 20 feet of  my dongle, which would infer that you can have two devices installed on one computer?  I will guess that some of you are expert Fitbitters, and can answer questions. Bottom line, and assuming that the NSA isn't using these devices to get into my house (I am very Mozzy these days), I heartily recommend it.  If you're a geezer, you have plenty of time to waste, and this gives you the satisfaction of thinking that you're doing something useful, as opposed to the hollowness of searching Google for every woman celebrity "nude."  If you're young, it will by-god make you pay attention to how active you really are, and that can't help but make you want to log more exercise.  By the way, there is no requirement to log meals, just the opportunity.  Sample  Logging food is easy. The look-up database is extensive, and you can modify anything.  I didn't do this for the first few days, but since I know myself, I knew that knowing what I was putting in my mouth would automatically make me "choose" to modify.  For instance, yesterday my sodium level was 5600.  Look where 1/3 of that came from—our salad!  And this— Distilled Liquor, 90 Proof Whiskey) 1 quart23360008.9 I used almost ½ of my calorie allowance on a few adult beverages. HFS.

Blow Up Picture

“ The Feel Good Story of the Week (skoonj)  Suicide Bomber Kills Self MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — A Somali police officer says a suicide car bomber accidentally detonated his explosives near a popular hotel in the Somali capital. Capt. Mohamed Hussein said the bomber appeared to have prematurely detonated his explosives-laden car Saturday as he tried to park near a hotel. No others were hurt or killed in the blast. The al-Qaida linked group al-Shabab frequently carries out attacks against the Somali government, the U.N. and African Union peacekeepers. Late last month, a suicide car bomber detonated his explosives-laden car at a teashop near Somalia’s intelligence agency headquarters, killing at least 12 people. ”

Knock Knock ...

Oh My

Meztger Soprano

Homeless guy wins $1000

Today's Non-Gummint Sponsored Feel Good

Tommy Lee Smith

Obamaward

Oh My

skoonj

Ceding the Internet

“  U.S. cedes control of Internet infrastructure to the UN "Congress needs to prevent the Obama Administration from giving away U.S. control over the Internet to any international body.  To allow the free speech rights of U.S. citizens to be threatened by international bodies that don't recognize these fundamental rights is dangerous and a threat to our national sovereignty.  Perhaps this latest egregious action by the Obama Administration in their quest to deconstruct the United States will finally wake Congress up to their power of the purse responsibility as a co-equal partner in government." [getliberty] Politico benignly announces: Internet administration to shift from U.S. to global stage The U.S. Commerce Department is relinquishing its hold over the group that manages the Internet’s architecture amid pressure to globalize its functions in the wake of reports about NSA surveillance. The United States will give up its oversight role when the current contract with ICANN expires in fall 2015, NTIA Administrator Larry Strickling said. He set out a series of four principles required for the transition, including that ICANN maintain the openness of the Internet. Some U.S. officials and businesses have expressed fears about the United Nations, or governments like Russia and China, taking over control of the Web Computer World "This is historic, because it marks a point of maturity in ICANN, the ICANN community and the global Internet community," he said. "The decision of the United States government to do this at this point is truly a triumph of the multistakeholder model [isn't that special]." Mashable U.S. Set to Give up Its Last Power Over the Internet From Newsmax, on a related topic: treason “Obama has an ideology, he wants to make America very different than it is. He would love to see the American era, which began in 1945, come to an end. He doesn’t want America to be the world’s sole superpower,” D’Souza said. “Now you can’t remake America in two years or four years, maybe not even in eight years, but you sure can do it in 16 years and that’s sort of Obama’s long-term plan. “He wants to make a baton hand-off to a hand-picked successor so that his project can be completed, if not by 2016, then shortly thereafter.” Obama, he believes, is “trying to reduce America’s footprint” globally. “He’s also a redistributionist not just in America but on the global scale. So he wants to redistribute money within America, yes, but he also wants to redistribute money away from America to the rest of the world and America’s debt is part of a way to do this,” D’Souza said. “A lot of our debt now is owed to foreigners, so when we accumulate this staggering debt, we’re essentially shoveling dollars away from the United States and toward Kuwaitis and Saudis and Chinese and so on.” Best Quote They have, for 20 years or so, wanted to TAX our Internet to distribute First World wealth to Third World despots. They want to charge for each e-mail you receive and send. When this thing comes under international control, the 57 nation Muslim voting bloc will dominate decision making as to what is allowed and what is not. Add to that 57 the various communist and authoritarian dictatorships. Goodbye, free speech. The First Amendment only extends to the water's edge, folks. They will tax the 'net, and they will regulate the 'net. Our children will inherit SH1T from us. We failed them. I am sooo angry. I'll burn off my anger by tormenting some orcs.

Gnat Shoot

Gnational Defense

t. smith