Have our elected officials always been this crazy or is it getting worse?
Pa. HB683
Felony of the second degreeA person commits the offense of interfering with agricultural operations if the person: Without consent from the owner of an agricultural operation or the owner’s agent: records an image of, or sound from, the agricultural operation by leaving a recording device on the agricultural operation; or uploads, downloads, transfers or otherwise sends recorded images of, or sound from, the agricultural operations over the Internet in any medium.
Go read about it on Bob’s Blog and see all the fantastic pictures he has taken that will be banned under this bill.
About Sharon Wilson
Sharon Wilson is considered a leading citizen expert on the impacts of shale oil and gas extraction. She is the go-to person whether it’s top EPA officials from D.C., national and international news networks, or residents facing the shock of eminent domain and the devastating environmental effects of natural gas development in their backyards.
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Sounds kinda desperate, doesn’t it? Industry doesn’t like that they don’t entirely control their message. What will be interesting is seeing this enforced.
My god. I’m sorry, when did we cease to live in a free country? I must have been asleep when we changed over.
Let’s see …. I have 12 lovely, spewing gas tanks right behind my back yard. If I was taking a picture of someone in said yard, it would be impossible for the tanks to not be in the picture.
Here’s a thought to you greedy, nasty, lowlife drillers: stop putting your sites next to houses and businesses. Stop ruining lives, and then wanting to prosecute innocent citizens for protesting your deadly operations.
I already lost my husband, will you not be happy until you take my daughter, and then me, too? And other people just wanting a quiet, peaceful, clean existance?
I hope when you close your eyes at night, you picture all of the people and animals you’re slowly killing with your greed. Let me tell you something: death by leukemia is not a pretty thing. It is brutal and horrifying.
Schadenfreude, from me to you. Your day will come.
PS: Sharon, yes, I beleive it is getting worse. And that’s due to the political climate of this country, and GREED. Politicians are bought and paid for, we live in a Plutocracy. If we had billions to “donate”, we could have laws in our favor, too. No amount will ever be enough for them, look at what gas companies make per quarter, on the backs of innocent people losing lives, homes, property, rights and ideals in this country.
I would love to see a list of safe places in the US, if there are any. If I was financially able, I’d move my family to Europe (I lived there once before). I want out of Texas, I never want to see another gas site as long as I live. Seeing them evokes one thing in my mind: my husband gasping as he took his last breaths November of 2009.
Are there any states that put innocent citizens over greed? It’s so ironic that the majority of politicians in bed with the gas companies are Republicans. I guess Right to Life only means: while the kid is in the womb. After that, we don’t care what happens to it.
I just want out of here.
If you want out, then you’ll have to steel yourself for a fight, and know that it’s going to take endurance. But also know that you’re not in that fight alone. A few years ago, my wife and I were alone in our fight, except for Sharon. It’s because of Sharon that we first got some publicity, which led to more publicity, which had much to do with our getting out.
Thanks, Tim … and all of you who fight. You’re all amazing people. And not the crazed extremists the Gas Asses try to portray you as. Just people who want compromise, and the freedom for non-billionaire citizens to live a good life, too.
You have to treat this like a job. Take pictures, video and write everything down, do open records requests, call the TCEQ and RRC endlessly. If you are diligent, you will get out.
Tim and Christine treated it like a job. Christine said I taught her to fish. I cannot fish for you because there are so many but I can teach you to fish.
Thanks, Sharon. I appreciate you all so much. You know my story, and I’m so tired from the years of fighting cancer, but I won’t give up.
Concerning the criminalization of citizens taking pictures of agricultural/mining operations from a public vantage point and distributing same via the Internet, please cue the brown-shirted, jack-booted stormtroopers clomping through the street. I never thought I’d see it, but the sponsors of said bill might as well join the Nazi party.
This ordinance will be completely unenorceable, as it is unconstitutional on its face. So long as one isnt tresspassing, a citizen has the right to photograph that cow, or anything else in public view: and publish those images in any way he or she sees fit. This is America.
Unfortunately, in America the rich and powerful have the ability to buy legislators to produce laws that help them to become more rich and powerful.
Speaking of which, this stinks of ALEC. To quote from the link:
“HB683 is modeled after “proposed” legislation written by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). ALEC is a corporate bill mill. It is not just a lobby or a front group; it is much more powerful than that. Through ALEC, corporations hand state legislators their wish lists to benefit their bottom line. Corporations fund almost all of ALEC’s operations. ”
All bloodsucking vampires (whether you are talking about CAFOs, Monsanto, Oil and Gas, etc) are afraid of the light. They can only operate the way they do under the cover of darkness and secrecy, which is why they want laws like this one.
Keep shining the light on them!