When the oil & gas industry traps people in the Cycle of Fracking Denial, they are quick to justify the gag order by saying it was a “mutual agreement.” But we know better.
Peter Vallari, the Hallowichs’ lawyer: “… it was imposed on my clients, put in the way of an ultimatum.”
‘Frack Gag’ Bans Children From Talking About Fracking, Forever
BY ANDREW BREINER ON AUGUST 2, 2013
Extortion is a common mafia tactic used to obtain money, property or service. In this case, the oil and gas industry wants the land where we live. They move into neighborhoods and even backyards with their heavy industrial activities and pollute our air, water and soil. We are in their way.
Range Resources’ spokesman Matt Pitzarella insisted that the family wanted to move because “they had an unusual amount of activity around them.” Source
Families cannot live next to these industrial practices but they are trapped. Their property value declines along with their health from exposure to hazardous air pollutants, water contamination, constant noise, dust and lights. The stress takes a heavy toll on emotional and physical health and overall well-being.
Working diligently over an expended time period, a family or neighborhood can eventually collect enough evidence of harm to file a lawsuit. But few people have the resources for extended legal battles so the lawsuit is most often settled out of court. The settlement comes with a non-disclosure agreement that means you are never again allowed to speak about what happened. All the documentation you obtained to prove harm is forever sealed in secrecy. This allows the industry and our government to continue saying there is no proof of harm.
Omertà is a code of silence and secrecy used by the mafia and retaliation for breaking the silence is common.
o·mer·ta – A rule or code that prohibits speaking or divulging information about certain activities, especially the activities of a criminal organization.
The drilling and fracking industry even applies omertà to children.
MR. SWETZ: I guess our position is it does apply to the whole family. We would certainly enforce it. Link
This is how the fossil fuel mafia uses extortion and omertà–known mafia tactics–to get our land, get us out of the way and keep us silent.
“I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse.”
― Mario Puzo, The Godfather
***UPDATE***: WOW! Now Forbes joins other major media outlets in calling Range Resources a bully.
Why no one trusts oil companies on fracking
Loren Steffy, Contributor
8/05/2013
It’s not clear from the story what the family’s health claims were or whether a link to fracking was proved. But that issue once again gets overshadowed by an oil companies’ bully tactics.
[…]
This sort of behavior is exactly why the public doesn’t trust the energy industry. What can it do about it? Well, for starters, it could stop getting gag orders against children.
I don’t completely agree with his assessment. The reason we don’t trust them is much larger than just the bullying. It’s things like executives lying in public to elected officials (VIDEO), contaminating water, land and air without taking responsibility, the arrogance and the bullying.
If you don’t give me the deed to your ranch, I’ll saw you all in half.
What’s next, psyops? Oh wait…!
For Background see The mouths of babes: Range Resources fears the children’s truth and links contained within.
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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To which the Gas Mafia says, “It’s not personal, it’s bidness”.
“Tom, don’t let anybody kid you. It’s all personal, every bit of business. Every piece of shit every man has to eat every day of his life is personal. They call it business. OK. But it’s personal as hell.”
― Mario Puzo, The Godfather
The industry appears to be more of a wanna-be “mafia.”
I think if the late John Gotti lived where the Hallowich’s lived, things may have shaken out a little differently.
I can’t imagine the real mafia would be pleased to have their kids poisoned. And do mafia people sign gag-orders?
Didn’t Gotti’s neighbor mysteriously disappear after an unfortunate accident involving his son?
“Range Resources’ spokesman Matt Pitzarella insisted that the family wanted to move because ‘they had an unusual amount of activity around them.'”
I wonder how the real mafia would feel if “they had an unusual amount of activity around them” carried out by a bunch of wannabes. From the docs I’ve seen, I don’t think it would go over well.
Pitzarella also stated AFTER the lawsuit became public that they knew when they set up shop that it wasn’t going to be a “Good situation” for the Hallowich’s-but yet, did absolutely NOTHING. Except to continue to behave badly. Of course, being the spin doctor he is, he said this in response to the fact that the the terms of the lawsuit were now public, as if we were under the belief that Pitz really wanted to say something all along, but someone else higher in the chain decided to fight the Hallowich’s instead, including drawing a counter-suit against them.
These gasholes operate under the premise that no matter how vocal you are, or what you do, they will eventually wear you down and shut up. If you do fight them, and stick with it, eventually you will wear them down. Just try not to act surprised when Pitz tells the press Range writing a very large check was what they really wanted all along.