"We are all Americans..."

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I'm not sure how many times Penn State Professor Terry Engelder used that phrase to introduce a point yesterday, but after an industry-produced ( BIG OIL ) video that was played to begin the ~2 hour Marcellus Shale forum ended with a huge American flag waving in the breeze, I was pretty certain we'd be hearing more of the new patriotic theme that I mentioned in a previous post. I was not wrong.

It is when they ( BIG OIL ) eventually cross the line and openly accuse those opposed to "drilling for dollars" as being unpatriotic that this may very quickly degrade into more than open dialogue.

Remember...we are all Americans.

Speaking of speaking freely, I somehow think Appalachian Fracture Systems feels like a conflict of interest...or is it just me?  

Professor Terry Engelder drilling driving a point home.

I recorded the entire event, in HD no less, and will be burning a few DVD's over the next few days. The Monroe County League of Women Voters did an overall good job keeping things under control. One woman wanted to say her peace, but was quickly muzzled in a professional manner. She did make her points known to a local newspaper reporter.

It was a standing-room-only crowd, and from some body language I observed, quite a few folks were not buying what was being sold by BIG OIL's biggest (impartial, of course) flag-bearer.

I'll post a few more thoughts during the week.

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