What the Frak?

There is an anti-fracking rally on the old main quad right now. They are going to march down the main street of New Paltz.

Fracking, if you were unaware as I was, is the use of hydraulic pressure to fracture rocks, and it is used today in the oil industry to extract more oil from particular types of deposits. Because of the way in which it is being used today it has a detrimental effect on the safety of ground water. Let me say that one more time. It has a detrimental effect on the safety of ground water. Sure, there are uses for fracking that do not necessarily negatively impact the environment or our groundwater, and I'm sure it ends up working well in particular instances, but that does not negate the fact that it is a very environmentally risky procedure.

Now back to the Rally

The rally started on the old main quad of SUNY New Paltz, and proceeded to march down Main Street. Mission accomplished.

Don't get me wrong, I applaud the effort that went into organizing this. They had to get clearance from the school (a most likely nightmarish amount of red tape), they had to organize people. It was work. But was it effective? Does the town of New Paltz even have the kind of power to stop nearby fracking? what if they spent the same amount of energy on a letter writing campaign? Or a march on Albany, where decisions are actually made for the state? Or even some sort of fund raiser to buy a politician (they get more expensive each day). It is frustrating to see ineffective effort for causes I believe in. This is not to say that I am some high and mighty political action organizer, I put forward a lot less effort than I should. I succumb to the crushing reality that if I devote MOST of my time and manage to raise A TON of money, then maybe I can change one issue for the better. Sure, I can vote for the candidate that best suits my political interests, but they are always third party and will not win.

The temptation of Political Violence

I will admit, I have often fantasized about creating some sort of Iron Man suit and storming a coal powered power plant and razing it to the ground, while ensuring not a single life was lost. Violence, at least against property is extremely appealing politically because it steps outside the bounds of the legal system to enact change. And while I want said change oh so badly, by doing so on these grounds I legitimize all acts that are illegal if they are done "because I do not like that law." This is not a political system I want to live in, because there are crazies out there.

So what should we do about the fracking, huh?

A lot more than just a march on good old New Paltz. Its a hippie town regardless. Exactly what is going to work I don't know, and its gonna take better people than me to organize it. Good luck.

(for the record I'm going to look into helping out this cause more after writing this)