An Open Letter to Oklahomans

Dear Oklahomans,

Years ago, you all decided fracking for oil was and is okay, in spite of evidence and concerns otherwise but hey, you're oil people. We guess you're going to go after it no matter what and no matter how.

But now that you've been at it a while and it's spread all over your state (I guess), it's been giving you more and more earth temblors and earthquakes.

Oklahoma's rise in quakes linked to 

man-made causes

And it's clear what that it's from fracking, too. Let's not kid ourselves. Just check out the results.

Oklahoma has more earthquakes in 2015 

than all of continental U.S.

But now you've gone too far, Oklahoma. You've gone way too far.

It's one thing to frack in your state and it would be okay if only you suffered any repercussions, sure. Then we'd say, fine, you're leaving us alone so we'll leave you alone. But now, today, we got this.

Oklahoma earthquake rattles six surrounding states

And it wasn't a little one, either.

5.6 earthquake, strongest in state history, 

rattles Oklahoma

You, Oklahoma, and 6 other states got rattled by a 5.6 earthquake that was felt as far away as Iowa. We certainly felt it here in Kansas City. I understand it was felt as far away as Omaha, Nebraska and in Iowa.

And sure, we can joke about it.

But the fact is, it's not funny.

The earthquakes are getting more numerous and they're getting stronger. Neither is a good trend. At all.

Earthquake Rattles Oklahoma; One Of Strongest Recorded In State

So here's the deal, Oklahoma. Either you cool the fracking, either cut it down or stop it or we're going to have to have Uncle Sam step in and make you. You're starting to mess with your neighbors. Not only do we not like it but it's not good for us any more than it's good for you.

And we have this little thing over here in the Southeast Missouri area we don't want to wake up. You may have heard of it. It's called the New Madrid fault?

New Madrid Seismic Zone

If that thing "wakes up", your 5.6 rattler will seem like a dishwasher going on in the house, in comparison. You won't like it and neither will all of us in Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Texas and a lot more, likely.

The New Madrid Earthquake That Will Divide 

The United States In Half

A New Madrid Earthquake Is Coming And America 

Will Be Shaken

So stop it, Oklahoma. Cut it out. It's for your good and the good of America, frankly. It's not a threat. We're begging, really.

Be a good neighbor. Be a good citizen.

Sincerely,

All Your Neighboring States and a Good Number of Your Fellow Americans

At what point do we learn? At what point do we change?

I was speaking last evening, late, with a friend that recently retired from the federal government's National Weather Service and told him what I thought--that all it's going to take, I expect, is one more hit, one hit in Florida of some major city, heaven forbid, and finally, finally more people will think there likely is a good chance of humans effecting weather with all the CO2 we're putting into the atmosphere.

Heaven forbid it's Miami but there it sits, like a bit of a big bullseye, jutting out into big bodies of water. 

Purely coincidentally, after I wrote this entire piece, I ran across this article:

As hurricanes loom, Florida insurance lives on borrowed time

Because of its size and geographical position, with 1,200 miles of coastline on a peninsula sticking out into the warm waters where the Caribbean meets the Atlantic, Florida is a uniquely risky insurance market. Most of its insured residential and commercial property - 79 per cent - lies in coastal areas vulnerable to both wind damage and flooding.

Coastal property is valued at just under $3 trillion, according to a report due to be released next week by AIR Worldwide, a global leader in catastrophe risk modeling. Florida accounts for almost 30 percent of the nation's entire $10 trillion coastal exposure, AIR found.

Only New York has as much exposure, with $3 trillion in coastal property, and that compares to $239 billion in South Carolina and $107 billion in Georgia.

Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Daytona, you name it. When/if that should happen, it'll be game over for Florida, if it's a big enough storm. There will be lots more believers.
In the meantime, there's Oklahoma and Oklahoma City, repeatedly hit by tornadoes in the last week.

Did you know there were 9--nine tornadoes in the last 36 hours?

And in the last 24 hours, there was this:

5 dead in tornado in Oklahoma City area, 50 hurt

And that, of course, is on top of the direct hit the suburb of Oklahoma City took in Moore, the previous week.

At what point do we think maybe the way we humans live on this planet maybe isn't sustainable?

At what point do we maybe think we need to stop pumping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere?

Uncanny timing tonight

There was the most terrific 2 specials on tonight on the local PBS station, KCPT, about the Joplin tornado in 2011 since the anniversary was and is today.

I watched most of both.  Bawled like a baby.

The thing is, the reason I write is because, first, it was 2 years ago today but second, it's hot on the heels, of course, of the Moore, Oklahoma tornado just yesterday, the poor people.

Uncanny timing and coincidence.

Devastating.

Deadline in Disaster

A community newspaper helps its town find hope in the aftermath of the EF5-tornado that nearly destroyed Joplin, Missouri, on May 22, 2011. The Joplin Globe rolled the presses the night of the storm and hasn’t missed a beat since: continuing long hours, enduring difficult working conditions, and uncovering stories from the disaster.

Here's the 2nd:

Heartland: Portrait of Survival – 9pm

Heartland is a heartfelt portrait of the people who survived the EF5-tornado and a tribute to the lives who were lost in Joplin, Missouri, on May 22, 2011. Amateur footage, home videos, news broadcasts, police dispatch transmissions, and interviews are woven into an inspiring narrative.

If you get a chance to see either or both, by all means do.

You've no idea what they've been through unless you know someone there or you've seen one of both of  these.

Kudos, KCPT and PBS.

And may we all help the people, now, in Moore, Oklahoma.

Link:  Remembering Joplin - KCPT

Oklahoma: It sucks to be you

Sure, we've always known Oklahoma was famous for its tornadoes and people called it either "Tornado alley" or knew it was part of it. Now? It seems Oklahoma is on a fault line. Did you know that? (The Meers). I didn't. That and it USED to have about 50 earthquakes per year. Now? Since 2009? It's increased. 2010? Way more. How about 1047 of them? Yeah, that many. And the thing is, much as these Oklahomans love their oil money and all that, ever since "fracking" for natural gas has taken hold down there, there are more and more earthquakes. Many more. Coincidence? It wouldn't seem so, would it? We'll see. Link: http://www.okgeosurvey1.gov/pages/earthquakes/information.php#FAQ"; http://news.yahoo.com/big-quake-follows-increase-oklahoma-rumblings-203947305.html

KC on "America's 50 Best Cities"

Bloomberg's "Businessweek" magazine this time, ranks "America's 50 Best Cities" today. The good news? We're on the list. The bad news? We very nearly weren't and aren't. We just barely hit the list--at 43. Oklahoma City? 36th. Omaha? 34th. That hurt. Lincoln, Nebraska, though at 22? Yow. Shoot me. For what it's worth, Raleigh, North Carolina comes in at the top spot. Link to original post: http://images.businessweek.com/slideshows/20110920/america-s-50-best-cities/

I expected KC on this list

A report is out today on Yahoo! News, listing the "15 Dangerous Cities for Driving" and, to my surprise, anyway, the Kansas City metropolitan area isn't on it. Thank goodness. As it turns out, Florida is the worst state overall with the South "over-represented." I'll leave that alone here. What was most interesting and noteworthy to our area, I thought, too, is that Little Rock was number 4 worst, and Tulsa was 13 and Oklahoma neighbor Oklahoma City was 15. On the far more positive side, neighboring Lincoln, Nebraska was ranked 6th safest city in the nation while Omaha was number 9. Link: http://autos.yahoo.com/news/15-dangerous-cities-for-driving.html

That's what hate and ugliness can get us

Today is the anniversary of my Mom's birthday.

And why do I mention that to you, here?

I mention it because it's also the anniversary of the bombing the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Builing in Oklahoma City, all those years ago, in 1995 that killed 168 people and injured 500, all by one Timothy McVeigh.

Ever since this event, I resented Mssr. McVeigh's incident in my own small way, for having his action be associated with her day.

Silly, sure, I know, when put next to all these people's losses but I felt it was something that was very fair, too. My biggest sense of outrage from his actions were for the people lost and hurt that day but this was one more important way, for me, to mark the day and event.

It wasn't fair what he did and I thought then and still do now, that we each need to keep these things in our memories, just like the Holocaust, so we see they're not repeated.

My bigger point today is that Timothy McVeigh's (I don't want to refer to him as "Mr. McVeigh", so I show him no respect) actions that day were an important lesson in why we should not and can not let hate and ignorance and fear of one another rule our lives and overtake our actions.

It is precisely right-wing hate that overtook Timothy McVeigh and this was the result.

So now, here we are with an African-American President for the first time in the history of our country and what's happening? People are purchasing large amounts of both weapons and ammunition, "to prepare", they say.

And there's such racism, hate, intolerance and ugliness in emails and on the internet since last November. Some of the emails, though blatantly racist, were created and sent with the thought that they were funny and/or cute and so, entertaining.

Pitiful.

President Obama has done quite a few good things for our country already, though that's debated, of course. But his theme is absolutely, undeniably correct and on target--and that is, we have to talk to one another and we have to work together for the benefit of each other and the country.

Unfortunately, for a lot of people, they want to either ignore or deny that message.

I see in the paper yesterday where hate groups--neo-nazis, actually--are back to recruiting heavily in Idaho again and it's troubling, at least.

We need to keep repeating: we need to refer to all of ourselves as Americans, first and last and we need to work together to help one another and to solve our problems, no matter our place, physically, in the country, no matter our socio-economic class, no matter our color, no matter what.

"A nation divided against itself cannot stand."

Remember that?


Link to front page of The New York Times cover story that day:
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/0419.html

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/aryan_nations