The military-fracking complex

[Paul Mobbs]

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Watch the CBS news item on this web page! (link/details below)

Military tactics and psyops practices being use against anti-gas fracking 
groups in the USA? Who would have thought that was possible?

Actually, if you look at the relationship between military psyops groups and 
the police and security companies, there's a strong connection between them 
all. How this will play out over here, as they ramp up gas fracking to try and 
maintain gas supplies, will be an interesting test case for community 
democracy -- is this just another example of how the corporate "technocrats" 
are taking over public policy?

This also begs the question, what other aspects of controversial public 
developments (e.g. climate change/geo-engineering, nuclear power, GM crops, 
whatever) will get the same treatment. Companies are already using astroturf 
groups to deflect community criticism of wind farm developments; it's only a 
short step from that towards (as Bernays put it in the 1920s) "the engineering 
of consent" (note, the original text of Bernays' 1947 paper is on the FRAW 
site -- http://www.fraw.org.uk/files/political_texts/bernays_1947.pdf ).

If anyone wants a copy of this clip to show/use as part of their campaigns 
work, I've ripped the video from the CBS site.


P.



http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2011/11/11/gas-companies-caught-using-military-
strategies-to-overcome-drilling-concerns/

Gas Companies Caught Using Military Tactics To Overcome Drilling Concerns

CBS News, November 11, 2011


FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) – The battle over gas drilling is now being compared 
to elements of an actual battlefield.

Energy industry officials were caught on tape at a conference in Houston using 
military terms to describe their opposition. One company says it uses ex-
military psychological operations experts in its community plans.

The comments came as companies were meeting to talk about strategies for 
overcoming concern over practices like hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.

But industry activist Sharon Wilson, who recorded the comments, said it may 
have just created more concern.

“I had just a moment of sheer terror,” Wilson said.

The first line came in a presentation from a representative of Anadarko 
Petroleum.

“Download the US Army/Marine Corp counter insurgency manual. Because we are 
dealing with an insurgency,” he said.

Matt Carmichael went on to recommend attendees read Rumsfeld’s Rules, from 
former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.

In another session, referring to those comments about the military, Range 
Resources Matt Pitzarella said, “We have several former psy-ops (psychic-
operations) folks that work for us at Range, because they’re very comfortable 
dealing with localized issues and local governments.”

“Really all they do is spend most of their time helping folks develop local 
ordinances.”

Some energy and business experts who spoke to CBS11 said there is no 
conspiracy by energy companies in using military psy-ops experts. Experiences 
in a war zone, they said, can go a long way to dealing with emotional issues 
here at home.

The Army’s website classifies psy-ops and public relations as different 
specialties. It describes psy-ops as influencing reasoning and, ultimately, the 
behavior of governments, groups and individuals.

Calvin Tillman, the former mayor of the Denton County town of Dish who had 
difficulties with the industry, said he wasn’t surprised to find the industry 
turning to military psychological experts to deal with government.

“If you have a certain problem, or if you have a certain concern, they know 
how to make you feel at ease with what’s going on,” Tillman said.

Wilson says the recordings prove activists aren’t just paranoid about industry 
tactics.

“If they would drill better, if they could do this right, then they wouldn’t 
have to employ such extreme measures,” he said.

In a response to using the term “insurgency,” The Woodlands-based Anadarko 
Petroleum released this statement to CBS 11:

    “The reference was not reflective of our core values. Our community efforts 
are based upon open communication, active engagement and transparency, which 
are all essential in building fact-based knowledge and earning public trust.”

Range Resources did not respond to calls or emails requesting comment.

- -- 

.

"We are not for names, nor men, nor titles of Government,
nor are we for this party nor against the other but we are
for justice and mercy and truth and peace and true freedom,
that these may be exalted in our nation, and that goodness,
righteousness, meekness, temperance, peace and unity with
God, and with one another, that these things may abound."
(Edward Burrough, 1659 - from 'Quaker Faith and Practice')

Paul's book, "Energy Beyond Oil", is out now!
For details see http://www.fraw.org.uk/mei/ebo/

Read my 'essay' weblog, "Ecolonomics", at:
http://www.fraw.org.uk/mei/ecolonomics/

Paul Mobbs, Mobbs' Environmental Investigations
3 Grosvenor Road, Banbury OX16 5HN, England
tel./fax (+44/0)1295 261864
email - mobbsey at gn.apc.org
website - http://www.fraw.org.uk/mei/index.shtml
public key - http://www.fraw.org.uk/mei/mobbsey-2011.asc

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