It was grassroots, a phenomenon of social media sites like Facebook. The word went out to the anti-fracking faithful, and yesterday (trumpets blaring) was ta da da da: Freedom from Toxic Fracking Waste National Rally Day – a day when the masses would rise up and protest against the nasty, dirty, polluting practice of fracking. Wait, what? You didn’t know? You didn’t see any protests “across the nation” or even in your own city or town? That’s right—Freedom from Toxic Fracking Waste National Rally Day was a massive flop because no one protested.
Well, almost no one protested. We did find one media reference that “at least 30 protestors” gathered in Youngstown, Ohio (an area with a population of over a half million people). The keynote headliner for the rally? Former president of Pittsburgh City Council (and rabid anti-driller) Doug Shields, peddling his view that fracking should be banned everywhere and for everyone. He said he’s pursuing legal means to try and do just that:
