Does Fracking Cause Earthquakes?

Mother Jones reports on recent earthquakes in regions not accustomed to much seismic activity, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Ohio. Much of their story consists of anecdotal evidence, particularly the strongest earthquake in Oklahoma history at magnitude 5.6 in November 2011, which happened along a fault which a Univ. of Oklahoma geophysics professor referred to as “a dead fault that nobody ever worried about.” Since this quake “injured two people, destroyed 14 homes, toppled headstones, closed schools, and was felt in 17 states,” people are starting to worry.

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I’m Mad as Hell

This post has nothing to do with climate change, or any aspect of science or mathematics. It’s about politics. It’s about why, even though I think the democratic party in the USA is generally incompetent, I’m still a staunch supporter. Because every now and again I see something that makes me so angry … I feel the need to rant.

I know lots of republicans. Not politicians, not party leaders, just plain old folks with a strongly conservative bent. Some are extreme, claiming membership in the “tea party” and believing that President Obama wasn’t born in the USA. I have strong disagreements with them. But none of them, not one, not a single goddamn person I know, would dare, would even consider, to deny food to a child in school.