Letters to the Editor Policy

To My Fellow Pennsylvanians

We the people have been lied to again. Imagine that, in this great democracy of ours. In regards to the Marcellus Shale gas saving us from foreign energy imports, we have been and are continuing to be lied to. On many counts. I am choosing at this time to address only one.

The gas that is been reaped from our raped and broken landscape is not even going to stay in our country.

Chesapeake and Cabot, two of the largest gas well drilling companies in this area, are not even American owned. 33% of Chesapeake is owned by China, and another 33% is owned by another major foreign interest. So 66% or more is foreign owned. Same for Cabot.

Do you think they are going to let us keep our gas for our own needs?

And as you read this, Chesapeake is constructing two condensing stations, one in Louisiana, and a second in British Columbia, for liquefying and exporting natural gas.

So how much are we going to get to keep for our own needs, and how much will be sent to the Mother countries of these companies? So much for saving us from dependence on foreign energy for 100 years.

We will be left holding the bag with all of the mess they leave behind, all of the bills for destroyed infrastructure and contamination and lost farmlands and scenic byways, and still have to pay over $100 per barrel of imported oil.

What can we do about it? That I don't know. What I do know is that this makes me angry, and I hope it makes you angry too. And if we all begin to focus, we will find a solution that will stop this insanity, and make the companies, and the government officials who allow this, become Response-able to the people - we the people. They need to hear us and respond in an appropriate manner. We need to stop accepting the bare bones they toss us to pacify us, and demand we get the whole meal.

Sincerely,

Lauretta Clowes

Susquehanna, PA

Extreme "Cymbalta" Side Effects

On February 23, I called 1-800-555-1212 to obtain a 1-800 number for a lawyer to sue the makers of "Cymbalta." After I dialed the 1-800 number, to my surprise a computer announcement says to press "one" to receive a (up to) $500.00 rewards coupon. Normally a computer requests what state and what business do you wish. Hence, I press one and a person says, "I am selected to receive a $25.00 and a $100.00 dollar gift certificate for Wal-Mart." The only thing is that I supply a credit card number. "This will cover mailing charges." I reply there is no credit card in my possession. He insists that I do and gives me the last four numbers to it, and states it started January 1, 2011. He gives me a call back number if I change my mind. I feared a credit card fraud. Thus, I proceeded to go online to retrieve my "credit card" activities from "Experian," "Equifax," and “TransUnion.” I found that there is no credit card, and all activities are fine. I called Wal-Mart Headquarters from a 1-800 number found on the internet. (My fear is not to indulge in another possible fraud so I do not use a phone.) I speak with a Debbie Lawrence at 5:15 p.m. of "Customer Relations." I explained my situation and she confirms it is a fraud. She thanks me and informs me to notify "Customer Fraud" in my local state, the Better Business Bureau, and the FTC on the internet at www.ftc.com.

The reason I am seeking a lawyer is to sue the makers of "Cymbalta," a drug my wife is trying her best to withdraw from. My wife and I believe this drug is causing her to have extreme "snap, pop, crackle, buzzing" and "white noise" in her brain. The side effects appear when she stops taking this drug. The reason my wife was taking this drug is that she is having muscle aches and pains and her doctor prescribes this drug to her. It does relieve the aches and pains. However, my wife has to stop using this drug because of a layoff and she no longer has medical benefits. This drug costs $425.00 to $550.00 per month if you do not have coverage. She slowly reduced the daily dosage amount and as of this writing it is eight days since she stopped taking this drug completely. On a web site (My Therapy Discussion Forums-Cymbalta/Duloxetene), she discovered many are experiencing the same side effects. This information supports our belief that it is this drug and not another causing the side effects.

Will my wife and others have permanent damage? This remains a question and we hope and pray that it will not be permanent. The warnings that come with "Cymbalta" in writing are extensive. It seems that the company feels if they label all possible side effects, it is your responsibility for making a decision in taking this drug, and they are immune to a lawsuit for supplying as much information as possible. They also have the nerve to say that there are other side effects not listed. You should see the sheet of information they give out. The warnings are enough to fill one sheet on two sides of this newspaper with smaller print than you are reading now. I beg of those, who may decide trying "Cymbalta," not to take it. I eagerly invite response to this article if you are one of those with extreme side effects and wonder if there is a lawyer who wishes to help us?

Sincerely,

Larry Gary

Susquehanna, PA

The Marcellus Is Hot Stuff

Everyone knew something was wrong, but no one knew what. The incidence of lung cancer was all out of proportion in a village with only 2,000 residents. Something was causing high rates of cancer, but what?

The air was pure, no fumes or odd scents. The well water tasted fine. And the villagers' food and diet were not exceptional. Neither were there any nearby factories or mines.

No one suspected that it was the very ground they walked on that was causing the detrimental effects on their health and lives.

The village was built on an outcrop of shale that was emitting an odorless, colorless, tasteless, and radioactive gas named radon. The outcrop was named after the New York village where the gas was detected - the Marcellus Shale.

Twenty-five years later in late 2009, radon was rediscovered in New York's Marcellus Shale. The state's Department of Environmental Conservation analyzed samples of waste water from gas wells. It found levels of radioactive radium, a precursor to radon, as high as 267 times the limit for discharge into the environment and thousands of times the limit for potable water.

The Marcellus is hot. In Onondaga County, NY, where the Marcellus is close to the surface, the indoor levels of radon are almost five times the national average. In Susquehanna County, where the Marcellus is deeper, the average is about four times the national average.

Scientists call naturally occurring radioactive materials by the acronym NORM. Some infer NORM to mean normal and safe; it is neither.

Marcellus Shale 3,000-feet underground is normal and safe, but when it is brought to the surface is it not normal and is anything but safe.

Dr. Marvin Resnikoff is a physicist and associate at the Radioactive Waste Management Associates in New York City. He contends that flow back from gas wells, storage pits and tanks for sludge, and drill tailings from the wells are indisputably and dangerously radioactive. How radioactive? About twice the permissible level found in uranium mills. This is cause for serious concern.

Radon is a potent carcinogen. If it is inhaled, it could cause lung cancer. According to the EPA, radon is estimated to cause 21,000 deaths annually from lung cancer, second only to cigarette smoking.

Lycoming County no longer accepts drilling waste since the landfill's radiation alarm went off. But other sites welcome drilling waste. Their radiation detectors are not triggered.

Resnikoff's advice, “They should get better instruments.”

“There's no issue,” said Resnikoff. “We have looked at the drill logs for Marcellus Shale. And I don't think there's an issue of what the radioactive levels are.”

But regardless of the level, all radiation is dangerous. And it doesn't matter if you get is from a mammogram, a dental X-ray, background radiation, or the Marcellus Shale. It is cumulative. It builds up. There is no safe level of exposure.

The EPA estimates that Americans are exposed to about 300 to 360 millirems per year. Four hundred millirems is borderline. The Marcellus could push many into the red zone and they'll never know it.

The radiation from Marcellus Shale presents a clear danger to the public; it also poses significant problems for the drillers.

Radioactive wastes should not be stored on site, buried, or spread over land or roads. It must be taken to a facility designed to handle these materials.

Gas companies would need to hire licensed radioactive waste handlers and test employees and equipment for radiation exposure.

Compounding the problem is the enormous quantity of radioactive shale waste. A drilling pad might drill ten wells. Each borehole could drill horizontally 3,000 feet in one direction and the same distance in the opposite direction. Given a borehole with a diameter of 6 inches, the volume of shale removed from this pad would be 583 tons of radioactive shale.

“I don't believe anyone has taken a look, seriously, at what the unintended consequences are to dealing with these kinds of [radioactive] materials,” said Theodore Adams, a radioactive waste disposal consultant.

Maybe it's time we should.

Sincerely,

Bob Scroggins

New Milford, PA

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