Authorities Arrest Activists Instead of Those Responsible For CA Gas Leak (inhabitat.com)
MikeChino writes: The California State Patrol has arrested two people in connection with the massive methane leak in Southern California's Aliso Canyon. Instead of busting company executives and engineers that caused the leak, the CSP arrested protesters who had draped banners on the headquarters of the California Public Utilities Commission. The banners highlighted the lax regulatory environment that enabled the spill.
From the article: Headline (emphasis mine):
Shockingly, authorities arrest activists instead of people responsible for the Aliso Canyon methane gas leak
No, it's not "shocking" that authorities would arrest someone who knowingly committed a minor crime rather than investigate one who caused a large-scale industrial accident, even if negligence was involved. Because, you know, that would require some bureaucrat to get off their ass and do some work rather than rubber-stamping forms and collecting fees. And it might just inadvertently highlight some systemic corruption or incompetence within the department, and that could just get plain messy. No one wants that. The protesters are low-hanging fruit. I sometimes wonder why it is some people put so much faith in their government when they're every bit has corrupt and/or incompetent as these corporations that are vilified so much?
But unbelievably, the activists are now the ones going to jail.
This writer is quite easily flabbergasted, isn't he? Or he loves faux-outrage. Either way, it makes him sound ridiculous and juvenile. Don't misunderstand... I'm sympathetic to what happened to these poor people who had to move out of their homes because of this gas leak, but the "article" is laughably bad. Yellow journalism is apparently back with a vengeance.
the CSP arrested two protesters who draped banners on the headquarters of the California Public Utilities Commission
Oho... I think I spotted the problem here. They went and pissed off government officials. That's why the hammer came down on them. And when you piss off the government, they can send police after you to arrest you and cart you off to jail.
P.S. If I get modded down as flamebait, I'm going to blame government officials with mod points for trying to silence me.
Irony: Agile development has too much intertia to be abandoned now.
Can we just get a story category of "SJW"? That way it's easier to filter out these misleading flame baits.