Well, Shucky Darn

A pleasant surprise this morning appeared in our local rag. The reporter wrote about oil and gas development in a way that presented different points of view without much, if any, personal bias.

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?pli=1#inbox/FMfcgzGpFWPkTqlJTTGsRtRmDRNBfnvg

Weld County is the third largest petroleum producing county in the country and our economy has been hard hit by the (P)regressives who won the last statewide election (Governor, Lt  Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, etc) and the Xiden Abomination.

Three things became clear reading this. First, the principal subject was factual. Other than an obscure John Hopkins study, all of the “anti” people were spouting “feelings”. Third, the Loveland mayor evidently doesn’t realize his duty is to serve all the constituents of his town.

In a time when most of what served up by the American Media Maggots (h/t Bloviating Zeppelin)  is propaganda disguised as “news”,  it was a pleasant surprise that a reporter (and his editors) published a factual account of an important issue.

I sent the reporter a congratulatory email, something I rarely do.

In writing this a memory surfaced. A Great Uncle, one Pete Ferrell, had property in Moffat County, CO. On this property was one producing oil well from which he received a royalty from the oil company. While the amount wasn’t enough to make him “rich”, it certainly made his retirement more comfortable.

Uncle Ferrell was a shit stirring gold plated asshole (some who know us as a family might say it is genetic). He delighted in making the lives of the oil company people miserable. One day the regional manager visited him and said, word to the effect,

“Look here asshole. That oil has been in the ground for thousands of years and will stay there until it is pumped. We are closing the well. You will continue to receive your annual lease payment but not one more barrel will be pumped until after your die. Then we will deal with your heirs”.

And so it was.

Is there a lesson here for others?

UPDATE/CORRECTION

Sisty pointed out I used the wrong relative. The oil well story should have said Red Weiss. Pete Ferrell was a great grandfather. Senior moment.