U.S. Coast Guard Creates ‘Protest-Free Zone’ Surrounding Shell Oil Drilling Area In Alaska

By JacobSloan on July 2, 2012 in News 9

Odd how these protest-free zones always happen to coincide with where protest would be most necessary. PressTV writes:

The United States Coast Guard will establish and enforce “a 500-meter safety zone” around the Shell Oil Company’s drilling vessel Noble Discoverer as it drills exploratory offshore wells in the sensitive Arctic waters off the coast of Alaska beginning this July.

The ‘buffer zone’ would apply to all vessels, but the ‘special rules’ are clearly designed to make it more difficult for those trying to protest against the Shell’s oil drilling in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas this summer.

“For any group or individual intending to conduct lawful demonstrations in the vicinity of the Noble Discoverer,” reads the USCG memo, “These demonstrations must be conducted outside the safety zone.” While acknowledging the negative impact on the “environment and indigenous people” a mid-ocean collision caused by environmental activists attempting to block or board the ship could have in the Arctic, the USCG report made no mention of what impact a massive oil spill in the area would have on the same.

Activism, Alaska, corporate watch, Environmentalism, Freedom of Speech, Oil drill, protest, Shell Oil

Liam_McGonagle

Seems like a perfectly reasonable accomodation to me.

The business of America is business, and the purpose of protest is to make the protesters feel better about themselves. Why can’t we just split the difference and dedicate some barren rock exclusively for protests? Like some type of Indian reservation?

I’m pretty sure that this is how most people are inclined to see this. Limitless profit may be an illusory notion, but it’s a lot more tangible than our certain knowledge of its inevitable failure. Our nervous systems have been conditioned by evolution to a fairly narrow cognitive spectrum.
Noah Way

The US Military is a publicly funded security service for US corporate interests.
- Nunzio X
  
  Yep. Just ask General Smedley Butler:
  
  I spent 33 years and four months in active military service and
  during that period I spent most of my time as a high class muscle man
  for Big Business,
  for Wall Street and the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a
  gangster for capitalism. I helped make Mexico and especially Tampico
  safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefit of Wall Street. I helped purify Nicaragua for the International Banking House of Brown Brothers in 1902-1912. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for the American sugar interests in 1916. I helped make Honduras right for the American fruit companies in 1903. In China in 1927 I helped see to it that Standard Oil went on its way unmolested. Looking back on it, I might have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three districts. I operated on three continents.
  - http://www.ContraControl.com/ Zenc
    
    Smedley Butler was a true American Hero.
    
    I wish more people would read his “War is a Racket”.
    
    I also wish that more people were aware of the “Businessman’s Plot” to take over the United States which Butler was instrumental in thwarting.
    - Anarchy Pony
      
      Business loves itself some fascism.
Anarchy Pony

“Noble Discoverer”? What a fucking joke.
tooCents

I hate this world. Nature is a wicked bitch anyway. Before medicine life sucked even more. Now the human race is on it’s way to species suicide. So it goes.
http://profile.yahoo.com/MQIXPU4GGFCNB7OJ3H3ZJ5FGSE Meredith

my roomate’s
sister makes $67 hourly on the computer. She has been without a job for
nine months but last month her pay was $14552 just working on the
computer for a few hours. Go to this web site and read more

http://www.LazyCash49.com
http://profile.yahoo.com/CQJ7IUON4SONFZE5EYNDVNTADM Jose

Protest free zones are becoming more and more common. I attend Seattle Central Community College, which is where most of the WTO demonstrations were organized. This past school year, the administration decided to create “Designated Free Speech Zones” on campus. WooohOOO!