Fracking, Earthquakes, and My Poor Swaying House

GOT UP ABOUT SUNRISE, fed cats, made coffee, cleaned litter boxes,in that order, since the cats come first, and noticed a beautiful day was beginning. I love this time of year in my part of the country. Late summer, with lower humidity, and slightly cooler temperatures. I took a cup of coffee to the computer room, and was just logging on, when I noticed a dull rumbling noise, and the walls swaying back and forth, for just a brief moment. Every possibility entered my mind except an earthquake. I just wasn't raised with earthquakes as part of my context. I thought maybe a cat had knocked over a table, or one of the local hunters had landed a piece of heavy ordinance on my roof. At the top of the hour I listened to news on the radio, and it all came together. A five point six earthquake epicentered in north central Oklahoma, fairly near where I live in northwest Arkansas. It was felt from Texas to Iowa and for a good distance east and west as well. This is the second time in five years I have seen my house swaying back and forth as I sat inside it in an earthquake triggered by, you guessed it, fracking. Oklahoma, over the past few years, has enjoyed an oil boom, fracking, the second oil boom in its history, the first having taken place in the early years of the twentieth century, and Oklahoma, of all places, has become the nation's largest producer of earthquakes. Oklahoma, traditionally a rock of tectonic stability, has now overtaken California as the nation's leading producer and exporter of earthquakes. Amazing. And just think, these are man made, not natural, they wouldn't be happening if it weren't for us, a tribute to human ingenuity and humanity's ability to impact its environment. Our conservative climate change deniers are quick to spew out their firm opinion that the human race is far too weak, small, and puny to ever have any lasing impact on earth or its environment, and to believe otherwise is to be either foolishly arrogant, or liberal. Well, maybe so, but when it comes to our ability to impact nature, we're certainly working on it. We can pollute and set rivers and lakes on fire, poison tens of thousands of square miles of land with nuclear radiation, tear down entire rain forests, build walls and put up lights visible from outer space, make the air over cities a dull grey color, and last, but not least, we can now make our won earthquakes! I really hate to be a kill joy, and I don't want to give the impression that I'm a left wing environmental wacko, but, well, in all honesty, this earthquake business, I can already see, could become a bit annoying, not to mention the possibility that a future one could flatten my lovely ranch style house. Is it even remotely possible that this fracking method of harvesting oil is not the best idea in the world, from the standpoint of man made buildings remaining standing? Far be it for me to even suggest that our wonderful fossil fuel economy should be altered in any way - we must make those billionaires even wealthier, but, still, it would be nice if I could keep my house from shaking like a leaf.--------PLEASE SHARE THIS WEBSITE WITH OTHERS. WE PUBLISH ORIGINAL, CREATIVE WRITING.THANKS!