Anti-Protest

         In her article, Clarice Silber talks about a bill that would increase the penalty for those who trespass or damage oil and gas operations. On the outside, this may look like a bill to try and deter damages against oil and gas operations however upon further evaluation it seems as though lawmakers are trying to impede protest that involves trespassing onto pipelines and oil sites to prevent further damage and construction. While I agree with the idea of penalizing those who are damaging and destroying others property, in terms of trespassing I don't believe you can increase the penalty on someone voicing their concerns in any way possible to get others attention. The point of protesting is to make those they disagree with extremely uncomfortable to the point they are forced to recognize and at least be willing to listen to the other side.