There Is No Silver Bullet...

We’ve been there.
Late nights. Blurry eyes. Caffeine-fueled doom-scrolling through zoning board minutes, legal filings, outdated Facebook posts, and that one guy’s blog that hasn't been updated since 2018. All of it in a desperate search for the thing—that elusive clause, regulation, precedent, or smoking-gun study that would finally, gloriously stop a massive energy project from turning your town into an industrial zone with a scenic zip code.

If we could just find the magic bullet—the fatal flaw in the application, the hidden law no one noticed, the technical paper that proves beyond doubt that this is a terrible idea—then boom. Project denied. Community saved. Roll credits.

But here’s the cold, inconvenient, and deeply frustrating truth: that silver bullet doesn’t exist.

Despite what some well-meaning Facebook commenters or smug industry reps might suggest, there is no one-size-fits-all fix. No secret weapon tucked in a file cabinet somewhere. No “ultimate guide” that guarantees a win.

What this fight actually demands is way harder—and way more powerful—than a silver bullet.

Two Years. Three. Even Six.
If you’re serious about protecting your farmland, your water, your view, your sense of place—it’s going to take a commitment. Not just a few fiery town hall speeches or a really good yard sign. We’re talking years. Two, three, even six.

Why? Because the developers you’re up against aren’t winging it. They’re playing a long game they’ve played in hundreds of other towns before yours. They know the process better than your planning board. They’ve gamed the regulations, mapped out the loopholes, and hired consultants who speak fluent bureaucrat.

No, you’re not doing it wrong. The system is designed to wear you out.

So if you’re wondering why it feels like every step forward leads to two new roadblocks, you’re not imagining it.

The Developer’s Playbook: Delay, Divide, Distract
As laid out in my book, Don't Get Played – How The Green New Scam is Playing Rural Communities (no not promoting my book to generate sales... it's free!), energy developers follow a playbook so well-worn it might as well be laminated. Here's the greatest hits:

• Divide and Conquer: Sign secretive leases before anyone else hears a whisper. Pit neighbor against neighbor. Stir up just enough local drama to keep people from working together.

• Control the Narrative: Roll out the “green energy” buzzwords and smile through community meetings like a TED Talk dropped into a cornfield. Anyone who asks questions is labeled anti-science, anti-progress, or just plain “anti.”

• Slow-Walk the Process: Turn every step into a procedural maze. File incomplete or cryptic documents. Keep the ball moving just fast enough to confuse you, but slow enough to delay your response.

• Bury It in Paper: Hundreds of pages of maps, environmental reports, noise studies, and shadow analyses. Most of it unreadable. All of it strategic.

• Exhaust the Locals: Death by process. Death by meetings. Death by polite-but-firm agency replies. They’re not trying to beat you in a debate. They’re trying to make you tired.

And it works—unless you refuse to let it.

This Website Is Not the Answer — It’s the Toolkit
That’s where the Don’t Get Played Cooperative comes in.

We’re not claiming to have all the answers. We’re not offering you a magic wand, and we’re definitely not selling snake oil. What we are offering is something we wish we’d had when we started: a place to find what matters, skip what doesn’t, and get your bearings without losing your mind.

This website exists to support your journey—not replace it. It won’t write your comments for you. It won’t decode your local zoning code. And it sure as hell won’t show up to your public hearing for you.

What it can do is give you the tools to do those things better, faster, and with a little less head-banging.

You’ll find studies, links, stories, and video content here—not because they are the answer, but because they are part of the groundwork that helps real people in real communities push back against well-funded, well-rehearsed corporate sprawl.

What Works? You Do!
There is no shortcut.

There is only you—and your neighbors—learning, organizing, showing up, asking hard questions, and refusing to back down. That’s what works. That’s what wins.

What kills bad projects isn’t magic. It’s people who don’t give up.

So no, there is no silver bullet.

But there is something better: a community that won’t get played.

And that—frustrating, exhausting, and entirely avoidable though it should be—is exactly why the Don’t Get Played Cooperative exists: because we’ve stood where you’re standing, waded through the same polished PR and procedural sludge, and learned the hard way that no one is coming to save your town but you. So we built this website to hand you the flashlight we wish someone had handed us, and we sincerely (and maybe just a little bit spitefully) hope that what’s tucked inside these pages helps you stay sharp, stay stubborn, and most of all—not get played.

Why become a member of the Don’t Get Played Cooperative? Well, for starters, it’s free—which means you can join without spending a dime, a bushel, or even a chicken. More importantly, it’s built by rural folks for rural folks—because let’s face it, if we don’t look out for our land, nobody else will.

Joining the Cooperative means you’re no longer the only one asking, “Wait… what’s in that lease fine print?” or “Why is that guy in a suit suddenly real interested in our cornfield?” You’ll get real resources, straight talk, and a whole community that’s just as stubborn, smart, and fed-up as you are. So pull up a chair, grab a cup of strong coffee, and join the movement where common sense still matters and being a little skeptical is a badge of honor.

Become Part Of The Don't Get Played Cooperative