No, I think you correctly identified the shortcoming with the tool if it were only usable for outside measurements. It does turn out that your idea was already implemented, but it is nevertheless a good idea.
The wording however is an echo of a line from Mad Men, where Pete Campbell is talking about coming up with the idea for direct marketing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a05WUtLZfU8
Your only chance to “outgun” oil companies is through politics and leveraging the power of the state. Whether it is Chevron in Nigeria during the late 90s or the Canadian company Enbridge in Minnesota now, or pretty much every story since we began extracting energy resources from the ground, energy companies are absolutely able to fund security that will operate on their behalf with overwhelming force.
How does “my branch of government can’t be touched by your branch of government” equate to a co-equal branch of government? The political philosophy used in crafting the US Constitution intended for each branch to have separate and independent powers and each branch was intended to be able to place limits on the power exerted by other branches.
There is no way that the founders, who had much more experience with corrupt judges than we do, intended for the Supreme Court to openly accept bribes and engage in conflicts of interest without consequence.
This president made an empty promise about continuing to work for paid sick leave after preventing a strike by railworkers at the end of 2022. Except, that it actually worked. Almost every union did get paid sick leave for its members within six months aided by continued pressure from the White House.
He’s a pretty lousy union buster.