The use of the word "earth" often includes the inhabitants. If the second "destroy" in the Rev. 11 verses means to morally corrupt, which is likely seeing that God is concerned primarily with spiritual and moral corruption (those who spiritually corrupt themselves by serving false gods), then it is reasonable to conclude that the "earth" includes the inhabitants. Moral corruption leads to a breakdown in the entire creation.
The reason that fornication with the Whore (city) is so grievous is b/c it's first and foremost spiritual fornication. The inhabitants of the earth are committing spiritual fornication with the "great Whore." Of course in doing so the whole creation (the earth) which has already been corrupted since the time of A & E continues to be corrupted.
But let's get back to the beginning. This discussion comes out of the original fantasy that the gov't caused the earthquake in the gulf near NO. An anonymous poster applied the verses in Rev. 11, out of context, to that discussion. This discussion has no rational end b/c the first premise that the gov't caused the earthquake is a fantasy.