Someday...justice

It is my hope that someday, perhaps not soon, but someday those who have killed in the name of profit, like Massey and CONSOL, will be brought to justice. They are and have always been willing to see others die so as to benefit their bottom line.

Just a couple of things to keep in mind whenever they begin their spin. Every time they open their mouths, they are lying. Longwall mining kills. Everyone knows it. And, it doesn't just kill the miners who are directly involved. No, it kills things that are above ground too. People? Yes. Animals? Yes.

How? Well lets just look at a couple of things. Mercury is a poisonous byproduct, sequestered in coal. When it is mined, it breaks free and enters the surrounding area and travels outward very likely at some point into our water. The coal is then burned at a utility plant where it is released into the atmosphere and carried to who/whatever is downwind. The ash left over from the process is then stored as a slurry behind earthen dams. And of course, there is mercury still to be found there. How about arsenic? Same flow as above.

First the mining companies will say that they provide jobs. They do. But, that number has dropped significantly since early in the last century with the advent of bigger shovels and longwall mining.

Next they might drop in the US need for coal. But with that one, we already know that most of the coal brought up by the use of longwall mining goes to China and India.

So, why exactly do they need to bring death and destruction to bear from Pennsylvania to Montana? Profits, of course. The deaths of those who do the work? Their view is that deaths are just a natural part of the mining business. Its dangerous business. People have always died.

Sound good to you? Me neither. So, back to the beginning. Someday, maybe not soon, but someday perhaps those who would kill for profit will be brought to justice.