A Way of Life

Of the attention paid to the longwall mining in the US, most of it, and rightfully so, is paid to the man-made disaster that has become the daily routine for those living in West Virginia and Pennsylvania. However, these folks are not alone in fighting this insanity.

In eastern Montana, near the small town of Roundup, there is a looming mining disaster on the way. The sentinel's for the area are two families. They have lived in this place for decades, and are the last of those remaining who eked out a living raising cattle in an unforgiving land.

They will fight. They will fight for all they are worth. They will fight to continue making a living the way they have for these many years. They hope that their in-town neighbors will join them in the fight against this danger to their way of life. They may. They are folks known to have strong feelings about outsiders coming in and changing things. Or, they may not.

Yes, indeed they will fight. But, there are few to carry the message from this place. There is likely to be little written of the battles fought and the crimes committed against these people. As I said, there are only two families remaining. And, as we all know all to well, the mining industry cares nothing for people, animals or the planet at large. They will destroy whatever is in their path. In this case, it will be a way of life.

Here at this blog, I will attempt to chronicle the fight and it's outcome. My fervent hope is that they will somehow survive the onslaught of dirty coal and it's killing legacy. But, with railroad tracks and cars already in place, and trenches for the tracks of the longwall mining machine being cleared, it will likely be a very, very long fight. I am hopeful that their way of life remains intact when the fight over.