Appalachia Turns on Itself NYT OP-ED (Charleston, Washington: health insurance, house, employment)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
ANYONE traveling on Interstate 77 just north of Charleston, W.Va., can't miss the billboard perched high above the traffic, proclaiming "Obama's No Jobs Zone," a reference to increased regulations on the coal industry and mountaintop removal mining. Like countless other bits of pro-coal propaganda that have sprouted over the last few years across Appalachia, the sign is designed to inflame tensions - and by all counts, it's working.
Appalachia is engaged in a civil war of sorts over coal, with miners and their families pitted against environmental activists. The central issue is mountaintop removal, a radical form of strip mining that has left over 2,000 miles of streams buried and over 500 mountains destroyed. According to several recent studies, people living near surface mining sites have a 50 percent greater risk of fatal cancer and a 42 percent greater risk of birth defects than the general population.
Despite the evidence, the coal industry and its allies in Washington have persuaded the majority of their constituents to ignore such environmental consequences, recasting mountaintop removal as an economic boon for the region, a powerful job creator in a time of national employment distress.
Of course, since mountaintop removal is heavily mechanized, the coal industry is the real job killer - and, until recently, miners would have been suspicious of any claim to the contrary. For decades the companies had fought the miners' efforts to unionize, resulting in violent strikes.
After finally recognizing the union, King Coal opposed its demands for things like a living wage, health insurance, safety precautions and measures to curb the alarming rates of black lung disease. The strategy was simple: the companies would buy off individual communities and leaders, exchanging meager payouts for silence or even support against the more adamant activists.
The article provides zero details, but implies right vs wrong. I really don't see any balanced analysis contained on the article.
It just talking about a conflict that is splitting WV apart.
I think that you may have strong feelings about some of the issues mentioned and feel that your views arent represented enough.
However, this article is not really inflammatory. Perhaps you find the issue upsetting. However, that is the point the author is trying to make. People have strong feelings for or against strip mining and disagreements can get ugly.
All of the stuff with Judy Bonds is well documented, I guess whether it is to be believed is up to you. Some of the details in the article are wrong. Larry Gibson's dogs weren't shot, one was hanged but lived. He doesn't have a trailer but a cabin. There's a video somewhere with some Massey miners at a gathering at Larry Gibson's house and they had obviously been drinking and it got ugly. This seems to be yet another subject where there can be no civil discourse. The news this week that Black Lung is on the rise is troubling.
It isn't meant to inflame but to analysis a situation.
According to several recent studies, people living near surface mining sites have a 50 percent greater risk of fatal cancer and a 42 percent greater risk of birth defects than the general population.
Meant to do nothing but inflame.
One could just as easily write an article stating "According to several recent studies, Obama was born in Indonesia".
Would that be a valid point to put in a legitimate article?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
