Comments on: Thank You Senator Byrd, Congressman Rahall, and Senator Rockefeller

By: Palma Perkins

Palma Perkins — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:40:17 +0000

Having grown up in WV and having Senator Byrd speak at my graduation ceremony, I am appalled by what is going on there. My grandfather, father and my two deceased husbands were coal miners but never would they have acted the way these miners have. They must be truly afraid of what these people have to say if they are willing to go to the extremes that they have to stop them from speaking at the hearing! Times change, things change and people have to change. Yes I know it’s hard loosing your livelyhood but you have to move on. Most times you’ll find it’s for the best. We have to stop destroying our home the earth! Otherwise we all (including the miners) will pay! All of us must look at the long term result of things, not just the short term of loosing a job. I know some will say I don’t know what I’m talking about. Yes I do! A year ago I lost a job working for a bank in the mortgage area and you all know about the mortgage crisis. I’m still out of work and my home is being foreclosed on so yes I know how important jobs are. I’m looking for better opportunities not dwelling on what is lost. Miners, I applaud your hard work and your courage but maybe it’s time for a change. Don’t you want your children to have some of those wild and wonderful WV mountains to admire when they grow up? I know I do!

By: Brien

Brien — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:38:49 +0000

I agree with Marshalldoc on this one: the practices of mountaintop mining are going on with the tacit approval of the 3 cited in the article, and this is just some political gamesmanship.

By: Marshalldoc

Marshalldoc — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 23:13:30 +0000

Not to take too much of a shine off this story, but Byrd & Rockefeller (and I suspect Rahall too) have been in office since the Marsh Fork School’s issue has been public knowledge (I first learned of it in June ’06.

Now Byrd has come forward asking Massey to do what the Marsh Fork people have been begging for since ’06 at least and Rockefeller & Rahall are leaping to catch the bandwagon’s coattails as it rolls by.

What’s really gone on is that all 3 were holding back to see which way the wind was blowing before making a committment. Now it appears that environmentalists will, ultimately, prevail so they’ve decided its ‘safe’ to push Massey a little… not really a whole lot, just a little.

It’s even possible that Massey’s already given some indication that (in a vain attempt to buy goodwill) they may help build a new Marsh Fork Elementary and this whole dog & pony show is just that, a cynical ploy by people’s legislators who’ll look like heroes demanding something that, truth be known, is already a done deal.

I, for one, certainly wouldn’t be surprised if Massey made some kind of conciliatory announcement shortly and if Massey does, be prepared for the ‘touch’ they’ll demand as ‘compensation’ for their ‘largess’.