Senior Citizens March Against Mountain Top Removal

[FluxRostrum]

Run time: 07:17 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2thSqbU3sA   Posted on YouTube: October 09, 2009 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: October 09, 2009 By DU Member: FluxRostrum Views on DU: 404

 
Day 1 of a 5 day march covering 25 miles from Charleston, WV to
it's end in civil disobedience actions at the front gates of Massey
Energy owned, Mammoth Coal in Cedar Grove, WV.

There will be an update video each day of the March.
@ http://mobilebroadcastnews.com/MBN/blogs/FluxRostrum

Mo'Fo'
http://climategroundzero.org

[juxtaposed]

1. MASEY is bad for America

[20score]

2. Extremely important. Wish more people knew about this. K&R

Unfortunately, Obama has not stopped this. He's allowing it to continue under the radar.

[Lancer]

3. An excellent documentary made by my BF's brother

is called Mountaintop Removal (2007). Here's my take on it:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1100902/

(I'm not sure where you can find it because Netflix doesn't carry it, but surely there are other sources. There are now several films with similar titles but this was the first.) Documentarian Michael O'Connell personally received a Reel Current Award from Al Gore for this film. He said he and Tipper watched several and Mountaintop Removal got her vote hands down.

It's about the town of Marsh Fork, WV which is in a valley below one of Massey Energy's largest mountaintop removal projects, and how it has been made almost uninhabitable by this process. It's great for Massey because they need only hire three or four men to operate one scraper, and one small crew and one machine can recover more coal from the mountain in a day than 300 men could excavate in a week.

The residual effects of washing the coal forms "slurry ponds," and the runoff has no place to go but down the mountain, and it poisoned the town of Marsh Fork. The tap water in kitchens is gray and has the consistency of Elmer's Glue. The main drama in the film comes from the residents' grass roots effort to relocate the town's elementary school because the ground on which it sits is completely contaminated. Some of the kids are sick with illnesses no one should ever have to suffer, but which are most often occupational hazards of men decades older who work in the mines.

There are a lot of folk heroes that emerge from this film. Coal company reps are included, but even they don't sound like they believe their own BS. Until I saw this film, I did not know that the U.S. still derives 50% of its energy production from coal. As dangerous as traditional coal mining is, there's got to be a better way to become energy independent. Corporate greed is destroying the Appalachians -- one of this country's true natural wonders.

[FluxRostrum]

4. I wish

we could see it.

[Turborama]

5. Huge K&R! Thanks for letting us know

I'm going to be following this.

[bobbolink]

6. One of the groups planning trips to the area

This group was profiled on Bill Moyers, and I became intrigued with what they are doing. They are also involved in educating people about global climate change.

Only God Should Move Mountains
Restoring Eden Appalachian Tours
You are invited to participate in a one-of-a-kind tour of Appalachia to learn about an important human rights issue – mountain top removal coal mining. Mountains are being destroyed, at an alarming rate, to supply the country with cheap electricity. Erosion, drinking water pollution and poor health are only some of the results. Your heart will be broken by the things that may also break the heart of God as both His land and His people are treated as disposable. You will also be inspired by stories of courage and hope.

We will meet local residents directly affected by mountain-top removal. We’ll tour current mountain-top removal sites. We’ll have space for discussion, prayer and reflection. We’ll hike trails leading to abandoned underground mining areas and even stand atop the historical Battle for Blair Mountain site. Come with us and learn about the injustice of mountain-top removal coal mining and it’s affect on the people and land of Appalachia.

Depending on the weather and length of the trip, tour participants may also choose to rock climb, hike, white-water raft, swim, do community service, or join a local church for Sunday worship.
Fall 2009 Tour Dates*

October 1-4
October 9-11
October 16-18
October 22-25
November 6-8
November 21-24

*Dates may fill up fast. Please be in touch soon!

Your cost is $150, which covers food, transportation and housing for the entire duration of your tour. A deposit of $50 is due two weeks before your trip departure.

Contact Sarah Walsh Landini at [email protected] or
412-952-1828 with your questions, to book dates and discuss logistics and cost.

Brought to you by Restoring Eden in
partnership with the CCO.