Weirdness in the midnight hours (WV Miners stories)

[underpants]

So I was asleep when the baby monitor goes off last night about midnight. I get up and go through the process of feeding a likewise half asleep daughter and turn on the TV while I am doing it. While watching the Orange Bowl triple overtime (Penn State beat Fla.State 26-23) I flip over to see what is going on with the trapped miners.

THEY ARE ALIVE! screams the banner on both CNN and Fox. I listen in to Major Garrett and Anderson Cooper relaying the information that they have been found and all except one are okay. WOW what a great ending. I finish watching the game and put the baby back in bed and go back to sleep in front of the TV.

A wake for some reason at 4 AM. I see on CNN the banner now reads "12 of 13 found dead, survivor in serious condition" HUH?!??! WHAT THE....

This morning there is NO mention of it on local news until right before they go to The Today Show. CNN has WV governor Manchin on nonstop as he repeats over and over how it wasn't their fault. It was someone overhearing the police band and calling on cell phones. This isn't they way it was being reported in the middle of the night-THEN it was the company saying everything was okay. The Governor (I hear he is a really good guy) is like the companies damage control guy, he is everywhere while I see no one from the company.

Did I NOT see what I now I saw? Things are really getting weird.

[shoelace414]

1. headline in the milwaukee paper is..

"Miners Found Alive" the local news (owned by the same company that owns the local paper) did point that out.

[underpants]

2. google West Virginia governor

there are tons of online papers postings about them being found alive-very creepy.

[King Coal]

3. I was watching Rita Cosby and she was so stupid I couldn't tell

what was happening. I am an old miner and have bulkheaded myself in on two different occassions. I was watching very intently. Rita kept saying that they had been able to "find a crevice and hide." I kept thinking "hide from what?" I was so happy they had been found alive that I was amused at her. And then I started to drift off to sleep and I awoke and thought I had been dreaming that the reports were wrong, and they were dead. Then this morning, I found that I had not been dreaming. I felt like I was a character in a Latin American existential novel drifting between a modern city and an Aztec sacrificial ceremony.

The families of those miners were put through the wringer. My heart goes out to them.

[underpants]

12. Hatfield knew that the reports were wrong within 20 minutes

I heard that little bit slip out this morning. Why did they wait 3 hours? I would be willing to bet that they were watching the football game. Bowden made his name coaching the WVU Mountaineers before going to FSU.

We'll see.

I know nothing about mining (my family is from the Huntington part of WV) but what I do know is that you have to secure the area before you even think about getting out.

[Carni]

13. I don't want to demean the losses of these families

But truth be told I felt like I was back in the year 2000 being jarred awake to "George bush won"--it was truly awful.

[txindy]

That's Cosby-speak, all right

She was trying to convey that the men had placed a barrier to protect them from the carbon monoxide. As I understand other reports, the rescuers had drilled a hole to where they thought the men might be (and they were right, that's where they were found), tested the air, and found high levels of carbon monoxide. The one survivor, though, tests negative for it. :shrug: Maybe he wasn't near the others? I don't know. The reporting is terrible, although, for once, I believe it's a lack of info. coming from the authorities and not the inability to articulate on the part of the 'journalists' at the scene. Not entirely, anyway.

[ohio_liberal]

24. The doctor who treated the survivor said capabilities were limited

The first hospital they took him to didn't have extensive testing equipment but the doctor said that with limited testing they found no carbon monoxide. I'm thinking they might've died of hypothermia if there is no carbon monoxide found during autopsy.

Remember the one they found near the car that brings them up and down the mine? I'm wondering what happened to that guy. :(

[SheilaT]

4. Oh no!

I turned on TV last night about 11:30 Central time (I'm in Kansas) to watch Keith Olbermann, and instead of him, Rita Whatsername was happily reporting that 12 of the miners were alive. There were scenes of joy with the miners' families, and the other news channels (CNN, Fox, and CNBC) were also covering that story, although locally the other networks just had their usual coverage on.

So just now I get up, fix my cup of coffee, fire up DU, and the very first thread I open is this one. How awful! And normally I'd have NPR on in the morning, but I woke up without it this morning and currently have my radio turned to the station that will give me Amy Goodman in about ten minutes.

[CornField]

5. Sounds like my night.

I was sick yesterday and put myself to bed around 3-4 p.m. I woke up here and there to WV coverage on MSNBC. I was watching a bit of Tucker's show (he was discussing Abramoff) when Rita cut in with breaking news that the 12 missing were alive, would be brought up and taken to the families at the church. As I fell back to sleep, I remember thinking it was odd that men who had been buried alive for so long would be taken to the church and not directly to the hospital...

Then I wake up for the day around 3 or 4 a.m. to the news only one was alive and video footage of the family racing away from the church, fighting and general chaos.

So much turmoil on those families. They didn't need any of this.

[wallybarron]

8. Gov Manchin

had a half million campaign contributions from the coal companies.

[MountainLaurel]

18. Thanks for pointing that out

People keep talking about Manchin like "he's a Democrat, he'll do something about mine safety" when in fact he's on the payroll just as almost every WV governor has been since the 1880s.

[Blue_Roses]

25. he hasn't even been in office

that long--give the man a break. He's been there around the clock.

Some people just can't wait to diss Democrats period:eyes:

[MountainLaurel]

31. He's been in office more than a year

And he's been heavily involved in WV government for decades. There's been more than enough time to see where his priorities lie. I grew up in his jurisdiction, went to school with his family members, and have heard where the bones are buried. So don't give me that bullshit about just wanting to diss Democrats.

:eyes: right back at you

[wallybarron]

37. And thank you

Just because there's a D after the name doesn't make him a good guy.

[jmowreader]

27. There's only one way to fix the Mine Safety problem

And Bush won't do it.

Nor will anyone else.

The Mine Safety problem can be fixed very easily and cheaply by hiring enough inspectors to visit mines frequently, by putting serious fines on the offenses, and by allowing those fines to pierce the corporate veil.

"Piercing the corporate veil" allows the government to fine the company's management and require them to pay the fines out of their personal funds--not corporate funds.

Right now, mine owners can pay fines out of corporate funds, which means they can put a little safe in the office, put some money in it and declare the safe "for paying fines." It's no skin off their backs. But make those mine owners get out their own checkbooks, write out a few $50,000 checks made payable to the Mine Safety and Health Administration, and that mine is going to get so safe you'd let your own mom go down there.

It worked for COBRA, it worked for 401(k) administration, and it will work here.

[underpants]

30. More govt. employees, more regulation, less corporate profit

Yeah that doesnt' sound like something W&Co. would sign up for. From their recent past saving human lives isn't much of a sellling point with them either.

You are right it will work. Hell look what Sarbanes Oxley did to the corporate suits-THEY stay late on filing days now at least.

[wallybarron]

36. And the entire Democratic

leadership in our state. Joe Manchin isn't exactly new to state politics. Not dissing Democrats, but in WV it hasn't made much difference to the miners who's been in office.

[underpants]

10. I don't want to sound overly dramatic about this

or to make a political point about it but....

those families looked like there are just totally drained. We've all lost family members but I have never lost one in such a dramatic manner but the "They are alive" and then "oh no they aren't" just looks like it is a punch in the stomach (I can't find the words to describe the looks on their faces). I guess they will go through the 7 stages of grief and anger is apparently (and understandably) already there-one woman was screaming at Anderson Cooper "THEY ARE LIARS ALL OF THEM ARE LIARS!!!"

Wow.

I thought it was odd that they would go to the church as well.

[fasttense]

6. Well, a third world country deserves a second rate media. n/t

[joeybee12]

7. Today's Hartford Courant headline--"They're Alive!"

I said, "Thank God." Then I went on the internet.

Geesh.

I really hope there's an investigation. This company was cited alomst 300 times for violations in 2005.

[jus_the_facts]

9. The last words on Nightline last night.."They asked for a miracle...

...they prayed for a miracle...they GOT a miracle...THANKS TO GOD...good night." :wtf: INDEED! :crazy:

[Carni]

11. I had much the same experience

Except there was no baby involved just insomnia!

I went to bed at midnight to all the good news about survivors and woke up at 4 AM to all the *whoops how'd that happen we made a mistake* stuff

I also watched the TODAY show for as long as I could stand it--and it's not just your perception...I don't understand why this governor keeps getting ripped on and keeps representing the coal company.

Where are the company officials?

Weird is right-

[underpants]

14. MAnchin gets lots of coal money

that shouldn't surprise anyone from WV but it does seem that they are rewriting what happened in the middle of the night. I mean what are the odds that anyone was really watching right? The mining families from this one town in the middle of the WV mines will be forgotten right? Just get the story over with and lets move on right?

I swear that is what is going on.

[Carni]

32. In addition I wonder how many people will think they lived

I am a news junkie but most normal people aren't--I wonder how many people will get up today and see the headline *12 alive* on the front of USA Today while they wait in line at Starbucks and they'll never know the miners even died.

I don't know that this was deliberate on the part of the coal company but letting those families think for three hours that their relatives were alive was inexcusable--and what the hell was up with telling those people that their loved ones would be brought to the church? (wouldn't medical care have been prudent first if they had been alive? WTF?)

The whole thing is just bizarre.

[txindy]

34. Manchin also had an uncle die in a mining accident.

This isn't about the governor (gov. for less than a year), it's about the mining company, although I do agree that the company will want to point in all directions rather than take the blame that is rightfully theirs. Move along. Nothing to see here. Unbelievable.

[zbdent]

15. Whoever has the link to the site which has all the newspapers'

front pages should collect those images . . .

[underpants]

17. Well you can google "West Virginia Governor"

and hit NEWS

[ohio_liberal]

20. Here they are (LINK)

http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/

[zbdent]

33. Thanks. Bookmarked.

[Mr.Green93]

16. Does this mean

the reports of cannibalism were unfounded?

[hlthe2b]

29. timing is everything...

for dark gallows humor (which I normally appreciate).... Mr.Green93 your timing is quite seriously OFF!

[ucmike]

19. CNN yesterday morning had headlines announcing that miners rescued

i was happy to see soledad obrien interviewing a rescued miner....until i realized he was from the PA incident (2000 or 2002?). there was nothing on the screen to indicate that they weren't talking about the current mine accident. the only thing that tipped me off was that the miner being interviewed was speaking in past tense and said something about pennsylvania. to read the graphics on screen and to hear the questions being asked you would think the wv miners had been rescued.

i've been hating the media since i saw that.

[SmokingJacket]

35. That's freaky and bizarre. nt

[meganmonkey]

21. NPR Morning Edition covered it this morning

including a clip from a hysterical family member who had been told they were alive and then, shortly after, that they were dead. It was devestating just to hear it :(

[Blue_Roses]

22. you're hearing it right

the families were lead to believe that 12 miners were alive for 3 hours. I was glued to this until 4 am.

It's just so heart-breaking:cry:

[underpants]

28. Did they (Hatfield) not hear the church bells?

Was he not watching CNN or Fox? Hmmm what could he have been watching.... oh yeah that's right the rest of the football game was on about the same time he didn't come out and say anything about people thinking their family members were still ALIVE!!!!

[DoYouEverWonder]

23. Here's what I saw at three in the morning

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2019494

[back2basics909]

26. Todays Chicago Tribune..

.. also has the headline alive.