West Virginia workers speak on mine disaster

[Hannah Bell]

Miners, their family members and neighbors spoke with the World Socialist Web Site about the conditions that led to Monday’s deadly explosion at the Upper Big Branch mine in Montcoal, West Virginia.

Tom, 52, a disabled worker who lives down the road from the Upper Big Branch mine, spoke of how Massey Energy Company controls the lives of the people in the area. “I grew up here,” he said, “and when we were kids we used to go and play on that mountain. Now it is all private property. If you go up there they want to arrest you for trespassing.

“Massey owns everything around here. People are afraid to say anything against Massey. Massey has guards who ride up and down here and threaten everyone. Even the state police are guards for Massey. They want to control everything. Just since we have been talking here, that same state trooper has ridden up and down three times. In a few minutes he will be back again.

“It is worse now than in the 1930s. My grandfather told me about the mine wars. He was up on Blair Mountain. He said they would bring in scabs by the boxcar and take them out by the flatcar. They finally starved those miners out. It’s like that again. You either do what the company wants or you don’t have a job.

“That portal has not been open very long. Massey built that portal so it would be closer to the mine face. They didn’t want the miners spending so much time getting to and from the face. I know they ran that entrance through several old mines. That is probably what caused the explosion..."

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/apr2010/ints-a09.shtml

[senseandsensibility]

1. Kick for the miners

This story is heartbreaking.

[GrpCaptMandrake]

2. Mother Jones said it:

"Pray for the dead, and fight like HELL for the living."

People who don't know Massey's stranglehold on the Coal River Valley of West Virginia have NO idea such a world could exist inside the territorial confines of the United States. It.Is.A.Horror.

[ejpoeta]

3. but who needs big government getting between corporations and their profits!

if this isn't a case for why we need government involvement i don't know what is! all i could think when i saw that mine owner's mansion was.... that man cares more about profits than the people who work in those mines. i could swear he was already blaming the victims. can't remember exactly what he said, but i swear he was blaming the victims for their own deaths!!1 there is a special place in hell for clowns like this guy.

[underpants]

4. Blair Mountain-US military attacks civilians on behalf of coroporation

A group of miners display one of the bombs dropped by Chafin's airplanes.

By August 29, battle was fully joined. Chafin's men, though outnumbered, had the advantage of higher positions and better weaponry. Private planes were hired to drop homemade bombs on the miners. On orders from the famous General Billy Mitchell, Army bombers from Maryland were also used to disperse the miners, a rare example of Air Power being used by the federal government against US citizens. A combination of gas and explosive bombs left over from the fighting in World War I were dropped in several locations near the towns of Jeffery, Sharples and Blair. At least one did not explode and was recovered by the miners; it was used months later to great effect during treason and murder trials following the battle. Sporadic gun battles continued for a week, with the miners at one time nearly breaking through to the town of Logan and their target destinations, the non-unionized counties to the south, Logan and Mingo. Up to 30 deaths were reported by Chafin’s side and 50-100 on the union miners side, with many hundreds more injured. By September 2, federal troops had arrived. Realizing he would lose a lot of good miners if the battle continued with the military, union leader Bill Blizzard passed the word for the miners to start heading home the following day. Miners fearing jail and confiscation of their guns found clever ways to hide rifles and hand guns in the woods before leaving Logan County. Collectors and researchers to this day are still finding weapons and ammunition embedded in old trees and in rock crevices. Thousands of spent and live cartridges have made it into private collections.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Blair_Mountain

[POAS]

5. "Harlan County War"

A made for TV movie starring Holly Hunter will be airing on the "Sleuth Network" on April the 17th and 18th. In my opinion it is worth a look!

From IMDB:

A Kentucky woman whose mine-worker husband is nearly killed in a cave-in, and whose father is slowly dying of black lung disease, joins the picket lines for a long, violent strike.

[sendero]

6. The only way this crap is going to end..

.... is if the miners' families SUE THE PANTS OFF of this company and make it UNPROFITABLE to operate unsafe mines.

I wish them luck.

[Loki]

7. The Supreme Court of the United States in it's recent

decision, bestowed "personhood" on corporations. People can and are charged with murder, and now citizens, lawyers, and families, you have a case. Massey, et al should be charged, tried and sentenced for the murder of 25 people.