‘Let’s Learn About Coal’: Industry Front Group Distributes Coloring Book On The ‘Advantages’ Of Coal
‘Let’s Learn About Coal’: Industry Front Group Distributes Coloring Book On The ‘Advantages’ Of Coal
Friends of Coal (FOC) is a front group created by the West Virginia Coal Association. Its mission is to “inform and educate West Virginia citizens about the coal industry” and “provide a united voice” for the industry. To make dirty coal seem appealing, FOC has sponsored or initiated license plates, football games, basketball practices, plane jumps, fishing events, and scholarships.
FOC is now selling coal to children. ThinkProgress obtained the “Let’s Learn About Coal” coloring book, which asks children to unscramble statements about the “advantages” of coal, such as “Than coal other cheaper is fuels” (”Coal is cheaper than other fuels”). Kids also learn that coal is “important” and “provides jobs for lots of people!”:
The FOC Ladies Auxiliary has been handing the coloring book out to children around West Virginia as part of a “Coal in the Classroom” campaign. Coal officials go into schools and give presentations about the importance of coal. “We’d really like this to be statewide, that it be mandatory in the schools that they learn about coal,” said FOC ladies auxiliary president Regina Fairchild in January. The ladies auxiliary is also recruiting members for its “junior” FOC group, open to “girls and boys ages 8 to 16.”
Additionally, FOC ladies auxiliary members have visited children in West Virginia hospitals to give them a “special present“: Mr. Coal, “a small, black Labrador stuffed puppy meant to bring a smile to kids’ faces during hospital stays.” (Coal pollution kills 24,000 Americans each year.)
Last year, American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE), another industry front group, also tried to make coal seem warm and fuzzy by creating the “coal carolers” — illustrated lumps of coal singing Christmas carols whose altered lyrics praised coal power. After widespread scorn, ACCCE took down the carolers. Find out more on what coal is really doing to Appalachia at Appalachian Voices.
Topic Cloud
ArchivesBlog Roll
Laura Bush is absolutely thrilled that the perfect Christmas gift for George has just been created by Friends of Coal …..
November 5th, 2009 at 8:45 pmRepugs and talkingheads like beck and limpo were up in arms when children sang about obama in schools. Will these same bozos be upset about the coloring books being handed out in schools? No they will not. If coloring books about global warming and the negative impact fossil fuels have on our enviorment were handed out, then these bozos would go balistic and blame it on obama.
November 5th, 2009 at 8:46 pmRun, Dick, run. Spot’s tongue is all black. And the top of the mountain is gone!
November 5th, 2009 at 8:49 pmFriends of Coal (FOC)? Didn’t anyone realize what that acronymn sounds like?
November 5th, 2009 at 8:51 pmTalk about indoctrination.
November 5th, 2009 at 8:53 pmhttp://www.umwa.org/images/jobs/lungs.jpg
Heres your lungs on coal
November 5th, 2009 at 8:56 pmWhen will these Big Business idiots realize the jig is up? Americans are wising up. They don’t trust Wall Street, they don’t trust Politicians and they definately don’t trust Big business. But this is worse than that Soda Tax Lady bit*h. We just don’t buy this crap antmore.
November 5th, 2009 at 8:58 pmI’m sure all those survivors of dead coal miners in Butcher Holler know all too well about the advantages of the coal mining industry. They probably don’t need anymore learning.
November 5th, 2009 at 9:00 pma Coal Indoctrination program?? Really?
November 5th, 2009 at 9:00 pmIf we don’t go Nuclear and Natural Gas, they only answer is coal.
November 5th, 2009 at 9:04 pmIf you can’t dazzle them with your brilliance, then baffle them with bullsh!t.
November 5th, 2009 at 9:05 pmFriends of Coal (FOC)
– - Boys and girls, let’s all repeat our acronym…
November 5th, 2009 at 9:06 pm‘Learn about Coal’.. comes equipped with a coloring book and 12 black crayons.
November 5th, 2009 at 9:08 pmHi Kenneth
November 5th, 2009 at 9:09 pmHave you considered reducing usuage?
I know coal is dirty, pollutes the environment but it is hard to make a case against it to the poor people of West Virginia when their only livelihood comes from coal companies. They see the destruction but there aren’t many green jobs out there.
November 5th, 2009 at 9:10 pmAs someone who lives in a sub-appalachian region (central Kentucky) and who is involved with a real grass roots social justice and environmental group, Kentuckians for the Common Wealth, I have met the Friends of Coal face-to-face on several occasions.
They are astroturfers – normal men and women who are funded by big coal and big polluters to rally against any meaningful environmental changes that would help their fellow Americans.
It breaks my heart to see people motivated to rally against their own interests.
November 5th, 2009 at 9:10 pmThis is both desperate and lame.
November 5th, 2009 at 9:11 pmIf we don’t go Nuclear and Natural Gas, they only answer is coal.
Well, no. There is wind energy and wave energy and your forgetting hydro-electric energy and solar energy
November 5th, 2009 at 9:14 pmHere kids color in the coal miners lungs!
Want them to learn about coal? Show them a coal mining video. Show them a coal fired power plant on the inside.
November 5th, 2009 at 9:18 pmThis is a perfect example of the
November 5th, 2009 at 9:18 pm“principled conservitive movement”.
BREAKING…. The shooter is alive in stable condition. Hasan is alive.
November 5th, 2009 at 9:20 pmXisithrus@18, Another form of energy could be all of the hot air that comes out of limpo and becks mouths.
November 5th, 2009 at 9:21 pmI just saw that P. D. I wonder who got their lines crossed on the original report that he was dead? At least, hopefully, we’ll find out why he did this.
November 5th, 2009 at 9:22 pmXisithrus@18, Another form of energy could be all of the hot air that comes out of limpo and becks mouths.
But the halitosis would be deadly
November 5th, 2009 at 9:24 pmJim@23, The military has always had tight lips. I find this incredible. Usually in cases like this the suspect commits suicide. This does put a spotlight on the suicides AND the Mental Illness that has plagued our soldiers. I still am shocked he is alive. You better believe the Military wants this story to go away and fast.
November 5th, 2009 at 9:27 pmenergy production is far less of a problem when compared to energy consumption. When the spoiled brat children recognize that it is possible to live without air conditioning, dishwashers, fiji water, vampire electronics, and all of the rest everything else will fall nicely into place and the system will find balance….
November 5th, 2009 at 9:30 pmThey said the shooter was a psychiatrist.
November 5th, 2009 at 9:36 pmJust the realization of how messed up in the head most people are
can make you crazy.
And that’s in civilian life . . .
The “Friends of Coal Ladies’ Auxiliary” sound like a coven that only Satan himself could have dreamed up.
November 5th, 2009 at 9:37 pmYou’ve got to feel for the children who live in this region. Not only are they subjected to the worse educational standards. The coal industry has got a strangle hold on them. Where will they get jobs? Where will they have children? In the same region that good ole coal controls. They are trapped in an endless cycle that even their parents can’t escape. That is a tragety.
November 5th, 2009 at 9:38 pmOh yeah? Well, FOC you too, Coal Industry.
November 5th, 2009 at 9:45 pmThese books remind me of some disturbing coloring pages that I saw
November 5th, 2009 at 10:06 pmat the kid zone at Bass Pro, with hunters aiming at deer.
My daughter and I picked up and took home all we could find.
She and her college friends were pretty creative in their coloring.
The real tragedy is people like you looking down your nose at us and trying to destroy our livelyhood. Look I agree we have to do the best we can to limit Co2 production, though I still doubt global warming is man made there is no doubt we are contributing. But at what cost? Coal mining is a tradition and it pays very good, without coal mining we would have NOTHING here. There is NO other industry mostly because biggots like you look down your nose at us. Our education system is by far NOT the worst in the country. You obviously do not fact check anything: http://www.walletpop.com/specials/best-and-worst-public-school-systems-in-us West Virginia is the 8th best in the country, tied with Georgia. Also there isn’t a single Appalachian state in the worst ten, Washington D.C. is the worst school system in the nation.
So feel sorry for yourself because you need to realize when you flip your lights on that I risk my life every day so you can do that, and you want to take my job away and don’t care if you give us an alternative. These are OUR mountains we have a right to mine them, we put them back in their original condition already and we make worthless land usable. Do you realize that the appalachian mountains are disappearing 20 times faster by water erosion than mining? I guess we should stop the rain too shouldn’t we. If you don’t like coal mining fine, but keep your stereotypical lies about appalachian people to yourself. You are no better than the KKK in my opinion.
Anyone that judges people based on where they live or how they speak is a biggot. And the worst form of biggotry in this nation is against my people and my home. And I am becoming very tired of this. People think they are so open minded and enlightened yet talk this type of nonsense without even knowing a single person from appalachia or without ever stepping foot in a coal mine. Shame on you all who think this way. I am proud to live right here and raise my children here and my children love it here. We have a good life, we have every opportunity you have and we bleed when we are cut just like you. The only difference is we have good paying jobs that keep your lights on. Coal companies are not to blame for global warming, you are. If you want to stop global warming it is within your power. Go turn your lights off, put up a windmill, buy some candles, use clean heating practices. That is in your power to do but will you do that? No you just want someone else to do something and you to sit over there and blab about how we are destroying the planet right before you hop on a plane to cross the nation. You know people survived without electricity, you can too. Coal companies are just supplying what you demand, when you start disconnecting from the grid they will act and take up a clean power source.
STop talking about dirty coal and stop using dirty coal. Until then I will be underground risking my life to keep your lights on and my children headed towards college. When the day comes there is no more coal mining, then we’ll move but until that day comes someone has to power this nation.
November 5th, 2009 at 10:14 pmDoes the coloring book come with a full box of black crayons?
November 5th, 2009 at 10:21 pmCoalMiner says:
The real tragedy is people like you looking down your nose at us and trying to destroy our livelyhood.
No one is looking down their noses at you, you are hard-working Americans, we just feel there might just be a better, cleaer approach to supplying our nation’s energy.
November 5th, 2009 at 10:25 pmcleaer cleaner
November 5th, 2009 at 10:26 pmCoalMiner says:
November 5th, 2009 at 10:14 pm
Sorry, but coal is not the only source of electricity in this country. I get my electricity through hydroelectric power. I know that isn’t an option in Appalachia, so don’t bother trying to lecture me on that little item.
You refer to coal mining as a “tradition,” as if we should just keep doing it because we’ve always done it. Sorry, not good enough.
Child labor was a long tradition, 16 hour days were a tradition, no votes for women was a tradition, slavery was a tradition — we don’t do them anymore.
I think your job is probably safe for the rest of your lifetime, but our ability to survive on this planet is beginning to waver. Speaking for myself, I’m willing to pay extra tax dollars to pay for job re-training for future generations of coal miners, if it means we’re taking better care of the only home we have.
November 5th, 2009 at 10:30 pmdbadass says:
Hi Kenneth
Have you considered reducing usuage?
How? How can you reduce usage at this point without losing present needs for electric in homes and business? There are no other alternatives to replace electric power plants in my area since there are no fast moving rivers here to produce electricity. The cleanest possibility would be to start building natural gas plants but that is years off you the whacko environmentalists stop up from going after where it is.
You tell me what is the answer to our electric energy needs.
November 5th, 2009 at 10:32 pmKenneth says:
You tell me what is the answer to our electric energy needs.
November 5th, 2009 at 10:32 pm
Do you have sun or wind on your planet?
November 5th, 2009 at 10:34 pmAlso about wind, solar, and hydro power. The wind doesn’t always blow, the sun isn’t always out and we already have damned up our rivers and killed a good portion of the fish in doing so. That is the problem with the clean energies and why stock holders do not want to risk investment in them. They do not make financial sense because they would take a HUGE investment and also you will need to come up with a way to store energy produced in off peak hours.
Nuclear is a great option, natural gas is just burning something different, and wave power requires a huge investment as well with little return, also you have hurricanes and weather issues that can ruin the systems.
The answer is to conserve your own energy use. Do you realize you can provide free air conditioning and heating to your home by drilling into the earth under them? You can use candles, stop taking airplanes (jets are the biggest co2 producing thing in the US), and stop driving gasoline powered vehicles.
Also the CO2 produced at coal plants can be chemicaly cycled and broken down with the left over being pumped thousands of feet underground where it remains for thousands or millions of years. The mines themselves do not harm the enviroment any differently than any other major industry.
Modern mining is safer than fishing is. People that work in high dust areas are provided respirators which most do not use, bet your butt I wear mine my lungs are perfect after 10 years underground too. We put the mountains back after stripping the coal from under them and we dispose of every other refuse in the most environmently friendly way possible. The slurry people talk about, well that came out of the earth its not going to do anything but return to the earth. The water after running through the pond system is clean enough to drink at the exit point.
Now are there accidents? Yes there are, but do they impact the environment more than jet liners, suv’s, or wasting power? No they do not. Is mining coal any more dangerous than any other industry? No though it can be more dangerous than most, it has became safer than driving your car to the bank. I would rather be underground working than to be driving through traffic when it comes to my chances for injury.
And to the guy that just said friends of coal are paid to work against their own people… grow up. Deal with your adversary with respect they are no more crazy than you are, those people represent OUR best interests. Like I said if you want to stop coal mining then stop buying coal, in kentucky I bet every single bit of your power comes from a coal plant unless you are along the ohio river.
Coal is the only chance we have to stay in this beautifull country, and you know we love this place we fight to preserve it far greater than you do. We were fighting the coal companies useless destruction of our land long before it became the “green” thing to do. We have literally fought wars over here to preserve our livelyhood, what have you done to preserve yours?
November 5th, 2009 at 10:39 pmXisithrus says:
Well, no. There is wind energy and wave energy and your forgetting hydro-electric energy and solar energy
The technology isn’t there for wind, wave and solar. Hydro-electric is for fast moving rivers out West and doesn’t apply where I live. How many wind turbines would it take to replace one coal fired power plant? Besides they are a pollutant to the landscape view.
November 5th, 2009 at 10:41 pmI should have said that on a ‘grand scale’ to replace coal plants the technology for wind and solar is not there.
November 5th, 2009 at 10:47 pmCoalminer says:
Do you realize you can provide free air conditioning and heating to your home by drilling into the earth under them?
And what exactly are people who live in South Florida, where air conditioners are a necessity suppose to do? This idea will not work for them considering after the one inch of top there you have solid coral rock.
November 5th, 2009 at 10:49 pmI would rather see one more coal train go through my town daily than to look at these ugly wind turbines destroying the beautiful scenic views in my farm State.
November 5th, 2009 at 10:50 pmKenneth is a big part of the problem. Shocker!
CoalMiner, you seem to be pretty invested in very simplistic thinking regarding alternative power, industrial safety (or lack thereof), and whether or not we love our beautiful country.
I’ll leave you to your thoughts.
November 5th, 2009 at 10:58 pmZooey says,
Do you have sun or wind on your planet?
Not enough to power a small city in my State let alone a major metropolitan area.
November 5th, 2009 at 10:59 pmZooey says:
——————————————————————————–
CoalMiner says:
November 5th, 2009 at 10:14 pm
Sorry, but coal is not the only source of electricity in this country. I get my electricity through hydroelectric power. I know that isn’t an option in Appalachia, so don’t bother trying to lecture me on that little item.
And your power company does not use coal? I bet anything they do, so make your statement and stop sending them money to buy coal with. Free up your place on the grid so some of your hydro power can feed another home. You can’t free yourself from responsibility just because you live near a river.
You refer to coal mining as a “tradition,” as if we should just keep doing it because we’ve always done it. Sorry, not good enough.
Its a tradition because nobody brings any other industries here, even though we now have modern road networks and communications networks. We keep doing it because we have to not because we enjoy 1200 foot of rock over our heads. Even the service industry revolves around coal miners paychecks here. There is not one factory, warehouse, or production facility within dang near 100 miles. WE used to have call centers and that was promising until all those jobs got shipped to india and mexico.
Tradition isn’t a reason here its a fact, I did not say we do it because we always have I actually said we do it because we have to and because you buy our coal in one way or another your money is buying coal if you are tied onto the grid.
You might be fine with spending tax dollars, but I am not. I would be ok with you taking responsibility for yourself and your own energy use and not look for the government to satisfy your conscious on this matter. We don’t need “training” for new careers we need the new careers we are not idiots and we do have schools and colleges. If you want to help encourage businesses to move here, write your politicians and tell them to do so.
To the argument that my job is safe:
I have been laid off several times due to regulation effects on this industry. Every time another tax or regulation comes up another coal mine that is just barely making it has to close shop. Contrary to popular opinion we have lots of small independant coal mining companies here, you are not just waging a war against big business you are waging a war against an entire population.
Cap and trade will cost hundreds of jobs in our area, there are dozens of little mines that will not be able to operate anymore. Also we have already lost thousands of jobs, every time there is new regulation on co2 output our friends get laid off. If you think we are not fighting for our jobs in the present you are sadly mistaken, this isn’t going to happen overnight you are trying to bleed the industry to death and you do not care how many miners have lost their jobs and all hope of a middle class existance in appalachia.
I honestly feel like most environementalists will not rest until I am standing in a bread line and I will oppose you with every ounce of my being until the bitter end.
I say this again, if you don’t like burning coal cut off the grid. Nobody “needs” electricity from the power grid, there are plenty of ways to make your own power, provide your own lighting, and heat and cool your residence without being plugged in to the network. If you think energy produced in a coal plant isn’t making it to your outlet you are wrong, the grid is all tied together and there isn’t a single grid that isn’t hooked up to another one that eventually is hooked up to a coal plant somewhere. Its called redundancey, and its used at peak hours especially.
November 5th, 2009 at 11:16 pmCoalminer,
November 5th, 2009 at 11:42 pmThank you for your hard work and keeping this country illuminated! Too bad we can’t illuminate these progressives. They have this idealistic green mindset and you can’t reason with them.
Hi Kenny.
November 5th, 2009 at 11:53 pmI think the trolls may have gone back down to the mines for the night, Liz.
November 5th, 2009 at 11:56 pmSo, kenny and miner don’t think we’re smart enough to solve big problems. They thing it’s better to just forge on as you were when you created the problem?
sounds just like republicans talking about the economy and health care.
Sad that you limit yourselves so much. I guess that’s why they call you republicans.
FDR said a republican is a man with two perfectly good legs that refuses to walk forward.
November 5th, 2009 at 11:58 pmCoalMiner says:
I honestly feel like most environementalists will not rest until I am standing in a bread line and I will oppose you with every ounce of my being until the bitter end.
Cry me a river. I’ve known many individuals over the years who have lost good paying jobs because of industry cutbacks including my own father. Did they go stand in a bread line? No each and every one of them swallowed their pride and went and took whatever job they could get to put food on the table. Also not one of them just accepted what “fate” had given them, but instead they worked hard not only at the jobs they had to take, they also acquired new skills to get a higher paying position. Hey, maybe there is a coalminer gene you were born with and that is you know to do. Finally as my uncle says adjust, be flexible.
November 6th, 2009 at 12:00 amokie, too bad. I wanted to ask CM how much the Kochs were paying astro-trolls these days.
November 6th, 2009 at 12:08 amCoalminer I have heard many things about Texas here. Dont let it bother you if people say stuff about rednecks
November 6th, 2009 at 12:08 amThey have this idealistic green mindset and you can’t reason with them.
Yeh, we should go back to using mules to pulling barges up and down rivers, and steamships and and horses and buggies cause damn inventors.
So when are you going to throw out the refrigerator Kenneh and get an icebox? Toss the computer and wash clothes in the creek?
November 6th, 2009 at 12:12 amI don’t call this being progressive unless you are progressing towards another stone age. You know coal plants are nothing what a fire in every single home would be as far as CO2 goes and deforestation. People that are waging this war against so called big businesses are really working for the big businesses. All those regulations means starting up a new coal mine requires huge amounts of capital, so hard working entrepeneurs cannot compete and the big companies keep sucking up the little ones.
I think everyone can be reasoned with all you have to do is catch someone listening. Being green is great and we should all be responsible for our own power use and limit it as much as possible, but destroying the hopes and dreams of an entire region by regulating coal out of existance is not the answer.
I think I have laid out a case here for being responsible for you own carbon footprint and how by doing so you can affect how green this nation is. When a significant number of people stop buying coal then and only then will energy companies supply them with more green energy. That is the beauty of supply and demand, the only problem is it requires presenting your views and letting others decide for themselves wether or not to act on them. But I believe if people really did want to stop using coal they would make sacrifices for that goal. But if you want both convienient and cheap power bills and no coal then you need to wake up because you are not living in reality.
Conservation is for the true green people. And whats funny is the very people mining the coal as probably the most efficient conservationalists in the country. If you don’t believe me come drive around appalachia and try to count the gardens and livestock at private homes. Also mountain people were fighting coal companies over preserving our land long before you were born, people have died fighting the coal companies here. AFter all electricity is very recent here compared to most places and our grandparents and even some of our parents had to fend for themselves.
It was the coal mines that brought roads and civilization here, how would you like if I advocated removing your civilization and taking food from your babies mouths? You wouldn’t like that at all would you.
The next time you flick on a light think about how you are paying me so you can do that and be proud not sad. AFter all its your power bills that have built our roads and schools and fattened our pension funds so we can retire someday. And its going to be by your power bills that you affect coal mining not by turning your AC to 68 degrees and blogging on this post burning btu’s with every keystroke.
Think about it…
November 6th, 2009 at 12:14 amSo. . . .
November 6th, 2009 at 12:17 amHow do you feel abou t unions, coal miner?
Coalminer, you seem to forget how many jobs have been offshored. How many people lost jobs there. Our economy is quickly becoming a service oriented one. Call tech support and most likely youll be talking to someone in India. Look at the auto industry around Detroit. Gone. Its a rust belt. And not because of environmentalists. The steel industry? Pretty much been shipped overseas.
Farms have been taking over by giant coporations. Same with agriculture. Nothing to do with environmentalism there. Subsidies out the wazzoo for coporations. Wall street just got a huge bailout of some 13 trillion most of which took place before Obama. That wasnt because of green energy or environmentalism.
November 6th, 2009 at 12:24 amYou think I have never been laid off? That jobs didnt come and go? That I havent had to retrain myself several times over the years??
November 6th, 2009 at 12:33 amIndoctrination, indoctrination, indoctrination, save the children from this evil indoctrination, ………… where are the republican hypocrites on this one??????
November 6th, 2009 at 12:38 amMany pension funds have been decimated by wall street with its greedy scheme of buying up subprime loans then bundling them together and then getting a stamp of approval from the SEC then a rating of AAA then sold to some city or town that invested in them to pay pensions then which were wiped out because it was a big scam.
And, BTW, have you forgotten Enron and how they soaked people for energy?
November 6th, 2009 at 12:38 amCoalMiner says:
We don’t need “training” for new careers we need the new careers we are not idiots and we do have schools and colleges. If you want to help encourage businesses to move here, write your politicians and tell them to do so.
If the jobs do not exist we you are then move to somewhere where they do! And you want us to write those same politicians whose regulations you want nothing to with, umm you can’t have it both ways.
November 6th, 2009 at 12:42 amsorry after exist; we = where
November 6th, 2009 at 12:43 amblogging on this post burning btu’s with every keystroke.
Think about it…
___
I have. You have more keystrokes here then anyone.
November 6th, 2009 at 12:47 amI have a small retail business, Xisithrus.
November 6th, 2009 at 12:48 amOnline sites and discount stores have made us struggle, but right now the instability of the economy has everyone to spooked to spend.
Change is inevitable though, in life, and business.
My gripe is the unfair tax burden small businesses carry,
mostly because we don’t have the lobbying power
that the big boys have.
Big corporations get so many exemptions,
much of their share of taxation get delegated to us.
Hey, that sounds a lot like taxation without representation, doesn’t it?
Hmmm. What would our forefather have done . . . .
Ok people you can assume I’m a republican, then make fun of them, call me a troll, and make fun of rush limbaugh and have lots of fun doing that apparently. But can you deny my point that you are responsible for the coal you burn every day, and that YOU have the power to limit or even stop using coal yourself. I am not showing your point of view any disrespect and I expect the same. I am not going to make fun of liberals or anyone that is different no matter what you say to me, but don’t be surprised if I win the debate should you choose to be childish.
I am no republican I’m a card carrying unionized democrat, that doesn’t mean I have to agree with them about everything does it. You know you get much farther in life when you treat human beings like individuals instead of trying to lump them into some evil group so you can justify your lack of ability to debate them.
Now to the one guy with some intellect to his post:
har5125 says:
——————————————————————————–
CoalMiner says:
I honestly feel like most environementalists will not rest until I am standing in a bread line and I will oppose you with every ounce of my being until the bitter end.
Cry me a river. I’ve known many individuals over the years who have lost good paying jobs because of industry cutbacks including my own father. Did they go stand in a bread line? No each and every one of them swallowed their pride and went and took whatever job they could get to put food on the table. Also not one of them just accepted what “fate” had given them, but instead they worked hard not only at the jobs they had to take, they also acquired new skills to get a higher paying position. Hey, maybe there is a coalminer gene you were born with and that is you know to do. Finally as my uncle says adjust, be flexible.
Yes but did your father live where there is only ONE industry in the middle class? All the other jobs here revolve around coal miners spending money, there is not one other industry in this area. I want you to look at what was here in appalachia before the coal mines. There was no roads, no railways, no currency, there were cabins and folks with nothing but what they could make with their own two hands. That is what this area will turn into if coal mining stops suddenly or in the near future before industry can move in and pick up the slack. If that did happen you would have hundreds of thousands in our version of the bread line… the food stamp office. There is no other option, few people would have a savings enough to pick up and relocate their family and fewer would want to leave this culture behind. So what you would have would be a crisis and lots of angry mountain people with nothing to do. Could you imagine the crime that would spawn? There would be lots of moonshining and pot growing for sure and our society would go backwards 50 years or more, which is like taking your society back about 200 years if you are in an urbanized area.
So I hold to my statement because I think the facts show it is more or less accurate, this area isn’t like any other area if you can’t mine coal you would be lucky to make minimum wage.
November 6th, 2009 at 12:48 amhar5125 says:
——————————————————————————–
CoalMiner says:
We don’t need “training” for new careers we need the new careers we are not idiots and we do have schools and colleges. If you want to help encourage businesses to move here, write your politicians and tell them to do so.
If the jobs do not exist we you are then move to somewhere where they do! And you want us to write those same politicians whose regulations you want nothing to with, umm you can’t have it both ways
Hey I would move to where the jobs are if I needed one, but I don’t speak chinese or Hindi. Anyone looked at unemployment?
touche!
November 6th, 2009 at 12:50 amFrench?
November 6th, 2009 at 12:53 amCM, finish your coloring book yet?
November 6th, 2009 at 12:54 amHey, that sounds a lot like taxation without representation, doesn’t it?
Hmmm. What would our forefather have done . . .
IIRC there were laws in place that big corporations would be broken up after 40 years.
November 6th, 2009 at 12:57 amCoalMiner, have you ever though about moving?
November 6th, 2009 at 12:59 amWhy do you think I live in Oklahoma?
My grandparents came here during the oil boom for work.
The person I’m married to was born on the other side of the planet.
Besides, if you really live in Appalachia, your cost of living is almost nil.
Post spam on the internet, or become a paid scab for a big corporation.
Poor CM, tripping here, tripping there. Oh well he can always get into acting. Worked for Carrie Prejean, didn’t it? Think of where she’d be without coal!
November 6th, 2009 at 1:00 amWell, first you say people are responsible for the demise of the coal mining business then its we are keeping it going. Which is it?
November 6th, 2009 at 1:00 amTo the other points of outsourcing I am in total agreement. Free trade is sucking the lifeblood from our country. Enron… total agreement…. unions… I’m in one. Guys you seem to want to brow beat me as if I am the republican party doctrine, I am not. Here if you work producing coal you will fight for your job no matter what your policital ideology. Sometimes we vote republican, sometimes democrat it depends on how threatened our jobs are by the candidates. Most of us are democrats by a huge margin and I am no exception. I am not liberal nor conservative I have my own ideas on lots of issues, so if this is confusing anyone I apologize lol. I don’t like oberman or beck either one I think they are both nuts but I respect their opinion and right to express it.
All I’m saying is if you lived here and worked with me you would fight for your job too because thats the only hope you have of having the american dream. Who really thinks you are going to move to a new city and make 22 bucks an hour? Who wouldn’t want to keep their job and fight for it, just because crap happens doesn’t mean I’m going to step in it.
November 6th, 2009 at 1:00 amBut can you deny my point that you are responsible for the coal you burn every day, and that YOU have the power to limit or even stop using coal yourself
Well, first you say people are responsible for the demise of the coal mining business then its we are keeping it going. Which is it
Its both, Coal was in its prime in the 70’s. Since then communities have disappeared entirely in some areas, yet you still have electricity so we are not stamped out of our jobs entirely yet. I’m not dumping on the regulations put forth in recent years, better to have fewer workers that can expect to live to an old age than have lots of workers that all get black lung in 5 yrs. But lets not go crazy with it, lets not forget the brave men and women that provide us with electricity for all these years.
November 6th, 2009 at 1:06 amIts that he is such a hypocrite. Says one thing does another.
November 6th, 2009 at 1:06 amNext up for FOC; Celebrate Black Lung Day? Maybe they could hand out free smokes and chew to miners coming off shift.
November 6th, 2009 at 1:08 amWell they break them up on paper, X. We do that in our business, too, tiny as it is. Actually, the exemptions they get are usually state, the subsidies are federal. There are grants and subsidies for small business, but mostly for start-up.
November 6th, 2009 at 1:10 amBrave. Huh. I worked on big jets and kept people flying all these years. I dont find ‘brave’ as a reason to keep Boeing in business when they become dinosaurs.
November 6th, 2009 at 1:14 amokie dokie says:
——————————————————————————–
CoalMiner, have you ever though about moving?
Why do you think I live in Oklahoma?
My grandparents came here during the oil boom for work.
The person I’m married to was born on the other side of the planet.
Besides, if you really live in Appalachia, your cost of living is almost nil.
Post spam on the internet, or become a paid scab for a big corporation
LOL yeah I should go get friends of coal to hire me I do a better job than even old Don Blankenship.
In 2006 I moved to northern ky so my kids would be closer to their mom who lives in indiana. I’m a single dad and I have three kids. I hoped she would start seeing em more and maybe even help out w/ em while I was seeking my new career, I found a job in of all places an underground limestone mine as a blaster and I worked there until the crash in 2007 when I was laid off with 30 others being one of the newer guys. Then I lucked out and found a job at a machine shop but 3 months later the economy hit bottom and the price of steel dropped huge, the steel plants cut back on spending and my machine shop was a client that depended on them, so another lay off due to the crash. I lived off savings for another two months hunting work, when funds ran almost dry I had to return to the coal mines and appalachia, but me and the kids both looked forward to coming home. City people are so rude and like to make fun of people with southern accents, as if I’m responsible for slavery and racism somehow because I talk with a twang. So my move was not pleasant and I hope I never have to do that again. The kids mom never did step up either so it was a vain effort in any case plus I never did make as much money and live as cheap as I can here. Outside of here without a degree we don’t have much a chance, but just in case i’m taking college classes now in networking.
November 6th, 2009 at 1:16 amBy forcing the majority to keep using coal? The logic here reminds me of bailing banks out. 90% of the people were against it but some congress critters and wall street said it was too big to fail
November 6th, 2009 at 1:19 amIm going to bed. GN CM, Okie Dokie
November 6th, 2009 at 1:19 amNite, X.
November 6th, 2009 at 1:23 amX:
“Brave. Huh. I worked on big jets and kept people flying all these years. I dont find ‘brave’ as a reason to keep Boeing in business when they become dinosaurs”
The dinosaurs were killed by an extinction event asteroid and Boeing were destroyed by being outdone in the market not by regulations from the government. So when the meteor comes or when green energy can produce cheap sustainable energy better than coal can I won’t fight either.
November 6th, 2009 at 1:25 amX nobody is forcing anyone to use coal. Consumers want CHEAP power they just want the lights to come on when they flick the switch, the majority of americans do not want to regulate coal mining out of existance. And they want power even when its dark and there is no wind. I don’t see joe blow protesting coal, I see a minority wanting to immediately stop coal mining at any cost, and I see the rest of us who would like to have green energy but without having to pay a fortune for it in taxes or power bills.
You know I’d say give it 10 years and we’ll have it and another decade or two and the coal plants will be offline and replaced by natural market forces. Heck we could start building nuclear plants now but NOOOO nobody wants that, too much red tape. I mean we have a cleaner energy source now that environmentalists won’t let us use even though we already have the facility in place to put all the waste.
November 6th, 2009 at 1:32 amnite all I’ve had fun pleading for my job lol
I respect the adversity and I can see we have to stop using coal eventually, I just want everyone to know the area thats mined has no options for the people there and something should be done about that before we start filling up the mine shafts.
I think if there wasn’t a giant sucking sound coming from india and china appalachia would be the next area heavily industrialized by other markets. Lets fix that then give a decade or so to appalachia to catch up before we pull the plug. By then I’ll be retired and living in florida lol.
November 6th, 2009 at 1:38 amI need to turn in, too.
CM, School is a wise investment.
November 6th, 2009 at 1:40 amMy spouse and I have had our business for over 25 years, but I have had other careers during this time. We may both have to find something different soon, business is horrible, and really has been for several years.
Life will always change, so you have to look forward.
Read some buddhist books, really. It’s philosphy, not religion.
The Art of Power, by Thich Nhat Hanh is very good.
CoalMiner says:
“These are OUR mountains we have a right to mine them, we put them back in their original condition already and we make worthless land usable.”
Ask any environmental scientist and they will tell you –replanting new growth is NOT restoring the land to its original condition and while the land may be “usuable”, there is great loss there biologically, both in terms of diversity and the damage done to land, air and water.
“The mines themselves do not harm the enviroment any differently than any other major industry.”
So, what you’re saying is, it’s ok for coal to harm the environment (which you apparently now admit it does, after previously denying it) because everybody else does it? Is the phrase combined impact meaningful to you?
The vast majority of people are not going to just instantly give up their modern technology and conveniences on a mass scale and live like the Amish. Use candles? Yeah, I’m sure you do, all the time. Guess what most candles are made of, too? Good ol’ petroleum. Nice try.
Does it occur to you that other businesses won’t move in there because the coal industry helps lobby to keep your economy coal-based? Just as they are keeping both research and implementation of solar, wind and other alternatives expensive and underfunded, while they keep receiving huge subsidies and tax breaks.
“You know you get much farther in life when you treat human beings like individuals instead of trying to lump them into some evil group so you can justify your lack of ability to debate them.”
Uh huh. That’s why you lump in all environmentalists as being bigots who want to personally send you to a bread line.
Are you making all this up as you go along? Because suddenly at post #79 this whole back history appears in response to criticism after you seemed to be trying to convince us you’ve been part of the “tradition” all your life.
“You know I’d say give it 10 years and we’ll have it and another decade or two and the coal plants will be offline and replaced by natural market forces. Heck we could start building nuclear plants now but NOOOO nobody wants that, too much red tape. I mean we have a cleaner energy source now that environmentalists won’t let us use even though we already have the facility in place to put all the waste.”
That “give it 10 years” argument has been going on for at least 3 decades now due to obstruction in progress by coal and oil co’s, as I discussed above.
“The” facility? Singular, one? To hold all the nuclear waste for an entire country. And whose backyard does that end up in? I’m sure they’d consider it very “clean”–NOT.
“Lets fix that then give a decade or so to appalachia to catch up before we pull the plug. By then I’ll be retired and living in florida lol.”
If Florida’s not underwater from warming by then.
November 6th, 2009 at 4:36 amAnybody else think that on some of the pages the girl in this “comic” book looks a bit like Cindy Lou Who? How about the resemblance of the dog to Scooby Doo? Think the respective copyright holders could sue the butts off FOC? :)
November 6th, 2009 at 4:38 amCoal power is very dangerous, causing 6400 deaths of workers from 1970-1992 and up to 24000 deaths per year due to lung disease. Of the power options, coal, hydro, natural gas, nuclear, wind, nuclear actually has the best safety record.
November 6th, 2009 at 6:08 amThe average coal power plant emits more than 100 times as much radiation per year than a comparatively sized nuclear power plant does.
It is time to look to the future not cling to the past. Coal belongs in the past. We will continue to use it and see the coal companies continue to reap the profits. Everyone knows it is all about the money, not all the false propaganda spread by the Corporations. The ONLY bottom line the coal companies have is to make money.
November 6th, 2009 at 9:21 amThings like this indicate to me that the coal companies are beginning to feel the pinch. Why else would they go out of their way to try to show coal is eco friendly? Fact is, in addition to the CO2 generated by coal, the coal ash generated by all these plants has to be disposed of. Much of it has lots of trace metals and poly nuclear aromatics (many of which are carcinogenic)that can leach in groundwater and contaminate drinking water supplies.
November 6th, 2009 at 10:18 amPinurt:
Thank you for your well thought post. If in pointing out that most environmentalists want to take my job away I have become biggoted then I apologize. I did not call them any disrespectfull names or even say being an environmentalist was bad or wrong, so I think you are overstepping. I think my statement is just a reflection of the facts of environmentalist policy, not on ones personal character.
To the argument of “great loss” there is minimal loss. Wildlife numbers are increasing in appalachia, not decreasing. But in that we cannot put full growth forests back I concede your point. But forestation in appalachia overall is growing not decreasing, largely due to the park services and population demise since the 70’s. The air, land, and air effects are less than that of the automobiles driving through the hills by far because we go above and beyond most environmental regulations for clean air and water. But it definately is having an affect, but is that affect irreversable? No it is not.
Do you realize the appalachian mountains are being erroded at an unbelievable rate. Also the logging industry has a much worse impact on the mountains than the mining industry because of lack of regulation on their haul roads. Where my house is since 1968 the sediment has built up 8 feet by the creek with sand, a big portion of that buildup is due to logging roads and pre regulation mining. The buildup rate has dropped alot in recent years but it is still a problem because it is rising the flood plain, my house has been flooded 4 times since 1968. This creek that runs about 18 inches deep can reach 27 feet at its highest flood levels.
Now to your argument about coal lobbying to keep out other business, ridiculous. Coal is busy lobbying to keep operating and get their mine permits. I want some source references before I’ll buy that argument, after all the jobless rates here have plenty of room for more businesses. Also the coal mines pay so good their workers won’t go anywhere as long as they are operating. Most industries can’t afford to pay around 20 bucks an hour for laborers.
To the arguments about death rates from 1970, thats not a fair statistic because the mine safety act wasn’t passed till 78. More people drown each year fishing than mining, and we are very safety oriented. I get paid thousands each year in sitting through safety training. If you want to look at what MSHA has to say about mine safter check this link out:
http://www.msha.gov/MSHAINFO/FactSheets/MSHAFCT2.HTM
MOst dangerous jobs in america:
http://money.cnn.com/2007/08/07/pf/2006_most_dangerous_jobs/index.htm
Now with all that said you are very right in alot here. I think they should be capturing and storing the co2 from all coal burning operations until coal mining is finished.
I agree the time for coal is passing, I disagree on the means to that end. The 10 years argument was never really feasable until recently, now we have the technology we just need to see the expense related to using it go down.
I agree that lobbyists are a huge problem, but that is a political problem I can’t blame anyone for lobbying when they are allowed to do so. Lobbying should be banned entirely, politicians should only deal with their voters and look out for them. Now my politicians are not in the coal companies pocket, but their voters are basically pulling for the coal industry so they don’t have to be.
I still believe that free trade is a far worse problem, and that is also due to lobbying. I do not buy the argument that things will level out. The countries that these jobs are going to do not have labor laws and rights to unionize and fight for more pay. The only way to improve the worlds labor issues is to lead by example. We have our labor laws because we fought for them, if other nations want to catch up they should do the same.
What angers me the most is out of the billions in bail out funds not one dollar was alloted to help people here start up businesses or to encourage other businesses to move here. But cap and trade is up front and a priority, if you are going to take our jobs away then don’t you think you should invest in the area somehow? Its not as if there is a cheaper and sustainable energy source waiting to take coals place on the grid. When there is a cheaper green source of energy that would be the time for coal to end. I do not see the logic in stopping coal production now or in the next few years, our deficits are massive enough and our jobless rates are huge. If that is done the cost of switching will mean higher taxes and higher power bills.
Green jobs are great but the truth is it takes far less people to produce wind and solar power, so we will lose jobs not create them. However I think the coal miners should at least be offered some of these jobs before they are all canned.
All I want is to keep my job and retire, my children will not be able to have a career in mining and I would not want them to anyway. I am sending them to college as most of us miners are. We are aware our days underground are numbered and we can accept it if we have alternatives that don’t involve leaving our homes behind. That approach is advocating abandoning appalachia entirely, yes we do have a service industry but one you take the coal miners out of it all you have are minimum wage earners or government employees. Most service businesses would fail promptly, this area would be devestated.
I can accept you want coal mining to stop now if you can accept you will have to do something for the coal miners to put them back to work. Though I would prefer you let it die a natural death I would be content if people thought about our jobs as well as using the dangers of our jobs as ammo to lay us all off.
Appalachia will recover from coal mining, but mother nature is going to destroy these mountains in any case. They are going to errode away entirely and by then coal would have formed all over the world anew. Our impact on this planet in the long run is nothing compared to the earths ability to replenish and renew.
Even if you stopped all man made co2 production, volcanic activity would fill that gap in about 3-4 years. Global warming is going to happen anyway until the next ice age. Do you really believe that the ice cycle of receding and coming back is going to stop on our behalf? There have been at least dozens of ice ages and there are going to be more of them until the continents move enough to change that cycle.
Now even in believing that to be true I say we are still responsible for our contribution to global warming. But I also believe we are responsible for how we affect other people just as much or more than how we affect the planet. After all without our fellow man there is nobody to preserve our environment for.
So just because we have an impact on our environment gives us the right to destroy an entire society? If you can accept responsibility for what shutting down coal will do to us, I can accept responsibility to do my best to get out of the industry given an opportunity to do so.
November 6th, 2009 at 1:28 pmThey should put out a coloring book of deformed babies too:
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/front-page/v-fullstory/story/1319257.html
coal plant sharing their ashes with the poor.
November 6th, 2009 at 1:30 pmWest Virginia looks like a beautiful state. Appalachian mountains. The oldest mountain range in the world. Rolling hills and short mountains. Trees everywhere. Just beautiful.
But no.
Ignorant hicks feel the need to tear down the trees and basically destroy anything that’s beautiful, because they’re unwilling to change from the days of daddy’s black lung disease.
November 6th, 2009 at 2:52 pm