This just in from the folks at Massey Energy:
*Working Families to Hold “Friends of America” Rally*
*Featured Guests to Include Sean Hannity, Ted Nugent, and Hank Williams Jr.* *Free Labor Day Festival to Support American Jobs*
A coalition of local employers, associations, and elected officials will
honor American working families with a free Labor Day “Friends of
America” concert and rally near Holden, West Virginia.“Now more than ever, it is the time for working people and businesses to
join together and speak up about the economic damage caused by an
overreaching government. For our communities to grow and prosper, our
people need freedom,” said Art Kirkendoll, president of the Logan County
Commission. “The Friends of America rally is about standing up for our
freedoms, our families and the American way of life.” **
The rally will feature nationally-recognized musical entertainers and
speakers. Featured speakers include Sean Hannity, a
nationally-syndicated radio host and Fox television host, and Lord
Christopher Monckton, a former science adviser to former British Prime
Minister Margaret Thatcher. Featured entertainers include country music
legend Hank Williams Jr., Halfway to Hazard, Taylor Made and others.
American icon Ted Nugent will emcee the event.* *
“America’s working families are under attack from several fronts.
America’s job providers and American workers must rally together and let
our voices be heard,” said Don Blankenship, CEO of Massey Energy and
lead organizer of the Friends of America Rally. “We are proud to provide
Central Appalachia with good-paying jobs that cannot be outsourced, and
we will continue to fight to make sure they aren’t taxed or regulated
out of existence.”* *
“Keeping jobs in America has to be the top priority for our leaders in
Washington. American job providers and workers need to join together to
ensure we can continue to provide for our families. This rally is being
held to let Washington know that we support policies that support
American jobs,” said Ruth Lemmon, President of the WV Automobile & Truck
Dealers Association, one of the many state organizations supporting the
event.“We are glad to support the Friends of America rally. It’s a perfect
opportunity to honor the contribution hard working Americans make to our
economy, our communities and our country, and to let those people have a
voice in the public debate that affects them so deeply,” said Ben
Hatfield, CEO of International Coal Group. “We are proud to stand with
the men and women that fuel American industry, create American jobs and
grow the American economy.”“Our responsibility to the people of Southern West Virginia is to
protect jobs not only here in West Virginia but America as well, being
the son and grandson of West Virginia coal miners, we must keep these
jobs from being regulated out of existence by policies that would harm
working families,” added John Hubbard, president of the Mingo County
Commission.“Friends of America” rally will be held on Monday, September 7, 2009,
from 10:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. The event will be free and open to the
public. You must register online for your free guest pass.To register for your guest pass and for more information visit the
Friends of America Rally online.
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“Friends of America?”
So now if you are against mountaintop removal you can’t be a friend of coal or America?
I guess with enough money you can change the meaning of anything.
Given the line up of guests, I am really shocked that Rush Limbaugh won’t be there. Wonder why they didn’t call it “Friends of Coal” rally. I guess if they can’t sell it any other way just wrap it in a flag.
I also wonder why they don’t support wind and solar jobs in America?
Unbelievable! So they say they protect jobs, but do they protect property owners/residents against damage resulting from MTR? What good is a job if your home is in shambles? Or your water contaminated?
“A patriot wraps himself around the flag to defend it; a scoundrel wraps it around himself to defend himself”
Well said BambisMusings.
What a phony event planned by a company which has trampled worker’s rights since day one. The events slogan should be.
“Massey hauled another load away. You could tell by the smell it wasn’t hay”
and a reading of twittering haiku’s by Don Blankenship!
I see where Mr. Blankenship did not include our two great ex-coaches (Don of WVU, and Mr. Pruett of Marshall) as guest speakers at this event. They know so much about coal that surely they will be invited.
They are friends of coal, so surely they are friends of Massey Energy, Inc., and Mr. Blankenship. Just another ploy by Massey and MTR to justify their cause. Maybe our good buddy, Ken Ward will cover this Labor Day event, and then we will be sure to get the true facts. Thanks Ken for all the good reporting you do for Coal Tatto. Long live Coal Tatto.
Is this what Don Blankenship considers “family entertainment?”
Rolling Stone, 8/24/07
“Renegade right-winger Ted Nugent recently went on a vicious onstage rant in which he threatened the lives of Democratic presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Decked out in full-on camouflage hunting gear, Nugent wielded two machine guns while raging, “Obama, he’s a piece of —-. I told him to suck on my machine gun. Hey Hillary,” he continued. “You might want to ride one of these into the sunset, you worthless —–.” Nugent summed up his eloquent speech by screaming “freedom!”
http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2007/08/24/ted-nugent-threatens-to-kill-barack-obama-and-hillary-clinton-during-vicious-onstage-rant/
Thanks for that link, Dave … you might also check out some of the stuff in this Wikipedia bio of Ted Nugent …
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Nugent
For example, the issues regarding his draft dodging and his failure to pay child support.
Ken.
[...] Coal industry planning big Labor Day event (Coal Tattoo) [...]
Somebody correct me if I am wrong, but wasn’t it the pro-coal group screaming about how the anti-coal group consisted of a bunch of people who are not from here? Didn’t they further reason that because they were not from here that they have no right to say anything about the topic and very loudly demanded that they go home?
I am all for saving the enviroment for future generations. However I am also for putting food on the table for my children. I don’t care who speaks at this rally as long as they understand jobs are the most important thing.