This statement was just issued by the White House:
It is with a heavy heart that we learn the news that the last four missing miners did not survive the explosion in the Upper Big Branch mine.
My thoughts and prayers are with the families of all those who were lost in this tragic accident, and my gratitude goes out to the rescue teams who worked so tirelessly and heroically to search for the missing.
This has been America’s worst mining disaster in forty years, and the toll on all West Virginians has been immeasurable. We cannot bring back the men we lost.
What we can do, in their memory, is thoroughly investigate this tragedy and demand accountability. All Americans deserve to work in a place that is safe, and we must take whatever steps are necessary to ensure that all our miners are as safe as possible so that a disaster like this doesn’t happen again.
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I am taking a chance and putting my faith, hope and prayers into what President Obama is saying:
“What we can do, in their memory, is thoroughly investigage this tragedy and demand accountability. All Americans deserve to work in a place that is safe and we mustt take whatever steps are necessary to ensure that all our miners are as safe as possible so that a disaster like this doesn’t happen again.”
Please, Mr. President assemble a knowledgeable official team of investigators who will not profit politically, monetarily or any other way from the results of this investigation.
Please, Mr. President do not let this investigation drag on and on and on putting the families in such a hard place.
Please, please, Mr. President do not let Massey Energy wrangle out of their responsibility in this by using money, political power or threats.
I am all for demanding accountability, but once the cause is found and the guilt handed down, let us make sure that the punishment and payment is such that this will never be permitted to occur again.
The Supreme Court has declared that corporations are people and so they and/or their CEOs should be prosecuted as such.
http://www.forbes.com/2010/04/09/coal-upper-big-branch-intelligent-investing-massey.html?boxes=businesschannelsections
One of my Facebook friends posted the link above to an article in Forbes magazine that says that this guy has done this before and has every incentive to do it again. The technology for safe coal mining is very well known and was codified in federal law in 1969. MSHA needs to be given teeth as they appear to be gumming these guys and it won’t work with a mentality as evidenced in the Forbes article.
Most West Virginians will continue to work in unsafe non union mines. Nothing much will change.The almighty dollar still rules.The politicians will go on blowing hot air, until another disaster comes along. There arent enough jails to hold all the corporate investors, so forget prosecuting them for mine disfunctions
I like your reasoning DB. It is time Don Blankenship is held accountable.
Just a thought, I wonder if Sarah Palin and crew would agree that President Obama is correct in saying all Americans deserve a safe place to work. Or maybe she and others of her ilk would say, “some Americans don’t deserve a safe place to work.” And, I guess those Americans would be West Virginia coal miners who probably voted for McCain/Palin. This is nuts.
If President Obama wants to do something in the memory of dead miners in Logan County, he can turn Blair Mountain into a Federal historical site. Also, he can see that Federal mine inspectors are hired to represent the people and not the Coal companys. We have too many carryovers from the Bush administration that are in charge. Weed them out.
“…thoroughly investigate this tragedy and demand accountability”
After the shock and mourning, this is my first instinct on this occasion. Massey and everyone else try to advance the notion that “mining is dangerous, people die, that’s just the way it is”. Yes, mining is dangerous, but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try to make it safe. Massey is one of the most negligent and corrupt organizations in the country and Don Blankenship should be facing dozens of manslaughter charges by now.
The best cure is to surface mine the coal. I worked with several guys that worked at the UBB Mine and one of the guys that was killed worked at a surface mine 8 months ago but was layed off.
The best solution is to stop using coal altogether. In the meantime a good start would be to take every cent that Don Blankenship and every one at Massey whose title contains the words manager, vice president, president or chief anything owns and split their fortunes among the families of the men that they cold bloodedly murdered for their bottom line. They are nothing killers for fun and profit.