Bluefield Daily Tele-Lie?

In my most recent post I detailed how the Bluefield Daily Telegraph described Masey Energy CEO Don Blankenship as "non-political" despite his reputation and extensive evidence to the contrary. Even the New York Times got it right in a recent article about the West Virginia Supreme Court:

"Justice Benjamin, a Republican lawyer with no judicial experience, unseated a West Virginia Supreme Court justice in 2004 with the help of about $3 million in advertisements and other support from Don L. Blankenship, the chief executive officer of Massey Energy, a coal-mining company. Massey has its headquarters in Virginia, but the company says Mr. Blankenship has spent most of his life in West Virginia.

As far as Justice Starcher is concerned, “Now we have one justice who was bought by Don Blankenship.” "

I guess the Bluefield Daily Telegraph can claim that it was a typo, or maybe you have to report from New York to see how much the deep pockets of Big Coal still dictate the political culture of our state.

Full Article

Massey Coal: No Friend to West Virginia

The annual Coal Show in Bluefield, WV played host this year to the Bluefield Coal Symposium sponsored by the Greater Bluefield Chamber of Commerce. The “main event” was an opening address by that paragon of virtue Don Blankenship, president and CEO of Massey Energy, a division of the 9th Circle of Hell.

He apparently made a series of weird, widely inappropriate statements that the local paper quoted, but refused to comment upon. The paper in question, the Bluefield Daily Telegraph, actually called him “the man who is arguably one of the state’s most non-political figures,” apparently forgetting that he is in fact just the opposite. From his Wikipedia entry:

“He is known for his participation in politics, particularly in West Virginia and Kentucky, where Massey has substantial holdings.

In 2004, he spent millions of his own dollars campaigning against the re-election of West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals justice Warren McGraw. One ad he sponsored criticized McGraw for joining in a decision that allowed a convicted sex offender to remain on probation and also keep employment as a school custodian. That ad and the unprecedented intensity of the campaign virtually ensured Brent Benjamin's win."

(See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Blankenship )


Commenting on measuring dust in coal mines, high levels of which lead to mine explosions, Blankenship said, “Dust measurement doesn’t solve problems, U.S. Technology is too busy taking dust samples and pushing wars to keep the oil flowing.”

Responding to a question about coal reserve estimates, Blankenship went way off the tracks saying it was “sad” that the nation is “willing to send children to Iraq to fight a war, but not willing to issue a (permit for) a valley fill.” (WTF?)

The article continued, "He then went on to give his opinion of the state’s political developments during the past 76 years and finished that off with his observation that West Virginia has “the lowest average income and the highest incidence of child abuse.” He said that with the state’s “gift” of abundant coal reserves, it ought to take advantage of that gift. “I don’t know how anyone can argue that we don’t need the change,” he said. "

Blankenship said the focus needs to be on “the people’s whole environment,” and not a single aspect of the environment. He said that the state government doesn’t realize that the customers of big coal companies are “the state’s customers too.”

Blankenship’s use of the Iraq war dead to further his selfish industrial goals is just mind-numbingly offensive. His compliant about the state of West Virginia’s government is ridiculous, as said government has been in the thrall of his industry; largely doing their bidding. Finally, the implication that it is “OK” to destroy the environment because the monetary benefits of the mining operation will make child abuse go away is so intellectually dishonest, that it would not pass muster in an introductory course in a junior college.

To read the full article see http://www.bdtonline.com/local/local_story_270222048.html

Loyal Fans, Disloyal State

As a frighteningly loyal WVU fan and graduate, I really have not cared about playing Marshall University in any sport. Yes, we share a state, but that's all really. And Marshall offers no real advantage over WVU academically, because it is too big to offer small classes, and too small to offer a more diverse cultural setting.

Don’t get me wrong, MU has potential, but I am afraid that with the notable exception of the School of Medicine, that they have very little vision.

However, I have been looking forward to the smackdown of all smackdowns that WVU will deliver to the Herd in a legally mandated game on September 2nd. Especially after the past basketball season when Marshall made way too much noise about defeating the WVU basketball team during last year's excellent run. (To show just how serious of an academic institution they are, they briefly featured the victory on their top web page. Classy. You’d have thought they’d won the national championship. As my friend Skip used to say, “Act like you’ve done it before!”) I really think that even when their destruction is assured, that Coach RRod will be the LAST person to call off the dogs.

Marring my enjoyment of the sacrifice / game is the announcement that it will be called the “Friends of Coal Bowl.” Yuck. You might as well have called it the Buffalo Creek Bowl. (I would have settled for the Mountain State Bowl, The Uncivil War, etc.)

Now, I could spill tons of bile at this self-loathing decision by our so-called leaders, the coal industry and their promotional shills (I'm looking at you Don Nehlen), but why re-invent the wheel?

For enough properly aimed bile for 125 people, read this.

I wish everyone at the game would show up wearing gold shirts that simply say "Remember Sago". Now that's a good idea. In fact here you go, priced at cost. Who's with me?