Mountain Top Removal
The New Battle of Blair Mountain
Submitted by FluxRostrum on Tue, 08/03/2010 - 12:10pm"[Mountaintop removal coal mining would] wipe out a large part of the southern end of the battlefield that was occupied by the union miners."
Blair Mountain, West Virginia is the site of the 1921 Battle of Blair Mountain, the historic push of unionized coal miners from the north to organize the workers of the southern coalfields. Involving 13,000 union miners and 2,000 anti-union defenders, the battle was the largest armed conflict in America since the Civil War!
It remains literally a battleground: a prime location for finding historic artifacts left from both sides of the conflict. It's also, however, a battleground between opponents of mountaintop removal coal mining and the coal companies themselves.
Kenny King, a resident of Blair Mountain since 1962, explains how this historical site, which he has been working to preserve for 17 years, is threatened by a 333 acre mining permit. "[Mountaintop removal coal mining would] wipe out a large part of the southern end of the battlefield that was occupied by the union miners."
A valuable piece of labor organizing history is not the only thing that would be destroyed by mining Blair Mountain. According to King, if they strip Blair Mountain, they'll lose innumerable natural resources: "Valuable hardwood forest, herbs like the ginseng, yellowroot, cohosh, and blood root... you'll never see it again. All will be lost; it'll just cease to exist. It will be erased off the face of the earth."
If you would like to help protect Blair Mountain's many valuable assets, please take King's advice: "Let [your representatives] know that there has to be a better way than sacrificing all the mountains and forest land and historical sites just for a convenient way of producing energy."
To support Kenny and his community contact:
Kenny King • (304) 752-2260 • hillboy23@suddenlink.net
www.FriendsofBlairMountain.org
The
Friends of Blair Mountain is a group of historians, archeologists and others dedicated to preserving the cultural and historical resources of the site of the 1921 Battle of Blair Mountain in southern West Virginia.
MORE MOUNTAINS at
http://ilovemountains.org/endangered/
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highwall miner shut down
Submitted by FluxRostrum on Thu, 07/15/2010 - 11:35pmKatie Huszcza, Colin Flood, Jimmy Tobias, and Sophie Kern, activists with Mountain Justice and Climate Ground Zero were arrested last night and are held on a collective $12,000 bail. They were participating in an act of non-violent civil disobedience against the destructive and irresponsible practice of mountain top removal by locking themselves to a high wall miner on Coal River Mountain.
MO'FO' @ http://climategroundzero.net/2010/07/high-wall-donation/
Pre Action Interviews with Arrestees
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1Z52j7DFQs
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Send Lawyers, Locks and Money
Submitted by FluxRostrum on Sat, 01/30/2010 - 4:11pmFor 9 days 3 tree sitters stopped blasting on a mountain top removal site tha is adjacent to a coal slurry impoundment that is perched over top of a grade school. It has been proven that if the dam breaks at least a 1,000 WILL die VERY quickly.
It has also been proven that the Mountain they are blowing up for coal would be more profitable to the people and the state as a wind farm. However once Massey energy blows up this mountain the wind potential will be ruined.
Two tree sitters remain in jail on $2,500 cash-only bail, each, after stopping a blast on Coal River Mountain for nine days. CLICK HERE TO DONATE More info at http://www.climategroundzero.org.
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Citizens Arrested in WV Gov. Manchin's Office
Submitted by FluxRostrum on Mon, 10/19/2009 - 10:21pmDownload
I'm not expressing my personal feelings about this action publicly.
Here are the demands made of Governor Manchin today. I'm happy with the demands..
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Seniors March to End Mountain Top Removal Finale
Submitted by FluxRostrum on Tue, 10/13/2009 - 2:29amDownload
The Senior Citizens March to End Mountaintop Removal ended in a protest and press conference at Massey subsidiary Mammoth Coal Company on US-60, east of Cedar Grove, at 4:00 p.m. on Oct, 12th. Mammoth Coal Company is 25 miles from the march’s starting point at the state capitol in Charleston. At least 28 seniors between the ages of 50 and 88 put their feet to the pavement during the 25 mile walk, including Larry Gibson of Kayford Mountain and Jesse Johnson of the Mountain Party. The march ended peacefully with no arrests or conflicts. Baffled by this the army of corporate media teams were then forced to interview the elders about why the had marched and coverage was seen on every local TV station in Charleston.
the 5 day march's 5 video playlist is here
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=EEA07AE3D69276F9
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Senior Citizen March Against Mountain Top Removal ~ Day 3
Submitted by FluxRostrum on Sun, 10/11/2009 - 12:19pmDownload
Two young people unfurled a banner which read, “Yes, Coal is Killing West Virginia’s Communities” off of the Walker CAT building in Belle, W.Va. Saturday afternoon. The youth are affiliated with Climate Ground Zero and say they acted in autonomous solidarity with the Senior Citizens March to End Mountaintop Removal, are affiliated with Climate Ground Zero. The marchers passed the Walker CAT building on today’s route.
The March received its first physical harassment today. At 2:00 p.m. a driver threw a cup of water on Micklem, who says he “took it in stride.” The march has attracted both support and derision from passerbys. Marchers who so choose still plan to commit an act of non-violent civil disobedience to protest mountaintop removal at the conclusion of the march at Mammoth Coal Company on Monday afternoon.
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Day 2 Sr. Citizen March Against MTR ~ Larry Gibson Speaks
Submitted by FluxRostrum on Sat, 10/10/2009 - 7:19amDownload
After marching for 5 miles today the seniors settled into the Universal Unitarian Church in Charleston for a fine Bus Cooked meal from Everybody's Kitchen & Seeds of Peace. After the meal Larry Gibson kept the fire of determination lit for over an hour. I've tried to boil it down to the core of the essential.
Mo'Fo'@
ClimateGroundZero.org
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Senior Citizens March Against Mountain Top Removal
Submitted by FluxRostrum on Thu, 10/08/2009 - 9:59pmDownload
Day 1 of a 5 day march covering 25 miles from Charleston, WV to
it's end in civil disobedience actions at the front gates of Massey
Energy owned, Mammoth Coal in Cedar Grove, WV.
There will be an update video each day of the March.
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Massey's Private Security talks about "Guarding" the Treesit
Submitted by FluxRostrum on Tue, 09/08/2009 - 2:01pm
Security guards, disgusted by the job they were given speak out about amed guards, sleep deprevation, propaganda and terror tactics in the West Virginia Hills.
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Edwight MTR Tree Sit Day 5
Submitted by FluxRostrum on Sat, 08/29/2009 - 11:44pmTree-sitters enter their fifth day of stopping the blasting at Massey
Energy’s Edwight mountaintop removal site in the Coal River Valley of
West Virginia. Today, Sunday, is day 6 and my arrival. '~)
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