Community | September 29, 2010 | 34 comments

Mass Arrests in DC: We Shall No Longer Be Crucified Upon the Cross of Coal

source: http://blogs.alternet.org/speakeasy/2010/09/27/breaking-mass-arrests-in-dc-we-shall-no-longe...

Image
toyotabedzrock
*****************************************
VIDEOS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE!!!
*****************************************
Over one hundred protesters from the Appalachian coalfields were arrested in front of the White House today, defiantly calling on the Obama administration to abolish mountaintop removal mining. As part of the Appalachia Rising events, the coalfield residents took part in a multi-day series of events to bring the escalating human rights, environmental and health care crisis to the nation’s capitol.

Kentuckians for the Commonwealth leaders Teri Blanton and Mickey McCoy, the first arrested in today’s nonviolent act of civil disobedience, were joined by allies from around the country, including NASA climatologist James Hansen. Meanwhile, protesters led by the legendary Rev. Billy Talen staged a nearby sit-in at the office of the PNC bank, which remains one of the last major financiers of coal companies engaged in this extreme form of strip-mining in Appalachia.

In a stark reminder of the national connection to the coalfields, the Obama administration officials looked on from their White House offices, as their electricity came from a coal-fired plant generated partly with coal stripmined from Appalachia.

As a litmus test of the administration’s commitment to science and the rule of law, Appalachian residents are calling on the EPA to halt any new permit on the upcoming decision over the massive Spruce mountaintop removal mine.

Mountaintop removal coal only provides, in fact, less than 10 percent of all coal production.

Fed up with the regulatory crisis and circumventions by outside coal companies, coalfield residents have been rising up against reckless strip-mining practices against the country, from Alaska to Alabama to Arizona.

In southern Illinois, scores of black crosses were found at coal mines, strip mines, coal-fired plants, coal ash piles, and at the Southern Illinois University Coal Research Center.

Citing Illinois as the birthplace of the coal industry, and “ground zero in the Obama administration’s plan to dangerously experiment with carbon capture and storage technologies for coal-fired plants,” a new Black Cross Alliance campaign announced plans to construct symbolic black crosses at coal mining and coal-burning landmarks in the state and across the nation to serve as a public warning: It is no longer acceptable for the Obama administration–and state and regional government officials—to be complicit in maintaining deadly coal mining and coal-burning communities as shameful national sacrifice areas in 2010.

Invoking William Jennings Bryan’s “Cross of Gold” speech, the Black Cross Alliance called on the Obama administration and the state of Illinois to halt billions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies for multinational coal corporations, and bring an end to the scandalous coal wars in Illinois by re-investing in a sustainable clean energy policy for the future for the coalfield regions.

The Black Cross Alliance declared: You shall not crucify us any longer upon a cross of coal.

“While the rest of the nation–and world–launches into the exploding new global market of clean energy development and green jobs,” the Black Cross Alliance asked, “why have the coalfield regions in the country been left out of the renewnable energy movement and slated for a new generation of increased coal production?”

For more updates on Appalachia Rising, see: www.appalachiarising.org
*****************************************
VIDEOS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE!!!
*****************************************
  1. groups:
    Community,   Politics,   Green,   Earth and Science,   26 more
  2. tags:
    Protest,  Coal,  Arrest,  Police Abuse,  2 more
  3.     
    |

34 comments // Mass Arrests in DC: We Shall No Longer Be Crucified Upon the Cross of Coal

  • HellaFresh
  • Gravity_Man
  • TheForeteller
  • themotivateddropout
  • Nephwrack
  • Incredulous
    • +2
      Incredulous  

    • “While the rest of the nation–and world–launches into the exploding new global market of clean energy development and green jobs,” the Black Cross Alliance asked, “why have the coalfield regions in the country been left out of the renewable energy movement and slated for a new generation of increased coal production?”

      About time somebody noticed and forced attention on this blatant discrepancy in the 'green' efforts of the Obama administration. They take us for stupid, and really believe that if they beat the green drums loud enough everywhere else, no one will notice or say anything about the ongoing exploitation and disgrace of mountaintop coal mining in these regions.

      Shame on Obama for turning a blind eye, and shame on all the senators and representatives who have tried to pretend this is a good thing, and I have heard Rick Boucher, the Congressman from Virginia, actually claim that the people of Grundy, Virginia welcome mountaintop removal because their region is too mountainous...the lies are never ending. Rick Boucher has masqueraded as a man of the people for decades, when in fact, he is a man of the coal company, as are the senators and representatives from West Virginia, Ohio and Kentucky. The lies they tell to get elected with the money from coal companies who engage in not only mountain top removal but other disgraceful life destroying practices are disgusting, and they all need to be voted out of office.

    • 1 year ago
  • Gravity_Man
  • tverdell
  • Gravity_Man
  • tverdell
  • Gravity_Man
  • toyotabedzrock
  • Elevator
  • Gravity_Man
    • +1
      Gravity_Man  
    • Elevator:

      Outside the coal fields is sinkholes. Remember Argentina? How quickly they forget O Lord. Ok, Ok, yeah; you're right. Visit that man with a quake, 6 PM-ish. We choose ELEVATORS for $10,000. (Well, it's better than a sinkhole...)

      Quick! Don your special boots => into the air, away!

    • 1 year ago
  • Saladin
    • +1
      Saladin  

    • I like the tribute from William Jennings Bryant protester guys.

      But he was the American saint of lost causes. In a funny way, it casts a shadow over the message.

    • 1 year ago
  • tverdell
  • Saladin
  • toastyguy11
  • Paratus
  • CarlosIsDown
  • themotivateddropout
    • +8
      themotivateddropout  

    • I am Kentucky born and I am disgusted by mountaintop removal mining, in any state. I mean, to destroy our mountains for no more than 10% of coal production?
      And to arrest NON VIOLENT PROTESTERS?

      What is going on here?

    • 1 year ago
  • CarlosIsDown
  • themotivateddropout
  • Incredulous
    • +3
      Incredulous  
    • themotivateddropout:

      Kentucky is dependent because your representatives vote in measures to keep it dependent...it is a giant orchestrated dependency. The choices you are given on your ballot NEVER include anyone with the balls to tell the coal companies to get out, and these same representatives continuously vote to keep other employment options out of coal dependent states. It is 2010....no one should be dependent on coal, but they vote consistently to keep it this way.

    • 1 year ago
  • JanforGore
    • +7
      JanforGore  

    • I called all of the PNC bank offices in my area today and told them to stop investing in dirty coal that is killing the lungs of the planet and humans. I am so gratified to see Americans standing up to these greedy bastards who care nothing for the lives they ruin and the beauty they despoil. Appalachia is prime windpower territory and yet they ignore that. Progress WILL come.They will not be able stop it. The people are angry.

    • 1 year ago
  • Gravity_Man
    • -3
      Gravity_Man  
    • JanforGore:

      Want to stop it? Find a cousin to the snail darter. Claim it's reducing the hummingbird population, a certain type of hummingbird. Yep, that would do it. Everybody loves hummingbirds.

      Or claim it's causing bats to have white nose fungus and tie it up in the courts til a committee of scientists can be selected to research it.

      HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

    • 1 year ago
  • hombre76
  • toyotabedzrock
  • toyotabedzrock
  • CarlosIsDown
  • toyotabedzrock
  • toyotabedzrock
    • +2
      toyotabedzrock  

    • I think the coal mine owners better watch there back, they pissed off a very self determined part of the country that has fought back before.

    • 1 year ago
  • Incredulous
    • +2
      Incredulous  
    • toyotabedzrock:

      People need to fight back with their votes, and that includes the process that determines who is on their ballot. For too long Americans have assumed that they have to accept the nominations of the Democratic and Republican parties, nominations that represent big business, industry and coal mining. It is time to put our own people on the ticket, and vote the callous corporate serving monsters out.

      I was in DC the day this protest occurred...didn't hear a word about it, had to come home and read about it on Current.

    • 1 year ago
  • Gravity_Man
    • +1
      Gravity_Man  
    • Incredulous:

      So, the voters in KY, WV and OH are being eaten by the beast they fed eh? Yep, Yep, Yep, Yep, that's the way beasts are, they turn on ya. That's why the Bible writers called world governments beasts, and now we're discovering the little gov'ts are also beasts and Obama is a monster. Sometimes he's like Bush too => a monster liar.

      Their mouths were dripping of honeyberry wine, til you needed help and they walked away. Join the club. I showed them how to make a car engine 1300% more powerful than a locomotive and these people in coal country -some of them my cousins and uncles- could now be building my engine and making good money.

      But the beast has dictated the automobile industry has to be in Detroit so you nice folks in West+Virginia+Ohio+Kentucky scum can't build em. Maybe you can file a work permit, like ya did when you were 14 years old in school, or get a Hall pass yeah, that's it, yeah, Hall pass.

      The beast~governments of the world hate my engine because it's designed as a Mechanical Heart and gives praise to God in Heaven for creating us to pattern engines by, and hates it even more because it knows if people see it they'll get on the knees and worship Jesus with a passion they never experienced before.

      It's a form of religious suppression, except hmm, can't be that either, because gee whiz Wally this is AMERICA where we're free as long as our religion sticks to the inside of a church, on Sundays, at the back a the bus where it's our place to be.

      America becomes China and China becomes America.

      Change you can believe in [because you're watching it on TV].

      Daniel 2:44, Matthew 6:10 (and Rev. 22:2 = Woodrow)

    • 1 year ago
more from Community:
from the community

top videos