Obama, Clinton don't dare challenge King Coal's unspeakable environmental violence

And they expect me to vote for them? Their (meaning Clinton, Obama, McCain, and politicians in general) silence and acquiescence is KILLING people and this planet. I can't vote for that. And that means they better change their tune real fast if they want my vote come November.

If I'm not mistaken, there were a lot of the dem debates sponsored by a "clean coal" company or subsidiary. I'm a bit too much in Sunday-mode to research it right now, though.

We can't be surprised that these interests will try to start manipulating the party in power. Luckily for the planet, the Democratic party tends to be populated at the grassroots level by people who are willing to demand accountability from their leaders a bit more than the Republicans seem to. In any case, calling bullshit on them is the right thing for folks to be doing, regardless of party.

that coal powers my refrigerator. and I have left over pizza in my refrigerator that I plan on eating today.

I mean, to make a long story short.

vote the best candidate in and keep pushing. To not vote in our only option right now has no direction. Makes no point. Changes nothing. This election is only a move to START change. What is happening economically, environmentally, and otherwise is WAY too complicated for any ONE person to give us the answers we ALL want to hear. Choose the best to start and never stop participating and pushing on the issues you value most. we have NO HERO to save the day. Not even Al Gore. Rock on people.

Turn off the lights.

A pre-election candidate is often completely different than what we get after he/she is elected. It's sad but given that a large percentage of this country does not actively think about issues and just listens to what the media tells them, politicians have to be extremely cautious, crafty, conniving, etc. before the election. Usually this ensures that anyone who enters the election process with any shred of decency or humanity ascends to the presidency with none of it left.

Agreed handa.

Especially since the media can bombard a candidate with non-issues and make them appear in any light that they wish.

At some point, you just have to hold your nose, cross your fingers and drop the ballot in the box. In a Republic, we don't have that much control.

Jan, thanks for pointing this out. It's an amazing story. I agree with Twodee. We must work hard to get Obama in office and then move the change along. I appreciate your tenacity Jan, you hold us all to the highest standards. But refusing to support Obama on the issue of coal, as black as it is, can't achieve the change we need. We must work together to get the best candidate in office and keep moving in the right direction. I am confident that someone as smart and direct as Obama will work with both parties to find a solution to the energy crisis, which ultimately means finding a way out of coal.

Rock on!

I'm not looking for a hero (geez. I sound like Tina Turner). I'm looking for someone who can balance common sense with compassion and intellect. A president, the world can respect.
Strip/blast mining must stop. Just look at that image and try to imagine what that range used to look like. Are you imagining it? Good. Because, that's all you can do.

FINGER POINTING !

In recent travels by plane over much american territory I have observed similar situations, like that in Montana - Big Sky area... not for coal but for golf courses! It is such a great thing to play golf and watch tournaments, it is also so important to have electrical energy? Isn't it?

I do find it fantastic having access to those amenities. …

However, what are those businesses who provide those facilities doing in order to compensate for the bio-diversity damage they cause?

Can they do it and even profit from the attitude?

Are you short of ideas?

Come and visit us at: www.therightchoice.tv

We will share a great project with you upon request.

The Coal Industry is so destructive to the environment. I almost laugh when think its 2008 and we are still burning coal for energy.

I screened the film "Kilowatt Ours" earlier this year, and really enjoyed it. The filmmaker includes footage of the above mountain range, but offers simple ideas to reduce coal useage. $600 a year? Hmmm.

http://www.kilowattours.org/

May be a hot topic to avoid before the election, but it doesn't necessarily mean that it won't be addressed after. Lets hope so.

beedee: Right you are. Calling them all on their pandering BS regardless of party is the only way "change" comes. It comes from US. It isn't going to come from Obama alone or any of them. And I will badger the hell out of them until they do the right thing. My child isn't going to grow up in a world like this. A world of grey stinking pools of water with blown off mountains and nuclear waste flowing around him. No way. And I will protest it to any elected official regardless of party. But notice most only will say " just vote in the best one (even though there isn't a best one) and hope it works itself out." Not: let's join together to protest this and make that change happen by telling them they need to change. And that is why the status quo remains.

A hot topic to avoid before the election? Why? And how do we know it will change afterward? What environmental record of Obama's do I have to go on? Does he even have one to speak of? Voting for the Bush/Cheney energy bill giving subsidies to coal and nuclear? Did he have to do that too for "politics?" Again, this is serious to me and I put this planet before the candidate. I am tired of them treating me as if I don't need to know what they are going to do NOW and not making those promises BEFORE the election. If they can't do that what does that say about this bs political system, and why should I support that?

LukesAlive: I agree. How many times have the words solar energy passed any of their lips this past week?

It's like, just stop!

bikefilms: Great link. Thank you. This is why we need an Electranet. It will spur the economy and save energy.

twodee: I don't have any heroes and would tell Mr. Gore the same thing if he were running and doing the same thing these candidates are doing. And I think he would respect me for doing it because I care.

Jan, thanks for bringing this up, but it was brought about by the Busheney gang allowing it to happen. Busheney doesn't care about anything but more greed and plundering of America and the world.

Prosecute them all for treason!

Busheney gang could have spent a trillion dollars on renewable energy sources, instead the peanut brain went with war and destruction to get at oil and attempt to monopolize the growing middle east economies for the next 100 years.

Fools they are.

Yeah Jan, thanks for posting this. I learned something today! And yeah, it's terrible what they're allowed to get away with. I fear that by the time everyone realizes we need to seek alternative energy sources, it'll be too late.

We also have to take responsibility for our own use of coal-produced electricity and stop blaming.
Americans can reduce the amount of electricity produced by coal-powered electric plants by conserving electricity. They produce electricity to meet the needs of consumers. That's us. We can reduce their market by conserving, using less electricity and beginning to convert to local, renewable, sustainable green energy production like solar, wind and geo-thermal.
We can also write, call and lobby our congress people to act to fund and subsidize sustainable energy research, production and implementation and stop subsidizing, the oil, coal and nuclear energy industries.

Yes we can and I do all I can to reduce my footprint upon this planet. But we must also change the laws and make coal companies accountable for their environmental destruction. Therefore, I do blame the politicians who have the power to make that happen and refuse to use it.