MOUNTAINTOP REMOVAL (MTM), WHO KNEW?
This world, so much happening, too much happening, keeping up, seems impossible.
As Serendipity would have it, I am reading Freedom, by Jonathan Franzen. Freedom is resolutely a novel in the classic form, a 19th century-style narrative set against the wars – political, social, and actual happenings of the 21st century. It succeeds utterly and sucked me in, but not immediately (I started it a year ago). Anyway, there is a great deal of discussion regarding Mountaintop Mining (MTM) and the deals made with the “Powers to Be” and all the social, personal, environmental, moral, health etc. implications. It’s not pretty, and it’s fiction, right? No.
Me, being me, and despising being out of the loop, I dug in. I am dumbfounded and mortified that, just in this past week, have I begun to understand the ramifications on health, community, way of life and the environmental impact of MTM.
I think I get it. Find the coal seams. Trash the land. Get the coal. Destroy lives. Annihilate communities. Poison the water. Poison the land. Create noise pollution. Create health hazards. Pretend to obey laws. Find loopholes. Make MONEY. Leave. It’s not OK.
I assume people will think, Ah Ha, yet another “Crusade” by Lassiter. Here’s the thing. If we don’t care about a very small segment of the population that is suffering immeasurably at the hands of Big Business and our Government and has NO VOICE, then we are flawed. If we don’t care enough to at least understand the plight of others, then we are flawed. If we, my Mantra, don’t speak up and out, then we are flawed. We are flawed, let’s change that.
The Appalachian dwellers have been written off, in my opinion, as inconsequential, not worthy of care and consideration, yet they are Americans. If this were happening in Beverly Hills, CA, Westchester County, NY or Palm Beach, FL, can you imagine the outcry? Exactly. This is the rural, “backwards”, “poor”, “uneducated” small segment of the USA where 500 mountaintops have been “RAPED” and thousands of streams have been polluted or obliterated and who cares? They have destroyed an area the size of the state of Delaware. Who cares? The “Powers to Be” promise restoration, they don’t, laws bend, who cares? I hope you do.
What does it boil down to, yet again, “PROFIT OVER PEOPLE”. Are you not sick of it yet?
Visit me at http://www.breakingintel.com for more on this subject.
Peace and Power to Us, the People….
LJ Lassiter (aka Lassiter)