Don't seek and you won't find

According to a news story was first reported by my friend Ken Ward Jr. at the Charleston Gazette-Mail, the Trump administration recently pulled the plug on a study by the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine on the health effects of mountaintop removal mining. This occurred in spite of numerous scientific studies that suggest increased rates of birth defects, cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases 

 This shouldn't be too much of a surprise. As a Gazette editorial put it,  "This administration is anti-science and very pro-coal. It is not so pro-coal miner, or coal miner’s family or community. A clearer understanding of how and why coalfield residents get sick, die and have too many birth defects might get in the way of enthusiasm to mine more coal at all costs."

A serious scientific study of the health effects would have at least helped to clear the air, metaphorically speaking, about the issue. One thing's for sure: you probably won't find what you don't look for.

Three for the road

These are interesting times in Appalachia. If you are up on the whole apocryphal Chinese proverb thing, you'll recognize that as not altogether a good thing.

Today, I'd like to share three items that reflect the interestingness of the times.

FIRST, here's one on young Appalachians moving ahead in a world beyond coal's domination.  Several of these guys are friends of mine.

SECOND, here's a look about the violent reshaping of Appalachia in recent years.

FINALLY, here's a little reality therapy about Hilary Clinton's alleged coal gaffe.

It's not all bad (although it mostly is)

So, in my effort to focus on the positive in the diminishing number of cases where that is possible, there is still progress in WV on school child nutrition-especially breakfast participation rates. In fact, this is one instance where we once again lead the country.

THIS MAY MAKE TOO MUCH SENSE TO HAVE A CHANCE,but the WV senate is considering a tobacco tax hike--the first in about 13 years.

ALMOST LEVEL, WEST VIRGINIA. Here's a NY Times editorial on mountaintop removal in WV. Short version: we don't come off terribly well.

The latest in coal kabuki

Coal kabuki is a West Virginia political art form  which is based on a ritualized display of undying loyalty to the coal industry, whether it needs or particularly wants it or not. This genre may well be entering its glory days. Here's Ken Ward on the latest example.

While we're at it, my friends in Iowa will no doubt be glad to hear of this proposal to do hog farming on mountaintop removal sites. Porcine waste has contributed vastly to the quality of life there. Here, we can be blessed with the best of both worlds.

(You know, if the plan involved planting multiflora roses for goat farming, I'd probably be down with it.)

MY BAD. For those who get Goat Rope via email, yesterday's post messed up the link to a piece about how writing about your experiences can improve your life. Sorry!

Feeding the trolls, again

Over Memorial Day weekend, some women shaved their heads in protest of mountaintop removal mining. I admire their dedication, although I obviously wasn't consulted on tactics. Maybe this is just the martial artist in me talking, but I prefer strategies that inconvenience one's opponent/s rather than oneself or one's allies.

Unfortunately for the protesters, it didn't seem to get a lot of press other than a picture and brief paragraph in the Gazette.

That was enough, however, to bring out the trolls, i.e. all the right wingers who lurk around media websites so they can spew their views. So far, over 60 comments have been made on the article. I highly recommend checking them out.

Hats off to one commentator, ProudRight, who I believe to be a great satirist. He comes so close to saying the things that real people say in forums like this so it's kind of hard to tell what is jest and what is not. Here are two gems ProudRight added to this discussion:

Either you're a friend of coal or an enemy of coal. Almost all the people here like MTR and want to keep mining the coal. By getting rid of the mountains we make WV better. If they don't like the way we mine coal, why don't they do us all a favor and leave? The people against coal are using big words and talking it up because they think they are better than the rest of us. How smart is it to shave your head, like we're not going to mine coal because you shave your head? The truth is these protesters can't stop us doing our job. They're just a wasting their time away. Coal is WV. Everybody likes coal just like they like the Mountaineers. How you tree huggers going to watch ball if your sitting there in the dark? I'm sick of looking at ugly green mountains when we could have more factories. Coal is the future they can't stop.

and

The know it alls just use the fancy facts and numbers to lie about coal. We mine the coal because WV is coal. Without coal there will be no WV. You don't see us going around shaving our heads. In November we're going to vote Obama out and vote the tree huggers to jail where they belong. I'll be watchin the Mountaineers win football games and riding my 4 wheeler while you tree huggers will be sitting in the dark. EPA out of WV, Obama prison.

I think the only thing that distinguishes ProudRight's satire from the sincere venting of those he/she imitates is the fact that the author manages to insert a reference to Mountaineer games in every comment.

Rock on, ProudRight. And wake up, America!