Good Morning!
I thought I'd start the day with a little prayer, please join me:
SAINTS PRAYER
Our Breesus, who art in 'Nawlins, hollowed be thy name.
Thy Superbowl has come, it will be won, in Miami as it was in the Dome.
Give us this SuperBowl Sunday, our weekly win and give us touchdown passes;
But do not let others pass against us.
Lead us not into frustration, but deliver us the Super Bowl.
For thine is the MVP, the best of the NFC, and the glory of the Fleur De Lis,
Now and forever...Amen
The Pledge of Allegiance
I pledge allegiance to the Saints,
And to the Great City of New Orleans;
And to the Super Bowl,
For which we will win;
One city below sea level, under God,
With Mardi Gras and alcohol for all!!
Who Dat!!
Amen ya'll!
Coal River Valley is an area in West Virginia that has been all over the news recently, even noted in President Obama's 'stop your fucking whining and pissing all over your own success and constituents so we can solve some of these fucking problems that are causing our entire nation to suffer so greatly you stupid bitches' speech to the Republicans on Friday. Many community members, environmentalists, and children's health advocates across the country are trying to stop mountaintop removal in this area.
It started as a fight to preserve the health and sustainability of the area led by concerned and brave community members, but has turned into a fight of dirty antiquated energy and corporate power vs a healthier and more promising future for all of us. I'm in the process of writing a longer post on Coal River Mountain, but I wanted to share with you one thing that happened lately.
A bunch of dirty hippies climbed up some trees and stopped the blasting of Coal River Mountain . . at least for a few days. Warning: It is very possible that you will be quite offended by these hippies on a personal level, but ending mountaintop removal benefits each one us and we should be thankful that these kids are putting themselves on the line to move us that much closer to the end of this disgusting and out of date practice.
There was this great article in the Washington Post the other day about EPA's current struggle of not pissing off the coal companies too badly and protecting the people and environment in the area. Some good lines in the articles are:
"Environmentalists are unhappy because they fear federal officials are losing their nerve to take on the powerful coal industry. The coal industry is unhappy because it thinks the administration is on the brink of giving in to the green crowd."
"People have chained themselves to mine equipment and shouted one another down. One scooted past state troopers to slap an environmentalist. The EPA finds itself in the middle of the most bitter in-your-face environmental fight in America today, facing an early test of its resolve and political skills. The agency appears certain to bear much of the weight of carrying out Obama's historic environmental agenda. "
"The latest sign of that fear came last Thursday, in an auditorium at the University of Charleston. A debate between a coal-company chief executive and environmentalist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., which attracted more than 1,000 people split between the two sides, had security reminiscent of a presidential visit or a prison rodeo.
Eight police officers were in the room, and two more with metal detectors guarded the door outside. No purses allowed. No backpacks. No weapons. Just to talk. "
"Mountaintop mining, also called "mountaintop removal," is an exclusively Appalachian practice, dating to the 1970s but having gained momentum in the past 20 years. To get at coal seams that are too thin or too close to the surface to reach by tunneling, miners use explosives and huge machinery to remove the peak above the coal."
A couple months ago, I talked to you about Marsh Fork Elementary School. It is located just a few hundred feet from a coal ash silo and if this large silo were to burst all 150 children and staff would have under 30 seconds to run to safety. The local board of education decided that after the many year fight from parents and environmentalists and children's health advocates that it would finally ask for money to build a new school. Massey Energy, the coal company that owns the silo, even said that it might help the community find a new, safer spot. And even a very conservative Senator, who always sides with the coal companies pleaded with Massey Energy to stop putting children in harms way.
As the Washington Post article says, West Virginia has become the frontline battleground for a new American way of life. One that believes we must have clean and safe energy to prosper while also holding high the safety and health of our fellow country men, women and children. The area is seeing violence and intimidation against those standing up for the ending of mountaintop removal, eerily similar to the deep south during the battle to end segregation. Unfortunately, it is a fight that it seems we must have in order to move forward in solving climate change and securing our own economy.
All the activists are in jail and are in need of support. Please help if you can.
Ciao,
Renee Claire
1 comment:
Granola does good! yaaay!
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