Mountaintop removal is a seroius and significant issue in our country that few people hear about. But no more. Thanks to Wes over at California Greening, I came across this:
This video brought tears to my eyes. Mountains are one of my loves. I grew up around the Blue Ridge Mountains. My children and grandchildren live around those mountains. Seeing how this affects people and all other life is heart wrenching. I live around some of the most beautiful mountains in the country and see how mountaintop removal for gold affects the area where I live. It’s a crime and a travesty to our planet.
Wes posts:
Last night, Bill Moyers asked his viewers to get involved in this issue. The following is from Bill Moyers Journal.
“There’s nothing make-believe about this. Remember these scenes of mountain top mining in West Virginia? Companies blow those mountains sky-high to expose the coal, then haul away tons of rock and debris and dump the waste into valley areas. To protect the quality of the water, they’re not supposed to pile the stuff within 100 feet of rivers and creeks.
But while we’ve all been obsessing over Sarah Palin’s posh makeover and Joe Biden’s latest gaffe, the coal companies have been lobbying the Bush administration to gut the rules even further, to allow them greater freedom to dump massive waste piles anywhere they want – including directly into the water.
Now, the Interior Department is one of those government agencies that’s practically been turned over to the industries it’s supposed to regulate. So as a parting gift, the President’s appointees at Interior have now officially proposed granting the coal companies their wish – to dump at will.
There’s a 30-day period for public comment and review before the proposal takes effect, so you can find out how to register your opinion – pro or con – at our site on PBS.org.”
So, if Moyers is asking for some action, then maybe the best action that we can take is to help Jesse get elected in any way that we can.
* You can donate to Jesse on his web site.
* You can help out with phone banking, even from here. (I need to get you the contact).
* You can do what I am doing, plant the seed of an upset on every blog where you can post. I even posted a call for his support on DailyKos without getting accused of being a troll.
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