Via Ivan Enviroman

Today we discovered a wonderful new kids cartoon by the folks at SustainLane. The kids discover where their power comes from, do internet and database research, save a mountain, and make a difference in their community, all in 8 minutes!

The iLoveMountains.org team loved it, and we think you will too!

The Daily Show did a great gag on the Bush Administration’s repeal of the Stream buffer zone rule on yesterday’s episode:

…and by law, all baby food must now be made with deadly poison. – John Hodgman

Several national media outlets nearly as credible as the Daily Show have also been decrying the rule change. Appalachian Voices was featured in pieces by the Associated Press and New York Times, and we’ve seen the rule change decried from the Roanoke Times, Washington Post, to progressive blogs like DailyKos and conservative ones like theGreenConservative.

Please take a moment to join us in urging President-Elect Obama to overturn these awful Bush-era policies immediately upon assuming office.

Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen requested that EPA reject the Bush Administration’s attempted repeal of the stream buffer zone rule.

In a surprise move, Kentucky Governor – and former mountaintop removal proponent Steve Beshear – joined state Attorney General and Congressmen Chandler and Yarmuth in asking the EPA to protect the current mining regulations. (.pdf)

TPM summarizes:

Barack Obama is set to deliver a surprise speech via video to the bi-partisan Governors Global Climate Summit in Los Angeles this morning.
Obama’s team sends out the speech video, which renews Obama’s commitment to battling global warming and casts it as an economic and national security issue:
In the speech, which will also be heard by figures from some two dozen foreign countries, Obama repeatedly casts climate change as an issue requiring international cooperation.
“The United States cannot meet this challenge alone,” Obama says. Solving this problem will require all of us working together…I look forward to working with all nations to meet this challenge in the coming years.”
Obama also sends a message to leaders preparing to gather at the upcoming UN summit on climate change: “Let me also say a special word to the delegates from around the world who will gather at Poland next month: your work is vital to the planet.”

In the chilly holiday transition of the next two months we will be saying goodbye not only to 2008, but – happily – to the Bush era of regulatory tomfoolery and pollution industry handouts, as well as the exorable and often mystifying inhabitants of the 110th Congress.

Thanks to you, the Clean Water Protection Act (HR 2169), finishes this session of Congress with 153 co-sponsors, a record number of grassroots supporters both inside Appalachia and across America, institutional support inside the beltway, and a national network of activists from Hawaii to Maine to Florida to Washington State ready to finish this fight once and for all in 2009.

We enthusiastically welcome in 2009, President-Elect Barack Obama, and the 111th Congress.

Firstly, thank YOU:
1) To each of you who took the time to call or write your Representatives and targeted members of Congress asking them to take action on coal and mountaintop removal…

2) To the 800+ of you who have taken the time to blog about mountaintop removal and the Clean Water Protection Act, in particular Devilstower, A Siegel, Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse, Va Dare, emmasnacker and others, keep it up!…

3) To each of who took time out of your lives to meet with your Representatives, or the 100s who traveled Washington DC to ask Congress to pass the Clean Water Protection Act, which will permanently reverse the Bush Administration’s 2002 “fill rule” change. The Bush change allows toxic waste from mountaintop removal coal-mining sites to be dumped into America’s headwater streams.

Secondly, in the 111th Congress the Clean Water Protection Act will be re-introduced and passed. We have a record 143 bi-partisan returning co-sponsors in the House. We also have several exciting developments in the intervening weeks…

One of our most high-profile supporters – Congressman Rahm Emanuel (IL-05) – has ascended to be seated at the right hand of President-Elect Barack Obama to serve as Chief of Staff. Rahm’s support surely won’t hamper our chances for a supportive administration, although Senator Obama has voiced opposition to mountaintop removal and strip-mining for years. During a swing through southern West Virginia earlier this year, Senator Obama promised that protecting Appalachian waterways was going to be a top priority of his EPA. So, with Congressman Emanuel at his side, we expect President-Elect Obama – within 100 days – to repeal the Bush Administration’s regulatory changes allowing for mountaintop removal mining.

The 111th Congress is an inherently friendlier Congress due to its make-up, and this includes the Senate. In the 111th for the first time, we will introduce this legislation in the Senate. Four previous co-sponsors from the House now sit in the upper chamber (Udall, Cardin, Brown, Sanders). Senator Byrd (D-WV), who we admire and respect but who disagrees strongly with us on this issue, has stepped down from his position as Chairman of the Appropriations Committee.

Big coal is on its heals at the moment, with national support and viability of renewable energy at an all-time high, support for immediate action on global warming at an all-time high, and no amount of misleading green-washed commercials able to convince the American public that there is such thing as clean coal. The EPA Board of Appeals just ruled that any new or proposed coal-fired power plant has to apply Best Available Control Technology (BACT) when regulating for CO2. This potentially puts the kibosh on any new, deadly, coal-fired power plants when President-Elect Obama assumes the Presidency. Production of coal in Appalachia is in steep decline, while prices have sky-rocketed over the last 8 years. But from Appalachia, we deeply feel that the time for change has come, and look forward to working with you, the 111th Congress, and President-Elect Obama to end one of the worst chapters in Appalachia’s deep and storied history.

If the will of the people of Appalachia and the United States is heeded, and the word of the President-Elect kept, this will be the year and the Congress that sees the end to one of the ugliest and unnecessarily brutal acts of self-mutilation in American history – mountaintop-removal coal-mining.

Here’s to our hopes for the 111th Congress and the Obama Administration!

Check this out!:

On Coal River Trailer from Mountain Eye Media on Vimeo.

Two really important things in this week’s edition of Mountain Monday, and i hope you’ll read them both.

1) The Bush Administration is attempting to repeal the Stream Buffer Zone rule, a 1983 Reagan-era rule that creates a 100-foot protected area around streams that can not be disturbed by strip-mining.

2) Guest contributor Allen Johnson gives us a very special recount of the recent “Blessing of the Mountains” event in Anstead, WV. Allen is the head of Christians for the Mountains.

Without further ado…

1) Stream Buffer Zone to be repealed?
The Bush Administration is attempting an 11th hour repeal to of the “Stream Buffer Zone Rule,” one of the last legal protections from strip-mining for our Appalachian Mountains and headwater streams. The Stream Buffer Zone, a 1983 rule enacted under the Reagan Administration, creates a 100 foot “do not disturb” area around our streams. The Bush Administration would like to see this rule effectively repealed on their way out of office as a favor to Big Coal. This month the final rule was sent to EPA for final approval before it is signed into law. EPA has 30 days to review the rule. So, within days Appalachia stands to lose even more of our beautiful mountains and bountiful headwater streams to mountaintop removal mining. Both Presidential candidates have said they are against mountaintop removal mining, but Senator Obama and Senator McCain have so far been silent on this Bush Administration rollback of our clean water laws.

Action: Please take action by asking the EPA not to finalize this rule. There is too much at stake. You can also send a letter to Senator McCain and Senator Obama asking them to stand up to Bush by publicly opposing this rollback of clean water laws.

Part 2
We are very fortunate today to be able to share this piece by Allen Johnson, head of Christians for the Mountains, on the third “Blessing of the Mountain” event. We covered some of the efforts around Anstead, WV before when speaking about Gauley Mountain, one of America’s most endangered mountains, and I hope you’ll enjoy Allen’s words here below.

Blessing Of The Mountains III
by Allen Johnson

The hardwood trees towering overhead had the yellow tinge that signaled the breath of fall. Sunlight dappling through the leaves of a bright blue sky day glinted onto a cross leading a processional of celebrants (or were they mourners?) up a dirt road.

The procession stopped. A barricade blocked their path, and a sign warned that trespassers would be prosecuted. The coal company that was destroying a mountain which could be viewed at the end of the road had made preparations for the prayer vigil, too. God would not be invoked on their property. “The Earth is the Lord’s and all that it contains” (Psalm 24:1).

A robed priest gave an invocation. A song rang out from 40 throats, giving voice to the silent cry in every supplicant, “God, the mountains you have so wondrously created are being ripped apart. Please, this must stop!”

Blessing of the Mountains III was held near Ansted, West Virginia on Sunday afternoon October 5. The event, simply stated, was to worship God, to thank God for the wondrous creation that surrounded us, to repent for its looming destruction, and to ask God to strengthen us to protect this creation.

A year earlier, the first “Blessing of the Mountains” was held at the end of our now-blocked road a mile or so further up the mountain where an overview of a recently started mountaintop removal operation. Thousands more acres of mountains stand poised to fall to blast, dragline, and bulldozer if this first mine is not thwarted.

The heart of the local economy is the tourism industry due to the nearby presence of the New River and the Gauley River. The rivers are rated among the top whitewater rafting rivers in the East, and have gained federal designation—the New as a National Scenic River, the Gauley as a National Recreation River. Nearby Hawk’s Nest State Park overlooks the infamous 3-mile tunnel whose construction claimed about 700 lives out of 2000 workers by silicosis—due primarily due to the lack of safety precautions by Union Carbide. Many of the victims were poor, African-American migrant workers.

Roy Crist, a local Episcopalian Priest wearing his priestly garb, and an and event organizer, led a liturgy celebrating the goodness of creation. “You [God] make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills, giving drink to every wild animal.” The priest continues to read from Holy Scripture, the people respond. “From your lofty abode you [God] water the mountains; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.” Back and forth the reading flows. “O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.” (Psalm 104, selections quoted here).

Blessing of the Mountains prayer gatherings are sponsored by the Ansted Historic Preservation Association. This association is working to protect the local ecosystem from obliteration by mountain top removal. These prayer events are for one purpose—to intercede in prayer for the mountains.

Last April, Blessing of the Mountains II was also blockaded. Furthermore, a large contingent of coal company employees and their families dressed in matching blue shirts had gathered to protest. As the Blessing of the Mountains prayer service commenced, the protestors rudely hooted and cat called. Unfazed, the worshipers continued, which apparently was more than one protestor could stand as he walked up to the speaker to shout his sermon to a stop. The assembled worshipers broke out into the hymn, “Amazing Grace,” which calmed the tension.

This October prayer event was peaceful and hope engendering. Yes, again we confessed our own destructive ways—all of us have complicity through the energy we consume. “Show us, lead us O God, into your right path!” Yet we also rejoiced in the goodness and wonder of God’s creation. “O God, may always remember and rejoice in your marvelous works!”

All of us were freshly inspired to advocate for God’s creation. Certainly much work needs to be done. And we need to continue to pray. There will be more prayer events in the days to come. We concluded the prayer event singing what has become the theme song of Blessing of the Mountains, Josh Groban’s “You Raise Me Up.”

When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary;
When troubles come and my heart burdened be;
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence,
Until you come and sit awhile with me.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up… To more than I can be.

THE END

I don’t have time to do a blog roundup this week, but please check out the amazing work more than 750 bloggers have done in the iLoveMountains.org Blogger’s Challenge.

Thats all for this week. Hope yall have a great Monday 🙂

peace,
jdub

Good morning mountaineers,

Kilowatt Ours is simply the best documentary out there outlining how America can get ourselves off of fossil fuels and power this country with clean, green, renewable energy. With a focus on success stories like the Austin, TX conservation power plant, Barrie gives us easy to digest answers using technology and techniques that are already available.

This morning we wanted to share some really exciting news from Jeff Barrie and our friends at Kilowatt Ours!

KILOWATT OURS IS COMING TO PUBLIC TELEVISION

KILOWATT OURS: A PLAN TO RE-ENERGIZE AMERICA is an award-winning film that provides simple, practical, affordable solutions to America’s energy crisis and shows how we can save electricity, save money and make a difference for ourselves and the planet. Visit KilowattOurs.org for a short sneak preview.

The film is scheduled for broadcast on public television stations in more than 50 cities across the United States this October, “National Energy Awareness Month.” See below for details. More stations are added weekly so visit www.KilowattOurs.org or check local listings to see if your station is planning to show the film.

If a broadcast is scheduled in your city, the Kilowatt Ours organization has several opportunities for you to help get the word out about this important documentary:

* Email this announcement to your community contacts and/or post it in your organizations’ newsletter and website. Kilowatt Ours has materials to support the following efforts at www.KilowattOurs.org/toolkit.php
* Host a viewing in a home or community setting. Please contact Screening@KilowattOurs.org
* Consider a donation or sponsorship to support this effort and bring this film to a wider audience. Donations of $25 or more entitle you to a DVD and bulk rates are available.

If the film is not currently scheduled in your community, you may wish to contact the viewer services department at your local public television station to find out if they are planning to show this hopeful film that inspires energy conservation and change for most people who see it.

Kilowatt Ours’ is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Sponsors include: Turner Foundation, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, The Sierra Club Foundation, Johnson Controls, Mother Earth News, Utne Reader, Stonyfield Farm, and Renewable Choice Energy. For more information, visit www.KilowattOurs.org.

Kilowatt Ours Broadcast Schedule as of 10/7/2008

CA
Los Angeles, CA, KLCS & KLCS-DT, 10/6 at 10pm
Sacramento, CA, KVIE & KVIE-HD, 10/8 at 2pm
San Diego, CA, KPBS & KPBS-DT, 10/5 at 4pm
San Francisco, CA, KQED World (Comcast 190), 10/3 at 8am, 10/3 at 11am
San Jose, CA, KTEH, 11/18 at 12am

DC
Washington, DC, WHUT, 10/1 at 9pm

FL
Miami, FL, WPBT-DT2, 10/11 at 8pm, 10/13 at 1:30am
Miami, FL, WLRN & WLRN-DT, 10/9 at 9pm, 10/10 at 2:30am
West Palm Beach, FL, WXEL – 11/15 at 8pm, 11/15 at 8pm

IN
Indianapolis, IN, WFYI & WFYI-DT2, 10/11 at 4pm, 10/18 at 4pm

KY
Bowling Green, KY, WKGB-DT, 10/5 at 12pm Central, 10/9 at 6am & 4pm, 10/10 at 3am and 7pm, 10/11 at 12am & 2pm
Lexington, KY, KETKY STATEWIDE & WKSO HD, 10/5 at 1pm, 10/9 at 6am & 4pm, 10/10 at 3am and 7pm, 10/11 at 12am & 2pm
Louisville, KY, WKZT-HD, 10/5 at 1pm, 10/9 at 6am & 4pm, 10/10 at 3am and 7pm, 10/11 at 12am & 2pm
Paducah, KY, WKMUHD & WKPDHD, 10/5 at 1pm Eastern, 10/9 at 6am & 4pm, 10/10 at 3am and 7pm, 10/11 at 12am & 2pm

LA
New Orleans, LA, WLAE, 10/20 at 8pm

MD
Baltimore, MD, WHUT, 10/1 at 9pm

MI
Alpena, MI, WCML, 10/12 AT 3pm
East Lansing, MI, WKAR World Cable 904, 10/9 at 8pm
East Landing MI, WKAR, 10/27 at 11pm
Flint/Saginaw/Bay City, MI, WCMU, 10/12 at 3pm
Grand Rapids, MI, WGVU, 10/19 at 5pm, 10/16 at 4 am
Traverse City, Cadillac, MI, WCMV & WCMW, 10/12 at 3pm

MO
Cape Girardeau, MO, WKMU-HD & WKPD-HD, 10/5 at 1pm, 10/9 at 6am & 4pm, 10/10 at 3am and 7pm, 10/11 at 12am & 2pm
Columbia/Jefferson City, MO, KMOS, 10/12 at 11PM
Joplin-Pittsburg, MO, KOZJ & KOZJDT1, 10/19 at 10:00 pm
Springfield, MO, KOZK & KOZKDT1, 10/19 at 10:00 pm

NC
Asheville, NC, UNC-NC, 10/12 at 7pm, 10/12 at 10pm, 10/13 at 2am, 10/13 at 5am
Charlotte, NC, WNSC-DT2, 9/23 at 2pm
Charlotte, NC, WUNEDT5, 10/12 at 7pm, 10/12 at 10pm, 10/13 at 2am, 10/13 at 5am
Greensboro/High Point/Winston Salem, NC, UNC-TV, 10/23 at 10pm
Raleigh/Durham, NC, UNC-TV STATEWIDE, 10/23 at 10pm
Raleigh/Durham, NC, UNC-NC & WUNC-NC STATEWIDE, 10/12 at 7pm, 10/12 at 10pm, 10/13 at 2am, 10/13 at 5am
Wilmington, NC, WUJNJ-DT5, 10/12 at 7pm, 10/12 at 10pm, 10/13 at 2am, 10/13 at 5am

NV
Las Vegas, NV, PBS Jackpot Cable111, 10/25 at 4:01 AM, 10/25 at 9am, 10/25 at 2:01 pm,
Las Vegas, NV, KLVX & KLVX-DT, 10/5 at 6:30pm
Las Vegas, NV, PBS Rewind Cable 110, 10/8 at 4pm
Syracuse, NY, WCNY & WCYN-DT & WCYN-OFF, 10/12 at 3pm

OH
Cincinnati, OH, WCVN-DT4, 10/5 at 1pm, 10/9 at 6am & 4pm, 10/10 at 3am and 7pm, 10/11 at 12am & 2pm
Cleveland, OH, WVIZ, 10/16 at 4am, 10/27 at 1am
Lima, OH, WBGU & WBGU-DT1, 10/5 at 1pm

OK
Oklahoma City, OK, KETA, KETA-DT & KWET, 10/7 at 10pm
Tulsa, OK, KRSC & KRSC-DT, 9/28 at 4pm
Tulsa, OK, KOED & KOED-DT1 & KOED- HD & KOET, 10/7 at 10pm

PA
Philadelphia, PA, WHYY-DT3 Wider Horizons, 10/6 at 1pm, 10/8 at 10am, 10/10 at 1pm, 10/15 at 1pm
Erie, PA, WQLN & WQLNHD, 10/16 at 1:00AM

SC
Charleston, SC, WITV-DT, 9/23 at 2pm
Columbia, SC STATEWIDE, SCETV, 9/23 at 2pm
Columbia, SC, WRLK-D2, 9/23 at 2pm
Greenville/Spartanburg, SC, WNEH-DT2 & WNTV-DT2, 9/23 at 2pm
Greenville/Spartanburg, SC, WUNFDT4 & WUNDC, 10/12 at 7pm, 10/12 at 10pm, 10/13 at 2am, 10/13 at 5am

TN
Knoxville, TN, WETP, WETP-DT2 & WKOP, WKOP-DT2, 10/9 at 10pm, 10/12 at 2pm
Memphis, TN, WKNO, 10/22 at 8pm
Nashville, TN, WNPT, 10/24 at 7pm

VT
Vermont Public Television STATEWIDE, VPT, 10/28 at 9pm

WA
Seattle, WA, KCTS, 11/14 at 12pm noon, 11/18 at 11pm

WI
Milwaukee, WI, WMVS, 10/15 at 10pm

WV
Bluefield, Beckley, Oak Hill, WV, WSWPDT2 & WVPBS2, 9/30 at 8pm
Charleston/Huntington, WV, WPBY-DT2, 9/30 at 8pm
Clarksburg, Weston, WV, WNPB-DT2, 9/30 at 8pm

Note: times and dates subject to change. Please check your local listing to confirm broadcast information.

Thank you!
The Kilowatt Ours Team
info@KilowattOurs.org
www.KilowattOurs.org

Two ways you can help:
1) Watch it on TV (invite some friends over). If it is not airing in your community, contact your local PBS station viewer services department and ask if they plan to schedule a broadcast.

2) Make a small donation to Kilowatt Ours to support our continued efforts to make this national release a smash hit!

In other news, CNN featured a great story on Coal River Mountain Wind last week, where local citizens are fighting to have job-creating wind power on Coal River Mountain instead of a destructive and economically devastating mountaintop removal site. iLm friend Jeff Biggers has a must-read commentary on the dire situation at Coal River Mountain.

And it looks like the Bush Administration may be trying to take away one of Appalachia’s last legal protections from mining companies – the Stream Buffer Zone Rule – as they leave the White House. Please, please, take a second to send a public comment to the EPA opposing the Administration’s rule change, asking them to enforce the stream buffer zone rule, not undermine it. Both Senator McCain and Senator Obama have stated that they oppose mountaintop removal, and we expect that either one of them will abolish this horrendous practice, which has devastated so much of Appalachia, when one of them takes office. Help us protect ourselves from the Bush Administration’s last attempt to serve our land and people to big coal on a silver platter by submitting a comment to the EPA asking them to enforce the law, not undermine it.

I hope you had a great weekend, and have a fantastic Monday.

That’s all for this week.

peace,
jdub

(By Jeff Biggers, re-printed with permission. – J-Dub)

On October 18, 1929, just days before the Stock Market Crash, Thomas Wolfe published his monumental novel, Look Homeward, Angel, unveiling the machinations behind small town life in western North Carolina. It took Wolfe several years to return to his Asheville hometown, and when he finally took his first glimpse of the Blue Ridge in 1937, he was stunned at what had occurred in his absence: “A huge compulsive greed had been at work… Something had come into the wilderness and left the land barren.”

Nearly eight decades and another Wall Street crash later, acclaimed North Carolina author Ron Rash has returned to the scene of Wolfe’s envisioned crimes with his fourth novel, Serena (HarperEcco), a harrowing tour de force that might be the most timely and dangerous novel released this fall.

Based on that epic year of 1929, Serena chronicles the volatile times and unfettered greed behind the corporate plunder of our natural resources. Instead of drill, baby, drill, the saw rings in this exquisite novel through the virgin forests of the Blue Ridge to the tune of cut, baby, cut. And at the center of the novel is the beguiling Serena herself, a contemptuous young sun-bronzed western “gal,” who turns men into smitten schoolboys with her gun-toting hunting prowess and unabashed ambition for power. Sound familiar?

Recounting the rise and fall of a Boston timber company intent on cutting any tree and competitor in its way with the murderous panache of illegal loggers in Brazil and Russia today, Serena takes place against the backdrop of an emerging environmental movement led by author Horace Kephart and his mission to create the Great Smoky National Park in the 1930s.

Author of several acclaimed collections of poetry and fiction, Rash has gone beyond any Southern gothic tale to weave a complex and riveting portrait in the tradition of Gabriel Garcia Marquez and his classic, Chronicle of a Death Foretold.

As unforgettable as a haunting mountain ballad, Serena unfolds like a brilliantly conceived cautionary tale and mediation on the dark corners of unbridled lust to profit at any cost. Caught in between the competing interests of outside corporations and the federal government, of course, are the Appalachian mountaineers, whose land-based traditions and ways of life are seemingly stripped away with each felling of timber.

A Greek chorus of sawyers banters throughout the novel in the rich language and mythos rooted in Cormac McCarthy’s early east Tennessee work. On viewing their company’s destruction of the hills and streams, resembling the “skinned hide of some huge animal,” one mountaineer and World War I veteran declares: “Looks like that land over in France once them in charge let us quit fighting. Got the same feeling about it, too.”

“For a few moments no one spoke. A flock of goldfinches flew into view, their feathers bright against the valley’s floor as they winged southward. They swooped low and the flock contracted, perhaps in memory. For a few seconds they appeared suspended there, then the flock expanded like gold cloth unraveling. They circled the valley once before disappearing over Shanty Mountain, their passage through the charred valley as ephemeral as a candle flame waved over an abyss.”

Looking back on her own influences, author Dorothy Allison once recalled the importance of Toni Morrison and her novel, The Bluest Eye. “The novel gave me the idea that telling dangerous stories,” Allison said, “was the thing I needed to do. And that it could be beautiful in the telling.”

Serena might be the most dangerous and beautiful novel to hit the shelves this fall.

Nate Silver, an Obama supporter, and master of the must-read election site fivethirtyeight.com, answered a question from us in his Washington Post live-chat regarding this years elections.

J-Dub:What is the significance of Appalachia in a general election? Is it worth campaign resources to invest in Appalachia as a geographic region with tentacles in Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, rather than state-by-state? Thanks!

Nate Silver: The Obama campaign has been playing with a pretty big map, but the one area that they clearly seem to have excluded is Appalachia. There are arguments that they should have staffed up West Virginia, where some polling has had it reasonably close, but I think their feeling is that they had such a frustrating time there during the primaries that they don’t want to fight an uphill battle again. The dire state of the economy may help them from getting completely blown out in those areas, however, as might any last-minute campaigning by the Clintons.

He adds:

The region of the country that I call the “highlands” — ranging from Missouri through Tennessee and Kentucky and West Virginia — is the one place where the Republicans have held their ground while the rest of the country is becoming bluer.

While Kentucky and Tennessee remains uncompetitive, as is the usual, Appalachia will play an enormous role in the swing states that decide this election. Per fivethirtyeight.com, lets take a look at the states with significant Appalachian portions:
–McCain – Obama
KY – 56.7 – 42.2 (McCain +14.5)
NC – 49.1 – 49.0 (McCain +0.1)
OH – 47.7 – 50.1 (Obama +2.4)
PA – 45.5 – 52.3 (Obama +6.8)
TN – 55.9 – 42.1 (McCain +13.8)
VA – 47.3 – 51.7 (Obama +4.4)
WV – 51.0 – 46.7 (McCain +3.3)

McCain posts an average, unweighted lead of 2.6% in these states. However, if you remove the numbers from the uncompetitive races in TN and KY, Obama actually takes a lead of 2% in these states. While the political will of Appalachia doesn’t have any direct bearing on the eventual result of the electoral college, the fact that both parties are competitive here, and the fact that many of the most important states in the 2008 hinge on Appalachia bodes well for our relevance in future Presidential contests and the amount of attention candidates will pay to our region. In fact, it seems that Virginia’s emergence as a potential swing state has brought Senator Obama and McCain here much more than average, including several stops in SW Virginia, a key region of the state.

Lets look at each state’s “tipping point” potential, according to FiveThirtyEight.

In other words, these are the states that are the most probable to deliver the electoral votes that will put either Obama or McCain over the magic number of 270, and thus into the Presidency. Ohio and Pennsylvania we knew would be important, but to see Virginia competitive, and especially North Carolina, shows that Appalachian states are increasing our importance in electoral politics. West Virginia has also been increasingly close over the last few weeks.

All this said, take note that these numbers are crunched during Obama’s best week of polling in the general election, and that if numbers even out a little more, North Carolina and West Virginia may not be competitive for him.

In 2008, the United States stand to lose Blair Mountain,WV. Our loss may very well be at the hands of our own coal companies that want to see this special place turned into a mountaintop removal mining site. But before we can save it, we want people to understand why we believe the mountain deserves to stay.
…
On August 25th, 1921 in Logan County, West Virginia, began a skirmish which would quickly swell into the largest armed labor conflict in American history. On the 1,600-acre Spruce Fork Ridge of Blair Mountain, there was a showdown between an army of as many as 15,000 pro-union miners and a federally backed 2,000-man defensive force. The miners – abused, exploited, and upset by lack of decent working conditions, living conditions, and lack of collective bargaining ability, had taken up arms.

[Miners were] seeking the right not only to unionize but also to exercise civil liberties such as freedom of speech and assembly.

The United Mine Workers of America had been working to organize workers in the coalfields, due to constant oppression and tight control of coal-towns in Appalachia, and a long-simmering tension exploded into armed conflict upon to the murder of pro-union Matewan Police Chief Sid Hatfield.

The anti-union defensive force was led by Logan County Sheriff Don Chafin and other law officers, many of whom were on the coal companies’ payrolls. Chafin’s men were “bolstered by private planes that dropped homemade bombs on the miners.” Blair Mountain remains the only place in our country where American’s have dropped bombs on other Americans from the air.

The New York Times archives reports: (9/3/1921) (html/.pdf)

Upon the arrival of federal troops, these coal-miners were quickly out-manned, outgunned, and surrounded. Enmeshed in the largest post-Civil War battle ever on American soil, the miners relented – refusing to fight their fellow veterans, whom many considered their fellow “brothers-in-arms” from WWI.

Across the invisible barriers of race and ethnicity, these coal-stained warriors had gathered enough support to be kept from unionizing only by the United States Army.

It turns out, however, that they may have ended up saving Blair Mountain. These days, the only way too keep Blair Mountain from being destroyed by the coal companies are by keeping it preserved as a historical site. In Fact, The National Trust for Historic Preservation recently recognized the Blair Mountain Battlefield, along with the neighborhoods of New Orleans, and the Vesey St staircase at the WTC, as one of the 11 most endangered historic places in the entire country.

Over the years, various local efforts to preserve the battle site have been blocked by the coal companies that own or lease the property where the conflict occurred. Now coal companies appear intent upon strip-mining Spruce Fork Ridge, which would completely obliterate the well-preserved and intact site. Only by drawing national attention to the importance of the events at Blair Mountain is this threatened battlefield likely to be saved.

Richard Moe, President of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, offers great perspective on the importance of this battle, and of the miners’ struggle because of its relation to current mining struggles.

“It is particularly important, given the recent mining tragedies in West Virginia, that we not lose this symbol of the bravery and determination of union miners to improve their working conditions.

Fierce opposition from the coal companies that own or lease most of the ridge – Hobet Mining, Arch Coal, Massey Energy Company and Aracoma Coal Company, among others – have stopped previous preservation attempts. The coal companies are intent on strip-mining, which would destroy the battlefield.

By increasing public awareness of the significance of the Blair Mountain battlefield, preservation advocates hope to win support for permanently protecting the site with easements and developing a economically sustainable interpretive program, possibly through the National Coal Heritage Area, which would allow the region to take advantage of West Virginia’s fastest-growing industry – tourism.

Protecting Blair Mountain is important because of the fact that, besides being one of the oldest and most beautiful mountains in the world, its historical significance is unparalleled. A historic site that would bring tourists to this breathtaking place is a far better long-term solution than simply blowing up the mountain for coal, as Massey Energy would have us do. We owe it not only to the mountain herself, but to those who gave their lives.

Wikipedia:

Up to 30 deaths were reported by Chafin’s side and 50-100 on the union miners side, with many hundreds more injured. By September 2, however, federal troops had arrived. Realizing he would lose a lot of good miners if the battle continued with the military, union leader Bill Blizzard passed the word for the miners to start heading home the following day. Miners fearing jail and confiscation of their guns found clever ways to hide rifles and hand guns in the woods before leaving Logan County. Collectors and researchers to this day are still finding weapons and ammunition embedded in old trees and in rock crevices. Thousands of spent and live cartridges have made it into private collections.

Which leads us to the discoveries of Kenny King and many many others. Harvard Ayers tells us that archeology may yet have a lot to tell us about the Battle of Blair Mountain that we do not yet know.

Dr. Harvard Ayers:

But the archeological record does more than simply corroborate the historical accounts. It adds considerable depth to our understanding of the battle. Whereas the history tells us that heavy fighting occurred at the three key locations, it does not tell us much about how these areas were defended. It documents in a broad sense the number of combatants, the main types of armaments (machine guns are frequently mentioned), and the broad ebb and flow of the battles. But it does not tell us for instance, the exact locations where the defenders made their stands. It does not detail how many of what weapons were used or the likely number of combatants at the defensive positions. The archeological record for the Battle of Blair Mountain has already yielded important information that fills some of these gaps in the historical record and has the potential to add even more to our understanding of the battle with future research.

… Of the thirteen archaeological sites documented by the reconnaissance surveys of West Virginia University and Appalachian State University, all are stated to have potential for yielding further important information about the Battle of Blair Mountain.

The story of Blair Mountain deserves to be told fully. To learn more about what you can do to help, please visit FriendsofBlairMountain.org

1. Featured Activist: Kenny King
For over 17 years, one man has really been at the forefront of the charge to preserve Blair Mountain, and that is Kenny King. Mr. King has been the most passionate voice to fight for the preservation of this historic place, to tell people about the important battle that occurred there, and the attempt to ultimately list the 1,600-acre Spruce Fork Ridge on the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places. As a proud worker in the coal industry, he understands the significance of West Virginia’s coal heritage to the history of our country. Like many of us, he has a personal connection to the events at Blair Mountain – namely, relatives who fought on both sides of the battle. Please see the new America’s Most Endangered Mountain video about Blair Mountain to hear Kenny talk about his work to save Blair Mountain. A resident of Blair Mountain since 1962, Kenny explains how this historical site is threatened by a 333 acre mining permit. (h/t Greg Coble)

2. Virtual Flyover of Blair Mountain / Permit Area
As it is now, before the proposed mountaintop removal operations have started.
The boundaries of the historic area are outlined in yellow.

3. Appalachian Music of the Week
I just caught my first Martha Scanlan show last week and she was amazing. You may recognize her from the Reeltime Travelers, but I prefer her album West Was Burning. Live, her accompaniment (the Stuart twins) masterfully showcase a number of fiddle and old-time tunes, which makes their live show a real treat for anyone who likes contemporary or old-time acoustic music.

The West Was Burning:

There have been some remarkable happenings in the last two weeks in the fight against mountaintop removal.

For the first time EVER, both major Presidential candidates are publicly against mountaintop removal coal-mining. Last week at a town hall meeting in Orlando, Florida Senator McCain re-iterated what he told Appalachian Voices back in February. When asked if he supported a ban on mountaintop removal mining, the Senator bluntly said “I do.” McCain raised the ire of many of the more anti-environmental members of his caucus, including WV-02 Representative Shelly Moore Capito. McCain’s response “caught me off guard,” and said “such a stance could hurt McCain in West Virginia.”

Senator Barack Obama first indicated his opposition to mountaintop removal last year, when asked by Appalachian Voices. Obama said:

We have to find more environmentally sound ways of mining coal, than simply blowing the tops off mountains.

(The Green and Libertarian party candidates also oppose mountaintop removal.)

In another HUGE testamant to the success of the national netroots and the barrage of regional activism and citizen lobbying, the Clean Water Protection Act (HR 2169), just hit 150 co-sponsors last week. That is 150 people from 30 states, 1 territory, and the District of Columbia. This legislation is now supported by 142 Democrats and 8 Republicans from Maine to Hawaii to Florida to Washington state, and that list is growing every week. See if your Representative is a co-sponsor of the Clean Water Protection Act (HR 2169).

In an important development in the fight for Coal River Mountain, local activists have proved that we could provide more jobs and more energy by using Coal River Mountain for industrial wind energy rather than turning it into a mountaintop removal site. Due to overwhelming public pressure, blasting was averted last week, and citizens are working with state and local officials to deliver sustainable solutions in the heart of coal country. Please drop Governor Manchin a line and let him know you support the efforts to put clean energy on Coal River Mountain instead of turning it into a mountaintop removal site.

Also, for the first time to my knowledge, a court ruled that global warming bore a higher cost than the operation of a coal-fired power plant. Six activists who wrote the Prime Minister’s name down the side of a smokestack with the intention of shutting down a coal-fired power plant in the UK had the “lawful excuse” that they were protecting the planet from global warming.

Jurors accepted defence arguments that the six had a “lawful excuse” to damage property at Kingsnorth power station in Kent to prevent even greater damage caused by climate change. The defence of “lawful excuse” under the Criminal Damage Act 1971 allows damage to be caused to property to prevent even greater damage – such as breaking down the door of a burning house to tackle a fire.

Actions for this week:
1) Ask your Representative to join 152 members of Congress and co-sponsor the Clean Water Protection Act (HR 2169), to protect America’s headwaters from mountaintop removal mining waste.

2) Ask Governor Manchin to support clean, green, renewable wind energy on Coal River Mountain. With wind we can create more energy and more jobs than is possible with mountaintop removal.

There, wasn’t that easy!? Y’all have a great Monday 🙂

Thats all for this week!

peace,
jdub