It looks like you're using an Ad Blocker.

Please white-list or disable AboveTopSecret.com in your ad-blocking tool.

Thank you.

 

Some features of ATS will be disabled while you continue to use an ad-blocker.

 

Possible Mining Conspiracy WV

page: 1
4
<<   2 >>

log in

join
share:

posted on Apr, 6 2010 @ 01:43 PM
link   
Everyone has heard of the mining explosion by now, but I haven't found anyone talking about a conspiracy behind it, seeing as it did happen the same day the pentagon wikileaks video was surfacing.

www.nytimes.com...

After reading that it was caused by a methane explosion, and reading that they wanted to drill 1000 feet into the earth to release the gas, but that this process would be delayed by 12 hours, I became suspicious. It turns out that they were delayed 24 hours before they could start the rescue. Imagine your family member is trapped in a mine and they have to wait 24 hours before they can begin, this with the white house's support.

abcnews.go.com...

After typing in "mining conspiracy" on Google to see if anyone is discussing this, this article came up

www.nytimes.com...

The article, published in 1985, states that a lawsuit charged the Pittston Company for conspiring with two supervisors and a state official for hindering safety regulations that led to a mining explosion caused by methane in 1983.

I did some research on the company involved in this recent mining case, Massey Energy to see if they were connected in any way to Pittston. It turns out they were.


in 1989, Vantage Mining property was acquired from Pittston. In 2002 – Massey acquired the assets of Pittston Coal Company's Holston mining operations.

www.masseyenergyco.com...

Massey says on their homepage :

"In 2009, Massey recorded an all-time best NFDL incident rate (a measure of lost-time accidents) of 1.67. By comparison, the bituminous coal mining industry average NFDL rate was 2.95 in 2008. 2009 marked the 6th consecutive year and the 17th year out of the past 20 years in which Massey's safety performance was stronger than the industry average."

17 of the last 20 years saw Massey as better than the industry average. They are the 4th largest coal mining company in the US.

So it seems like Pittston has a sketchy passed, and is tied to Massey, so I did some more research on Massey and found this article:

www.washingtonmonthly.com...

Written by Clara Bingham in 2005 states that on Oct. 11, 2000, in Inez, Ky., "a coal-waste reservoir the size of 306 Olympic-size swimming pools sprang a leak. Within six hours, 300 million gallons of thick sludge had flooded out of the Big Branch Refuse Impoundment."

Bingham states in her article "When a flood of toxic mining sludge wreaked havoc in Appalachia, how did the White House respond? By letting the coal company off the hook and firing the whistleblower"

She also reports that the investigation was thwarted when they brought in a new boss to lead the investigation who said they had one week to finish the investigation, which came as a shock since they had 30 more witnesses to interview.

---------------------------------------------------

So, what is going on here with all these mining explosions? It is an interesting coincidence that this happens as soon as wikileaks is posting their video, but it seems like there is something more going on here, and this is a distraction as well as something else. I found this letter from activists in Apalachia

faces.myfacesofcoal.org...

They are asking people to sign a petition to prevent the loss of 60,000 jobs in the mining industry. So of course the usual suspects came to mind: the global warming coal haters of America.

The news is already reporting the stocks sinking by 11 %. I don't know much about stocks but I think this is still a low percentage, considering it was the worst mining explosion since 1984, but just enough of a suggestion to push that number even higher.


money.cnn.com...



posted on Apr, 6 2010 @ 01:53 PM
link   
Thanks for posting this. I was kind of curious as to why two mining accidents occurred within a week...Link.

One thing that occurred to me is that mining accidents do happen every so often...and when they do, they get considerable media attention...as the rescue process usually takes place for a few days. As well, it reminded me, thematically, of a "child getting stuck in a well"...the process of the rescue efforts are highlighted for a considerable amount of time.

Is there a corrolation to the amount of media coverage and something else?

Again, two mining accidents within days of each other...is that coincedence?

[edit on Tue, 06 Apr 2010 13:56:36 -0500 by MemoryShock]



posted on Apr, 6 2010 @ 01:58 PM
link   
This incident is very unfortunate, and my heart goes out to the victims and their families, and for that reason, I have to point out the suspicious amount of emotion over facts that the media is pushing, especially coming so close to the pentagon video

www.cnn.com...

The article states:

[One of the men killed in Monday's coal mine explosion in West Virginia knew of the danger but didn't let it bother him, his family said Tuesday.

Benny Willingham, 62, a deacon in his church and the patriarch in his family, was among those killed, relatives told CNN's John Roberts.

"He was a good man. I know everyone thinks that about their loved ones, but Benny truly was a wonderful man," Willingham's sister Jean told CNN.

"He loved the Lord, and in church the other day, he thanked the Lord for saving his soul, and he thanked him for watching over him in the mines for over 30 years, and he said, 'If he takes me tomorrow, I've had a good life,' " she said.]

So, a 62 year old Deacon/coal miner of 30 years was thankful of his good life, and even made a prayer in church "the other day" that if God takes him tomorrow, he would accept it.

It is a touching story, and I feel sad for his family for the loss of their loved ones, and I wonder why the media is putting this human interest piece out so soon, while four other people are still unaccounted for. Of course, it is typical for media outlets to do this, to focus the issue away from technicalities and towards the emotional impact. I can just imagine the rising tension being pointed at Massey, even though they have a good safety record, but possibly some corruption behind the scenes, meaning the people innocent of any corruption may be now entangled in it. If lawsuits are filed against Massey, it seems like it could only continue to hurt the mining jobs and the coal industry at large.

So the question remains, is this a conspiracy or not? Sure, it has happened in the past, and in the past there have been allegations of conspiracy and manipulations to thwart investigations. Anyone have anything further to add?



posted on Apr, 6 2010 @ 02:04 PM
link   
reply to post by MemoryShock
 


that link says 2010-04-07 02:24, isn't that April 7th? Is that a typo or does that have something to do with China's time zone?

This link says XIANGNING, China, April 5, 2010
www.cbsnews.com...

It is odd that they are almost at the same time, this current mining explosion in West Virginia is being described as the worst since 1984 (I also find that date to be coincidentally weird, too, but not sure if it is just a coincidence. The Pittston minining "conspiracy" occured in 1983, and so the 1984 is I think unrelated, unless their company is linked to Massey in some way, I wouldn't be surprised but I haven't check up on that yet).



[edit on 6-4-2010 by filosophia]



posted on Apr, 6 2010 @ 02:09 PM
link   
Make no doubt about it. The coal mining industry is a big dollar machine. They have what they call safety systems put into place, but to make the money you have to get the coal out. It is hard, back breaking work. The boss's yell at the workers a lot. Faster, faster we need to get the coal out. It was the long wall section of the mine to my understanding where the explosion occurred. That is a very expensive machine. The only way a company would deliberately sabotage it would be if they were compensated by some sort for their losses. I may be wrong but I do not see a conspiracy. You can hear the methane hissing as it squeezes out of the coal. One spark and it's over. Rock is also above and below the coal seam. It is very possible that the long wall miner sparked off of a rock, setting of the combustion.



posted on Apr, 6 2010 @ 02:14 PM
link   
reply to post by Conclusion
 


I'm not denying that the explosion was caused by methane, but no official reason has been given yet, but in 1985 Pittston was accused of removing safety regulations that caused a buildup of methane gas, and Pittston has sold some of its assets to Massey Energy, now involved in this most recent incident. Massey's stocks declined and the media is reporting on it, so maybe it is people at the top of Massey trying to sabotage the industry because it is the 4th largest coal industry in the US.



posted on Apr, 6 2010 @ 03:00 PM
link   
Here are some things I found on Don Blankenship, the CEO of Massey Energy

Here is the "hit piece"

www.grist.org...

Kind of weak I think, I think the video is trying to fault the guy for believing in
here is him speaking about how climate change is a fraud, and how the greeniacs are trying to take over the world.

www.youtube.com...

I must say, despite Massey's rather poor safety record, I do like what this CEO has to say.


[edit on 6-4-2010 by filosophia]



posted on Apr, 6 2010 @ 03:11 PM
link   
reply to post by filosophia
 


It is no surprise that the coal mine owners in West Virginia also control the political agenda. These are very wealthy individuals. Coal miners do make a decent wage in today's economy, but to risk your life to provide energy for the nation should be worth a lot more.



posted on Apr, 6 2010 @ 03:13 PM
link   

Originally posted by filosophia
reply to post by Conclusion
 


I'm not denying that the explosion was caused by methane, but no official reason has been given yet, but in 1985 Pittston was accused of removing safety regulations that caused a buildup of methane gas, and Pittston has sold some of its assets to Massey Energy, now involved in this most recent incident. Massey's stocks declined and the media is reporting on it, so maybe it is people at the top of Massey trying to sabotage the industry because it is the 4th largest coal industry in the US.


That very well could be. It would make it a lot harder on the smaller coal companies to implement the newer law's, that will come out. Every regulation for safety in the coal mines is written with the blood of coal miners.



posted on Apr, 6 2010 @ 03:34 PM
link   
oh wow, this is just beyond words

www.youtube.com...

Prank Caller Pretends to Be Massey Spokesperson on WSAZ

What would even be the point of doing this? Does this guy have a personal dislike for this news anchor? Or is he a "greeniac" that just hates coal and anything massey?

[edit on 6-4-2010 by filosophia]



posted on Apr, 6 2010 @ 03:57 PM
link   
reply to post by filosophia
 


Yeah that guy needs to be trapped in a mines. Bet he would not think it was so funny then.

The guy is a follower of Howard Stern. No morals what so ever.

[edit on 6-4-2010 by Conclusion]



posted on Apr, 6 2010 @ 04:04 PM
link   
reply to post by Conclusion
 


And the guy called the news anchor a retard, as if he had some kind of personal vendetta against him. And how did youtube member 'jennhughes' know to film this when they did? I wonder if whoever did this account knew it would happen and so filmed it, or maybe was just filming it and got lucky, it is their only video. Strange.



posted on Apr, 6 2010 @ 04:05 PM
link   
Coal mining companies have a long history of brutal, brutal abuses of its employees, especially in Appalachia.

The largest civil uprising since the Civil War was in West Virginia in 1921 iirc, when 7,000-10,000 armed, pissed off coal miners marched to the state capitol and caused WVa to declare a state of emergency and call for federal troops to talk with them and dissuade them.

If you read up on the conditions that coal company put those workers through, you can understand why they revolted. The companies owned everything in coal mining towns, the residential housing, hospitals, stores, and even hired a "detective agency" that was like a mob-style de facto police force. And then made the employees work in carelessly unsafe conditions, and if they were killed or if they complained about the conditions, their entire families were dumped out of their homes into the woods.

[edit on 6-4-2010 by bsbray11]



posted on Apr, 6 2010 @ 06:56 PM
link   
reply to post by bsbray11
 


The true conspiracy lay in the early media's dehumanization of Appalachia's people.

Long before "Bloody Mingo", an deflection was needed to draw attention away from the atrocites committed while those from the Northeast attempted to buy all the timber and mineral rights in the area. If you didn't Sell, you didn't Live. A barrage of articles on feuds, moonshine, and ignorance helped divert the American public from the truth. The effects of this effort are still felt today, 130 years later.

What other group is disparaged so openly by the media? Even the most PC people can't see the harm in a good toothless or incest joke. The term redneck no longer refers to a warrior of the people.

I'm proud of who and what I am. Unlike a lot of America, I know exactly where my roots are and my forefathers lie.

Snicker Hillbilly to my face and I'll live up to the stereotype.



posted on Apr, 6 2010 @ 07:11 PM
link   
drilling just began

news.yahoo.com...



posted on Apr, 6 2010 @ 08:47 PM
link   

Originally posted by MemoryShock
Thanks for posting this. I was kind of curious as to why two mining accidents occurred within a week...Link.

Is there a corrolation to the amount of media coverage and something else?

[edit on Tue, 06 Apr 2010 13:56:36 -0500 by MemoryShock]



The small mine owners in my family fear that there's an orchestrated effort by the current administration to destroy the small mine industry through safety regulations and enforcement.

They liken it to agriculture and the plight of the small farmer.

If true, I'm sure the media would have a role.



posted on Apr, 7 2010 @ 06:32 AM
link   
reply to post by 23refugee
 


as horrible as this accident is, it is also a wet dream for the anti-coal activists. Never let an opportunity go to waste, which is why I am suspicious of this. Pittston was accused of conspiring to remove safety regulations for methane ventiliation, and now Pittston is owned by Massey. It seems like Massey is also negligent when it comes to ventilation of methane gasses. However, despite the numerous hit pieces on CEO Don Blankenship, and now the media is focusing on him, I posted a youtube video of him talking about how climate change is a fraud. Now, he could be saying this just so his company can pollute away, but if this guy has even a percentage of goodness to him, then maybe it is insiders in Massey that are trying to sabotage the company. Otherwise, you have a CEO who is willing to speak out against the carbon cap and trade scam, but, who also is completely negligent when it comes to the safety of his miners? I just wish Blankenship would come out with a youtube video accusing people of a conspiracy. I'll be searching for that, if anyone has any other information please share.



posted on Apr, 7 2010 @ 07:09 AM
link   
God has spoken!

Stop mining coal!



posted on Apr, 7 2010 @ 07:55 AM
link   
reply to post by filosophia
 


Just spoke with my dad.

He's convinced that the large coal companies are willing to sacrifice a subsidary in order to ensure that much stricter safety regulations are passed. He claims that all smaller mines will be forced to close, leaving only corporate mines, as in the farming industry today. When I expressed some doubt that people would be sacrificed along with a company, he laughed and told me not to be a fool. He said "What's the difference between all those soldiers dying so some feller could make a buck and the lives of a few Hillbillies?"

It's obvious where my conspiracy fears come from, even though he'd never use the word conspiracy.



posted on Apr, 7 2010 @ 11:49 AM
link   
reply to post by 23refugee
 


wow, so where do you think Massey stands with this? Do you think they made a deal with someone in order to pass stricter regulations? got a justice elected, maybe he was intentionally negligent in order to get some people into office, I'm just speculating of course.




top topics



 
4
<<   2 >>

log in

join