After a hiatus I am glad to report that we are back and it couldn't have come at a better time as I've a review on a book and documentary about a subject that is very near and dear to my heart... “mountaintop removal.” Coal mining is and has been a part of my heritage for at least 4 generations. My grandfather and father, as well as my stepbrother, uncles, and cousins have all been coal miners at one time or another. I must admit at first I was on the fence when it came to being for or against coal mining and mountaintop removal. On one hand if it's done correctly I can see the positive side of mining. Coal mining has given Appalachia many jobs and opportunities that wouldn't have been afforded them had there been no mining. On the other hand I have witnessed first hand the mess, destruction and disease that is left behind once Appalachia has been pillaged and left bare. Needless to say when the documentary “Burning the future , Coal in America” came across my desk I was unable to resist watching.
While I sat back and watched I could not help but notice that it was very one sided. If one were to watch it without keeping an open mind you would be unable to stop yourself from wanting to grab a sign and head to Appalachia and begin the fight to stop mountaintop removal.
The documentary does a wonderful job of illustrating the effects of the coal industry on the lives of ordinary people in Kentucky as well as West Virginia. It features a group of uncomplicated people who have lived in the heart of the coal land for generations. Each and every one of these people have taken on roles they never saw themselves fulfilling as their communities struggle and fight to save the culture that is being threatened. Suddenly their lives have become very complicated because of the politics and greed of coal.
As I watched the profit-mad coal companies as well as congressmen turn a deaf ear to the whole mess I felt this overwhelming sadness that went all the way to my soul. I felt that something needed to be done to help these people, but what? I am well aware that coal generates more than half of all the electricity in the US as well as provides jobs for people so how could that be so wrong?
A few weeks after I saw “Burning the future” a book entitled “Something's rising, Appalachians fighting mountaintop removal” came across my desk so once again I found myself thrust back in the middle of this controversial topic. Like the documentary, the book seems to be one sided as well but with one difference...it is a book of beautifully written stories from all types of Appalachians, including country singer Kathy Mattea. The people who tell their story do not come across as angry or pushy individuals but instead as ones who have a genuine concern for their homeland and people. After finishing “Something's Rising” you may ask if I am still straddling the fence? Unfortunately I am but as I sit here I ask myself these questions... Is it true that coal has done little for my people and the land that they have loved for generations? Has Appalachia been used, abused and left for dead? The answers are not simple, but as with life nothing is ever simple. There is something rising and burning no doubt about it.
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