Comments on: Roland Micklem's Open Letter on His Fast to End Mountaintop Removal

By: Flat Top

Flat Top — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 02:02:49 +0000

“I am not concerned about someone’s grammar, but instead WHAT exactly they are trying to say to me.” That’s nice. Now, why is it that you wish to apply your standard to others? Because you are accepting of the writing equivalent of eubonics, must others also accept it? Your pomposity and self-righteousness are nauseating. Your smugness is unbearable. But when it comes to your juvenile, bumper-sticker preachiness, it is quite humorous. Oh, and when you have a minute, could you please first provide the thousands of jobs and billions in revenue that you would take from West Virginia before you take them. Better move quickly on that: healthcare is dead and cap and trade is next to fall. Thanks.

By: M. Gregory

M. Gregory — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 07:01:05 +0000

It is only recently that I have entered into this battle between Pro-Coal and Anti-Coal. Now, I am trying to educate myself about the issue as much as possible by reading as much as I can about the subject. I would like to say as a newcomer that I find it incredibly sad and unproductive for people to be so contemptuous with each other. Spitting names at one another like “Greenies”, “Greeniacs” or “Volvo and Prius- driving liberals” is what children do because they don’t yet have the ability to be rational and to control their emotional urges. Too much cynicism PREVENTS a person from really listening to the other person’s story. If you can’t listen then you never learn and if you don’t learn then you don’t grow and if you don’t grow then you are stuck. Stuck with accepting things as they are. I am not concerned about someone’s grammar, but instead WHAT exactly they are trying to say to me. If all a person is trying to say is “shut up and go away”, well then that makes for a very boring discussion indeed, simply because there is no discussion. No discussion= no resolution. It seems to me that Roland Micklem is not saying “shut up and go away”, but is instead saying, “I love these things about my country. I know other people would get happiness from these things, so we must not destroy them.” Jobs can be replaced, life cannot be.

By: Flat Top

Flat Top — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 14:29:19 +0000

MaryD: Thank you for your suggestion. I accept it in the manner in which it was offered: cynically. I wish to reciprocate so please consider my suggestions for you. One, take a writing course. Persuasive writing is least effective when the writer is constantly distracted by egregious errors in spelling and punctuation. Two, your solution reminds me of the felon Rodney King’s rhetorical lament, “Can’t we all just get along?” No, we can’t. We cannot as long as there are people who want to force their world view and their cause de jour down the throats of the rest of us. Your sophomoric solution is quite humorous and the depth of your thinking defies measure, absent a microscope. Your solution “…would be for Alt. (sic) Energy (sic) companies to come into west (sic) Virginia and hire away all the people who risk their lives mining coal.” Gee, what a wonderful idea! What say we do that next Tuesday! I especially like the pretense of your interest in saving the lives of coalminers. That was a nice touch, albeit an insincere one. As for your baseless statement that I am acting as if coal is the only way to keep the lights, you could not be more wrong. I also favor nuclear power expansion. Good luck with the writing course.

By: MaryD

MaryD — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 01:11:05 +0000

Thank you Roland, you give me hope that we, as a nation will see that our current choices are destructive and unneeded. Current technology already exists to power our lives, yet we continue, as a nation to collectively consume more and more without thinking of consequences to the very things that support life on our planet. It truly is madness. Flattop: you act as if coal is the only way to keep the lights on… I really recommend that you do some more research into the subject. My solution would be for Alt. Energy companies to come into west Virginia and hire away all the people who risk their lives mining coal: and let them be the ones who power our green energy economy: then the gov. Of west Virginia wouldn’t feel the need to keep feeding this beast of an industry. No paycheck from a coal company should be worth more that destruction that is created by the proccess of mining it to a workers own community. They may be giving you a dollar, but they are taking your life.

By: Flat Top

Flat Top — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 12:15:50 +0000

Congratulations greenies! I understand that some 500 WV coal miners soon will be losing their jobs, thanks to your good works. That must make you all very, very proud. I guess that ensures that future generations of you Volvo and Prius- driving libs will have real-live poor folk to visit now and then in the mountains. Some of them will no doubt entertain you with their music and mountain ways. Lovely. On behalf of the wives and children of the 500, have a Merry Christmas–and keep those lights low.

By: Raychel

Raychel — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 03:17:03 +0000

He lives with “little”, yet he has a computer to put his “adventures” on here, wow!

By: Climate Ground Zero

Climate Ground Zero — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 03:54:19 +0000

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