Friday, July 13, 2007

Scarlet Letter

1. Water Down
2. Honor System (voluntary compliance)
3. Money
4. Kill

A few simple narratives I have heard together so many times since my own brothers death. My mind does tend to wonder and it made me feel as though anyone advocating only the first 3 is in essence supporting the 4th.

It has been years since I read The Scarlet Letter but somehow after reading about the MSHA hearings once again it reminded me of this big scarlet letter, what it represented and the knowledge gained from it.

Adultery was known in earlier times by the legalistic term "criminal conversation" another term, "alienation of affection". Is this not what companies who choose profits over people are doing?

Just some of my rambling and some thoughts.

So on to the real story.

Video shot in mine highlights safety debate
MINERS AND FAMILIES URGE STRONGER REGULATIONS TO PREVENT FAULTY SEALS


Melissa Lee held up a photo of their famiily (with her husband in it) and said "this was a happy family. Money can't buy this kind of happiness." Then she held up a photo of her two daughters at their dad's tombstone, and she said, "this is the only way that my daughters get to see their dad."

What a women! Makes me prod to be in the sisterhood. Melissa and two other widows Priscilla Petra and Mary Middleton honored their husbands with a voice and in the mist of their losses chose to stand up for the rights and lives of other who follow.
Please take a moment to read cmonforton's article and The widow's pleas
Widow Blames MSHA’s Failure in Miners’ Death


Charles Scott Howard showing how the honor system works took courage adding him our hero's list.

Winner of the Scarlet Letter Award Mike Amick argued that costs in many instances could be much greater than estimates. He described one small mine in which he estimated that compliance could eat up 25 percent of annual profits.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Such a shame that a company should be faced with the potential loss of 25% or more of their PROFITs while the workers face only the likelihood of losing their lives and loved ones. Kinda makes those of us who were merely crippled or maimed feel like we haven't quite given our fare share to help ensure Amerika's economic prosperity.

Protect America's Workers NOW!
Prosecute corporations and their leadership when they kill their workers. Do it now before you are the next victim in the race to the bottom line/dollar!

Tammy said...

If the families stick together it will happen!

Anonymous said...

Well, maybe the company shouldn't mine at all, maybe layoff those miners and put them on welfare. The point is simply that MSHA's calculation is very wrong and that many miners will lose their jobs because of two failures in 18 years. If we put the same test to bridges, every highway in the United States will be shutdown since more than that many bridges failed this year. Also, if the company is so bad and should be punished, so should the workers. Thats right the ones that do the deeds. Of course if the company orders a worker to do something, that is one thing but the video was shot by a common video camera. Common video cameras don't have the protections, mandated by MSHA, to keep the electronics from igniting the methane gas in a coal mine. So, when that guy took that video (of what turned out to be perfectly good seals) he put the lives of EVERYONE in the mine in danger. Funny how nobody caught that but the mining engineers and others charged with keeping miners safe.
Mike the Scarlet Letter

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