As a life-long WVian, I want to say that my heart truly goes out to the families of the 12 miners who were killed this week in Upshur County.  It is a tragedy that these men died doing their job, nobly trying to put food on the table by working unlike so many in our lovely state today.  My prayers are with you.  God's peace be with you.

Meanwhile, I have a bone to pick with national mass media.  I suddenly understand why all those so-called "backwoods hicks" want to be left alone by the outside world and why they are suspicious of outsiders.  I don't condone it, but I understand it.  I am apalled that the news media is actually pressuring the families--the already bereaved and distraught families--of the deceased miners to sue the mine company.  As if this state isn't sue happy enough as it is, first of all.  Has anyone noticed the exodus of doctors from our borders.

Secondly, anyone who has grown up in or near a mining town knows that it is a dangerous business.  It's right up there with deep-sea fishing.  You don't see the families of the victims depicted in "A Perfect Storm" suing the makers of the boat they used or the retailers of sea food that cause such businesses to be lucrative.  Those men knew what they were getting into when they signed up for the job.

As for the OSHA violations, it's the nature of the beast.  All mining companies receive scores of OSHA violations every year.  It's not a good thing, but it's a fact.  And it's not like they're not trying to fix them.  However, the deadlines they are given are just not realistic.

Furthermore, there are few other ways to obtain that coal.  And until someone comes up with a more or equally efficient way of mass producing energy, someone has to obtain that coal.  That, and as long as people like flipping a switch and turning on their light, or their television, or their computer.

Oh, and maybe this will change some people's tunes about mountain top removal.  I really see both sides of the story, because I LOVE the mountains in WV.  I fully intend to climb some of them this summer and thoroughly enjoy hiking on them.  But what mining companies do to the landscape is no worse than shopping centers. In fact, I'd rather it was the mining companies than the shopping centers, because the outlets and malls have more options for location than the mining companies.   They have to mine where there is coal. Shopping centers can be located anywhere.  How about some of those rat-infested former crack houses in Huntington, or some of the abandoned downtown buildings in Charleston? No parking?  Tear down one of those condemned buildings and add a parking garage--not a parking lot.

Those of you in the media: get your facts straight.  Live here before you cast aspersions and ill-got opinions.  And the last time I checked, journalists were supposed to be watchdogs informing the public--objectively--of what is going on.  Stop pressuring the families to sue.  If they feel the need to do so, believe me, they will.  But it is not your place as the reporters of happenings to decide how a situation is handled.  Leave that up to the public.  Keep your opinions to yourself.  That's why I got out of journalism.

With that, I'm putting my soapbox away.