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William Price and his son, John, both spent their share of time working in the coal mines. John was my mammaw’s daddy. William was her grandfather. She was telling someone what had killed her daddy the first time I recall hearing the phrase “black lung”. Coal mining has always seemed like a dangerous way to make a living to me. Coal dust, collapsed mines, and explosions are woven into the history of Appalachia. They are reminders of just how hard life has been for those who have made their homes in the mountains.
There was a fresh manifestation of the tragedy that is always lurking in the shadows of mountain life. The mine exploded at Sago, West Virginia. What made this tragedy all the more cruel was the initial report that there were survivors. The report was wrong, the grief was frightening and furious, and the community was devastated.
The mine at Sago was cited over 270 times in the last two years for safety violations. Many of these citations were for situations that could have caused a mine explosion or a shaft collapse. Even more of them involved violations that mine operators knew about but failed to correct.
Last year, the Sago Mine paid $24,000 in fines. The fines amounted to little more than the cost of doing business. $24,000 is what it costs to be able to send miners into a mine that is not safe. In an industry with substantial political influence and ready access to federal regulatory agencies, one wonders how many other mining operations are choosing company profits over worker safety.
When an individual, an organization, or a nation experiences hard times, the veneer is removed and the real values are revealed. Hurricane Katrina exposed lingering issues of poverty and race in America. This mine explosion in Sago reminds us that poverty in America is not just an issue for people of color.
Is it not possible for a company to be safe and profitable? Is it not possible for a company to be fair and productive? Is it not possible for a company to be just and successful? I wonder these days if it is. While it is not to be true for all, it certainly seems to me that for too many safety, fairness, and justice cannot hold a candle to profits, production, or success.
When Jesus told His disciples that the poor would always be with them, I do not think He meant that His disciples should be satisfied with that reality. Rather, I think He meant that followers of Christ would always have the poor to be concerned about, to advocate for, and to serve.
My ears are worn out from listening to those who rattle on about family values while the mommas and daddies in too many families go to work in places like Sago. I am weary of those who worry about moral decline while the disparity between the average workers’ wages and those of CEOs continues to grow.
The families that seem to benefit most from the rhetoric of family values and moral indignation are those families that are already in the upper echelons of society. At the same time, there seem to be more and more families who are of no value to anyone. There seem to be too many families who endure whatever calamity it is that comes their way without the benefit of the moral indignation of the pious.
Jesus reminds us that the poor would be with us always so that we would not forget them nor forget how much they matter to Him. After all, He came…”to bring good news to the poor...proclaim release to the captive and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Let us share His love.
Joy and Peace,
Ed
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