The Trail of Tears - History Is Repeating Itself in WV

How long does it take to eliminate a group of people from an area?

Remember how Andrew Jackson did it when he moved the Cherokee people from their homeland in Appalachia?  The only difference in what happened then, and what is happening now, is that the removal of the Cherokee was a forced march. 

Today, to remove people from an area, one first destroys their homeland by removing the mountains and filling the valleys. The air and water are poisoned, trees and vegetation are removed, wildlife disappears and the culture vanishes.

This is not a forced march, but the devastation of first one hollow, then the next, then the next mountain and the next ridge, until an entire range of mountains has disappeared. 

Soon, the companies no longer must be granted permits, obey the Clean Water Act, notify citizens regarding blasting or fulfill any governmental obligations to the public, as if they ever did. 

When a people become demoralized and hopeless, they are easy prey for political maneuvering. They are susceptible to the rantings of the likes of Don Blankenship and his bought and paid for cronies.  These people would have one believe that the only future for West Virginia is coal.

If coal is the only answer, why has China put 40 percent of its stimulus monies into clean energy as opposed to the 15 percent the US has committed? 

The greatest legacy our President and West Virginias congressional delegation could leave the future citizens of this state is to follow suit. 

Instead, they are being led by Don Blankenship, Ted Nugent, and Bocephus. What role models! 

Some of us have been trying to save the Gauley Mountain range since 1991. We have written letters, signed petitions, asked for help from the WV DEP, done flyovers, held meetings, had Blessings for the Mountains, been menaced by Friends of Coal on four-wheelers and in pick-up trucks, visited our Congressmen and travelled to DC. 

We continue our fight.  As Churchill said, "We shall fight on land and on sea; we shall fight on the beaches ... WE WILL NEVER SURRENDER."