EXCLUSIVE: Bush ignored explicit warnings in 2002 about mine safety

http://www.workingforchange.com/blog/index.cfm?mode=entry&entry=977893D7-FE7D-6B92-8BBA0C149F0739A7

"President Bush held a big photo-op to pretend like he cared - but he never responded to the fact sheet that House Democrats put out questioning why he had made so many cuts to mine safety programs. You can view this fact sheet in Microsoft Word right here (I still have it from my time at the Appropriations Committee) It was released to the media and the administration on August 5, 2002 - the same day Bush did his big photo-op.
In case the administration claims it didn't remember being warned, check out this excerpt from the big Chicago Tribune story from 8/6/02:

"We call on the Bush administration to fully fund the Mine Safety and Health Administration to ensure that coal mines are inspected more thoroughly and that the mine act is enforced more stringently," Cecil Roberts, president of the United Mine Workers Association, said in a statement.

"It would be cynical to portray himself as the hero of mine safety by simply doing photo ops," said David Sirota, spokesman for Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee.

Democrats also released a report from the Labor Department's inspector general--the agency's in-house watchdog--concluding that the Mine Safety and Health Administration was "unable to complete statutorily mandated inspections of ... mine operations," in part because of a lack of inspectors.

At a Senate subcommittee hearing last month, lawmakers were told that the Jim Walters Resources mine in Brookwood, Ala., where 13 miners died last September, had 31 outstanding safety violations that went unchecked because of a lack of government inspectors.

The mine workers union also has criticized Bush's choice of Stanley Suboleski, an executive at coal operator Massey Energy, to serve on the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission. That agency judges disputes over alleged safety violations."

more

This can be just like Katrina on a small scale. GOP governance or lack thereof lead to these deaths. Underfunding levies in NOLA, undermining mining safty, gutting FEMA, its all the same shit.

The problem I fear is that this will never see the light of day in the MSM. The big story will be about how they reported the miners survived when they didnt and how they got that part wrong.

The real tragedy is that this should never have happened in the 1st place.

whatever these thugs touch turns to shit

This is a must read!

GIANTS!!!!!!! :bounce:

C'mon people, hit the nominate button, we must get this word out!

I never would have guessed chimpy would ignore the safety of americans. and then fly in for a photo op afterwards? :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr:

:kick:

Bush only cares about himself and money!

whilst Cheney and his gang have been up to no good, Bush fiddles while Rome burns.

He appointed a mining exec to head the Mining Safety & Health Administration, and an exec from one of the worst companies out there. It'd be like putting Nancy Grace in charge of the gas chamber.

Nancy would put the chamber to good use, maybe even know how to work it.

GW can't do either with anything.

Oh God. She would LOVE it.

"..Only months after the Bush administration arrived, however, the investigation was cut short.

Spadaro resigned in protest. "I had never seen anything so corrupt and lawless in my entire career, what I saw regarding interference with a federal investigation of the most serious environmental disaster in the history of the Eastern United States," Spadaro told 60 Minutes.

As we covered in our report Bush Campaign Ads: Brought to You by ... Special Interests, this is one of many paybacks to a mining industry that has given over $3 million to the Bush fundraising drives since the 2000 election. William Raney, director of the West Virginia Coal Association and a close Harless associate, made it very clear: "You did everything you could to elect a Republican president," Raney told industry executives in May 2001. "You are already seeing in his actions the payback, if you will, his gratitude for what we did."

http://www.whitehouseforsale.org/blog/page.cfm?pageid=629

when is enough, enough ?
:wtf:

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/1/5/13327/36754

Rep. George Miller and Rep. Major Owens want hearings...now.

Here's the story:

WASHINGTON, D.C. - In response to the devastating mine incident in West Virginia that has killed 12 mine workers and injured one other, Reps. George Miller (D-CA) and Major Owens (D-NY) today called for immediate Congressional hearings into mine safety. Miller said the hearings are critical to getting Congress the information it needs to determine what went wrong in West Virginia and to act to prevent another tragedy.


heres the letter they sent

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=4612

I bet a bunch were fooled into voting for Bush.

According to the NYTimes, in the Wednesday edition, this particular mine had been cited for 208 significant violations, up from 68 in 2004. The paper said that 16 of the 208 violations were "unwarrantable failure orders" which are problems that a mine operator knows exist but fails to correct. "Thirteen of these were issued in the last 6 months, federal records show."

The NYTimes continues, " 'Under the Bush administration, the citing of "unwarrantable failures" has gone down dramatically," said Tony Oppegard, a top federal mine official in the Clinton administration and a former prosecutor of mine violations in Kentucky. "So to see a rash of "unwarrantable failures" under this administration is a telling sign of a mine with very serious safety problems."

Thanks, W.

<snip>
It would be cynical to portray himself as the hero of mine safety by simply doing photo ops," said David Sirota, spokesman for Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee.
<snip>

Cynical? How about downright evil. "Oh yeah, I care!" <wink><wink><nudge><nudge>

Its neglectful and downright criminal, just like everything else this bastard does. This type of thing stinks of Bush's "thin the heard" mentality, like "war is necessary for population control" (actual republican standpoint, check it out).

I say we make him work in the mines when he's not our president anymore, I'll bet he makes sure they are up to code then. Lying, cheatin, no good, swindl....<fade to mumbles>

:banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

The fat cat knows he's a company man
But he should have bowed down his head
When they hauled out all the dead
But it's business, boys, start 'em up again.

Down in jericho, kentucky
The mines have all caved in
Down in jericho.
Broken hearts don't mend
Tears stained eyes of kin
Never ever seen
What their future might have been."

http://www.19.5degs.com/lyrics/The%20Caves%20Of%20Jericho/15155

From comment section at Huffington Post:

“Fair and Balanced” FOX News Censors Bush Criticism About Mine Explosion. Hannity to Bush Critic: Just Shut Up
Last night’s Hannity & Colmes was devoted almost entirely to the West Virginia mine tragedy. For almost half the show, it seemed there would be nothing controversial, nothing partisan, nothing much for me to write about. Then Jack Spadaro, former director of the National Mine Safety and Health Academy, dared to criticize President Bush’s record on mine safety. Sean Hannity interrupted Spadaro’s discussion with Alan Colmes and moments later Spadaro was out of there.

Before he got cut off, Spadaro told Colmes that the mine, “particularly in the past year,” has been cited over 180 times for violations of federal mine, health and safety law and regulations. He said about 90 of those violations were called “serious and substantial violations of the law.” He called it a very unsafe mine with serious problems of ventilation and “roof control.”

Colmes asked, “Are you saying that these men should not have been allowed to go down there?”

“Yes, sir…This mine should have been closed.”

Colmes asked why the mine was open.

“I think it’s because of the current Bush Administration’s policies toward mine operators and their reluctance to take the strong enforcement action that’s sometimes necessary and that often involves closing a mine.”

That’s when Hannity broke in. “Jack, let’s not politicize this. I mean, already – what, do you wanna blame George W. Bush for this? Is that where you’re headed with this political question? I don’t think this is the time to go into that. There are certainly are (sic) issues. This mine was cited for over 200 violations – 46 during an 11 week period late in the year. They’ve been fined thousands of dollars. But I can’t see an instance where it was recommended that they close it.”

Spadaro replied, “Well, actually, there were three orders to close portions of the mine that were issued in the October to the December period and there HAS been a significant change since the Bush administration took over the enforcement of mine safety and health. I can speak to that because I worked in the agency and I talk with people every day who tell me that in recent years – particularly in recent months – there’s been a reluctance on the part of the top management at Mine Safety and Health Administration to enforce the law.

From NewsHounds/FOX News tonight.

Check Ownership of BUSH family into Kirby and what Kirby hauls.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2006/01/04/mine-cited-273-times-for-_n_13292.html

Lowering mine safety standards, lowering EPA standards, appointing unqualified cronies to positions of the utmost importence.......when will America say, ENOUGH! GET RID OF THIS WALKING DISASTER IN THE WHITE HOUSE! Everything he touches turns to shit......except his magnanimous tax breaks to the rich at everyone else's expense, of course. If you're rich during the bush administration, these are the best of times. Enjoy it now you bastards, your gravy train is derailing. Come November '06 this entire house of cards is going to crash around your ears, if not before. Impeachment is warranted. NOW! :grr:

A return to the UMW. I guess that mine, and many others, are at the mercy of the owners. f'em I say to the owners. Let em join unions and have the rights of real men!