On Wed, 02 Aug 2000 23:43:30 -0000 Agent Smiley <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: --- In [EMAIL PROTECTED], Ethan Stuart <[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: --- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1999 23:06:12 EDT > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: [BIGMTLIST] Speech read and submitted by > Peabody Coal miner to LADWP > > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Dear Big Mountain supporters, > > This speech was submitted by a Peabody Coal Company > employee, called "coal > miner" to protect his/her identity at a meeting of > Dineh representatives and > environmental organizations with the Chairman, Los > Angeles Department of > Water and Power. As you know, Los Angeles, Las > Vegas and much of the > southwest is lit up by Peabody Coal. > > Please help us shut down the Mohave Generating > Station, supplied by Peabody > Coal Company's Black Mesa mine, responsible for > human rights violations and > environmental violations, including depletion of a > sole source aquifer for > the Hopi and western Navajo people. > > To find out how you can help please contact Sharon > Lungo, Action Resources > Center (ARC), phone: (310) 396-3254, e-mail: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] and > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Thank you for your support. > > Yours sincerely, > > Marsha Monestersky > Consultant to Sovereign Dineh Nation > > > To: Mr. David Freeman, Chairman, Los Angeles > Department of Water and Power > > I am (name withheld of the coal miner). My maternal > clan is . My > paternal clan is . I live on Black Mesa > and am an employee of > Peabody s Black Mesa mining complex. I come before > you today to speak about > the impacts of the Black Mesa mine on my local > community. This is where the > coal comes from that is burned at the Mohave > generating station. > > My people are suffering many effects from the > mining. Dineh religion forbids > strip mining which violates basic teachings in which > the Earth is a living > entity that is being harmed. When we wake up in the > morning the horizon is > thick with dust from overnight operation of drag > lines that remove the top > layers of earth to expose the coal. Blasting is > frequent and frightening. > Surface water sources have been poisoned or > destroyed. Sites that were the > sole source of sacred and medicinal plants have been > destroyed by the mine. > > The slurry line that carries coal 273 miles to the > Mohave from Peabody s > Black Mesa mine is threatening the sole source of > drinking water for > communities in the area. Scarce water beneath the > desert that has been there > since the Ice Age is being depleted at the rate of 3 > million gallons each day > just to carry coal. Without water we cannot > survive. Rena Babbitt Lane who > is here with you today is one elder who lives on top > of the slurry line but > like so many others in the region has to travel > 20-30 miles round trip each > day to haul drinking water for her use and her > animals. > > Peabody has destroyed thousands of ancient Anasazi > cliff houses, burial and > sacred sites, Dineh cemeteries, sacred sites that > continues to this day. > Many of the Anasazi burials sites were not even > covered up after removal of > the remains. Their locations were marked by > archeologists stakes in > violation of our religion. Mounds of dirt remain > adjacent to the graves > sifted for ceremonial objects that were taken to > unknown locations. > > Residents in the mining area have been jailed by the > tribal governments if > they try to prevent the destruction of burial or > sacred sites. A great > grandmother, Bah Begay had to watch as bulldozers > unearthed the graves of her > twin sisters and turned the site into a disposal > area. Ataid Lake, another > great grandmother was threatened with arrest and > being run over when she > tried to stop bulldozers from destroying a talking > rock sacred to the Dineh > people and from unearthing a site containing the > graves of many Anasazi and > Dineh. Mabel and Lucille Benally were jailed for > trying to stop a bulldozer > from expanding a coal stockpile outside of their > front door and told they > would remain in jail unless they agreed not to > protest the mine. > > Other residents have also watched the unearthing of > graves, given only the > choice whether to watch or not to watch. Roy and > Alice Tso eldest son s > remains were taken to some unknown location. They > want to know where their > son s remains were taken to. Roy Tso was a > dedicated employee that retired > from Peabody Coal Company. He died last week, > suffering from Silicosis. His > last wish, to protect his burial and sacred sites > from Peabody destruction, > including a site where you can hear thunder through > the hill. This is a > sacred shrine used by many of my people and is yards > away from current > blasting activity. > > In June 1998, a Kiva containing 28 Anasazi burials > was destroyed and is now > under tons of dirt. This past summer, another > cemetery was bulldozed despite > numerous pleas from my people. Many human remains > were taken from the site > and others were left scattered on the surface of the > ground. We don t even > know what happens to the remains they removed. Next > to the bulldozed area is > a site where we make offerings, have held many > ceremonies, including fire > dances. > > In the summer of 1998, on Glenna Begay s land, > Peabody installed a sediment > pond for contaminated runoff a few yards away from > sacred Sagebrush spring > planted there by Medicine people. This spring > contains a year-round drinking > water resource. Bitter spring in the area, > containing a source of water for > our animals was bulldozed and Peabody installed a > water pump there for the > slurry line, and a dam to flush the water pipeline. > > > Endangered white clay deposits (chi), burial sites, > talking rocks, praying > shrines and rock piles used by Medicine people, > special herb gathering sites, > rare plants, including the thunder goes down plant, > deer corrals, and others > have all been destroyed. All of this was done > without our consent. > > The mining activities have harmed the health of both > workers and nearby > residents. In the past the Mine Safety Health > Administration (MSHA) has shut > down the Reclamation draglines due to excessive > dust. In one instance, > Dragline #1260 was shut down for causing imminent > danger to the miner and > management in the mine property and the people > living on the inside of the > property of the mine....causing dust in the air that > obstructed vision and > smoke and dust from the fire that burn their > eyes....so thick that the dozer > being operated in the area would die out...causing > dust that made the > children to cough at night and the inside of houses > to be covered with a > thick layer of dust, mine workers in the truck shop > coughing.... causing long > term lung problems .... > > At last month s Union Meeting, Local 1924 at the > Kayenta mine they told us > that 117 retirees from the mine have Silicosis and > Black Lung. They said > they don t know how many more people are affected, > both among retirees and > mine workers. They will be doing extensive testing > this month. But > according to previous breath analyzer tests they did > on me and other mine > workers their analysis revealed that almost everyone > has health problems. > > Of great concern to me, is that in addition to the > coal miners, most of the > local residents living in the mining area have > respiratory problems, some > with life threatening conditions. The fine black > dust covers our clothes > when we hang them to dry on the clothes line. It > forms a film on the counter > tops inside our homes and gets into the barrels we > use to store our drinking > water. Also, when we butcher our livestock to eat we > find black spots on > their organs. > > But who gets the money generated from mining > royalties? It is not the local > residents, including my family which does not get > one penny. The basic > problem we face was described in a decision by > Administrative Law Court Judge > Judge Ramon Child, U.S. Dept. of the Interior Office > of Hearings & Appeals, > March 11, 1996 in Dineh Alliance v. Office of > Surface Mining who states: The > Navajo Nation with head offices in Window Rock, > Arizona, near the New Mexico > State line, shares very little of the $45,000,000 > annual royalty from the > mine, or benefit therefrom, with the members of the > Navajo Nation who reside > in the proximity of the mine. Thus, while the Navajo > Nation benefits from the > proceeds of the mining, the unhappy fact is that its > members who live near > the mine suffer from the effects of that same > mining. > > What I am telling you is difficult for me to do > since my livelihood depends > upon the continuation of the mine. However, in the > end, I must consider what > the cost is to Dineh lives and our environment > resulting from Peabody s > mining activities. > > Therefore I wish to appeal to you to cancel your > contract with Southern > California Edison, owner/operator of the Mohave > generating station. I have > made my choice even though it is highly likely that > by speaking out I will be > targetted at work. The choice you must make is that > between profit and > respect for human lives and the environment in the > world of competing > interests. > > ahehee , Thank you, > > A coal miner > > > --------------------------- ONElist Sponsor > ---------------------------- > > ONElist announces "FRIENDS & FAMILY!" > For details, including our weekly drawing, go to > http://www.onelist.com/info/onereachsplash3.html > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -- > This is a BIGMTLIST post. > BIGMTLIST can be subscribed to through Onelist at > www.onelist.com. > For more information on this on-going human rights > crisis in the United States, visit my web page at > http://www.theofficenet.com/~redorman/pagea~1.htm > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Bid and sell for free at http://auctions.yahoo.com --- End forwarded message --- *** NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. Feel free to distribute widely but PLEASE acknowledge the source. *** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The end is in the means as the tree is in the seed. - Mahatma Ghandi ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ http://www.angelfire.com/mi/smilinks/thirdeye.html <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html">Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
