The West Virginia Mountain Top Mining Community is impoverished and does not have employment through this type of mining. Whiteville, West Virginia is surrounded by four mountain top mines and the city closing down because there is no economy from the mining enterprise.
Think about it. Mountain Top Mining and Canadian Oil Sands have that aspect in common; they do not produce employment, they produce profits.
Both these industrial activities do not require people, they require huge machine driven by ONE PERSON. There are no large lunch time crowds. There aren't that many employees, the profits are exorbitant.
There is a new group facing huge problems protecting their national parks and natural areas. Mormon Environmental Stewardship (click here for Facebook.) They need help protecting their public lands from exploitation.
Tim DeChristopher will be attending Harvard Divinity School for three years. I am happy for him.
The lack of defense in his case is astounding. The trail was delayed four times, the last one being at the time of the Gulf Oil Spill. How would it look after all if he went on trial at the same time the Gulf Leases were leaking relentlessly?
The federal government really owes him an apology. At one point the jurists were given flyers that stated they could vote their conscience in the jury room. The reason that happened is obvious, the judge in the case provided extremely restrictive guidelines to the jury. But, that isn't the best part.
After the jury was handed these flyers by who knows who, the US Attorney wanted to declare a mistrial and start all over again. While that might be a good idea and have a change of venue besides, what the judge did instead is to have the attorneys for both sides and Mr. DeChristopher assemble in his chambers.
Then the judge called each juror into his chambers and stated they could not vote their moral conscience, but, only could vote according to the directions provided which of course would lead to a guilty verdict. Mr. DeChristopher's attorney was never allowed to present any defense for him. The judge decided ahead to the trail that Tim was guilty and he just had to make sure the hearing was conducted to the proper end. See, Tim wouldn't say he was guilty and settle out of court. The judge didn't like that.
So, rather than a mistrial, the judge held these cozy little meetings in his chambers and a guilty verdict was realized.
The facts in the film are absolutely astounding. The leases in question were the old Bush leases. I have a feeling the problem faced by The Mormon Environmental Stewardship have the same problem. The Interior Department, Bureau of Land Management really needs to stop all auctions and review the leases up for bid. The land were these leases are being auctioned in some of the most majestic lands this country has. And the petroleum industry is going to drill holes in the land, pollute, drive off all the wildlife from the pollution, turn the public waters on these lands in to cesspools and make life hell for the people that live there.
But, see this picture. You won't believe it. Some of the facts I listed here were from the premier of the film and a live feed following the film from the theater where Tim was willing to take questions. But, the government really owes him an apology. He is unchanged after his two years in prison. He is fine.
