I LOVE MOUNTAIN DAY, FRANKFORT, KY. SHAME ON YOU JIM GOOCH!! YOUTUBE VIDEO.
Jim Pence February 15th, 2008
Several days ago I received an email asking me to attend the “I Love Mountains Day” in Frankfort, KY. The email expressed concern that the mainstream media would ignore their event. Since I’m just a “Dumb Ass Hillbilly” and realize the importance of clean water and the influence of of coal mine operators money to folks like Jim Gooch, I made the trip to Frankfort, KY. to try and capture the flavor of the event.
It’s simply unbelievable to me that hundreds of people can gather to protest policies supported by folks like Jim Gooch and the mainstream press doesn’t cover it, but I saw it with my own eyes.
Below are 3 video clips of the event and I am uploading the entire video of the rally as I write and hope to have it up in a day or two.
This is why the rally was held, shame on you Jim Gooch.
In 2005 Kentucky became the first state in the nation to propose a bill that would end the dumping of mine wastes into headwater streams, one of the most destructive aspects of mountaintop removal mining. At the current rate, this form of mining will destroy an additional 1,000 miles of streams in the next decade.
Despite the clear, negative environmental impact of this type of mining and the efforts of hundreds of citizen lobbyists, our Stream Saver Bill has been held up in the House Natural Resources and Environment Committee for the last three years without once being given a hearing. The chair of the committee, Rep. Jim Gooch (D-Providence) refuses to even present the bill to the committee for discussion. In the 2007 session Rep. Gooch claimed there was no public outcry about this type of mining. On the following Saturday the Lexington Herald-Leader published over a dozen letters from people all around the state, outraged by his comments (the paper had received more than 60 such letters).
In the 2008 General Assembly, we are going to make our biggest push yet for this legislation, and we need the help of all of our members and anyone who cares about health and well-being of our environment and our people.
Great work, Jim!
I completely agree with you. The way the media picks and chooses what it covers is extremely dangerous. They do it with both issues and candidates. I’ll bet you anything if that rally had been an anti-gay rally the media wouldn’t have been able to get there fast enough.
The Lexington Herald Leader didn’t even send reporters or photographers to this rally and it was one of the biggest ones ever at the capitol. Instead they ran a small Associated Press photo on page 3 of the City/Region section with a caption that was misleading, implying that those pictured (about 14 or 15 people) were the only protesters present. Unbelievable and unfair.
The 2/15 C-J had the story about the protest by James Bruggers on the front page of the business section. Typical article, started with “several hundred protested yesterday.”
Thanks to everyone for making this a big story, whether the media gets it or not.
Well at least I agreed with you on the third sentence!
To Herodotus Says:
Cool, hang in there with us Herodotus and you’ll agree with everything we say before you know it!!!!