Massey Energy On Trial

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/24/massey-energy-trial-begins_n_1029434.html

This article strikes home, and while I am not from West Virginia, nor do I currently live in West Virginia, I lived in West Virginia when this happened and I saw the reactions from people who were not even connected to the tragedy. West Virginians are an extremely close knit group of people, and no that is not a incest joke.  People care for fellow West Virginians and if you show them even the least bit of kindness, they will adopt you in as if you were their own.  While living there, I was told that so long as you have bled in West Virginia, you were West Virginian. 


This trial is good for two reasons, maybe even three.  The first is that it is placing the blame where the blame is due.  The company knew that it is violating rules, all companies do.  If the CEO of the company is going to be paid like he does all the work, then it is only fair for him to take the blame like he did all the work.  Companies have a culture, all organizations do, that starts from the top and permeates down to the lowest rung.  If the big shot CEO wants to round corners then, the little guy will round corners too.  Massey was known far and wide for cutting corners from the top down. 


The second is the timing.  At first I felt it was too late, but on second thought it is fitting.  This delay will re-spark interest in mining and mining disasters..hopefully.. and keep people aware of the problems.  It is a disgrace that Massey would go as far as to order alerts when safety inspectors were coming. Rightfully they are on trial (at least publicly) now for not only the cover-ups for the disaster itself. In the future companies will think twice about looking the other way, or in this case looking in the right direction and then warning.


In addition to the re-introduction of the story, it comes at a time when Americans are already on the prowl for CEO that are not watching out for their workers or their best interests.  With the OWS movement going on it would be nice to see the serious examination of this trial.  What a good trial for the OWS movement to latch onto and hold on to.  If ever there was a case of the 1% not caring about the 99%.  Unfortunately the coal industry has long been a case of he haves and the have nots, but maybe now with a national movement aimed almost precisely at this style of problem, awareness could been raised and the coal industry put under the inspection class as it was in the 1920's, 30's and early 40's.