The Vegan Marxist
3rd August 2010, 02:16
New revelations further expose Don Blankenship and Massey Energy criminality
Monday, August 2, 2010
By: Temara Collins
Wealthy CEO not just one rotten apple in a barrel of ‘good capitalists’
Capitalism is a system of greed, lies, violence and criminal disregard for workers’ safety, human needs and the environment. This is made clear by the recent events at the Upper Big Branch coal mine in West Virginia, owned by Massey Energy Company.
An explosion at this mine in April caused the deaths of 29 workers. The response of CEO Don Blankenship to the disaster and recent revelations about his influence on local and state government paints a very accurate picture of the criminality of a system that causes so much destruction in the lives of workers, the environment and the economy.
Blankenship has used millions of dollars out of his own fat pockets to push his reactionary anti-worker agenda. In 2009, the U.S. Supreme Court decided he might be wielding too much influence, after he spent $3 million of his own money to get a judge elected to a West Virginia court that was ruling on a Massey-related case. (ABC News, April 8.)
Shortly after the explosion at the Upper Big Branch mine, Blankenship made two contributions of $4,800, the largest amount allowable under federal law, to his friend Elliot “Spike” Maynard, a Republican running for Congress in the same district where the mine explosion happened.
When Maynard was a judge, he voted to set aside a $75 million ruling against Massey Energy. Only later was the friendship between Maynard and Blankenship revealed.
According to his campaign Web site, Maynard was the managing director of the Tug Valley Chamber of Commerce for two years, between 1968 and 1970. Also on his Web site, Maynard says that he is in favor of what he calls “fair, common sense environmental rules … and against unreasonable attacks on the coal industry.” There was no elaboration as to what these rules, if any, would be.
This same blatant disregard for worker safety and the environment is parroted by Blankenship himself. In a speech at a Labor Day anti-union rally last year, Blankenship spoke out against the Mine Safety and Health Administration. He called efforts to inspect mines for worker safety “as silly as global warming.”
Ironically, Massey Energy has been cited for safety violations more than 1,300 times since 2005 and has refused to clean up its act. From these outrageous and egregious anti-worker propaganda campaigns, we can see that capitalists like this care nothing for their workers or the environment, and only about lining their already fat pockets.
Like a lot of capitalists, Blankenship is not only satisfied with being greedy, ignorant and completely out of touch with the needs of workers. He also feels the need to react violently to anyone who rubs him the wrong way. This is evident in his attack on a news reporter for ABC. Blankenship shoved the reporter, grabbed his camera and said, “If you’re going to start taking pictures of me, you’re liable to get shot.”
This sort of behavior isn’t accepted of children, but it seems if you are wealthy enough in a capitalist system, you are able to get away with assault and threatened murder. Blankenship personifies the free-market bully system that has plagued this country for too long.
Some may argue that Blankenship is simply a rotten apple in an overall barrel of good capitalists. That’s not true. Capitalism is a profit-driven system that not only allows but encourages greed, corruption and criminal disregard for the lives of others.
We must all stand together to oppose violent anti-worker capitalists such as Don Blankenship, the politicians who are in their pockets, and the system that perpetuates exploitation, wars and countless other crimes against humanity.
http://www.pslweb.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=14305&news_iv_ctrl=1261
Monday, August 2, 2010
By: Temara Collins
Wealthy CEO not just one rotten apple in a barrel of ‘good capitalists’
Capitalism is a system of greed, lies, violence and criminal disregard for workers’ safety, human needs and the environment. This is made clear by the recent events at the Upper Big Branch coal mine in West Virginia, owned by Massey Energy Company.
An explosion at this mine in April caused the deaths of 29 workers. The response of CEO Don Blankenship to the disaster and recent revelations about his influence on local and state government paints a very accurate picture of the criminality of a system that causes so much destruction in the lives of workers, the environment and the economy.
Blankenship has used millions of dollars out of his own fat pockets to push his reactionary anti-worker agenda. In 2009, the U.S. Supreme Court decided he might be wielding too much influence, after he spent $3 million of his own money to get a judge elected to a West Virginia court that was ruling on a Massey-related case. (ABC News, April 8.)
Shortly after the explosion at the Upper Big Branch mine, Blankenship made two contributions of $4,800, the largest amount allowable under federal law, to his friend Elliot “Spike” Maynard, a Republican running for Congress in the same district where the mine explosion happened.
When Maynard was a judge, he voted to set aside a $75 million ruling against Massey Energy. Only later was the friendship between Maynard and Blankenship revealed.
According to his campaign Web site, Maynard was the managing director of the Tug Valley Chamber of Commerce for two years, between 1968 and 1970. Also on his Web site, Maynard says that he is in favor of what he calls “fair, common sense environmental rules … and against unreasonable attacks on the coal industry.” There was no elaboration as to what these rules, if any, would be.
This same blatant disregard for worker safety and the environment is parroted by Blankenship himself. In a speech at a Labor Day anti-union rally last year, Blankenship spoke out against the Mine Safety and Health Administration. He called efforts to inspect mines for worker safety “as silly as global warming.”
Ironically, Massey Energy has been cited for safety violations more than 1,300 times since 2005 and has refused to clean up its act. From these outrageous and egregious anti-worker propaganda campaigns, we can see that capitalists like this care nothing for their workers or the environment, and only about lining their already fat pockets.
Like a lot of capitalists, Blankenship is not only satisfied with being greedy, ignorant and completely out of touch with the needs of workers. He also feels the need to react violently to anyone who rubs him the wrong way. This is evident in his attack on a news reporter for ABC. Blankenship shoved the reporter, grabbed his camera and said, “If you’re going to start taking pictures of me, you’re liable to get shot.”
This sort of behavior isn’t accepted of children, but it seems if you are wealthy enough in a capitalist system, you are able to get away with assault and threatened murder. Blankenship personifies the free-market bully system that has plagued this country for too long.
Some may argue that Blankenship is simply a rotten apple in an overall barrel of good capitalists. That’s not true. Capitalism is a profit-driven system that not only allows but encourages greed, corruption and criminal disregard for the lives of others.
We must all stand together to oppose violent anti-worker capitalists such as Don Blankenship, the politicians who are in their pockets, and the system that perpetuates exploitation, wars and countless other crimes against humanity.
http://www.pslweb.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=14305&news_iv_ctrl=1261