Coal Reality Anxiety Evil Witches

More coffee talk – this time in the cafe at The Leonardo.

“You made it to the BLM coal lease moratorium hearing?” Bill asked.

“Yes – over 500 people – standing room only,” I answered.

“And most of them were yellow t-shirted miners from Utah’s coal country,” Jay added.

“Yes, miners, drivers, family, local business people. The mining-impacted communities were well represented.”

“The picture I saw in the paper had some 400 or so of the total in yellow t-shirts.”

“That’s about right,” I said. “And perhaps 2/3 of the over 100 three minute talks were to release the moratorium on coal leases – and to blame Obama, Interior, and the BLM for their ‘war on coal’.”

“The Governor and his team – and the Congressmen – still don’t realize that the entire fossil fuel economy is changing,” Bill said. “Rather than do anything to help those impacted by the change, they look for excuses and scapegoats.”

“They look for – and invent – witches,” Jay said. “And their patriarchal, self-righteous, arrogant attitude convinces those impacted miners to also seek witches: Obama, Sally Jewel.”

“All that patriarchy breeds arrogance, which fuels ignorance – and denial,” I said.

“That sounds like a great title for an op-ed,” Bill said, smiling.

“I think I’d add EVIL to the title. Their ignorance and denial really does make them evil, in my estimation. They sit there collecting their salaries and donations, and the poor miners and drivers in Central and Eastern Utah become more afflicted with anxiety, fear – even depression.”

“That makes them – the Governor, Legislature, Congressional do-nothing delegation – evil in my book.”

“Mine, too,” Bill concluded.