Blankenship and the Big Branch Bonanza

During a tour I took of the Quincy Copper Mine on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, the tour guide told about how early miners worked by hand without power tools. Miners worked in teams with picks and shovels, or one holding the "bit" while the other swung a sledgehammer with only a candle for lighting - a candle they had to provide for themselves because the mine owner wanted to save on expenses.

Intellectually I had "known" that mining was grueling, difficult work but these details awakened me to the superhuman efforts and history of danger that miners have faced across the US. A look at West Virginia mining history reveals that it wasn't until FDR's administration and increased government oversight that miners began to get any significant legal protections. The recent tragedy at the Big Branch mine in WV is the latest example of the short-sighted profits-over-people mentality of laissez-faire capitalism.

Safety has long been a problem at this mine, though Don Blankenship would argue otherwise. When approached by a reporter  Blankenship, CEO of Massey Energy, became a bit of a bully, so I felt inspired to engage in a little photographic editorializing with GIMP the free image manipulation software. I thought perhaps I could offer my commentary in a different form this time....
(click images to enlarge)