tickets?

*insert cricket chirp here*

Anyway, if there's fun involved afterward, we may have to make a trip to Klingerstown. I'd get a room and stay if weren't so expensive up there.

The only reason Banks is glad I'm coming is because he knows what I'll bring for him.

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"Heyna!"

i like the cricket chirp by the way


yeah, shana, get with the picture here and pre-purchase a ticket! I called John (Alfred Brown) today to try to coax him and the guys to come along... idk.. we'll see i guess.

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This ain't longwall... this is long hole!

I'd be up for going to Klingerstown afterwords too. I'll probably want to tie a good whiskey drunk on anyway after seeing Hardcoal But than again with the recent rumors I might save that for the week long party that will be taking place in the west end in January

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"We don't look for any money all we look for is a little help and the only help we get is for the government to shut us down and if you go to the gas station and buy the gas you'll see why..........................you'll see why"

yeah, i hear its gunna be a ho down, down the west end! when 2 guys go back where they came from and where they belong!

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This ain't longwall... this is long hole!

So, what is the point of the Film?

From the trailer it seems to be:

Coal Good! - MSHA Bad!

Well the long story short is back in the day when the forrunner of our modern day MSHA was formed what the Feds did was use the PA Bituminous mine laws as a guide for writing there own laws. Which is just hunky dorie if your mining bituminous. Now as we all know Anthracite is 100% completey different in the way it's mined underground and the problems encountered when mining but the CFR doesn't reflect these differences the law is the law is the law as far as the dynamic duo at the helm of MSHA DISTRICT 1 is concerned. Prior to Jonn Kuzar and Wiliam Spavarie being transferred here there predessors realized the differences and enforced the laws accordingly. The state of PA has two sets of laws and our underground operators get along pretty good with the state but not so with MSHA. When a mine operator gets a citation for inadequate toilet paper or another one for one of his employes not having his shoes tied you know theres a problem. But anyway the movie is about how MSHA is abusing there power here in the Anthracite.

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"We don't look for any money all we look for is a little help and the only help we get is for the government to shut us down and if you go to the gas station and buy the gas you'll see why..........................you'll see why"

you hit the spike on the head!

well.. it deals with the problems anthracite mines and anthracite miners have been having with the federal mine law, and the federal inspectors. the federal mine law (not the state law, mind you) is geared to bitty coal - which, is obviously mined in a very different manner than heavy pitch anty coal. basically what it comes down to is mine inspectors from the bitty regions of the US butting heads with mine operators in the anthracite region that refuse to change the mining practices they've been using and their forefathers have been using for the last 150 years. Anty coal miners are heard headed. Bitty oriented MSHA inspectors are too.... So they get into quarrels about how they should be mining anthracite, and the feds end up shutting the mines down. it also has some to do with corruption within MSHA and UMWA (note - you won't find an anthracite miner in the UMWA),

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This ain't longwall... this is long hole!

Mike and I just answered it at the same time...

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This ain't longwall... this is long hole!

MSHA VS Anthracite



Anthracite VS MSHA

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This ain't longwall... this is long hole!

I well understand Federal Regulations. The problem is simple. When Fed. Regs are involved, you have broken at least one. And depending how many burrs the inspector has under his saddle the number can go higher.

Regs are always written in ways to nail your tail to the floor. And generally there is no way to keep them all and operate.

I'm not a Union fan myself. I have had discussions with a local bitty mine safety director after the Utah disaster. The UMWA ran a full page ad in the local fish wrap touting the safety in Union Mines vs Non-Union. My comment to him was, if the Union is so smart on how to run a mine, why don't they take some of their money, open a mine and show the industry how to do it.

agreed! bastards. I don't look down on all MSHA inspectors, casue some of them are really good guys... but if you ever get to see hard coal, watch what an arrogant know it all snob the union rep they interviewed is. he makes me want to




btw... local fish wrap i like that one!

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This ain't longwall... this is long hole!

Well lemme know where to get a TICKET.

Speaking of whiskey, get Dan to come along.



xox
~S

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"Heyna!"

I didn't even think of Dan untill you said something, if I could find his number I'll call him. As far as the UMW of A is concerned I can't say to much about them at the moment (I'm a member) but I will say that if it came down to leaving the deep mine (no umw) or keeping my regular job my wheat lamp will be seeing a lot more use!

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"We don't look for any money all we look for is a little help and the only help we get is for the government to shut us down and if you go to the gas station and buy the gas you'll see why..........................you'll see why"

id love to join you ladies but im going with a bunch of guys from work to see saw 5. but ill be thinkin' of ya while im working the mammoth tomorrow!

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Come over to the Dark Side....... We have Cookies!

come with us chris. you can see that other movie some other time.

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-Thou shalt not little vein-