THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD
(apologies to Keith Olbermann)
Don Blankenship
The charges hold him personally responsible for the hundreds of safety violations in 28 months leading up to the explosion. They included failing to ventilate coal dust and methane, which are highly explosive, and failing to water down equipment to prevent sparks that could ignite an explosion. According to the indictment, Mr. Blankenship’s aggressive enforcement of mining quotas left workers no time to build ventilation systems “because constructing them diverted time from coal production.” He denied a request to build an air shaft in a mine where airflow was below the legal minimum, the indictment said. He also cut the number of miners focusing on safety in order to make the operation more profitable.
I’m a big believer in karma, which is really just a fancy word for “you reap what you sow.” It seems few bipeds are more deserving of a karmic kick in the kiester more than Don Blankenship, the CEO of Massey Energy known as “The Dark Lord of Coal Country”. Until 2010, Massey was just another detestable corporate greedhead of little renown. Then Massey Energy’s Upper Big Branch mine in West Virginia exploded, killing 29 miners. Turns out those who died in the explosion were martyrs to Blankenship’s unchecked greed and undeniable inhumanity. Concerned far more with profits than miner safety, Blankenship cut corners wherever and whenever possible, creating an environment in which production and profit counted for far more than safety. Or so alleges an indictment of Blankenship returned against him in federal court in West Virginia. The preponderance of evidence does not break in Blankenship’s direction.
Numerous investigations have identified the cause of the Upper Big Branch mine’s explosion to be Massey’s systematic avoidance of complying with federal mine safety regulations. Miners were merely means to an end- the end being maximizing Massey’s profits…even at the expense of imperiling those whose toil enriched Blankenship. I suppose when the pursuit of the Almighty Dollar supersedes any concern for the well-being of others…well, you must be Don Blankenship, for whom we can only hope there’s a reserved parking space in Hell.
One independent investigation — commissioned by then-Gov. Joe Manchin — found that the disaster had been caused by a “corporate mentality that placed the drive to produce coal above worker safety” at the mine, and which determined that “Many systems created to safeguard miners had to break down in order for an explosion to occur.
It would have been nice if the feds could have indicted Blankenship on 29 counts of murder. If the charges against him are proven true, then he’s at the very least morally culpable for the deaths of the miners at Upper Big Branch. Blankenship presided over a calculated, cynical system designed to make it appear as if federally safety regulations were being adhered to- but only when federal regulators were on site. His greed, avarice, and complete disregard for the safety of his employees appears to have led directly to their deaths…and Blankenship is claiming the mantle of victimhood:
“Don Blankenship has been a tireless advocate for mine safety,” the lawyer, William W. Taylor III, said in a statement. “His outspoken criticism of powerful bureaucrats has earned this indictment. He will not yield to their effort to silence him.”
The man in UNBELIEVABLY brave, isn’t he? Now he’s being persecuted by evil, faceless bureaucrats who want to grind him into dust for being a “tireless advocate for mine safety.” WHEN will the persecution end? (And I’m wondering how Taylor could have issued such a statement without wanting to vomit.)
And you thought it was easy being a “tireless advocate for mine safety.”
Sadly, being a total dick and a miserable excuse for a human being aren’t crimes…at least on the federal level. Still, if convicted, Blankenship could be sentenced to 31 years in prison. We can only hope that his cell mate will be someone who lost a friend or loved one in the Upper Big Branch explosion. Should he manage to survive prison, we’d like to see him tied to a chair in a mine office filled with methane and coal dust when someone sparks a lighter and tosses it into the room.
Karma can be such a bitch….
