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MASSEY ENERGY CO. TO BLAME __**
 * __ WEST VIRGINIA COAL MINING DISASTER

“It’s unfortunate, but every mine safety law we have on the books today was written in the blood of coal miners.” - Nick Rahall

"Time stopped five days ago for the families of 29 coal miners killed in the devastating explosion at Upper Big Branch mine." - Greg Bluestein

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 * Over 16,000 violations were written by WVMHS&T (West Virginia Office of Miners' Health Safety and Training) inspectors 2008.

> "We grudge no man a fortune which represents his own power and sagacity, when exercised with entire regard to the welfare of his fellows. Again, comrades over there, take the lesson from your own experience. Not only did you not grudge, but you gloried in the promotion of the great generals who gained their promotion by leading the army to victory. So it is with us. We grudge no man a fortune in civil life if it is honorably obtained and well used. It is not even enough that it should have gained without doing damage to the community. We should permit it to be gained only so long as the gaining represents benefit to the community. This, I know, implies a policy of a far more active governmental interference with social and economic conditions in this country than we have yet had, but I think we have got to face the fact that such an increase in governmental control is now necessary. "
 * Massey Energy Co., which owns the Upper Big Branch mine, was fined more than $382,000 **in the past year** for repeated serious violations involving its ventilation plan and equipment.
 * "(Massey Energy Co.) had been cited for ** 600 violations ** in less than a year and a half, some of them for not properly ventilating methane -- the highly combustible gas suspected in the blast." - Fox News.com
 * "The operator ** was ** aware of some of these conditions." - Kevin Stricklin
 * "It was like they wanted production more than they wanted safety, myself, you know what I mean? They speak safety first, but production's really first for them." - Terry Holstein (former Massey Energy employee)
 * Theodore Roosevelt:

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