[Old School]

Sorry to bust into the fantasy world you live in where coal companies do such a great job reclaiming but this just isn't true. The mining sites I refer to are not sites created prior to 1977, as I stated many previous times one visit to google earth, or microsofts satellite image program called terra-server, which offer up to date, high quality satellite images, and you can get a up close view of all the mining sites going on at the moment, and you can see all the "reclaimed sites" you say are so great. Google is offering a program with up to date stats on the mass of land mined, the date the operation started, the company mining, and when the job is done they show images of the reclamation process, so everyone can now have an eyewitness view of reclamation. *Spoiler* Nothing is there, just grass.

The point I made about coal companies not caring what the cost is for thier profit is not ridiculous, here is one example. In Inman Virginia Jeremy Davidson, 3 years of age, was killed by a rock that came from a strip job above his home. A couple of dozers where working and pushed the rock over the hill, which tore through his home. The company called the accident a "act of god". They were fined $15,000, they later appealed the fine. If that isnt heartless I dont know what is. I can give you more of these stories that you wont hear at any coal convention, becuase those things are minor compared to the progress of man.

I know that you dont believe what I say, thats why I keep telling you to go look at google earth, maybe you just choose not becuase you know im right? just a thought.

Undergound mining Again you just feed me more crap from the mining companies, I read an article today stating the same thing, that undergound mining is not possible without SOME valley fills, I would rather have that going on while we search for new energy sources, than sit around and watch mountains being blown away. This may sound horrible, and is a little off subject, but a lot of people are probably going to get a little richer due to the accident in Utah, now than can use propaganda and say Underground mining is dangerous, we need to blast off mountains.

And I do offer new material, every time we debate I offer it, but all you can give is meaningless stats, on how much profit is made. I dont care about that, im not a pro-business person as you seem to be. I get my materail from studying both points of view, you only get your info from the people who line your wallet.

Horse Racing I feel honored to have a mule named after me. IF only it can give you as hard of a time as I do then it has lived a good life.

Hey Coach I took your advice and visited both Google Earth and Microsoft Terra Server as you suggested, I was expecting to see up to date, high quailty satellite images where you can get a close up view of mining sites accross Eastern Ky. and Southern WVa. as you claimed, but what I found was totally different. Maybe I done something wrong, but here's what I found, on Google Earth the mine areas were either colored white or they had a red tint covering the mine areas either way I could not tell anything about these areas if they were reclaimed or not, I tried to take a close up view of other areas (not colored or tinted) but the images became blurry at a distance I was still unable to tell anything about these photo's. You also mentioned that these photo's were up to date, when I noticed that areas that we mined in August 2003 were not shown on these maps, heck they hadn't even broke ground for the new Super Wal-Mart in Louisa when these photos were taken. I then pulled up Mircrosoft Terra Server and found that some of these photo's haven't been updated since 1990, I pulled up areas here in Eastern Ky. and the latest update I could find was 1995. Furthermore Terra Server is based on some satellite images and a lot of USGS (United State Geological Service) aerial photographs which were most likely flown over 25 years ago and at a very high altitude thus making it very difficult to view without special equipment.

P.S. you don't give me a hard time I love these little conversation we have, and I hope we can have many more of them in the future.