Inbreeding is the cause of birth defects around Coal Mines

Coal Industry Attorney’s Blame Coal’s Health Impacts on Inbreeding

Remember the study published a few weeks ago that found a link between mountaintop removal mining and birth defects? Well, so do the coal industry’s lawyers, and they’ve got a different explanation:
Last month, when coal execs read the report linking birth defects to mountaintop removal mining, they weren’t exactly thrilled. One rebuttal, penned by four attorneys with the firm Crowell & Moring, which represents the National Mining Association, accused the study’s authors of using cherry-picked and misleading data. But that apparently wasn’t convincing enough, so they went a step further and employed a discredited stereotype about inbreeding in West Virginia.

“The study failed to account for consanquinity , one of the most prominent sources of birth defects,” the attorneys’ statement said. It then went on to advertise the firm’s services to coal companies looking to “counter unfounded claims of injury or disease” from potential lawsuits sparked by the study.
Consanguinity, which is presumably what the attorneys were referring to, is defined as: “relationship by descent from a common ancestor.”

Seriously, WTF.

Ken Ward talked to Michael Hendryx, one of the authors of the MTR study, who broke it down:


http://www.enviroknow.com/2011/07/13/coal-industry-mtr-inbreeding/

This MFing Big Coal mouthpiece just accused MOST OF HIS ENTIRE INDUSTRY'S WORKFORCE of being inbred hillbillies!!!!

low opinion of the people it employs. It's a lot like battered wife syndrome: the wife thinks that no one else would want her and the husband has less and less respect for someone who would put up with him. It's a sad thing to watch, but until the wife stands up for herself (and someone else is willing to help her leave), the abuse will just get worse.

Much like the Norwegian model.

The coal industry has abused the people of WV and reaped enough profits from their labor.

I can't believe those candy asses are going to get away with it, either.

Disgraceful.

the coal execs mind the depths of stupidity.

California? Go ahead, it's cool.

-Hoot

I asked the folks with "Friends of Coal" license plates if they liked being called "inbred" by their beloved coal industry.

There's some loyalty for you. My grandfather wouldn't have been surprised though, he wouldn't have trusted the coal company as far as he could throw them, my grandmother used to have to buy everything with the "script" miners were paid in back then, at the company store of course.

It will go out on my facebook page in a minute.

from anyone that isn't a known liberal. We will see. How much insult and injury can people accept to have blind loyalty to those who have never cared for them and never will?

The only motherfuckers I see are those scum corporate lawyers.

sort of caught me flatfooted. Thanks for the link, it will be shared in Kentucky now. era

But I must say that one of these days Ken Ward needs a Pulitzer for his reporting on the coal industry.

I'd buy billboards with this quotation.

West Virginia, which seceded from Virginia (which itself had seceded from the Union) during the Civil War, became its own state in June 1863. It and Nevada were the only states admitted during the war, although Kansas became a state in early 1861, just a couple months before the hostilities began. Although the state has gone Republican in the last 3 elections, including a 56% to 43% win by John McCain over Barack Obama in 2008, the state is primarily Democratic at the local and state levels. Of the presidential elections from statehood through 2008, voters went Democratic 20 out of 37 times. Much of this back –and forth (at least in recent history) can be attributed to the shifting views of the large blue-collar vote in the state. While expected to lean “red” in 2012, West Virginia could become a swing state, depending on the eventual match-up.

http://www.270towin.com/states/West_Virginia