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Thoughts for the Miners in Utah

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10 Comments
by
Granny5
, 08-22-2007 at 06:55 AM (1391 Views)
What a tragic ending to the search for the six miner trapped in an underground coal mine in Utah. In case you haven’t heard, the search to find them has been discontinued. I understand why but I have such sorrowful feelings about continuing the search as well as ending it. If it were my son or husband or brother down there, I’d want it to continue. I am a selfish woman. I can’t imagine what it must be like for the families waiting. It would be unbearable not knowing if they were killed in the initial cave in or have died since, or if they are down there, with water and air waiting for rescue that isn’t coming. Are they trying to find something to write their last thoughts to their loved ones on and waiting to die? Do they think they have been forgotten? Are they trying to keep each others spirits up by telling each other “Just hang on one more day”? Tradition is to keep trying until either the miners are rescued or the bodies are recovered. But is it reasonable to put more lives in danger to find six men who are possibly already dead? Three rescuers have already been lost in the effort. If my men were working on the rescue team, I’m sure I want it to stop. As I said, I am selfish. But what about the men who want to continue the effort to rescue their brother miners? Do the owners of the mine refuse to allow them to continue because of liability issues or does he allow the search to continue out of tradition and obligation to find his miners, knowing that more lives could be lost in the effort? Are there even any miners that want to continue the rescue efforts? Is it like the Marines who vow to leave no brother behind? I have so many questions and no answers. All I can do is pray for all the miners, both the trapped and the ones wanting to recover their brothers, and the families of the lost, and the owners of the mine, who must make that horrible decision. May God grant them the strength they must need to continue life without their sons, fathers, brothers, and husbands. May God grant them Peace.
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Comments

  1. Countess's Avatar
    I know. I've thought all these same things - it's a no-win situation. They could possibly NEVER find the bodies - but what if they're alive? What is the right thing to do in this case? I honestly don't know, and that in itself baffles me.
  2. motherhubbard's Avatar
    Such a tragedy. To be honest, I hope those men died instantly. I hate to think that they suffered for any length of time. I find it so horrific. I feel so badly for their families.
  3. applepie's Avatar
    There have been too many mine accidents in the news in recent years, and it always strikes me as tragic. I agree with Motherhubbard, and I hope they died instantly, and I pray they are not suffering at this moment. I can only imagine what their families are going through having to think and worry over what their loved one has endured or is still enduring.
  4. Virgil's Avatar
    It is sad. We'll probably never know but I think they were dead from the begining. There never was any sign of life. But who knows.
  5. kiz_paws's Avatar
    It is very sad and tragic and makes me wish to hell that we had a better technology available....
  6. 's Avatar
    Its a tragic example of greed by some. It's also a testament of how reliant we are on fossil fuels and not enough money being spent by government on
    safer and cleaner alternatives. This of course does not take away from the tragedy at hand. I do pray for their families.
  7. Virgil's Avatar
    How is it greed Poppy? The owner, although it seems incompetant, went through a hell of an effort to try to save them. That must have been very expensive.
  8. motherhubbard's Avatar
    I think that the greed stems from the fact that this mine was cited over 300 times in the past three years for safety violations. Historically, especially in mining, profits come before employee safety. I realize it is not another Ludlow Massacre but the hole they are drilling today is where they were known to be working, why didn't they start there? Why is it a one hole at a time kind of rescue? It gets under my skin that when miners strike the National Guard can be called in to shoot them down along with their families, but when we need some miners rescued our national guard is tied up in Iraq. Whould he have done the same if his son were down there? (sorry- got a little worked up there didn’t I)
  9. Granny5's Avatar
    Virgil. I am not saying there was not a valiant effort by the owner to save the miners, although he had no other choice. I am saying that like MH reports because of either a poor inspection process or the fact that the owners money went further than the lobbying efforts by the Miners union, the owner was operating an unsafe mine. I am just suspect.
  10. 's Avatar
    Virgil. I am not saying there was not a valiant effort by the owner to save the miners, although he had no other choice. I am saying that like MH reports because of either a poor inspection process or the fact that the owners money went further than the lobbying efforts by the Miners union, the owner was operating an unsafe mine. I am just suspect.