Michael Moore: Fahrenheit 11/9 2018 - The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia TV - Coal TV - Heather Day Gilbert - Joe Manchin - Oxyana 2014 - The Mine Wars TV - Matewan 1987 - Storyville: Poisoning America: The Devil We Know TV - MonsterQuest: Mothman TV - Plutocracy: Political Repression in the USA TV -
Bernie Sanders won all fifty-five counties in West Virginia with Hillary not winning a single county. Michael Moore, Fahrenheit 11/9, 2018
Shootouts, robberies, drug dealing, murders and tap dancing are all parts of being a member of the White Family. The Wild & Wonderful Whites of West Virginia, Current TV banner
We followed the White family for one year. ibid.
We’re just right down dirty people hillbillies. ibid. mother White
I thought I’d killed Billy ... Ended up shooting at the cops ... It was one hell of a night. I just went on the rampage pretty much. ibid. male clan member
He started sniffing that there gasoline. ibid. female clan member
It’s like the dead killing the dead. ibid. male clan member
The CPS has got the baby. ibid. female to female
Do you know what rehab is? ibid. mother to son
I’m gonna burn like the rest I guess. We’re all going to hell. ibid. Female
Fucking rock-n-roll, baby. ibid.
West Virginia, the heart of Appalachia. Where miners carve a hard living out of solid rock. The risks are high. But so are the rewards. Working in tunnels half their height these men chase a high-grade seam of coal. Sons. Fathers. Brothers. Coal miners. Coal s1e1, Discovery 2011
With an investment of four million US dollars Tom and Mike bought mining equipment and hired thirty-five local miners. They’ve got one month to turn a profit or go out of business. ibid.
The men are cutting into Westchester mountain. ibid.
The Continuous Miner’s ripper-head is spiked with tungsten-carbide teeth. ibid.
The coal seam was formed by compression which means it bends and twists. ibid.
Half a ton of slate barely missed them. ibid.
Running coal and lots of it is the only thing that’ll keep the company alive. ibid.
The day-shift has been pumping out coal all week though not enough to make up for the night-shift’s short-fall. ibid.
They will barely be able to pay the bills. ibid.
All mining is brought to a stop when a team of state inspectors arrives unannounced. ibid.
‘We’re just country people trying to give our families what we never had and try to make better for our families.’ Coal s1e2, Jerry Edwards, section foreman day shift
The miners are in a race against time to find the course of the smoke. ibid.
‘Just another day in paradise.’ ibid. miner
Without Andy the day crew’s chance of getting seven cuts is looking slim. ibid.
‘I’ve had three heart attacks. Nobody wants an old man any more.’ ibid. Randy
‘I went all the way through college. I went through one door and out the other.’ ibid. miner
A storm slams into the mine. ibid.
Flooding has blown the pump. ibid.
The rainstorm flooded the well, shutting down the pump. Now they have to work out why. Coal s1e3
Being a Bolter is like living as a marked man. While the Bolters work, the mine’s roof is unsupported. Which is why Hank’s job has the highest death rate of any position in the mine. ibid.
Death by falling rock is a reality in every mine. ibid.
A massive two thousand kilowatt generator has arrived on site. It should put an end to the power outages. Coal s1e4
With the belt-move turning into a financial disaster, Mike looks for somewhere to lay the blame. ibid.
A mountain of company debt has become due. ibid.
Coal’s not the only thing to be found in these hills. They are also known for some of the best hunting in the United States. ibid.
The night crew turned a belt move into a comedy of errors. ibid.
The next ten hours are critical. ibid.
Roof bolting is the deadliest job in the mine. ibid.
They filled forty trucks in a single day and nailed their first profit. Coal s1e5
The most deadly part of the mountain ... Now they are directly below a valley. ibid.
The men really are between a rock and a hard place. ibid.
Mining, physical pain and prescription drugs have been known to go hand in hand. ibid.
Five out of ten men haven’t shown up for work. ibid.
Despite being down five men they’ve had the best shift of the week. ibid.
‘When you’re a coal miner you just about have to be a jack of all trades.’ Coal s1e6, Andy the legend
‘Sometimes you know you’re better off getting these young drug-free boys that need a job.’ ibid. Big Cheese
The blow to the [continuous] miner appears to be fatal. The continuous miner is dead, and that could mean the end of Cobalt Coal. ibid.
The cardinal rule of roof bolting is don’t rush it. ibid.
A small mining company is chasing a high grade seam of coal. The risks are huge. But so are the rewards. Coal s1e7
Someone has betrayed them. ibid.
They just financed a $600,000 Continuous Miner. Now they need another $60,000 to cover the payroll, and hook up their more powerful generator. ibid.
No water means no mining. ibid.
If the company has to survive it has to hook up the new generator. ibid.
‘It’s ten thousand dollars’ of equipment.’ ibid. Big Cheese
Randy is carving through the coal. By the end of the shift he’s knocked out seven cuts. ibid.
Black smoke is pouring from the generator. Coal s1e8
Tom can’t afford any more downtime. ibid.
‘We hit water!’ ibid. miner
Every miner here has had the experience of hitting something unexpected. ibid.
Coal drove the economy of the industrialised world. ibid.
Heavy snow has started to fall. ibid.
Eddie Branch the night crew electrician just called to say he’d taken a job from another mine. ibid.
Methane is a silent killer that can be found in any mine. ibid.
On 5th April 2010 ... The worst US mining accident in thirty years rocked the industry to its core. ibid.
A late miner means loss of profitability. Coal s1e9
The new mining team is burning through the coal. ibid.
The powerful Unihauler is making an immediate impact. ibid.
Thanks to Joe the night crew is back in the coal. ibid.
The company seems to have worked out how to run consistent coal. ibid.
I couldn’t describe the smells of West Virginia, even if I tried. It has something to do with the leaves composting in the woods, the cold trickle of little creeks and waterfalls, the ferns greening up everything. But somewhere deep below, I can smell the rock and the coal this state is built on. Heather Day Gilbert, Miranda Warning