I've been working multiple problems at my job over the past week - mind-bending, frustrating problems all. So it was with great relief that I had an entire free half hour to eat a salad late this morning before heading to what promised to be a gruelling afternoon of meetings.
CNN broke into its regular coverage to go directly to Mr. Murray's comments at the site of the mine collapse. At first, it was what you would expect to hear given the trapped status of these six miners. Murray talked about the different ways they would be trying to extract the miners and discussed the frustrating nature of what had been accomplished since the initial collapse. He communicated that the most direct route was to go in and try to dig through the rubble to reach the known location of the trapped miners. He talked about how they had only made a total of 310 ft. of forward progress against a 1700 ft. distance. He stated flatly that it would be three days, at best, before they would be able to reach the miners and ascertain whether they lived or died.
THEN it got weird. First, I want to set the stage: six miners are trapped in a mine collapse. Their families have no idea what their status is - alive or dead. So with that context, here's an excerpt of the first eye-catching thing Murray said (all quotes are taken from CNN's transcript from it's earlier broadcast).
So the Lord has determined already whether they're dead or alive from the percussion of the earthquake. But it's my job to get to them as quickly as possible and find out. And I will not leave this mine until those men are rescued, dead or alive, nor have I, except to visit with the families and keep them informed.
So ok - if I'm a family member, there's a potential I've just heard the President and CEO fo the mining company that employs my status-undetermined loved one essentially give their fate over to God. I realize I'm nitpicking here, but I don't think it's wise to espouse a sense of inevitability ("It's in God's hands so anything I do or do not do is irrelevant") when people's lives literally hang in the balance and while the people who love them are listening and trying to draw strength.
Then, a media helicopter was flying overhead. This mightily peeved Mr. Murray:
If that's another media helicopter, I would ask for those of you, like yesterday, who are responsible for it being here to please have it removed immediately. And I will stop until you remove it.
Sheriff, we're going to have to let the controllers know that we cannot have these...
Huh. I guess Mr. Murray thinks he controls the free press. I found it odd that he was so adamant and, in the live comments, so obviously aggrieved at the helicopter's very existence.
From here, he immediately turned to a lengthy game of "cover my ass":
To repeat, the University of Utah seismograph stations report that an earthquake measuring 4.0 on the Richter Scale occurred at 2:48 a.m., Mountain Daylight Time on August 6th. The epicenter of the earthquake they located at 5,000 feet, south of where these miners were working. They reported that the depth of the earthquake was one mile.
Now, our employees were only at 1,500 feet. The shockwaves came from 5,280 feet deep. It could not have resulted from the mine, 3,500 feet higher.
Moreover, the United States Geological Survey reports that the hypocenter of the earthquake was five miles deep. The United States Geological Survey Reports that. Five miles deep, 4.3 miles deeper than where our men were. That's where the earthquake originated, not in the coal mine, and 5,000 feet to the south as best we can locate it.
Well... That's interesting. I've highlighted the excessive use of the word "earthquake" to underscore Murray's seeming desire to drive that point home. But it's not even remotely the prevailing or definitive opinion on the subject of earthquake v. collapse. From The Salt Lake Tribune:
Initial reports suggested that an earthquake triggered the Crandall Canyon coal mine collapse near Huntington, but further investigation indicated otherwise. Data collected on waves from the event appear similar to the motion produced from an implosion, said Relu Burlacu, manager of the University of Utah Seismograph Stations.
"It doesn't fit the model of an earthquake," he said, but stressed that this is not a definitive answer.
::snip::
"We are into a post-mortem phase," said Walter Arabasz, director of the seismograph stations.
The evidence now appears to point toward a collapse-type event, he said. But there is the possibility that a shallow earthquake near the mine could have occurred close to the time of the collapse.
Arabasz said researchers will need better information on exactly where the collapse occurred as well as a better time for the event, in addition to more seismological details, to put the puzzle together.
So ok - at best the picture of whether an earthquake registered on seismographs and triggered the mine collapse versus the collapse itself registered on the seismographs is a murky one.
As he continued his pre-emptive "it was an earthquake" defense, he once again got mad at random traffic (it was unclear this time whether it was helicopters, an airplane, or a terrestrial vehicle):
Furthermore, it is reported by these authorities that the initial quake at 2:48 a.m. on August 6th lasted for about 4.3 minutes. Bumps that we incur in mining are instantaneous and don't last 4.3 minutes. It was an earthquake.
If this were not enough, two hours and 30 minutes -- have the sheriff stop all this traffic until I'm done. I can't progress like this. Stop it all until I'm done. There's no emergency here.
Sheriff, stop everybody until I'm done, please!
You'd have to have heard it to understand how truly pissed-off he was.
There is SO much to his press conference that I'm going to have to leave it to you to read it in its entirety, and I'll leave the actual speech by highlighting this gem, wherein he essentially trashed the UMWA and MSHA officials past and present as speaking lies and repeating them to the press, which in turn (GASP) reported it:
It's understood that the folks in the media and all American citizen citizens have a genuine concern please respect their privacy. It's understood that the folks in the media and all American citizen citizens have a genuine concern about the welfare of the trapped miners and their families. However, inaccurate reporting, which has already taken place, does nothing to further the well-being of anyone.
Quite obviously in reporting your stories, your producers and you journalists attempt to seek out individuals to obtain accurate commentary on the misfortune that has occurred here at the Crandall Canyon Mine, specifically I'm referring to statements that you have sought out from Mr. Jay Davitt Mcateer, Tony Oppegard, Dennis O'Dell and president Cecil Roberts, the last two of the united mine workers. These individuals have given very false statements to the media and to America, for their own motives. They know nothing about the natural disaster that occurred here. They know nothing about the damage in the mine and the circumstances surrounding the trapped miners, or the rescue efforts that are under way. And I caution the media to very much question the veracity of these sources and their motivations. I particularly cite Mr. Seth Borenstein of the Associated Press for particularly bad reporting, and as of this morning, the Fox News Network, on what has occurred here.
Rather than utilizing the truthful statements that you heard here, the Associated Press and Mr. Borenstein chose to use statements from Mrs. McAteer, Oppegard, O'Dell and Roberts that were totally false and have nothing to do with or have any understanding of what's happened here.
And this morning, Fox News Network was at it also. I hope you report that. And I will cite to you and every one of these interviews all false reporting that we hear. But I would certainly not depend on the Associated Press and Mr. Borenstein for any truths if I were an American citizen.
There was much, much more that he said. I can't find the portion of the transcript where Mr. Murray talked about McAteer and Oppegard as having essentially invented the phrase "retreat mining" and attaching dangerous connotations to it. Essentially, Murray is saying that these four individuals - McAteer, who is (as far as I know) the Assistant Secretary at MSHA - Oppegard, who was a mine safety adviser for the Clinton administration - O'Dell, UMWA Administrator for Occupational Health and Safety - and Roberts, President of the UMWA - are all colluding to spread pernicious and inaccurate information to the press for the sole purpose of aggravating Murray and spewing hate to further their own agenda. Apparently, Borenstein of the AP is in on it. The only good news is that he called out F(au)x News in the process. Perhaps, as well, these four individuals were responsible for the media helicopters... Hm...
And this isn't the only time Murray has provided his opinion on any and everythng that pertains to his beloved coal mining industry and anyone he feels threatens it. Transcribed live from CNN's coverage is a brief statement by Murray about Al Gore:
MURRAY: "I would describe Al Gore as the shaman of global goofiness and gloom and doom."
He apparently repeated something to this effect in an April 2007 speech to the New York Coal Trade Association, pieces of which are covered here. Back to a clip transcribed live from CNN's coverage, he says the following to Barbara Boxer in Senate testimony:
MURRAY: "You have my invitation, ma'am, to come out - because you people inside the beltway and you Senators do, on the majority side, give a clear appearance that you don't have the foggiest idea what a person does to pack a lunch and go to work or wear a hard hat."
BOXER: [gavel smack] "Sir..."
MURRAY: "You're inside the beltway. I know what's going on out there."
BOXER: "Sir, I would appreciate if you didn't have that kind of edge because I've got some information here about you and ... have the biggest fines against you of any other miner in... in Ohio."
I find it highly amusing to hear of Mr. Murray's public record testimony about his disdain for all things "inside the beltway". A little perusal of OpenSecrets.org tells a different story:
MURRAY, ROBERT
$2,000
Bond, Christopher S 'Kit'
MURRAY, ROBERT
MURRAY ENERGY CORP
$2,000
Murkowski, Lisa
MURRAY, ROBERT
MURRAY ENERGY CORPORATION/OWNER
$2,000
Shimkus, John M
MURRAY, ROBERT
OHIO VALLEY COAL CO
$2,000
Nethercutt, George R Jr
MURRAY, ROBERT E
OHIO VALLEY COAL COAL
$15,000
National Republican Senatorial Cmte
MURRAY, ROBERT E
MURRAY ENERGY CORP
$2,000
Voinovich, George V
MURRAY, ROBERT E
MURRAY ENERGY CORPORATION/OWNER
$2,000
Gillmor, Paul E
MURRAY, ROBERT E
MURRAY ENERGY/CEO
$2,000
Davis, Geoff
MURRAY, ROBERT E
OHIO VALLEY COAL COMPANY/PRESIDENT
$2,000
Ney, Bob
MURRAY, ROBERT E MR
MURRAY ENERGY CORP./PRESIDENT & CEO
$1,000
National Republican Congressional Cmte
MURRAY, ROBERT E MR
SELF-EMPLOYED/PRESIDENT & C. E. O.
$1,000
Bush, George W
MURRAY, ROBERT E MR
MURRAY ENERGY CORPORATION/PRESIDENT
$1,000
National Mining Assn
MURRAY, ROBERT E MR
MURRAY ENERGY CORP./OWNER
$1,000
Bush, George W
MURRAY, ROBERT EUGENE
MURRAY ENERGY CORP./PRESIDENT/CEO
$1,000
Hobson, Dave
MURRAY, ROBERT MR
MURRAY ENERGY CORP/EXECUTIVE
$2,000
Murphy, Tim
MURRAY, ROBERT MR
THE OHIO VALLEY COAL COMPANY/PRESID
$2,000
LaTourette, Steven C
This reflects ONLY the 2004 election cycle. Clearly, all Republicans and some notorious ones [(cough) NEY (cough)] at that. I've edited this list for brevity and particularly where I simply couldn't identify if the Robert Murray in question is the same who is President and CEO of Murray Energy or Ohio Valley Coal Company. The total search results from OpenSecrets.org can be found here. Also of interest -- in the 2004 election cycle the National Mining Association (listed as a recipient of Bob Murray's donation) expended a whopping $3,960,000 on lobbying activities. Huh. Doesn't get much more inside that that.
This is a long diary and, I fear, rather pointless. I originally found his comments merely tactless and borderline insensitive. But after looking into who this guy is and what he says and what he believes and whom he supports, I think a little differently: tactless and insensitive still applies - but it was also cold and strategic, designed to further his own stated priorities of God, America and Coal.
Sidenote: My thoughts and well wishes go out to the families of the trapped miners. Notwithstanding Mr. Murray's agenda, I believe those working to sve the miners are sincere and genuine and I hope they succeed in their endeavor - and soon.
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