I smell something rotten on the Potomac and I think it’s the Bush administration. Any bets that there is a massive document purge (in flagrant violation of dozens of laws) before the transition to the new (Democratic) president?

Checks and balances, while laudable in theory, costs more than autocracy. That’s why in 2100 we look back to the 2008 restoration of the monarchy with a tear of gratitude. Without it, our annual tax cut could never be sustained, and we would have no money left over to pay the sewer compnay, the police company, the militia company, the education company, the electricity company, the bodyguard company, or the weekly subscription fee to be covered by the GE Radiation-Shield.

Just searching through their e-mails for material related to the Crandall Canyon mine could cost $3.5 million and take 20 weeks

I thought grep was free…and it’s not that slow.

I’ll come over and do it for $30 a half hour.

I haven’t seen Mr. Mineowner Murray on CNN much lately – he used to be really prepared with quotes to the media and regulators about how much complying with safety directives was costing him, a million here, 100,000 an hour there, he would have to cut this many hundred jobs in Utah, the precision of his calculations on the spur of the moment was impressive. Somehow, though, he was never asked how much money he was saving and making by his Bushco-approved scavenger business model, which was to seek out mines that had already had the expensive work of digging the mine shafts, and getting permission to hollow out the coal holding up the roof that other companies had determined was just too dangerous to mine, or was in geologically unstable areas that were inviting a cave-in. A few dead miners? Just a cost of doing business, and hey, isnt that what workers’ comp is for, so you don’t even have to worry about lawsuits from killed or injured workers. I’m sure the emails would demonstrate some creative rule-making allowing for the profitable but dangerous coal to be mined, even though previous owners of Murray’s mines had been ordered not to open these seams, or perhaps had even been conscious of the fact that someone might get killed.

If Chao had done her job, there might not have been a mine accident. The clean-up of messes made during the past six years are expensive because total incompetents like her are in charge of everything which translates into giving the country to the fat cats, mine owners included. May she shovel coal in the next life.

There was an approval of a emergency response plan for the Crandall mine dated 6/13/07.

â€All provisions in it must be implemented immediately with the exception of the breathable air provision which must be implemented within 60 days.†(Too late for the miners).

The Emergency Response Plan was submitted to the MSHA in early June and consisted of 8 pages plus a cover letter ( which are not posted on the site).

Here is the document posted at the government side MSHA/Dept. of Labor

http://www.msha.gov/Genwal/GenwalERP.pdf

Maybe someone more familiar with mining procedures can address this. I have never heard a mention of what this filing was for, routine or for the special collaspsing roof procedure that apparently was the cause of the disaster.

I would think that it wouldn’t be too costly to call Mr. Peacock, the author of the approval letter and request a copy of the Emergency Response Plan of June 2007 as a starter.

As far as I’m concerned, congress shoulders the entire burden of perpetuating this sinister charade. Why shouldn’t the executive branch racketeers continue to act in such fashion? It works. Their unvarnished contempt for congressional democrats is a righteous one.

The subpoena asks for records of communications with Murray Energy from 2001 to now. Clearly, the Labor Department never expected Congressional oversight of it activities during the years of Republican majorities. No one could’ve predicted it (if you get my drift).

Can I sell Congress some software that will let them mine and index all the archived digital content created by this 7 year long conspiracy?

In a few hours?

For about $45,000, one-time?

Yeah, thought not.

Here’s a thought…make the Crandal mine owners pay for opening up the rest of the can of worms, that would bring the cost down precipitously, and immediately.

You want to see how fast we can get that $3 million dropped to the real peanuts we all know it would really cost? And get it done in short order?

Just make Murray pay for the work. And charge him by the hour.

Then he’d really have something to yell about.

When you layer this information with the FDL posting on the regulatory cuts to the USDA regarding inspections of meat and then pair both with the regulatory cuts in safety inspections which have resulted in the recalls on toys and products from China, the picture is clear. We the People are seen as expendable and worthless…lab rats…

Get rich quick efforts by lobbying to reduce regulatory measures which cost corporate America big bucks, cost everyone in the end. If I was anyone personally hurt as an end result of industry lobbying to reduce regulatory inspections and compliance or enforcement of such (as is the case here), I would make darn sure the lobbiests and those who voted in favor of as well as those who â€looked the other way†were named in my lawsuit. That includes Elaine…Let’s just get everyone out of their beds and turn on the lights…Even if it does have the potential of revealing images which would render consideration towards â€poking my mind’s eye out!â€

Elaine, the email game is getting old. We all know better! Do your job or leave.

IANAL, so this is a long question:

Congress has some limited prosecutorial authority – inherent contempt to name the only one I can think of off the top of my head.

Congress can investigate via the vehicle of subpoena, but there is nothing that I know of beside contempt of congress that puts teeth into their oversite. I’m thinking that this is weak gruel for the constitutional mandate for oversite, especially in light of the current executive branch actions of inability to find emails and non appearances before congress and contemptuous memory loss.

I think Congressional oversite needs an update – no not to the WaPo suggestion of application of approved torture techniques to the executive branch – but via the FISA update, or some other system that can get the emails – subpoena them from the NSA or something, so that Congress can do its job. Am I totally out to lunch on this?

..to people at the top the little people who do the hard work every day matters little to them….they are just fodder….just like the soldiers are for their war machine..so will coal workers be so they can turn on the multitude of lights at their mini mansions.