Sometimes Rand Paul's anti-regulatory mouth gets him into trouble. Earlier this election season, he got into hot water with miners for suggesting the federal government shouldn't be involved in mine safety. He then later said he still "thinks miners, mine operators and mine regulators in Kentucky know what works best to keep Kentucky miners safe."

The problem is that state by state regulations, or lack thereof, create lax loopholes in the law big enough to drive a truck through. I don't doubt Rand "I'm not for the Civil Rights Act" believes that racist state legislators and officials knew what worked best when it came to voting laws, too.

So Blue America friend AmericansForAmericaPAC is going up on the Kentucky airwaves about it:

This ad is running on WXCC "Coal Country Radio" in the eastern Kentucky and in Madisonville, not far from the tragic disaster in the spring that killed 2 miners – which inspired Paul to say "Accidents Happen". According to the AP, there are 18,000 miners in Kentucky- plus their families and friends. AmericansForAmericaPAC is raising on ActBlue for it here.

This plays in Kentucky. Yesterday, the Lexington Herald-Leader just endorsed Jack Conway for Senate. Note the third paragraph:

Since riding the Tea Party wave to victory in the Republican primary as a relatively unvetted candidate, Paul has spent the summer and early fall revealing himself to be quite the ideologue who's long on simplistic slogans but short on understanding the drastic consequences of adhering to those slogans.

What came across as refreshingly candid in the spring proved to be distressingly extremist when Paul was pressed on issues ranging from civil rights and the Americans with Disabilities Act to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.

As a senator, his mission would be a chain-saw massacre of federal government that lays waste to farm subsidies, education spending, mine-safety regulations, federal aid in fighting the scourge of drugs and numerous other programs of significant benefit to Kentuckians.

Not only is mine safety a critical issue, but Paul's chain-saw approach to all regulations is winning support for Conway. Radio ads being among of the cheapest forms of political communication, $10 or $20 goes a long way. Blue America's partners at AmericansforAmericaPAC are taking every dollar and putting it into production and the buy- believe it or not, the admaker, a longtime colleague of mine, is actually working on the buy down the hall from me as I'm typing this. You can chip in here to keep reaching Kentucky miners.

Ted Turner sat down with Poppy Harlow at CNN to talk about bailouts, banks, and energy policy. He had some Turneresque things to say about our lack of a cohesive energy policy, coal mining, offshore drilling, and the disasters we've seen in past months at Massey Energy and now the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster.

HARLOW: It could be millions. How does that make this debate even more immediate? I mean, you look -- they cannot plug the hole. It's been over 20 days. We're trying to send, you know, people to Mars, and we can't plug the hole.

TURNER: Sad. It's sad. You know, I'm not a real religious person, but I'm somewhat religious. And I'm just wondering if God's telling us he doesn't want us to drill offshore, because it sure is setting back offshore drilling. And right before that, we had that coal mine disaster in West Virginia where we lost 29 miners. And last week -- or two days ago, the Chinese lost 29 miners, too, in another mine disaster over in China. It seems like there's one over there every week.

And maybe, you know, the Lord's tired of having the mountains of West Virginia, the tops knocked off of them so they can get more coal. I think maybe we ought to just leave the coal in the ground and go with solar and wind power and geothermal where it's applicable.

HARLOW: So possibly God's work in a way?

TURNER: Well, it could be. He's sending us a message.

I wonder what the teabaggers have to say about that. It would sort of knock the Koch boys off their game.

Some families testified yesterday in utter despair over their loss of a son and a husband. I've written a lot about the actions of the shady Utah mine owner Bob Murray. This is a heartbreaking look at how these families are dealing with the tragic deaths that happened in part because of the incompetent actions of Bob Murray.

Download | play Download | play

Sheila Phillips - Mother of miner Brandon Phillips:

"It's just hard to have hope, and have your heart broke every day, and have your grandson grow up without a dad…And I'd like to talk a little bit about Mr. Murray -- I didn't go to very many of the meetings because I couldn't stand to listen to the man. He was talking about one day when they were moving the drill holes, and they had the pad ready for one and then they decided to drill it somewhere else, and I asked him why they didn't have two going... and he said 'we could drill you 1,000 holes and it wouldn't make any difference.' (transcripts and Digby below the fold)

Continue reading »

Via The Salt Lake Tribune:

Operators at the Crandall Canyon mine experienced serious structural problems in the mine in March and entirely abandoned work in an area about 900 feet from where six miners remained trapped Saturday.

A memo obtained by The Salt Lake Tribune shows that mine owners were trying to work around "poor roof conditions" before halting mining of the northern tunnels in early March after a "large bump occurred . . . resulting in heavy damage" in those tunnels.

A bump or bounce occurs when the intense pressure on the coal pillars supporting the mine causes the pillars to burst, "sending coal and rock flying with explosive force," according to that National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

The memo indicates that mine operators knew the tremendous pressures of a mountain bearing down on the mine were creating problems with the roof, and they were searching for a way to safely keep the mine from falling in as they cut away the coal pillars supporting the structure.

"It's dangerous. Damn dangerous I would say," Robert Ferriter, now director of the mine safety program at the Colorado School of Mines and a 27-year veteran of the Mine Safety and Health Administration. "What is MSHA doing in all this? They're the ones who are supposed to catch this sort of thing." Read more...

Mike's Blog Round Up

Confined Space: Five more miners dead. Richard Stickler's name should be withdrawn as Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health. And it turns out that John Correll, Bush's nominee to head up the Office of Surface Mining at the Dept. Interior, was up to his neck in improper behavior while he was at the MSHA.

Pro and Conrad: The legendary editorial cartoonist, Paul Conrad. Info on a documentary film tribute, cartoon gallery, and more at a beautifully designed site.

Majikthise: Has some recommended reading for ya

Brilliant at Breakfast: Bush to teens saving for college: Go Cheney Yourselves

The Talent Show: The Decline of Western Civilizatio

Update:

Having problems uploading new stories...working on it...

The scary attack on the First Amendment is an overlooked feature of the NSA spying scandal as our 'Long National Nightmare' continues. One is left to wonder who else they were spying on. The bottom line: if you're doing a multiplexdata - mining pattern analysis on tens of thousands of people, you can't get warrants.

NewsHog: Possibly the greatest post of 2005

Lawyers, Guns and Money: The Royalist Alito

The Left Coaster: Sneaking vouchers in...

A Tiny Revolution: More about the Lincoln Group

swedes for obama: Pushy Christian missions in post-tsunami Thailand

Possibly the greatest post of 2005

Lawyers, Guns and Money: The Royalist Alito

The Left Coaster: Sneaking vouchers in..

(I'm working on the video, but my file seems corrupted so here's the transcript) Appearing on the H&C show last night, Jack Spadaro, former Director, NATIONAL MINE ACADEMY went after the Bush administration over the mining disaster in Sago and tied Sean Hannity's usually vitriolic tongue in knots.

ALAN COLMES, CO-HOST: Joining us now on the phone is the former director of the National Mine Safety and Health Academy, Jack Spadaro. In terms of safety, Jack, what do we know about this mine and its relative safety in how it should have been operating?

JACK SPADARO, FORMER DIRECTOR, NATIONAL MINE ACADEMY: We know from the record that the mine, in particular in the past year, has been cited over 180 times for violations of federal mine health and safety law and regulations. And about 90 of those violations were called serious and substantial violations of the law. So we know that it was a very unsafe mine and that there were serious problems with mine ventilation and roof control.

COLMES: Are you saying that these men should not have been allowed to go down there?

SPADARO: Yes, sir.

COLMES: You're saying this mine should not have been open?

SPADARO: This mine should have been closed. And there were too many serious violations. And the record is very clear.

COLMES: Why was it open then? If you, as a safety expert, feels it should not have been, why was it open?

SPADARO: I think it's because of the current Bush administration's policies toward mine operators and their reluctance to take the strong enforcement action that's sometimes necessary. rAnd that often involves closing a mine. r
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SEAN HANNITY, CO-HOST: Jack, let's not politicize this! I mean, already, what do you want, to blame GeorgerBush with this? Is that where you'rerheaded with this political question? I don'trthink this is the time to go into that.
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There certainlyrare issues. This mine was cited for overr200 violations, 46 during an 11-week period late in the year. They've been fined thousands of dollars. But I can't see an instance where it wasrrecommended that they close it.
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SPADARO: Well, actually, there were three orders torclose portions of the mine that were issued in the October to the Decemberrperiod. And there has been a significantrchange since the Bush administration took over, the enforcement of mine safetyrand health.
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And I canrspeak to that, because I worked in the agency, and I talk with people every dayrwho tell me that, in recent years, and particularly in recent months, there'srbeen a reluctance on the part of the top management at the Mine Safety andrHealth Administration...
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HANNITY: All right, you've got a political...
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SPADARO: ... to enforce the law.
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HANNITY: We don't have time tonight to get into this, norrdo I think it's appropriate. But yourclearly have a political agenda that, if I had enough time, I'm sure I...
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SPADARO: No. Yourcalled me and asked me to make a comment.
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HANNITY: I know, but I'm sure... And that often involves closing a mine.

SEAN HANNITY, CO-HOST: Jack, let's not politicize this! I mean, already, what do you want, to blame George Bush with this? Is that where you're headed with this political question? I don't think this is the time to go into that.

There certainly are issues. This mine was cited for over 200 violations, 46 during an 11-week period late in the year. They've been fined thousands of dollars. But I can't see an instance where it was recommended that they close it.

SPADARO: Well, actually, there were three orders to close portions of the mine that were issued in the October to the December period. And there has been a significant change since the Bush administration took over, the enforcement of mine safety and health.

And I can speak to that, because I worked in the agency, and I talk with people every day who tell me that, in recent years, and particularly in recent months, there's been a reluctance on the part of the top management at the Mine Safety and Health Administration...

HANNITY: All right, you've got a political...

SPADARO: ... to enforce the law.

HANNITY: We don't have time tonight to get into this, nor do I think it's appropriate. But you clearly have a political agenda that, if I had enough time, I'm sure I...

SPADARO: No. You called me and asked me to make a comment.

HANNITY: I know, but I'm sure...

SPADARO: And I'm telling you what's...

HANNITY: You want to turn this into a political thing...

SPADARO: No, I'm telling you what the truth is.

HANNITY: ... and we have families that are suffering tonight, sir.

SPADARO: And that's the truth is that there were 180 violations...

HANNITY: You want to blame George Bush...

SPADARO: ... that were serious.

HANNITY: ... like a lot of extreme left-wingers. All right. Go ahead. You got your point out.

COLMES: Mr. Spadaro, I'm not sure that you have a political point of view, but I do thank you very much for coming on the show tonight. Thank you for your time.

MyDD has a response to a smear campagin against them: The Sago Mines: Negligence by the Republicans

Think Progress has more on Spadaro.

(emailer Savino sent this in yesterday:)
As a former Wall-Streeter I often watch CNBC's Wall St. stock program, Mad Money with Jim Cramer. Just 5 minutes ago, Cramer was recommending a mine-safety stock, because (as he declared over and over again and the headline ran below his report): "There has been too much negligence in the Bush Administration."

Why is this big? Because Wall St. (and CNBC) have traditionally had such pro-Bush leanings. But Cramer's bottom line was "we're not partisan here... we're just looking to make money, and the Bush Administration has been negligent."

Download | play -WMP Download | play -QT

Other juicy tidbits: "Mine safety violations have increased 15% in 2005." (That a paraphrase)
And: "This is not the first mining tragedy under Bush."

He also referred to the Philadelphia Inquirer's Sunday story, headlined: "Under Bush, mine-safety enforcement eased"