Viewpoint
A Broken Relationship in Southern Appalachia
By Rev. Pat Watkins As Christians on this earth, we are called to be in relationships with God, with each other and with creation. We care for God’s people with a special place in our hearts for the poor, the oppressed, children and those who have no voice. But with so may other problems facing…
Read MoreVisions for the Future: Build It Up, W.Va.
The opinions expressed in Viewpoints are those of the author’s and are not necessarily reflected by The Appalachian Voice By Joe Gorman Appalachia’s population is aging and its youth are leaving. This is a critical moment: for a sustainable future we need to give youth a reason to stay here. Currently, the Appalachian economy is…
Read MoreLetters to the Editor
Well Contamination Nightmare Dear Appalachian Voice: Thank you for your extensive coverage of water quality in your most recent issue. It was excellent. I have been beating that drum ever since I discovered last April that the water supplying the house that I rent in Boone had e. coli in it. Through my landlord,…
Read MoreLetters to the Editor
Appalachian Voice welcomes letters to the editor and comments on our website. We run as many letters as possible, space permitting. The views expressed in these letters, and in personal editor responses, are the opinions of the authors and are not necessarily the views of the organization Appalachian Voices. Write to editor@appvoices.org. Mountaintop Removal –…
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Natural Gas is Responsible Dear Appalachian Voices, With reference to your Spring 2008 Appalachian Voice on natural gas drilling – As a “clean fuel” natural gas is reasonably available in this country. Coal seam gas extraction has garnered increased attention due to its availability; but it is NOT a new energy source. In southern Appalachia,…
Read MoreEditorials
Fighting for their Future By the van load, by bus, on foot, they came to Richmond Virginia to confront Dominion Power, one of the last great bastions of the old fossil regime. Under a gray sky they unfurled the mile-long petition, and shared their laughter, their music and their fears for the future. They were…
Read MoreEditorial – End Game for King Coal
/images/AppalachianVoice/Mar_2008/Edit.cartoon.jpg The American coal industry has never been more profitable, and yet paradoxically, has never been more vulnerable. With the rise of coal prices to unprecedented levels, new coal mines of marginal quality are being forced online. The owners are squeezing small profits from big risks. Experts who have observed mine safety budget cuts expect…
Read MoreHillbilly Stereotypes make me wanna holler
When I saw the clip of the Daily Show’s Jon Stewart aping a misinformed West Virginia voter in May, I had a flashback to a Saturday Night Live “Appalachian ER” skit, which featured rocker Neil Young embroiled in a mess of incest and depravity. How the media loves its hillbillies. Makes me wanna holler: The…
Read MoreFrank Taylor: “I Think People are Still Willing”
I think People are still Willing Frank Taylor, Dungannon, VA Dominion Power says they need to build a plant in SW VA to sell to the inhabitants of 140,000 unbuilt homes in Northern Virginia. There are 140,000 real homes in Southwest Virginia that would emerge under the cloud of pollution from that plant. When the…
Read MoreProtests Raise Awareness of Destruction
The recent protest of Charlotte-based Bank of America’s practice of financing companies who strip mine coal in West Virginia, Kentucky and Virginia raised concerns that should be of interest to all North Carolinians. The Rainforest Action Network hung a huge banner off a crane in front of the Bank of America building that dominates the…
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