WFHB FireHouse Broadcasting

Our Thanksgiving Day program is dedicated entirely to the people of Appalachia and the next generation of activists fighting to stop Mountain Top Removal (MTR) coal mining. The coal-extraction process decimating the Appalachian Mountains into a wide expanse of gray plateaus pocked with dark craters and huge toxic black ponds could be called "strip mining on steroids" and has generated little press beyond the region. Over 1200 miles of stream have been buried and destroyed and countless mountains and ridgetops have been blown up, gone for all eternity. Under the Bush administration, laws have been altered to accelerate the destruction. Host Tatyana spends the half-hour with Willie and Joe, natives of Appalachia traveling the country as part of the group Mountain Justice Summer. This activist coalition is trying to escalate resistance to Mountain Top Removal through an ongoing campaign that includes coordinated days of action using tactics ranging from public outreach to civil resistance.