Comments about ‘Governor calls for underground rescue at Utah mine to cease immediately’

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4th borehole to continue, but Huntsman says safety 'guarantee' a must

Published: Friday, Aug. 17 2007 3:48 a.m. MDT

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Lori Ellen Sims

Living Mountain

I wish I could say something to help you ease your suffering

But Im not bigger than a mountain

I hear screaming. I hear shouting
I am here. You are over there
Come closer, why I should care?

6 more inside are scared.
Its Murray Prayer
That they are safe
And they feel sound
They want to be on solid ground

Murray felt you shaking
Beneath his feet.
Everyone wanted to know
Do we move forward?
Are we beat?
Those not here want A/C
And electric heat.
You can;t shake forever
beneath their feet.

Still they want
What they want
When they want it.
Tell em Murrays Mountain
Kicked them out
No more mining,
No more doubt.

Until the sun goes round about
Each day we pray
The life we chose
Gives us time to close with gratitude
for all that comes
And all that goes.

You and I are not the same.


I know
Your prayers are heard in different ways ---
You are Murrays Mountain.
You gave us more than we expected
Its time we reinspected
We cannot ever give you back
Every lump of solid black

So please forgive me

Only through tears and fears --
Mortal tools we use
Reminders for us
The Mountain Rules

So please forgive me

You hurt my friends.

Tecunalom

Lori Ellen Sims


Last night we suffered a terrible loss. Leave Or Repair It?

The trade off between an entrance-based entry and the out-of-a-bigger-bore hole approach, could reduce additional risks associated with the bumps (seismic activity) as the rescue operation proceeds.


The 6 miners initially trapped, in what is presumably a safer-zone near the bore holes are weak or injured it is possible to wrap them on long-spine boards and raise them up vertically through the bore holes. Perhaps Navy-seal/mountain-climber types skilled in repelling up narrow vertical tunnels and using night vision (i.e., thermal imaging) equipment are suited for this type of approach



The position of the source of the sound (i.e. noise) relative to the position of the geophone (i.e., relative coordinates in a 3 dimensional space) may be calculated.

If a miner held two rocks and tapped them together at 1.5-second intervals, at whaat distance would the geophone detect the resultant vibrations I created?
If several miners successively dropped rocks on the ground at 1.5 second intervals; at what rock size and velocity would sufficient noise be made to create the kind of vibration picked up by the geophone?

Can an infrared camera recognize heat differentials (between a humans body temperature and ambient air temperature) at a distance that is greater than the geophone can detect vibrations.

From the Ripplinger family

We add our grief and prayers to those of other Utahans, the nation, the mining industries, and especially to the citizens and families who are so forcefully impacted.

We plead that the Father of us all will provide solace to the families of the deceased and injured, and most especially, to the loved ones of those still missing in the mountain.

May God guide federal mining officials, our governor, mine operators, and our nation to take best steps now and to secure the safety of all miners in the future.

Randy and Linda Ripplinger
Fruit Heights, Utah

Chris J.

Don't give up Governor Huntsman. Show some spine and don't give up, there are still unaccounted for miners down there. Let the people who are the rescuers decide whether to nobly risk their lives or not, it isn't your decision. It is the decision of their family members. You can't let the miners down their rot due to a stupid '100% guarantee of safety' policy. YOU can't eliminate risk in life, so eliminate your lack of faith and don't exert undo pressure on the mine officials to halt operations.

MurraysKillerRepublicanMoneyMine

(To Canary in a coalmine by The Police)

First to claim an earthquake when his safety records less than perfect
He says things to reporters later found to be quite suspect
You can get very wealthy when you own a coalmine
Donate your money, politicians form a straight line

Republicans collect his lavish contributions
But were supposed to believe there is no collusion
You can get very wealthy when you own a coalmine
Donate your money, politicians form a straight line

Bob Murray owns a coalmine
Murray owns a coalmine
Murray owns a coalmine

Mineworkers unions do their best to organize there
They say that Robert Murray doesnt always play fair
You can get very wealthy when you own a coalmine
Donate your money, politicians form a straight line

Bob Murray owns a coalmine
Murray owns a coalmine
Murray owns a coalmine

Because the GOP gets Murrays contributions
If you want liberty then seek out new solutions
You can get very wealthy when you own a coalmine
Donate your money, politicians form a straight line

Bob Murray owns a coalmine.

MIchael Forsyth

Could they have drilled the four vertical holes simultaneosly? I'm wondering if two drills would've moved things aong twice as fast? The fourth hole, 12 days later seems a little late to me...

Boy...

It's great to see that people who haven't left their computers since this whole thing started now know the way things should have been done, and they're excited to tell us!

Terry B.

I wonder if Governor Huntsman would be so quick to call off the rescue if one of his family members were one of the six still trapped? And since when does the Govenor have the authority to call off the search? Let the miners make that decision, not someone sitting behind a desk. God bless the coal miners families, it is in God that we trust not man!

K. Findlay

This has been a tragic event over most of the month of August. Sometimes we have to stop and think it through, and decide as did Governor Huntsman, that enough sacrifice has been made, and it is time to leave things in the hand of a higher power. We can't always fix everything, be we can trust in someone who can.

Miguel

Governor Huntsman stop using this terrible tragedy as a PR event. The miners are the heros, they know what they are doing and the risks they are taking. They risked all they had to save their brothers. You don't have a clue what they do everyday of their lives. Let the experts make decisions - you are not in charge here! Just because you and California's Governor are against coal don't wreck the coal mining economy as you pursue your personal green agenda.

oldfadedrose

With all due respect Governor, leave the decision whether to carry on or leave the 6 miners abdondoned to the experts. You nor Congress have the expertise to make that decision. There is risk in every sort of rescue, should all rescue attempts be aborted? Life Flight Helicopters crash, Firemen are killed during fires. The bodies being recovered by divers from the Mississippi are not without risk, should they just leave those bodies in the river? One of those divers just might be killed.

New Yorker

Aw, shucks. I say send poor, tired Bob back down there. "It's the only thing he knows."

Richard C. Shipp

We have been praying for the miners and their families. I agree that mining safety needs to be and can be increased significantly. I hope new and improved safety measures will be found and implemented.

God bless the families of the fallen miners.

faith b

if you do a little research you will find Mr. Bush's hand behind this,in his effort to erase all things Clinton, he allowed the government to relax rules and laws that the Clinton adm. had inacted to protect miners,thus helping the mine owners.it is
big business over the public and workers once again! Don't believe it! get on line and look it up for yourself. This isn't the only disaster waiting to happen that Mr. has created.

Justin D.

I thought republican's favored smaller government and less intrusion of government into private affairs. Never a better time for that policy to be honored by our REPUBLICAN governor.

JJ

Come on people (oldfadedrose & Miguel and others), if you actually READ the article it DID say that Governor Huntsman is ultimately leaving the decision to the professionals.
And, the safety of the citizens of Utah is and should be his concern.
Let's not turn the tragedy of others into something political. I hate it when anyone, on either side of the aisle does that.

Nate

People who say that Governor Huntsman has "no spine" to call off the rescue efforts are flat out wrong. If anything it takes more spine to make such a decision and inform the families of the trapped miners that their loved ones will not be rescued. Calling off the rescue mission is the more difficult choice. To say that the effort will continue is the more popular policy and the one that would receive almost unwavering support. I say to Governor Huntsman, thank you for showing leadership.

Also, Gov. Huntsman never said that he will shut the rescue efforts down, but rather that he would push for that end and try to use his influence to end the rescue attempts. MSHA is the one who will legally make that decision. Gov. Huntsman is giving his opinion on the matter much like everyone on this board appears to be doing.

please

Please stop using this tragedy as a political statement. I don't believe Pr. Bush has anything to do with the events and our Gov. is trying to what is best for the people he has stewardship over. I think instead of making political statements we should continue to pray for the miners and their families and support them in every way we can. Please keep your political opinions for next year when a bit of time has passed over these tragic events of the past couple of weeks. It is very disrespectful to those who have lost their lives and their families. Please show some heart! Can you imagine your spouse being 3 miles buried under a mountain? Please treat the people as family, you wouldn't try to drag this through the dirt was it your loved one.
Our prayers are with the miners and their families. May they find peace amidst this tragedy and never run into any of you trying to politicize these events.

utahgirl

And in six months, when Bob Murray starts mining coal there again, where will Governor Huntsman be then?

Where was Governor Huntsman when Bob Murray was getting mine inspectors demoted? And where was Governor Huntsman when the administration made a recess appointment for Richard Stickler?


Mariel

Unions, such as the mine union, used to be considered good things. But propaganda and corruption has made union membership smaller and smaller.

Time to start honoring unions again? Who else will protect workers?

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