what i think they could have done is just never tried anything dangerous

I am tired of hearing all the excuses that MSHA and Murray keeping giving the families. I come from a coal mining family and one of my friends was one of the first six killed. Miners that have worked there and still do have said it wasn't safe and they were told to be quiet or loose your job. Murray doesn't want anyone going in the mine because he is scared they will find out what he was doing was wrong and dangerous. Its sad when all that is important is money. he won't even show his face at the meetings he sends his son. That is a coward to me. I hope he can sleep at night and I wouldn't want to be him when judgement day comes because he will have a lot of explaining to do. I'm proud to come from generations of coal miners. It takes a lot of guts and courage to do that kind of work which I'm not that brave. I appreciate all that they do for us so we can have power and the other things that coal gives us.

I'm just tired of the family griping. I'm sorry the men died in the mine, however when the checks were coming home from the work, the families were happy to take the money. If you don't like the work change jobs, even if you are from coal country.

I think the families suffered terribly, and still do, and since we sit in our nice warm homes with our safe family members we should remember them. It's easy to speak of the simple fixes when we have not experienced the tragic journey. MSHA and Mr. Murray may have done what they felt was right, but being human that always leaves room for error, and it happens every day in many places around the world. One of the larger tragedies is when the "hoopla" is settled and over, and families have to live out thier lives alone or without a loved one because of a sensless and unnecessary death. The least we can do is be kind and compassionate and remember that one day we too may be in need of that same criteria. C'mon America, step in, gather round, love deeper.

I think the situation was handled badly, though I do not believe it is possible for any beauracracy (the mine owner, the government workers) to behave fairly. There are "too many hands in the pot". I am in school now and plan to work as a grief counselor. I believe victims of these tragedies need to have more representation and I hope to do something about that. As for the Paul who made a comment on here about the families "griping"...apparently he has never lost someone. And these families don't even have closure. The bodies of the miners are still in there. So those checks they had coming every week are never to be seen again AND they have no help because the men are not considered "dead" so they have no insurance or pension or whatever they might have had otherwise. Death, no matter how tragic, is still tragic. Have some mercy and sympathy for these families. Someone in your family could be gone in a split second too. It's always easy to talk about other's people grief. Wait til you are in your own.