On the coal mining accident...

What do you think now GE? Is coal glamorous? Is it really worth it? Do hotties covered in coal dust really help us to understand why GE is creating better coal opportunities?

As we have seen, coal is a highly dangerous enterprise. I'd be very interested to see how long it would take before GE would run their coal miner's ad again. Amazing how tragedy can change our point of view.

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I had a very interesting experience with this incident. I was awake (thanks to the 3OTs in the Orange Bowl) when the announcement came that there were 12 miners that had survived the explosion. I spent 20 minutes watching Anderson Cooper and others interview the elated Mountaineers who had held vigil or had relatives in the accident. The word "miracle" was thrown around in an evangelical fashion. I kept thinking there is no miracle for the one who didn't survive.

Then, I read the news this morning that, in fact, only one miner had survived, and his outlook was in question. People looked for who to blame for the miscommunication. I look to the people who were so eager to see a miracle that they couldn't get the facts straight.

Don't get me wrong, to have faith is one thing, and I do believe is wholly good. But to have an unreasonable belief that something impossible will happen... well, that is more dangerous, and it taxes people's emotions in a serious way.

I know the people of West Virginia fairly well. I have spent many summers working in the communities of coal fields, hearing the stories of coal and religion and both their influences. The people of Appalachia know this news story too well. Their memories reminded them that often this story ended in loss of life. But I wonder, if the state of affairs was helped or hindered by an overwhelming proclamation of unfounded hope in a miracle.