The Second Civil War

[Lasher]

This weekend marks the anniversary of the most brutal confrontation in the history of the American labor movement, the Battle of Blair Mountain. For one week during 1921, armed, striking coal miners battled scabs, a private militia, police officers and the U.S. Army. One hundred people died, 1,000 were arrested, and one million shots were fired. It was the largest armed rebellion in America since the Civil War.

This is how it happened. In the '20s, West Virginia coal miners lived in "company towns." The mining companies owned all the property. They literally ran union organizers out of town -- or killed them.

In 1912, in a strike at Paint Creek, the mining company forced the striking miners and their families out of their homes, to live in tents. Then they sent armed goons into that tent city, and opened fire on men, women and children there with a machine gun.

By 1920, the United Mine Workers had organized the northern mines in West Virginia, but they were barred from the southern mines. When southern miners tried to join the union, they were fired and evicted. To show who was boss, one mining company tried to place machine guns on the roofs of buildings in town.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-alan-grayson/battle-blair-mountain_b_1831204.html

By fellow DUer Congressman Alan Grayson

[demosincebirth]

1. And today most of the union miners in W.V are suporting republicans in this election.

How soon they forget the history and struggles of their forefathers for safe working conditions and decent wages

[Lasher]

4. Now hold on there pardner.

It does seem like a lot of UMW members have gone to the dark side but I don't think most of them have.

I usually attend the annual UMWA Labor Day rally at Racine, WV. Politicians are always there speaking during election years. I only remember seeing one single Republican invited to speak - Smelly Snore Cameltoe. And she got that invitation only one year. She got the invite because she got some federal government money for the UMWA pension fund. I was in the crowd and we soundly booed her.

UMWA 74th Annual Labor Day Celebration & Picnic
Racine, WV
September 3, 2012 11:30AM to 04:30PM

Please attend the UMWA's 74th Annual Labor Day Celebration & Picnic in Racine. For additional information contact Ted Hapney @ 304-552-4498

John Slack Memorial Park
Racine, WV
25165

http://local.we-r-1.org/laborday/events/show/8629

[Viva_Daddy]

2. Now you know why labor history is not taught in schools.

[Lasher]

3. We had West Virginia history classes when I was in grade school.

But I don't remember learning about the mining wars in school. We got that information mostly from our elders. Now we have the internet, so information is much easier to come by.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

5. Previously posted by him as well

[Lasher]

6. Yes, I saw that after I posted this OP

He is currently favored to win his bid for the Congressional seat in FL-09.