Culture Shock: A personal experience

Culture Shock

I was asked to comment on my experiences with the drug culture in Stanton, KY.

This article in no way is meant to promote a negative stereotype of the Appalachian people or the culture of Eastern Kentucky. I am simply reporting my own experience and putting forth a “snap shot” of how the drug culture is destroying the real meaning of what traditional Appalachian is living all about.

The year 2000 not only marked the beginning of a new millennium but opened up a chapter in my life I never could have imagined. The saga began when, from the beginning, I was misguided as to where I should set up my new mobile home. I naively ended up in, according to the State Police, “one of the worst pockets of drug abuse in the state”.

Having just left Minnesota, I was totally unaware of the “drug culture”. I tended to assume the innate goodness in neighbors and individuals until proven otherwise. Even as my trailer was set up in the lot the neighbors were open and friendly. Little did I know what the real hidden motives would be behind this apparent “friendship”

As the first months went by it became obvious the culture, education and mind-set of these people was very different. I was not cautioned or prepared; after all, was I not in the middle of the United States? Was this not the beginning of the 21^st century? Had we not sent people to the moon and explored the stars? Did not people believe in the sciences, and good education? Was not ancient medievalist thinking in the past? As experiences began to unfold I began to wonder.

As for education; most of the people, including the youth, were high school drop outs. The parents did not discourage even their own high school aged children from dropping out saying,” you don’t need education, school education is not necessary, it won’t help you get any better job than you can get without it. School teaching could even lead you astray from Jesus,”

As the locals became aware I was not one of them and was brought up in a middle class well educated neighborhood far to the North, there seemed to be an element of suspicion but the open camaraderie continued. They began by asking if I would help the younger elementary children with school assignments. Soon this escalated to needing money to buy clothing and food for the children.

During this time I was invited to a Pentecostal church. The service was very different. There was “calling upon the Holy Spirit” to descend where members would stand, wave their hands while reaching upwards in chant. Later came a remarkable scene where people, coming up to the alter to be healed, would be gripped by the minister, told they were healed by the power of Jesus, and then pushed hard on the forehead causing them to fall backwards seemingly in a catatonic trance. People standing directly in back would catch them and lay the unconscious believer on the floor.

The hallmark of the end of the service was a marked increase in “speaking in tongues”. Although sporadic at first, it reached a crescendo. Soon more members were lying on the floor between the chairs. Shaking and/or speaking in tongues all the while seemingly unaware of the outside world.

Needless to say, my Midwest educated mind was not prepared for this. I truly was confused and uncomfortable with the whole situation. I wanted to leave but since I had driven my neighbors to the church I had to wait for them. At this point I began walking around the perimeter of the sanctuary and, while carefully stepping over people lying on the floor, proceeded to say my own prayers for guidance. Almost immediately the preacher hurriedly came up to me asking in a firm tone,” who are you praying to,” I answered,” God,” Then the minister asked,” are you praying to Jesus,” I replied simply,” I am praying to God,” At this the minister said,” in this church you can only pray in the name of Jesus,”.

It was soon after this surreal experience (where I had also been approached to be saved through “laying on of hands”) I learned that these people are so suspicious of anything new or different because it might be an attempt of a satanic spirit to mislead them. The preacher apparently thought I was conjuring up the devil!

As time went on the neighbors (who were continously asking favors from “Minnesota Man”) approached me to see if I would exorcize a demon from a wooden peace symbol that had a history of being used in Witchcraft Coven Ceremonials. They said,” We have been hearing voices and felt strange powers from this log. Our Pastor told us it was full of demons which had to be driven out. We know you don’t believe in this sort of thing so would you burn it? We are scared but we know you are our friend. Would you help us?” They gave me some kerosene, and, fearfully backing away, placing both arms as a shielding cross across their breasts.

All this time there was an inordinate amount of traffic coming in and out of the trailer park. Once, during a visit one of two friend’s speech began to slur. Within minutes she was unable to communicate and was flaccid and drooling. She had just taken a “Soma” Before she came. Soon a cop came by wondering if I had knowledge of or had seen a young man who had just died of a drug overdose. ,”Yes, I had seen him earlier today. He came to look at some chameleons I was selling,” The officer told me,” this was just a routine investigation. He was found dead in his trailer,” Then the officer stated,” You know, you don’t belong here.”

It was now clear to the drug dealers I knew what was going on. They offered to let me in on a deal if I would drive them to Beattyville, loan them $200 dollars for the Doctor’s fee (which was the cover charge for writing them prescriptions for drugs they would sell on the street). I of course, would have to pay the pharmacy bill as well in order to get a ten percent cut of the street sales profit. I could not believe what they were asking and backed away saying,” I want nothing to do with this”

The grand finale was yet to come.
About a year and a half after moving there I left to visit Minnesota. Upon my return, the homecoming scene was a horror. The trailer home was vandalized to the point of needing major repair, checks from a blank checkbook were embezzled and somehow, they had gotten my credit card number and charged a large total on the account through the internet.

The local Police were of little help. It seems, back in the year 2000; most of the Law Enforcement was corrupted by drugs, favors and nepotism. Threatening phone calls from people impersonating police officers and lawyers we common. So much else was going on I cannot recount them all. This writing could easily become a book! Suffice it to say a car given to me by my parents was rolled down a hill and totaled. My total losses added up to about $60,000 dollars.

One nice young officer came to my door saying,” We can tell you are not from here. We know what is going on with the drug dealings in the neighborhood and are gathering evidence to stop it. I strongly suggest you move out.” Indeed, it was time to leave.

My misadventure caused me major disillusion about humanity. Even as I write this nearly seven years later it is an emotional experience.

I went bankrupt, yet my overall faith in supreme goodness came to my aid. I see God as far larger than any single creed or doctrine. I am, thankfully, in comfortable housing and have met some true friends helping me to recover. This was a great lesson.

Thanks be to God, the Lord of all the worlds!

Feel free to visit “serving the case for world unity” http://onenessbecomesus.com and you will see where I am coming from.

 

 

 

 

 

Mountain Top Removal Coal Mining Impact Witnessed In Appalachian Kentucky

Mountain Top Removal Coal Mining Practices

As Witnessed In The Appalachian Region Of Kentucky.

May 1^st and 2^nd 2007 are two days that will never be forgotten. The impact of what I saw and the realization of just how completely our lifestyle encourages a deep “plunder for profit” motive made me ashamed of our species. Certainly the habits we have embraced requiring insatiable power consumption to satisfy an imprinted “need” to acquire goods and services is not a sustainable way of life.

The more we consume the more we want. From birth to death, from cradle accoutrements to fancy funerals, we buy large houses, inefficient cars which, in turn, lead to wasteful overuse of energy. The potency of the media to suggest needs and thus generate sales of innumerable items which will bring “relief”, “success”, or “satisfaction” is a daily presence to be reckoned with.

Coal is a major source of power. United Sates power uses over 50% while Kentucky usage is over 90%. Our dramatic over-use of energy and non-sustainable habits is directly responsible for what we see in Appalachia today. The local Appalachian people and the land of their ancestors are literally being treated as sacrificial lambs who are bearing the real cost of the luxurious opulence so prevalent in the US today.

After more than a century of coal mining the people are still among the poorest in the nation. Unemployment is high. MTR mining, using more efficient labor saving technologies, employs about 10% of the former work force- one machine can do the work of a hundred men.

In addition, the environmental impact and long-term devastation is appalling. Hundreds of miles of headwater streams are inundated with toxic waste. A 400 million-year-old legacy is being seriously invaded as mountain tops are being blasted and shoved into the adjacent valleys. The reclamation I saw was far from what I would consider “restoring the land to an improved condition that will provide much needed flatter areas for people and wildlife to flourish”. Instead, the land was a rocky soil-less wasteland. No life was to be seen. Active beneficial watersheds were non existent. Any attempts at agriculture would fail.

Here are highlights from testimonials made by local people who are directly impacted by mining operations. We met in the small mining community of Vicco Kentucky.

Karl Buckshot explains,” I have lived 60 years in the mountains and am a 3^rd generation disabled coal miner. The mining companies keep promising future jobs and more industry to a population that is living 26% below the poverty level. Unions are actually weakening the coal industry and the safety standards are lower. Years ago the workers knew each other; there was” a bath house camaraderie”. Now the community is missing. MTR mining has changed the land. The former ridge and trees are now missing from his front porch view.”

Niki McCoy,” Sludge lakes are seeping toxic waste into the water table, there is a 72 acre slurry sludge pond near my property which is making water undrinkable. People are flocking out. We must reframe our thoughts and priorities. It is such a sin what is being done.”

A journalist graduate student from Inez, KY returns to the hills- he is homesick for the sheer beauty. He reports,” Many streams and headwater areas are either polluted or buried under valley fill debris.”

He is frustrated at what he terms,” the Coal Czars”.” Coal companies throw pennies at churches and schools to silence people from rising up against the coal companies. Their land is being permanently destroyed. The water is undrinkable. Appalachia is not a “throw-away” culture. The Earth does not belong to us, we belong to the Earth.

As for reclamation, there is an easement clause that allows variance to the law if a greater use than natural restoration can be found for it such as an airport, shopping mall, golf course, residential development etc. The coal companies are taking full advantage of this provision; however, less than 20% of land set aside for such use has actually been developed. Who wants to live or invest in a business where little will grow and the area is an ugly dead scar?”

John O’Rourke,” I am a retired railroad conductor. I cannot imagine coal mining leaving the area. I have seen the evolution from deep mining through strip mining to mountain top removal- it goes on and on, it’s terrible. When I speak out against MTR mining I am not out to take jobs but to protect property.

The law enforcement is corrupt. The laws as written are good but are not followed. Of all the problems I see water pollution as being the single most important issue. All in all I cannot find anything positive about MTR. Coal mining should be done underground only. MTR operations are pushing mountains into streams. The topsoil is pushed over and covered with rocks. The watershed is destroyed- only a few hardy species replace one of the most biodiverse ecosystems on earth. The forests can never return. The ecology is ruined.

Mining destroys a much larger area than is actually mined. There are other ways to get at the coal. It is not helping anyone to destroy the mountains. At the present rate of increasing consumption coal reserves will only last another 15 years. We must think of energy alternatives and put money into research. Many people cannot talk who work for the coal companies. They are afraid of loosing their jobs or putting their families in jeopardy. We need outside help to end the destruction.

Erica: Island Creek,” I am not native but married a native KY man. Five years ago the area around my home was very beautiful. Now the trees are cut and pushed over. The animals are gone. The water on my land is contaminated with high levels of arsenic. I am forced to bath my 3-year-old baby in it. There is no other water, I have no choice. The water coming from the original pump in the yard has an oily sheen. A 2^nd well was promised but it took them over a year to drill it. Now the newer well stinks. The insect sounds have ceased. Rains bring regular flooding and mudslides. The soil is so acidic lime must be added for anything to grow. This is an ongoing problem. Dusty coal trucks continuously damage roads. I am surrounded by MTR. I am continuously threatened by mud slides, my house could be washed away at any time. Blasting shakes the house regularly. Now they want to build sludge ponds behind my house. My dreams have been ruined. I wanted to raise my kids in a pristine environment. Both the judges and the coal industry are corrupt. The laws are not enforced. Easements are granted regularly. If the coal companies have their way the whole valley I call home will become a valley fill.

We have been taught to demand convenience and power but at what price? Politicians are former coal operators so violations are let go by. We are tired of loosing land to greed and corrupt politics. The cost of one ton of coal cannot be measured. We are blowing up the most ancient mountains on Earth! 422 headwater streams in KY are covered by overburden. The Bush Administration has eliminated many stream protection laws. Contrary to coal mine ads there is nothing clean or cheap about coal. Alaska is now facing the same developmental issues. They must be given the facts about what has happened here.

PS June 10^th 2007

I had a long talk with a close friend from Martin Co. KY. Carla grew up near Inez. Her family has owned land there for generations. Her aging parents have deeded the land to four of the ten brothers and sisters so the land is subdivided four ways. This is a common solution for parents with large families. The sad part is most, if not all, of the children inheriting the land no longer live on it and/or have lost their connection to it. Instead of providing a home and way of life the property is looked upon as simply a financial asset.

Now it seems the inheritors are all considering making a deal with the mining industry to let them strip mine the ridges. They would receive payment for coal extracted from the site. However, the land itself is worth more than the coal that is possibly there. Of course, be that as it may, the family whose heritage is the land they have lived on for generations is powerless to prevent what are called the “Coal Czars” from moving in and taking over. Many years ago the ancestors of these people unwittingly sold the mineral rights to big business. Now they have no choice but to either deal with the coal companies or let them come uninvited, without paying compensation, to their doorstep.

This is yet another example of what is going on. Another part of an ancient ecosystem will be lost. When I visited three years ago I was moved by the open friendliness of Carla’s parents. , “No stranger came to their door,” All were welcome to share in the warmth and camaraderie of Appalachian hospitality. The air was full of the sounds of hoot-owls, whip-poor-wills, quail, frogs, insects and more. People ate fresh food out of the family garden and lived as a close family unit.

Alas, this scene now appears to belong to the past. The pristine balance of what nature has fashioned over hundreds of millions of years will soon be gone. In its place will be dead nonfunctional watersheds, poisoned waters, flooding and the endless sound of dozers, trucks, periodic sirens and blasting as the home of the hoot-owl, whip-poor-will, quail, crickets, frogs, and other forms of life to numerous to mention is eradicated- not only on the immediate property but damage will radiate out into the neighboring areas as well.

(Please search for “speaking out world” for pictures and more information and observations on the pros and cons of mountain top removal)

http://speakingoutworld.com

Exploitation To Conservation

Exploitation to Conservation

 

Environmental concerns and issues on how short-term profit-driven motives are leaving a legacy of waste and abuse will not only have to be dealt with by our children’s children but will be a self evident testimony to our present day lifestyle millions of years in the future. This complex and many-faceted issue is addressed here.

Pollution and wanton ecological devastation seem to be hallmarks of our ever-increasing insatiable drive for “progress”. Mountain top removal coal mining in the Appalachian area of the S.E. United States must rank among the highest examples of this all too common practice.

It is a basic well understood fact: the Environment can only support so much animal life or tolerate so much destruction. When the ecosystem collapses all life will lose out, including ourselves. Yet, though we have the power to inflict mass destruction, we also have the potential to be a positive aid to the natural order we depend on.

Many religious traditions teach mankind has been given the gift of discernment. Not only do we have an intellect and power of reason unique to the Earth we call home but Holy Scriptures tell us we were “created in the image of God”. Furthermore, we were “created to know and to worship God”.

My faith compels me to see us as future servants of God and His creation. Our destiny is none other than to establish an ever-advancing civilization. Indeed, we are at the threshold of a golden age in which we shall continue to grow and evolve in higher virtues, acquiring a global perspective, a vision of the oneness of God and the oneness of Man. The issues of how we are exploiting the Earth and ourselves shall somehow be resolved.

For more on “serving the case for world unity visit http://onenessbecomesus.com

To see more on Mountain Top Removal visit http://speakingoutworld.com

David

Culture Shock

Culture Shock

I was asked to comment on my experiences with the drug culture in Stanton, KY.

This article is in no way meant as a negative stereotyping of the culture or the people of the area involved. I am only telling what I myself saw and experienced.

The year 2000 not only marked the beginning of a new millennium but opened up a chapter in my life I never could have imagined. The saga began when, from the beginning, I was misguided as to where I should set up my new mobile home. I naively ended up in, according to the State Police, “one of the worst pockets of drug abuse in the state”.

Having just left Minnesota, I was totally unaware of the “drug culture”. I tended to assume the innate goodness in neighbors and individuals until proven otherwise. Even as my trailer was set up in the lot the neighbors were open and friendly. Little did I know what the real hidden motives would be behind this apparent “friendship”.

As the first months went by it became obvious the culture, education and mind-set of these people was very different. I was not cautioned or prepared; after all, was I not in the middle of the United States? Was this not the beginning of the 21^st century? Had we not sent people to the moon and explored the stars? Did not people believe in the sciences, and good education? Was not ancient medievalist thinking in the past? As experiences began to unfold I began to wonder.

As for education: most of the people, including the youth, were high school drop outs. The parents did not discourage even their own high school aged children from dropping out saying,” you don’t really need education, school education is not necessary, it won’t help you get any better job than you can get without it. School teaching could even lead you astray from Jesus,”.

As the locals became aware I was not one of them, being brought up in a middle class well educated neighborhood far to the North, there seemed to be an element of suspicion yet the open camaraderie continued. They began by asking if I would help the younger elementary children with school assignments. Soon this escalated to needing money to buy clothing and food for the children.

During this time I was invited to a Pentecostal church. The service was very different. There was “calling upon the Holy Spirit” to descend where members would stand, wave their hands while reaching upwards in chant. Later came a remarkable scene where people, coming up to the alter to be healed, would be gripped by the minister, told they were healed by the power of Jesus, and then pushed hard on the forehead causing them to fall backwards seemingly in a catatonic trance. People standing directly in back would catch them and lay the unconscious believer on the floor.

The hallmark of the end of the service was a marked increase in “speaking in tongues”. Although sporadic at first, it reached a crescendo. Soon more members were lying on the floor between the chairs. Shaking and/or speaking in tongues all the while seemingly unaware of the outside world.

Needless to say, my Midwest educated mind was not prepared for this. I truly was confused and uncomfortable with the whole situation. I wanted to leave but since I had driven my neighbors to the church I had to wait for them. At this point I began walking around the perimeter of the sanctuary and, while carefully stepping over people lying on the floor, proceeded to say my own prayers for guidance. Almost immediately the preacher hurriedly came up to me asking in a firm tone,”who are you praying to,” I answered,” God,” Then the minister asked,”are you praying to Jesus,” I replied simply,”I am praying to God,” At this the minister said,”in this church you can only pray in the name of Jesus,”.

It was soon after this surreal experience (where I had also been approached to be saved through “laying on of hands”) I learned that these people are so suspicious of anything new or different because it might be an attempt of a satanic spirit to mislead them. The preacher apparently thought I was conjuring up the devil!

As time went on the neighbors (who were always asking favors from “Minnesota Man”) approached me to see if I would exorcise a demon from a wooden peace symbol that had a history of being used in Witchcraft Coven Ceremonials. They said,” We have been hearing voices and felt strange powers from this log. Our Pastor told us it was full of demons which had to be driven out. We know you don’t believe in this sort of thing so would you burn it? We are scared but we know you are our friend. Would you help us?,”They gave me some kerosene, and, fearfully backing away, placed both arms as a shielding cross across their breasts.

All this time there was an inordinate amount of traffic coming in and out of the trailer park. Once, during a visit one of two friend’s speech began to slur. Within minutes she was unable to communicate and was flaccid and drooling. She had just taken a “Soma”? before she came. Days later, a cop came by wondering if I had knowledge of or had seen a young man who had just died of a drug overdose. ,”Yes, I had seen him earlier today. He came to look at some chameleons I was selling,” The officer told me,” this was just a routine investigation. He was found dead in his trailer,”. Then the officer stated,”You know, you don’t belong here.”

It was now clear to the drug dealers I knew what was going on. They offered to let me in on a deal if I would drive them to Beattyville, loan them $200 dollars for the Doctor’s fee (which was the cover charge for writing them prescriptions for drugs they would sell on the street). I of course, would have to pay the pharmacy bill as well in order to get a ten percent cut of the street sales profit. I could not believe what they were asking and backed away saying,”I want nothing to do with this”

The grand finale was yet to come.

After a year of living there, I left on a visit to Minnesota. Upon returning to my Kentucky home the scene was a horror. The trailer home was vandalized to the point of needing major repair, checks from a blank checkbook were embezzled and somehow, they had gotten my credit card number and charged a large total on the account through the Internet.

The local Police were of little help. It seems, back in the year 2000, most of the Law Enforcement was corrupted by drugs, favors and nepotism. Threatening phone calls from people impersonating police officers and lawyers we common. So much else was going on I cannot recount them all. This writing could easily become a book! Suffice it to say a car given to me by my parents was rolled down a hill and totaled. My total losses added up to about $60,000 dollars.

One nice young officer came to my door saying,” We can tell you are not from here. We know what is going on with the drug dealings in the neighborhood and are gathering evidence to stop it. I strongly suggest you move out.” Indeed, it was time to leave.

My misadventure caused me major disillusion about humanity. Even as I write this nearly seven years later it is an emotional experience.

I went bankrupt, yet my overall faith in supreme goodness came to my aid. I see God as far larger than any single creed or doctrine. I am, thankfully, in comfortable housing and have met some true friends helping me to recover. This was a great lesson.

Thanks be to God, the Lord of all the worlds!

Feel free to visit “serving the case for world unity” http://onenessbecomesus.com and you will see where I am coming from.