To borrow from the words of the late Benjamin Disraeli who served as the prime minister of the United Kingdom in the 1870’s, “Nobody is forgotten, when it is convenient to remember him.” Those words should echo loudly for the people of the mountains, people who were remembered when the coal which was mined deep inside the mountains of Appalachia fueled the industrial revolution, forged the factories which built the machines necessary for the fight during World War II, produced the electricity which kept the lights on across this nation, and provided the energy needed to produce the steel for the skyscrapers which stand as living proof of the times when it was convenient to remember the people and communities of the mountains.
Yet, once the last shovels of coal were loaded on the coal trains, the people and the places of the mountains have been cast aside and like a fading memory have been slowly forgotten. It is like those people and communities which not only fueled the industrial revolution and poured millions of mineral severance dollars into the state coffers, are no longer relevant, no longer convenient to remember.
For those politicians who recently became converts to the plight of the coal communities, it is probably too late for those who have become impoverished as the country abandoned coal in favor of other sources of energy, many of which contribute little or nothing to the ever-fragile electrical grid. At the risk of offending those politicians, who until recently had difficulty spelling the word “coal,” is it fair to ask where you have been while the people and communities of the mountains have slid into the darkness of oblivion? Sadly, many politicians found a religious awakening about the people and the communities of the mountains now that they need their votes and campaign contributions only to once again be forgotten the morning after the next election.
One is left to wonder when it will once again be convenient to remember the people and communities of the mountains. Are those days soon upon us, as the need for rare earth elements which are crucial for the tech industry which relies on them for electronics, electric vehicles, green energy technologies, and yes, even wind turbines? What the flyover politicians are too blind to understand, or simply do not care, is that under the mountains of Appalachia lie rich seams of rare earth elements, elements necessary to compete in the world market.
Over the years, the people and communities of the mountains have been relegated to a status of third-class citizens. Is it any wonder why politicians go unpunished and corruption lines their pockets with tax dollars intended for the people and communities of the mountains when there is little federal law enforcement presence in our communities.
Those famous words emblazoned on the “Friends of Coal” license plate which read, “Coal Keeps the Lights On,” although mocked by many, ring true as the people and communities of the mountains watch as the light of the once proud federal courthouse is closed forever. To share a few words from a friend who wrote about the closing of the courthouse: “This is the passing of an era. What a wonderful building in a lovely town. Unlike the other courthouses in the district, this simple building did not try to impress. It simply served its purpose.” And for those who sought justice in the mountains, the closure of this simple building will add to those profound words of Benjamin Disraeli, “Nobody is forgotten, when it is convenient to remember him.”
Although it is too late to turn back the hands on the clock to restore all that has been taken from the people and communities of the mountains, maybe, just maybe, the day will come when we will see a new license plate from the “Friends of Rare Earth Elements” with the phrase “Rare Earth Elements Make Modern Technology Possible.” Only then will the people and communities of the mountains no longer be forgotten. Instead, once again, the people and communities of the mountains will be convenient to remember.
