Who cares? They are just people.

The next time you hear some free market conservative talking about the beauty of free market capitalism, just say the words Massey to him. And, if that doesn't work, try Sago.

Oh ohh, here comes field using another tragedy to once again to score cheap political points.

Yep, you damn right! Because the people who love to promote the laissez-faire economic philosophy so popular among the wingnuts, rarely stop to think about the human cost of their abstract ideology. They put people in charge of overseeing something as dangerous as a mine, and these people keep their eyes on the bottom line and not the human factor.

It's why, time and time again, when we hear of these tragic mine explosions, we realize that the multi million dollar corporations that these poor minors bust it for, are usually in violation of multiple safety codes. (Fifty three in March for this latest company.) It's why these scumbag mining corporations consistently fight against giving their workers the right to organize with a union and fashion a collective bargaining agreement under which they can work.

This latest case is particularly egregious because the owner of this mine is a big time republican donor and global warming denier . This clown lines his own pockets while shelling out money to keep state and party officials in said pockets. And it's not just republicans; democratic poli-trick-sters in that state like Rick Rahall and Robert Byrd should shoulder some of the blame as well.

So twenty five more men (and counting) have lost their lives, and no one will be held accountable. We will hear that it was because of some accident or another: A gas leak, poor ventilation, or poorly trained workers. What we won't hear is that until some of these corporations start putting people before profits, sadly, another day in the not too distant future, the country will be mourning the loss of yet more miners.