An activist who has gone largely under the radar while accomplishing quit a lot in defense of the earth is Kentucky native Mike Roselle. He co-founded Earth First!, hung a gas mask on Mt. Rushmore, was the “dean” of Ruckus Society which he also co-founded, the organization behind the very effective nonviolent shut down of Seattle during the WTO meeting there, and has sat on the boards of Rainforest Action Network which he ALSO co-founded, Greenpeace and a number of other groups. Prior to all of that, he was an oil roughneck.
About 15 years ago, Mike returned home to Kentucky and started working to end mountaintop removal for coal mining. It’s true, the coal interests have exploited a divide and conquer approach and also true that someone who grew up there can be much more effective in reaching people than a well-intentioned outsider. But people are being physically ripped apart by exploitative coal bosses. The communities have begun to turn against them. They’re in a tough place, defending what they see as an honorable profession in spite of all the evidence that it is bad for their communities. What has really eroded their support for the mining companies has been a combination of this grassroots effort AND the companies themselves. The mining interests have doubled down, rushing their operations and bringing death and misery to new levels. Massey Coal has arguably put itself against the ropes. I hope AOC will be welcomed as a like minded person who can help advance their cause for healthy communities and good jobs.
