Today
at Zeb Mountain four protesters were arrested in solidarity with United
Mountain Defense, Three River Earth First!, Mountain Justice and
coal-impacted residents of Appalachia.
These brave individuals gave speeches of hope for solidarity amongst
minors, activists and entire community that are affected by the
devastations of surface mining for Coal. Holding hands and singing
Amazing Grace along with more than 50 protesters behind them, They
crossed
the line onto National Coal's property. Once across the line police
calmly handcuffed and arrested them.
Please
support these individuals committed to protecting the mountains of
Appalachia by sending jail support donations to the pay pal account
below on this web site."
"Hey our
website got hacked! We are rebuilding it but please have patience, our
website completely disappeared and we are getting it back up to speed
as quick as possible. Please pardon the broken links!"
March on Zeb Mountain!
STOP STRIP MINING TENNESSEE’S WATERSHEDS!
United Mountain Defense, Mountain Justice and Three Rivers Earth First!
ask you to march with us for Appalachia. This is a call for you to take
a Sunday out of your life to help preserve some of the oldest mountains
and watersheds on Earth. March with us in solidarity against the
watershed annihilation machine known as mountain top removal. This is a
call not for any organization or group—but for the Mountains of
Tennessee.
When:
Sunday,
July 20th at 1:00p.m.
The march will begin with a family friendly gathering and prayer in the
parking lot. Participants will then march 1/8 of a mile to the gate of
National Coal. A prayer will be lead at the gate and at this time
citizen who feel called to participate in non-violent civil acts of
conscience will have the opportunity to walk across the gate of
National Coal. If you would like to follow the examples of
Martin Luther King, Gandhi, and Thoreau by participating in this part
of the march then you must come to the non-violence training the day
before.
Non-Violence
Training will take place on Saturday, July 19th at 1:00p.m. at
the University Of Tennessee in the Earth Science Building Room
400.
Where:
March at
Zeb Mountain, Campbell Co. TN
Directions from Knoxville and points South:
Take Interstate 75 NorthTake Oneida/
Huntsville
Exit/ Hwy 63
National Coal is the strip mine corporation blowing up the three peaks
of Zeb Mountain for the coal beneath. National Coal has a terrible
record of over 50 violations on Zeb Mountain—including one for
illegally mining through two streams. National Coal has wrecked the
watershed of Zeb Mountain—and the New River Watershed is next if we
don’t stop them.
National Coal has bought over 75,000 acres in the nearby Sundquist
Wildlife Management Area and has the repeatedly stated intention on
increasing its rate of blowing up mountains in this Watershed.
Sundquist WMA is 84,000 acres of public access property offering public
hunting opportunities for deer, turkey, grouse, and small game.
The Sundquist is a Watershed for the New River. The New River flows
into the Cumberland River, which is Nashville’s drinking water source.
Some geologists have suggested that this is the oldest watershed on
Earth. National Coal is intent on blowing up a watershed that is one of
Tennessee’s state capitals sources of drinking water.
National Coal suggests that they are not practicing the “bad mining
practices of the past.” National Coal says that they are a kinder
gentler strip miner. National Coal would have you ignore the 150-year
history of mining in Tennessee.
National Coal suggests that they are not like all of the bad evil
strippers in Kentucky, WVA, and South West Virginia. They shake their
heads at how bad it is there. National coal would have you ignore what
their industry is doing in the other states.
National Coal suggests that they can do a great job “improving” the New
River Watershed by blowing it up. National Coal would have you ignore
the incredible damage they have done to Zeb Mountain. They would have
you ignore your lying eyes.
March with us and stand up to these corporate bullies who with arrogant
almost colonialist swagger assume the right to blow up the watersheds
and mountains of Tennessee.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
1. Bring an instrument—and learn how to play
“Rocky Top”—Tennessee’s state song. Write your own new lyrics to Rocky
Top or learn ours.
2. Dress up! Yep—we want you to come in your
Sunday best. During the civil rights movement people wore suits and
ties all the time—so can we.
3. When all else fails wear orange! We are the
people of Tennessee and the song Rocky Top is about us, and so is the
color orange. Just by wearing orange you can show that you are from
Tennessee—and understand the importance of our mountains to our
heritage.
4. Respect. Show respect for the people who
drive by, for the people who live here, for the miners—for yourselves
and the people you organize with. There will be animal rights activist
and hunters, Christians and Atheist, Peace Activist and Military
Veterans at this march. Show respect for the mountains by showing
respect for the diversity of people that come to defend them.
5. Bring signs showing support for Tennessee’s
mountain heritage, watersheds and the Sundquist WMA. We need art,
banners, musicians and you. Especially you.
6. Help by playing a support role for the march. We
are looking for mature, intelligent individuals to sever as a support
team. We need people to serve in the following roles: media liaisons,
police liaisons, medics, legal support, artists and musicians, and care
team. Please contact us at umdvolulnteerhouse@yahoo.com or 865 689-8976
if you want to volunteer.
The organizations sponsoring this event are committed to nonviolence.
Please come, but come with the understanding that this march has a
specific focus with specific goals. By participating in this March you
are agreeing to our non-violence guidelines and to follow the direction
of the organizers of this march. We have formed strong alliances with
allies and it is important that we maintain that trust beyond this
single march.
This will be
the
day, this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to
sing with new meaning "My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty,
of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's
pride, from every mountainside, let freedom
ring!" Martin Luther King
Mountain Removal Coal Mining is ravaging
West
Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky and now Tennessee. We refuse to sacrifice
our mountains for corporate profits. United Mountain Defense is
dedicated to protecting Tennessee's heritage from destructive surface
mining which is blowing them up, layer by layer, to reach thin coal
seams. They are destroying our watersheds--leaving unstable mounds of
rubble behind.
Massive mines are segmented into smaller
adjacent
mines in order to avoid environmental impact statements which would
consider the cumulative impact to the watersheds.
The Appalachian mountains have some of the
most bio diverse forest life on the planet and are the source of our
water and air.
The Appalachian mountains have some of the
most bio diverse forest life on the planet and are the source of our
water and air.
