In Memorium ~ John Sigler (1935 - 2009)

I was saddened to learn of the passing of John Sigler on October 16. In addition to being featured in the upcoming documentary, John was a great supporter and resource for this project. You might recall that John's father Joe, was killed in the mine war in 1934.

My condolences to John's family for their loss. He was a great guy.

John Sigler at the grave site of his father
Joe, a mine war martyr. Godspeed, John.

Here's the obituary from the Peoria Journal Star

HANNA CITY - John F. Sigler, 74, a native of Bulpitt, Ill., and a resident of Hanna City, Ill., passed away Friday, Oct. 16, 2009, at the residence of his daughter.

John was born April 23, 1935, in Bulpitt, Ill., to Joseph and Francis (Simmons) Sigler.

He is survived by his son, Michael of Peoria, Ill.; daughter, Angela (Greg) Ruchotzke; grandchildren, Joshua, Emily and Jacob, all of Hanna City, Ill.; and brother, David of Tampa, Fla.

He was preceded in death by his parents, one sister and two brothers.

John retired from Caterpillar in 1999.

He was a member of St. Rita's Catholic Church in Kincaid, Ill.

John had a strong sense of civic duty and was a member of the Optimist Club, Lions Club, Knights of Columbus and VFW. He received the Silver Beagle Award from the Boy Scouts of America in honor of his 28 years in scouting.

John was a veteran of the United States Air Force, where he served from 1954 to 1958 and received the Air Force Commendation Medal for service above and beyond and further served from 1960 to 1961 in the Air National Guard.

John was actively involved in the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, Div. 8, in East Peoria, Ill., for the past 20 years.

John was a loving father and grandfather who enjoyed working on his boat and spending time with his grandchildren. His friendship and desire to help others was appreciated by many.

Visitation will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009, at St. Matthew's Catholic Church in Farmington, with a funeral Mass following at 11 a.m. Father John Verrier will be officiating. Burial will follow in Trivoli Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation or the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. Anderson-Sedgwick Funeral Home, Farmington, Ill., is in charge of arrangements.

To submit online condolences, you may go to www.sedgwickfuneralhomes.com.

"It's like we're living in a war zone"

Mine wars come in different forms. In the late 19th and early 20th century they were often shooting wars. But as Jeff Biggers in The Nation reports, coal operators are now waging an environmental war against West Virginians. Mountaintop removal mining is often the preferred method for coal operators because it's cheaper to perform than underground mining. That is until one calculates the health and environmental costs.

Mountaintop Removal Mining - Hardly a benign practice.

Biggers writes on a recent study by West Virginia University researcher Michael Hendryx: "'The coal industry generates a little more than $8 billion a year in economic benefits for the Appalachian region,' but the researchers also estimated the cost of premature mining-related deaths across the Appalachian coalfields at a yearly average of $42 billion.'"

The all too common corporate practice of privatizing profits while socializing cost is quite apparent here. Biggers also underscores the odious and cozy relationship between the coal industry and government officials. Even in the face of the overwhelming evidence of the harmful effects of this mountaintop removal, state and federal government officials have been slow to protect the public, and others, like West Virginia Democratic Representative Nick Rahall have worked aggressively to protect the coal operators' interests.

The Charleston Gazette's Ken Ward is also cited in Bigger's article and I encourage you follow his blog, Coal Tatoo for excellent reporting on this issue.

Finally, Jeff Biggers is the author of a new book, Reckoning at Eagle Creek: The Secret Legacy of Coal in the Heartland, forthcoming from Nation Books and available for pre-order. I look forward to reviewing that book here soon.