Stanley Sturgill

Well, God, another day of crazy here. The “tax reform” plan moving forward would help the rich and hurt the poor, the demise of net neutrality would further hinder democracy, nuclear war looks alarmingly plausible (but at least they fired the expert diplomats!), membership in white supremacist groups is on the rise, and climate change is a unfolding disaster. And You know I have barely scratched the surface with this US- centered list. We could do with a little help around here. It is not easy to keep struggling when the odds look so damn long. Tonight I’m praying for the Appalachians who showed up in Charleston, WV today to try and save the Clean Power Plan, an Obama-era policy that hasn’t yet been enacted. Under the current administration, the EPA opposes the plan to decrease carbon emissions. A mix of health advocates, environmentalists, and those who have been harmed by the fossil fuel industry attended the public hearing to tell the truth and work for justice even when it seems futile. In particular, I pray for Stanley Sturgill, a retired coal miner with black lung. I honor his courage for resisting a powerful industry that trades human health and ecological wellbeing for profit, and for doing it in the heart of coal country. Grant the rest of us a measure of such courage and perseverance. Amen.