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Mr. platte said the main difference between working for nonunionized massey and working for other mine companies that have union representation was, in his words, the right to say no. again, methane gas happens in coal mines. there are multiple causes of explosions and other things that can be dangerous in coal mining. methane gas is one of those things that's just there. it's highly explosive and there for the very important job of coal mining companies, to keep it from building up and exploding and killing their workers. for safety violation upon safety violation upon safety violation, feder...

He sees mining coal as a commodity game. it's just get the stuff out of the ground as cheaply and quickly as possible. that has to change. we need to think about coal in a different way. >> factor in the lives and safety of the people doing this work in figuring out the cost of it. jeff god dell, rolling stone contributor, author of "dirty coal." thanks for joining us. appreciate it. >> thanks for having me. oklahoma's republican senator tom coburn is not only proud to have blocked the extension of unemployment benefits this week, he is raring to go on a spree when congress reconvenes becaus...

Author of "big coal, the dirty secret behind america's energy future." thanks for being here. >> thanks for having me. >> on this reuters story, there are now people who are former workers for massey, some family members of people who have worked for massey who are willing to put their names to their quoets and talk about the company being dangerous. is this new? >> it is new, because for a while, for a long time there's been a code of silence around massey energy, because they're such a big coal operator in that region, in appalachia, if you bad mouth massey, tell the truth about the mines, t...

Around the changing of the curriculum. it is critically important that as we tell our history as americans that we not only get our facts straight, but also, you know, employ kind of critical reasoning skills to think on our past. because that past is with us even now. >> melissa harris-lacewell, one of the smartest people i've talked to about anything, anytime, anywhere. thanks so much. great to see you. >> thank you. here's what one worker at the massey energy coal mine in west virginia said after an explosion at that mine killed 25 people and left four more missing this week. the person s...

Workers. for safety violation upon safety violation upon safety violation, federal inspectors have proposed more than $1 million in fines this year alone for this one mine where this blast happened on monday. so far, the company that profits from the mine, massey energy, has paid only 16% of those fines. as of now, the price paid by the people who actually do the mining is 25 lives. and four more for which we wait and hope. joining us now, jeff goodal, rolling stone contributing editor and author of "big coal, the dirty secret behind america's energy future." thanks for being here. >> thanks f...