Want a job? Consider coal mining

The coal industry is hiring, as AP reports:

Even as a wave of job cuts afflicts workers nationwide, mine operators in coal country are offering free health insurance, gas money, stock and bonuses to lure enough miners as coal fetches record prices.

Alpha Natural Resources announced Thursday that it would dole out 25 shares of stock to each of its 3,600 employees in hopes that they'll stay put. It will pay bonuses of up to $9,000 to miners who stay three years, and will pay even more to members of highly trained rescue squads.

Massey Energy Co., the nation's No. 4 coal producer, recently offered guaranteed three-year contracts to individual miners.

Those companies, both based in Virginia, are trying to fend off the employee poaching that rippled through the industry during a price spike in 2005 and 2006.

Head to your favorite job-search site, keyword: coal mining.

Related post:

Obama blowing smoke on coal

Technorati tags: mining coal environment virginia jobs economy

Obama supporter with Biden ties asks McCain if he calls wife "the c-word"

Oh the things the other side tries...Luckily, the blogosphere doesn't let them get away with it.

From Gateway Pundit:

Stay Classy Democrats...

AllahPundit reported that at a town hall meeting today a questioner asked Senator McCain if he called his wife a c*nt.

Huffington Post called the questioner a "Baptist Minister." AllahPundit (also) discovered he's a former campaign worker for Joe Biden. (My note: There's a video on the Huff Post link, it's not-safe-for-work.)

Actually, he was the former Biden Campaign office manager. His name is Marty Parrish.

That's Parrish with Biden pictured above. Gateway Pundir reports that Parrish is now an Obama supporter. What a d*ck!

Oh, I may be reaching a bit here, but shortly after Joe Biden's disastrous presidential announcement last year, I came across some ridiculously disingenous Biden official campaingn blog comments.

Related post:

Biden blog sock puppetry?

Technorati tags: democrats elections Biden Obama Barack Obama John McCain McCain Republican GOP

Rezko trial: New star witness hits hard

Stuart Levine, move over: The prosecution in the corruption trial of Democratic political insider Antoin "Tony" Rezko has a new star witness, Ali Ata.

Ata, a longtime Rezko business associate, pleaded guilty last month to lying to a federal agent and filing a false tax return.

Yesterday the Lemont resident testified about the dangers of not "playing ball" with Rezko.

From the Chicago Tribune, free registration required:

Testifying against Rezko at his corruption trial Thursday, Ata said he regularly dropped by to get marching orders and often bumped into other top officials waiting for the powerful Blagojevich administration insider.

Ata said one semi-regular at (Rezko's) office was Kelly King Dibble, a former Rezko employee tapped to head a state housing agency. Once, Ata said, Dibble emerged from a session with Rezko looking disturbed. Dibble, Ata said he was later told, had resisted hiring a Rezko relative. So Rezko, Ata said, passed a message to Dibble "congratulating her on her new assignment," making it clear that the new assignment would be unemployment.

"It emphasized that you need to be a team player and follow the rules if you're going to be a part of the administration," Ata said. You had to take orders and listen, he said, or face consequences.

More...

Headline-grabbing allegations aside, Ata's most crucial role as a government witness may be to reinforce the impression that Rezko ran a shadow government out of his office. Similar charges were leveled earlier in the trial by prosecution star witness Stuart Levine, but his credibility was attacked by Rezko's lawyers who portrayed Levine as a habitual con man and drug abuser whose memory cannot be trusted.

And that is a big problem for Tony Rezko. Early on in the trial, even from my distant vantage point, I could see Rezko's attorney, Joseph Duffy, harping on the wild parties--with hard drugs as the fuel for the frivolities--at Lincolnwood's Purple Hotel, as the tool for Duffy to undermine Levine's believability during his closing statement.

Then along came Ata, who also testified about his "pay to play" maneuver that netted him a $127,000 a year state job.

Ata's testimony is a big problem for Barack Obama--Tony Rezko was one of Obama's first political sponsors. Rezko came across as a monster yesterday, and if Rezko is found guilty of corruption charges, it brings the Wilmette resident back into the national news. The trial will probably go on for a few more weeks, the prosecution is likely to rest its case on Monday--which means a verdict will be reached, barring a mistrial, well before the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

Any guess on which type of verdict Hillary Clinton is hoping for?

Technorati tags: politics Illinois Election Democrats Chicago Tony Rezko corruption legal Blagojevich Ali Ata Hillary Clinton Hillary Obama Barack Obama Lincolnwood Wilmette

Hillary-O'Reilly redux

Once again I have to applaud Hillary Rodham Clinton for agreeing to appear on the O'Reilly Factor. Sure, the benefits were obvious to her--the "bitter" voters Barack Obama showed disrespect to last month are more likely to watch her tussle with Bill O'Reilly, as opposed to having Bill Moyers coo at her.

But there were risks--would O'Reilly bring up Pardongate figure Hugh Rodham, the senator's star-crossed brother?

He didn't. But O'Reilly asked Clinton some tough questions about Iraq, and challenged her when she said "there was no military solution in Iraq" and that she would begin troop withdrawals when she becomes president. Iran? Well, New York's junior senator said we can use diplomacy.

O'Reilly wasn't buying it. As I've said before about the Iranian government, we are not dealing with reasonable people--they'll view American troop withdrawals--before al-Qaeda is completed routed--as either an opportunity or as a sign of weakness. Probably both.

On the issue of sanctuary cities, an important issue among many independents, Clinton told O'Reilly, "No I'm not (going to target them). I'm not." She says our immigration system is "broken," but she doesn't offer much in regards to solutions.

Hillary performed better last night. But O'Reilly saved the toughest questions for the end.

Senator John McCain will appear on the O'Reilly Factor next week.

No word yet on Barack Obama.

Technorati tags: democrats elections Hillary Clinton Hillary Fox News Channel O'Reilly Factor bill o'reilly Election politics

Chicago immigration march: May Day or Che Day?

Jake and Michelle of the Freedom Folks, as they do every year, reported on the annual illegal immigration march in Chicago today. Pop icon and mass murderer Che Guevara made his usual appearance, as you'll discover here.

That's Che at a less happy time, without the benefit of studio lighting, after being captured by the Bolivian military.

Jake and Michelle have more May Day photos here, and for you Che fans, they put one of Guevara in that batch.

Video of the event is coming.

Related posts:

Chicago Che chic: Murderous Communist thug honored by mural at public school

Che goodbye now

Technorati tags: May Day immigration illegal immigration Chicago The Left history 60s Ché Guevara Politics che guevara