there is a war in appalachia, believe this. this war is not on coal. this war is on the people of appalachia, coal is not our king, god is, coal is only the dictator of some. expanding any mountain top removal including the spruce number one permit means the depopulation of another mountain community and the sick sickening of the people who live in this country, we will die as a culture as we suffer with the inability to pass this mountain culture on to our children. not even our historic mountain cemeteries are left intact and accessible. it is not as if this committee, congress, the coal industry and the obama administration doesn't know what mountain top removal is doing to people. they not only know about it, but they are supporting it and allowing it by not ending it. after visiting the central appalachian communities, the u.n. women's tribunal recommendations for rio 20 included that mountain top removal should immediately be stopped with a more for rum on all mountain top removal until a full investigation can be accomplished. we will not back d

the ohio valley, there is another great book called "the united states of appalachia." an analysis of our culture. giving us the culture that we all have in the historic perspective on that. that was there. it was clearly in me and was never going to leave. when i came to california, there was an affinity i had to two or three generations earlier, the steinbeck, to california, they were ostracized. buck owens used to have a chip on his shoulder. after he died, i read something. what he told me one time was about the shame he felt about thatfamily being so pouor they had one toothbrush. i swore i would never be the sport ever again in my life. -- be this poor ever again in my life. we are shaped by all of those disparate elements in our life. i started listening, the palomino was a famous nightclub. a world-famous country nightclub that started in the early 1950's. everybody stops there and played. the owner told me one night, i was really proud for him that i was able to pull in to that night club. down the block, they were lined up. we were in his office and he had a s

it's been today it's been the degradation of a lot of people within appalachia and their health and their environment and us that ramps is made in an active effort to stop this destructive process of money and i understand that while you were out there protesting twenty people were arrested and you are among those arrested what have you and others been charged with i am personally and all twenty protestors have been charged with trespassing in the struction of justice. with that charge they're both misdemeanor charges that serve lots and since is what we were all charged with a twenty five thousand dollars bond which was completely ludicrous for our charges as of yet ten of our comrades are still in prison non of our comrades that a lot of seeing coming across the camera has just been released from jail so it's time of jubilation and here at the ramps camp but. at fruit for us at this point we're still trying to bot mountaintop removal and look after a really wonderful action of how to move forward and keep the pressures on this extract of industry who is robbing apple actually block and

, of appalachia, ohio, one in 2007, one in 2010.e talked about everything from applying for benefits -- veterans' benefits to the earned income tax credit. so many low-income veterans don't know enough about any of those services. the fact that today i believe there are 30 community-based outpatient clinics, cbocs in ohio, speak to your commitment to going everywhere to reach veterans, not just in the va centers in cincinnati and chillicothe and cleveland. but well beyond that. i'm appreciative of that. but the outreach efforts obviously need to be stepped up, targeted. not just the demographic of rural appalachia but certainly other places too. i remain -- last point. i remain concerned about the department's outsourcing of more and more work. the quality of outsourced work is often subpar. this whole political view that outsourcing, you know, whether it's selling turnpikes or selling prisons or outsourcing part of the military, that the work often is subpar. often the costs are significantly greater as we learned from outsourcing.

yes, romney won in appalachia and the mountains. ron paul only on the ballot.ck to the 2008 race. the race in november. those are republican areas. those are all republican areas. if you're going to win those states, that's very important for the republicans. is it a weakness for mitt romney? yes. does it sustain itself? that would be an interesting question. and if he is the general election nominee. so let's go to the electoral projection. a bit early for this. let's say hypothetically that mitt romney is your nominee. this is the map from 2008 based on the census results, barack obama with today's electoral votes than he would have won in the last election. most people believe that new hampshire will be a swing state this time. we'll take it away. republicans hope to put pennsylvania in play. for the sake of the hypothetical we'll take it away. let's make these swing states. florida swing state. ohio a swing state. most people think indiana will go back to republicans. you have some republicans who say we can play here and here. i'll do it for the sake of ar

i hope in the campaign's last days are in appalachia.t -- >> ifill: let's go back to the floor. you can see minority leader nancy pelosi is at the podium. [crowd cheering]çç >> good evening. [crowd cheering] good evening. i'm nancy pelosi from my ... my grand children call me mimi. for me politics is an extension of my role as a mother and as a grandmother. for the democratic women of the house, our work is not about the next election, but rather the next generation. working with president obama, we are committed to reigniting the american dream, the ideal if you're willing to work hard, play by the rules and take responsibility, you will have the opportunity to climb the ladder of success. the democratic women of the house are ready to join president obama to move americaç forward. [crowd cheering]ç congress woman rosa delaura of connecticut. and we have work to do. america's women still make just $.77 for every dollar men earn, and it is even tougher for women of color. those pennies add up to a real difference to middle class famil

i hope in the campaign's last days are in appalachia.t -- >> ifill: let's go back to the floor. you can see minority leader nancy pelosi is at the podium. [crowd cheering]çç >> good evening. [crowd cheering] good evening. i'm nancy pelosi from my ... my grand children call me mimi. for me politics is an extension of my role as a mother and as a grandmother. for the democratic women of the house, our work is not about the next election, but rather the next generation. working with president obama, we are committed to reigniting the american dream, the ideal if you're willing to work hard, play by the rules and take responsibility, you will have the opportunity to climb the ladder of success. the democratic women of the hoe ar rea t inprestba toeraç forward. [crowd cheering]ç congress woman rosa delaura of connecticut. and we have work to do. america's women still make just $.77 for every dollar men earn, and it is even tougher for women of color. those pennies add up to a real difference to middle class families who are trying to pay

come to southern appalachia and i want you to see the streams we're talking about. they're dry ditches. they only have water when it rains. all these miles of streams are not streams. on 28-degree slopes how many streams can you have on a mountain? the water will seek its lowest level. let's be honest about things that are sensible. quit listening to the rhetoric and come yourself and look and i'll take you on a tour of post-mine land before and after. i'll talk to you about the good and the bad. yes, we can do things better and we sit up here and people's lives are in jeopardy because we're having a committee discussion and send the people down to these regions and you're talking about multimillion and billions of dollars and lives and the daily living of american people that are sitting waiting on what a committee takes data. come see for yourself. you'll find out. we can do it both ways, gentlemen,ladies and let's be americans and do it in america. >> just one follow-up question because i don't have much time left. what impact has it in in your region. >> come lo

in appalachia, a single 30 milligram pill of oxycodone sells for $30.t's three times the street price in florida. and 10 times the price paid at a paying clinic. in other words, the bottle of pills you paid $500 for in broward county, you could sell for $5,000 in greenup county. >>it's created entrepreneurs out here that literally send dozens a month, dozens a month down there. (mariana) you say dozens of people out there just to buy pills? >>just to go to florida to buy pills, and do a turn about come right back. if i front you the money and you go for me, i give you half of the pills. and you get me the other half of the pills. >>so i'll be able to feed my addiction without having to pay anything up front? >>exactly. you get your addiction fed, i make money. everybody's happy. everybody except the old worn out sheriff of the county's not happy. (mariana) with florida several hundred miles outside his jurisdiction, sheriff cooper focuses on the only part of the pill trade that he can. >>wanda ten. >>today the sheriff is going to serve a warrant on a ma

not just the demographic of rural appalachia but certainly other places too. i remain -- last point. i remain concerned about the department's outsourcing of more and more work. the quality of outsourced work is often subpar. this whole political view that outsourcing, you know, whether it's selling turnpikes or selling prisons or outsourcing part of the military, that the work often is subpar. often the costs are significantly greater as we learned from outsourcing. the contractors give political campaign contributions. i'm not saying you're any part of that, to be sure. but that happens too often. you go places without sourcing that does not lead to good government. i think we also -- i think many contractors lack the dedicated service mentality, if you will, of career civil servants, and it's always popular to beat up state and federal employees. we've gone through that politically in state after state after state in this country and the federal government. but i like the idea, i think an individual's motivation to serve our veterans as a career leads to be

and in those seams are threads of rock, of quarts, again especially in that region in appalachia. that qurts contains silica. so when the mining machines grind up the coal and rock with it, they're creating a combination of coal dust and silica. that's a particularly volatile combination. the other thing that's occurred was the law that was passed to protect miners from black lung and from the dust that causes black lung was never really seriously enforced. it was filled with loopholes from the very beginning that enabled mining companies to basically game the system. there's plenty of evidence that we found that there were signs over the years that miners were being exposed to much more coal dust than they were supposed to be, that the measurement taking by mining companies were not accurate. there were even criminal cases over the years in that regard. so it's a combination of the conditions underground creating more dust, more exposure for miners in terms of the hours they work and a system that has really failed to protect them as congress promised in 1969 when it passed a law

too, and as it moves into some colder air, this is going to be snow mainly for the mountains in appalachiaas you cross over in maryland, some of the amounts really die down. as far as virginia goes, there will be higher amounts. also for anyone skiing in the mountains this president's day weekend, great for you guys. here's a bull's eye heaviest amount. this amount cuts off quickly and we see all of the watches and warnings for the heaviest bull's eye down to the southwest. for us, that's brought down some of the numbers. in the green area, a trace or an inch is possible. if anything falls, it will probably melt on the roadways. accumulation really isn't until overnight hours tomorrow. here's a one to three and that doesn't include eastern parts of the shore. higher amounts the farther southwest you go. the storm comes here and then monday, back up in the upper 40s. this is not lasting long. the forecast on the waters, small advisory in effect until tomorrow night as winds pick up as the storm approaches. it changes to all snow. this storm goes farther to the south and may not see anything

parts of virginia are appalachia. parts of virginia look greenich village.s in virginia, and they have a democratic congressman. >> the appalachia areas, they actually track red on that map, right? quite poor, but where there are republicans, why are poor voters, republicans and this wealthy myse y slice, why would happen? >> an easy answer. guns. a lot of poor whites, not just in virginia, but a lot of appalachia, have traditional values and identify the republican party on value issues and a lot of wealthy whites have very liberal values and identify with democrats on those issues. not just economics. >> that's obviously just part of the. we're looking at a state. and literally as i was talking to people, i heard mitt romney is a flip-flopper or i heard president obama just didn't keep his promises. things that sounded directly like talking points to me. that said, can you have a unified virginia campaign strategy if you are either mitt romney or president obama? >> no. and i'll give you one example why you can't. president obama up 13 points right now amo

i hope in the campaign's last days are in appalachia.t -- >> ifill: let's go back to the floor. you can see minority leader nancy pelosi is at the podium. [crowd cheering]çç >> good evening. [crowd cheering] good evening. i'm nancy pelosi from my ... my grand children call me mimi. for me politics is an extension of my role as a mother and as a grandmother. for the democratic women of the house, our work is not about the next election, but rather the next generation. working with president obama, we are committed to reigniting the american dream, the ideal if you're willing to work hard, play by the rules and take responsibility, you will have the opportunity to climb the ladder of success. the democratic women of the house are ready to join president obama to move americaç forward. [crowd cheering]ç congress woman rosa delaura of connecticut. and we have work to do. america's women still make just $.77 for every dollar men earn, and it is even tougher for women of color. those pennies add up to a real difference to middle class famil

. >> bill: now, in 19 -- in the early 1970s i worked in appalachia. you know appalachia, right?>> yes, i do. >> remains one the most devastated poorest areas in the country. at that time, unemployment was 11% in the country. i'm sorry, the poverty rate was 11%. 11%. now, the poverty rate is 15%. it's gone up 4% since 1973. >> but what we have to look at. >> bill: wait, sister. >> i'm sorry. go gone up 20%. despite spending on means to combat that gone up 4%. >> if you look at wages, wages have stayed totally flat during that time and that is more the issue because folks making minimum wage are below the poverty level whereas in the 70s, folks making minimum wage were above the poverty level. >> bill: do you want a guaranteed wage is that what you want in this country say every family gets a certain amount of money and if they don't earn it the government gives it to them? is that what you want? >> no the issue is folks that i met on our recent bus trip in milwaukee i met billy, his wife and two kids. his hours got reduced. he is now living below the poverty line. but he continue

this looks like the bull's eye right here in appalachia bay toward appalachia cola.he destination, where it goe seems a little less important. we'll continue to see the heavy rain along the coast. >> thanks, alexandra. >>> now to the big stories in the week ahead from the white house to wall street. our correspondents tell you what you need to know. we begin tonight with the president's plans for the week. >> i'm athena jones in washington. president obama will travel to new hampshire and massachusetts on monday and georgia and florida on tuesday for campaign evens. he and the first lady host a picnic apt the white house on wednesday. >>> i'm paul steinhauser. the race for the white house could be rocked this week by an expected rooming from the supreme court on the controversial national health care law. an excited high court ruling on arizona's controversial immigration law could also make waves on the campaign trail. meanwhile, both president obama and mitt romney spent part of the week raising campaign cash. >>> i'm poppy harlow in new york. following a volatile

certainly his trip to the mississippi delta, appalachia had a huge iannfluence on him.eople weren't aware people were starving to death in our own country at that time. very few people knew that. for him to come back from that trip, having seen kids with distended stomachs and not enough food to eat, he was outraged. genuinely outraged. i think another moment in the film that i really appreciate is the letters that my father would write, you know, at these extraordinary historical moments, integration of the university of alabama and also after my uncle jack died, too, the children in the wake of these convenients talking to them about what the meaning of it was. i think it speaks so deeply to his commitments, to both social justice and also his love and respect for the children. >> i was going to say, fatherhood, to document that for your children. i would say the struggles of the poor in the country something we are not looking at with the clearest of eyes, that we're just aware of in a broader sense. thank you to rory kennedy. "ethel" hbo at 9:00 p.m. i will be there

to learn the song or this thing on the guitar," and figure out how some guy in the mountains of appalachiar somebody plays this and then maybe to get a chance to ask them in person, which i did. it is harder to do now. i would say, "what is that funny corn you just played?" "you just put your hands here." if there is talent floating around, just make it work. tavis: i do not know if you do, but if you had an ipod, what is in yours? who do you like to listen to? >> at home, i like hearing the good french classical composers. it is so special. and to me, it is a portrait of nature. there is water, trees, and, of course, nature for them from the 19th century to the 20th century, it was pretty vibrant. it was right there. you just went outside of paris, and you were in the countryside, and that was a world that was real to them, and they were good at depicting it. music that was so expensive. after a nervous day. the "get me out of here. get me off of the freeway." takes you to so many places, but you do not have to think about it, and it has nothing to do with your lifestyle. i do not feel th

i talked about grow appalachia. we decided, we'll get together.ion is called mind gardening. you garden with your mind, not just with your hands. let's help them plant gardens so they can be proud and nourish their own mind with the right vegetables and the right thoughts. it's under way. this thing's under way right now. >> this is -- you mentioned grow appalachia. that's where you are helping people who are on food stamps for example to grow their own gardens and literally become healthier. >> we have 10,000 of them doing right now, helping themselves. >> this is literally physical food that creates stronger minds. >> the same time, we're going to show them how to grow vegetable garden, supply whatever they need to grow vegetable gardens in the slums of trench town and trivia town. in the slums. in those little areas. we'll teach them how to grow tomatoes up the sides. and they have a good diet which is pretty clean. it's a really, really good thing. >> so, so -- >> like, i love you out there, you know. >> so tell me, snoop dogg is known as bein

is doing is protecting the people from appalachia from exposure to harmful chemicals. we must stop the dangerous mountain top mining. i urge my colleagues to oppose this harmful legislation. and i yield back. the chair: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from california reserves. mr. waxman: i take the rest of my time. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. . . mr. waxman: there's no war on coal. if coal cannot compete with natural gas, that's the way it works. do we blame the government for the failure of typewriter manufacturers to stay in business because they've been replaced by computers? coal is not going to go out of business. the president said in his statement of administration policy, to be clear, the administration believes that coal is and will remain an important part of our energy mix for decades to come. for that reason, since 2009 the administration has committed nearly $6 billion in advanced coal research, development and deployment and continues to work with industry on important efforts to demonstrate advanced coal technologies. let me

appalachia trail and flew down to have an affair. i think redemption is a big part of that evangelical culture. >> but i just think -- >> beating up newt over these things that happened years ago, a lot of people will say, people have complicated lives. >> john heilemann, i have word that you now have audio in your ear, which is great for our program. >> yes, i do. >> we're talking about the open marriage question. and i know gingrich, some of his surrogates on this have been his daughters. what's the feeling in the gingrich camp as far as how much the story has legs and whether or not it's going to wound him going into saturday's primary? >> well, look, alex, your question earlier was a little bit too broad. at some point if gingrich becomes the republican nominee, we'll have to ask the question about how americans feel about the notion of an open marriage versus just adultery. but in south carolina where a guy like gingrich is counting on having to carry a large percentage of the evangelical vote to win on saturday, and where the p

distribute that ability to innovate to every day people and doctors in that rural clinic, in michigan or appalachia, that will have implications in our local health care. the diy movement and the opportunity to make things accessible based on what we identify are enabling technologies -- 3-d printers, laser cutters, 3-d scanners, microprocessors that we weren't even talking about five years ago, have the ability to impact health care in a way that we've never explored before because we always felt we didn't have permission. and i think we probably still don't have permission, but it doesn't mean we can't do something about it. >> jose gomez marquez believes that everyone deserves proper medical care no matter where they ve. he and his team at m.i.t.'s little devices group are creating do ln it-yourself health care technologies that defy convention an sa

the appalachia national forest resides in my congressional district. i am proud today to welcome a witness from our district. it's an honor to welcome richard schwab from perry, florida with over 22 years of experience in the forestry industry. he's representing over 500 businesses in florida and south georgia, as well as the american loggers council. i commend mr. schwab to his commitment of strengthening the future of forestry for his family and our community. i yield back. >> thank you, mr. schwab. go ahead and proceed with your five minutes. >> congressman sutherland, thank you search for your opportunity to be here. >> just give me a second here. i apologize. i do want to do a housekeeping thing. i introduced mr. costa for the purpose of unanimous consent request. >> thank you for your courtesy and thank the witnesses on an issue that is important for the subcommittee to deal with. unfortunately have i to go but i'd like to have unanimous con isn't to submit testimony from land state alliance from the iowa natural heritage foundation on giving sta

driving i-90 to travel, that's where the toughest conditions will be, down toward the spine of the appalachia appalachians. good skiing from holiday valley to western new york down to snowshoe in west virginia. the wettest weather, san francisco, really, randi, that's going to have the toughest travel, biggest airports being impacted today and tomorrow all the way up to seattle. >> thank you very much, alexandra for the update. >>> and now to another story that many are following closely with polls showing that more americans now support stricter gun laws, the question of gun control may not be if, but when. and that's prompting many americans to go gun shopping right now. here's cnn's david mattingly. >> reporter: almost 1,000 miles away from newtown, connecticut, gun owners rush to buy more guns. >> why are you in here today? >> i was looking for a gun that i've wanted for a long time and just wanted to get it before possible changes. >> at this gun shop and firing range north of atlanta, already brisk holiday sales have suddenly bumped up even more. customers fearing future gun restriction