When I was a kid I grew up in a coal mining town. My dad was a heavy equipment operator at the mine and he would take me down in the open pit Hey! Me too. My dad, all his brothers, my grandfather and his father before him were all coal miners. Dad's generation only did strip mining. Northeastern Ohio, before the anti-sulfur shutdowns.
This is a picture of the Colstrip mine back in 1969, about 5 years before I ever was down in there an saw it with my own eyes:
Here is what is being mined today, after 44 continuous years!:
In the background of the picture above the bucket on that dragline's 325' boom can fit 80 cubic yards. This is what it looks like up close:
To the trolls and liberals who cruise this site I am telling you that you have been lied to! You have to panic the buffalo herd before you run it over the cliff to slaughter for easy meat.