FALSE HOPE?

Sorry to have been out of touch over most of the last two weeks--my computer has been in total disarray. Anyway, the Sago W. Va. mine disaster is still on my mind. If you can find it, take a look at Studs Terkel's comments on it in the Sunday Chicago Sun-Times, which are far beyond my poor power to add or detract. He says, essentially, that the only false hopes the miners have been dealing with are the hopes that the federal government would impose, and the mining companies would implement, effective safety regulations, and put the lives of miners ahead of profits.

On one hand, I myself have spent a grim night waiting for news of someone close to me who had disappeared and was feared dead. I can't imagine what it would have been like to hear, first, that he was found safe, and then, that the first news was a mistake and he hadn't made it. It is something no one should have to suffer.

But on the other hand, can't we stop obsessing about how bad news is communicated, and look at the reality behind it? Twelve miners died, for pete's sake. Long after the families have gotten over the emotional roller-coaster of one night's miscommunication, they will still be grieving for the loss of the dead. Yes, the mining company's communications could have been better. But even if they had "done everything right" that dreadful night, there would still be 12 bereaved families, because the mining company had done so much wrong in the past.