Good morning.

There's a verse in the Bible, Revelations 6:8, which I've always read, over and over again, and wondered what it meant. It was in the West Wing at some point, which is where I got it, but today, I particularly feel it grabbing me.

And I looked, and, behold, a pale horse, and his name that sat on him was Death, and Death followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

Admittedly, I know very little about Revelations, especially this verse. But every so often it sticks in my head and I cannot let it go.

This morning it is being reported that the death toll at a West Virginia coal mine, where an explosion ripped through late yesterday, has reached 25. Four workers are still missing.

It is the worst coal mining accident in more than 25 years.

Seven of the bodies have been recovered and, though rescue workers had hoped miners would make it into one of the airtight chambers inside the mine that are stocked with food and water for up to four days, the one that has been checked so far was empty.

"There's always danger. There's so many ways you can get hurt, or your life taken," said Gary Williams, a miner and pastor of a church near the southern West Virginia mine. "It's not something you dread every day, but there's always that danger. But for this area, it's the only way you're going to make a living."

I adamantly refuse to rail on Massey right now, although it will happen in due time. Safety in coal mines must be addressed, but the fact of life is that they are just dangerous places to work. They could be better, but they are, short of the military, one of the world's most dangerous professions.

Ironically, the front page of the Express today:

The main image is of the rescue operation at a Chinese coal mine that flooded last week. Some 115 workers were pulled from the mine alive, a feat that even the Chinese are referring to as a "miracle." More than 30 still remain inside that mine.

More than 2,600 workers died in Chinese mines in 2009, in a country where mine safety is not taken very seriously. China has become notorious for its mining accidents. Since 1900, more than 100,000 people have died in U.S. mines, but the number has decreased sharply over the years. Should the four people still in the West Virginia mine die, making the toll 29, the industry would almost eclipse the entire 2009 total, 35.

The problem with looking at raw numbers, however, is that far less people work in mines than 100 years ago. But obviously safety has improved. Unions have forced that.

Here is a video from Anderson Cooper from last night:


--

Other news:
- In an interview yesterday, Arizona Senator John McCain (remember him?) said that he had never actually considered himself a "maverick". So, Sarah Palin's entire persona is shot now, right?

- Best line White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs has used in a long time: "Michael Steele's problem is not the race card, it's the credit card." Awesome. And a look at that, arguing that Steele doesn't have a race problem, his party does.

- Speaking of which, the RNC is falling apart around its embattled leader.

- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid continued to poke fun at Palin yesterday, when he said, "I was going to give a few remarks...but I couldn't find it written all over my hands."

People need to get over this. It's a bonafide joke. I'll bet Palin thinks it's hilarious. It doesn't say anything bad about anyone.

- A report shows that the TARP program is turning a profit for the U.S. government, despite what all the pundits are saying.

- One of these seemingly little things that goes unnoticed, but will fundamentally change the way the U.S. responds to things. President Obama limited the events in which the U.S. would use nuclear weapons, clarifying an intentionally ambiguous law.

- The other thing that will start to become bigger news is that Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens has said that he "will surely" retire during the Obama administration, giving the president a second chance to nominate a justice, albeit to replace a pretty liberal one. Stevens turns 90 soon.

And finally, my blog recommendation for the day: Senatus

Congratulations to, ugh, Duke, for winning its fourth national championship after a great game last night. If that shot had fallen at the buzzer, it may have been the greatest shot in the history of basketball, at any level, Jordan included.

Really excited to watch the Connecticut Huskies against Stanford tonight in the women's title game. Greatest team of all time?

Oh, and nice job M's. Way to get the season started off right.