We must stand together

To my hard rock brothers and sisters, There is nothing I can say that hasn’t already been said, but I’d like to share my opinion on it all. This is no simple task, to stand against tyrannical behavior like what we have been witnessing since this all began. There are moments where the conversation and boyish banter ends, and there is a tense quite around the burn barrels. A moment where the poker faces end, and the true emotion shimmers across the faces of these harden miners. The vulnerability of doubt, stress, and frustration of the events that have led us to this point. I know because I have felt it myself. But then there is another emotion I see as well: unwavering resolution. Resolution in knowing that what we as a unit have stood against the very things that many around the country are standing against: Greed, silence, fear, and injustice. These “people” we fight against are not people, for their actions are that more of a cell gone cancerous or a parasite growing in its host. They are the very infection that seeks to cripple the American middle class, and by extent the civil rights we have, around this nation today. The body of the middle class is sick, and we must be the cure. This is war time, brothers and sisters. Any poetic notions any have about this must be expelled from your minds now. This will be ugly, this will be stressful, this will be a hard ride, but we must endure. Do not allow any voices of disagreement or division cause our lines to fall. We must not only watch our front, but are rear and flanks as well. This is only the beginning of what could be a very long war. We all must do what we need to survive. Find other employment, move from the area, cut back on things, etc. It maybe difficult, it maybe something we don’t want to do, but war causalities are inevitable and unavoidable. We cannot give into this sickness. To give up and form of the fight means that the body will die. However I see only two options for the ugly “Mother Hecla” to do: either come off their self righteous ivory towers and talk to us like human beings, or close the mine indefinitely. We all would like to see the former happen, but if that latter does occur we must be ready for that. But do not lose hope, brothers and sisters. Because we are a rare breed. We are forged in the deep fires of stone and steel. We work in the darkness to better our lives in the light. We bend rock to our will. WE ARE MINERS, WE ARE THE 5114, and we are the STRONG. Cameron “Brown Bear” Erickson

Mullan, Idaho