Rescue of the Chilean miners was a mix of technology and a divine miracle, driller says

He will go down in history as “the man with the plan” to find and rescue all 33 of the trapped Chilean miners last August. Greg Hall is the owner of a drilling manufacturing company with offices in Houston, northern Minnesota and Chile. And while he cannot deny he engineered the project that enabled the rescue watched around the world, the humble Catholic who serves as a deacon in his local church insists “it was God who drilled the hole.”

When the collapse of the gold mine in Copiapo happened on Aug. 5, 2010, the Chilean government immediately sent drill rigs that began a guessing game of poke work into the tough terrain. Poor geological mapping and insufficient equipment made the search effort chaotic. They knew the miners were buried somewhere 500 meters and 800 meters below the surface, but the local mineral exploration rigs could only reach as far as 450 meters.

Mr. Hall’s drill manufacturing company, Drillers Supply International, had the tools and the faith needed to find the men. By Day 12, he and his team were certain they were on a body recovery mission. On Day 17, the team heard a banging on his drill pipe, the first  sign of life. Attached to his drill pipe, was a muddied note in red ink that read, “Estamos bien en el refugio los 33.” We are all right in the shelter, the 33 of us.

But Mr. Hall’s journey with the miners didn’t end there. The government, unsatisfied with other plans proposed to bring the men to the surface, called Greg’s company again to ask if he had a solution. His plan was called Plan B, the back up plan.

On assignment for Listen Up TV, I sat with the Texas giant — he is 6 feet 6 inches, 300 pounds — to gather the untold story of Plan B and to hear why he believes in the power of prayer, and calls the rescue “a miracle.”

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The elephant in Canada's waiting room is pregnant with ignorance

Things keep getting more messy with the abortion question in Canada. In the latest news, a B.C. couple urged their surrogate to abort the fetus because doctors found it was likely to be born with Downs syndrome. Although the surrogate had initial qualms with terminating the pregnancy, she eventually went through with what was likely a second term abortion. 

My personal views on abortion are complicated and can't be boxed into a cozy Christian soundbite. And I don't think I could ever run for political office because I couldn't please constituents on either the right or the left by defining my position. However, what isn't complicated is my tolerance for ignorance on issues like abortion that affect a society at large.

When I learned of recent poll findings that found 79% of Canadians were ignorant of their own abortion laws, I felt compelled to wade into the quagmire that is the abortion debate in this country, or rather, lack there of.

When forming opinions or legislation that defines a person or country's moral code, there's a necessary ingredient that cannot be left out of the mix. Truth. In an op-ed for The Holy Post, I write that the privilege of living in a democracy comes with the responsibility of pursuing truth.

Although the comments on the piece were modest in number, it ended up ranking as one of the most-read articles on The National Post website. I think it reaffirms my opinion that although Canadians seem to care and have opinions on the abortion issue, they don't care enough to really have an intelligent discussion about it.

I am convinced that truth is the irritant that prevents a squabbling young republic from becoming a reckless oligarchy. If we need to bicker a bit more about this subject then so be it. Better that than the chilling alternative.

My indignity for ignorance sparked an interview request from a local talk radio program based on some of the points in my op-ed. Should you care to listen, you can check it out here.