My oldest brother is stationed in Kyrgyzstan with the Air Force at the Manas Air Force Base -- known to soldiers on their way to Afghanistan as the 'gateway to hell'.

Even though I'm proud of him, I don't think that's any reason you should, or should not, support my beliefs about coal. So why did the coal industry think it was ok to include servicemen in their ads promoting coal during the Olympics?

It's exactly this kind of manipulation that misleads and misinforms the public -- so please take a minute right now to ask NBC to dump the coal ads.

Their ads are aimed at convincing people that supporting coal is like supporting America and our troops. When the reality is much more grim. The use of coal in this country has destroyed our open spaces by leveling mountains, has poisoned our air with soot, has sped up global warming, and has buried hundreds of miles of waterways. This doesn't even get into the very real human health costs from both miners, and the people living close to coal plants./p>

To make it all the more offensive, they're trying to make it look like supporting them will in some way support the service men and women around the world.

So please, ask NBC to dump coal's dirty ads.

When you're done, please pass this message along to your friends and family, and invite them to take part -- and thanks!