Coal Industry Front Group to Miner's Widow: "Everyone Wants Free Money!"

By GottaLaff

Marlene Griffith lost her husband, William Griffith, in the now infamous coal mine explosion in West Virginia. She is suing Massey Energy. The Griffiths were married nearly 33 years.

But before they could celebrate their anniversary, Massey's negligence created an unspeakably horrific nightmare that could have been prevented, one that Marlene will have to live and relive with forever.

Here is how Nathan Coffey responded. His Twitter page has since been deleted:


This would be the same Nathan Coffey who is the Public Affairs Coordinator of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). What's ALEC? Glad you asked, but you won't be:

ALEC, founded in 1973 by conservative activist Paul Weyrich, is a DC-based front group which helps state lawmakers craft corporate-friendly legislation. State-based schemes aimed at deregulation are often conceived and coordinated out of ALEC. It is funded by some of the biggest corporations in America, including Koch Industries, Wal-Mart, and AT&T, as well as by the coal industry.

Coffey was right about one thing. "Everyone" wants free money.

Dutch furious at U.S. general for blaming gay soldiers

By GottaLaff

Remember this from yesterday's Rachel Maddow Show?

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

So does the Dutch Prime Minister:

Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende attacked on Friday claims by a retired U.S. general that Dutch forces were overrun in Srebrenica in 1995 because of the presence of gay soldiers. [...]

"The remarks were outrageous, wrong and beneath contempt," Balkenende told a news conference.

Yes, in fact they were.

Oh, it gets worse:

The Dutch Defense Ministry called Sheehan's claims "absolute nonsense" and added that gay Dutch soldiers routinely cooperate with the U.S. military in the NATO mission in Afghanistan.

Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen called the claim "the bizarre private opinion of someone without an official function".

Renee Jones-Bos, the Dutch ambassador to the United States, said in a statement, "I couldn't disagree more" with Sheehan, adding there was no evidence of his claims in the extensive record of research on Srebrenica.

Military unions were equally angry. Dutch news agency ANP quoted the head of the military union AFMP as saying Sheehan's comments were "out of the realm of fiction", while the head of the gay soldiers' group SHK called his comments "the ridiculous convulsion of a loner".

You might say a few well placed people were a tad offended, mightn't you?

Somebody alert Donald Rumsfeld. It looks like "old Europe" is more evolved than some of our commanders on the ground.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor makes her mark

By GottaLaff

This made me so proud:

Justice Sotomayor’s opinion in the case, Mohawk Industries v. Carpenter, No. 08-678, marked the first use of the term “undocumented immigrant,” according to a legal database. The term “illegal immigrant” has appeared in a dozen decisions.

Terms like “illegal alien” and “illegal immigrant” are considered pejorative and offensive by immigrants rights organizations. (HT: ImmigrationProf Blog)

Now imagine who Bush would have (and has) nominated.

Done? Good.

Now grab some Pepto and imagine what Lou Dobbs must be thinking.

I'll stop pushing unpleasant thoughts into your noggins now. I'm sure you'll come up with many more all on your own.

Rand Paul spokesman praises video likening Trey Grayson to Hitler

By GottaLaff



So the answer to everything now is attaching the name "Hitler" to one's opponent. What a great strategy. It's also utterly despicable:

A spokesman for Kentucky Senate candidate Rand Paul (R) is getting heat for praising a video likening Paul’s opponent to Adolf Hitler. And he's not apologizing.

The video portraying Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson (R) as Hitler popped up on a Ron Paul message board over the weekend. A spokesman for Grayson primary opponent Rand Paul then posted a reply to the video, labeling it “Too funny!!” with a smiling emoticon.

Yeah, that Adolph. He's a regular giggle machine. If only Last Comic Standing had been popular back in the '30s and '40s, he'd have been a shoo-in.

Now get ready for the walk back:

“The video’s just funny,” Hightower said. “I don’t really think it’s funny to compare Trey Grayson to Hitler; I don’t think that’s funny.”

So it's not the merging of Grayson with Hitler that's funny. Nah, it's the actual video. Video Central. Every day videocity. General subject matter. Overall conceptitude. Wow. Hilarious.

Asked to respond to some opponents who have raised objections, Hightower said: “Some things in life, some people think they’re funny, and some people don’t think they’re funny. I’m not really one to judge that.”

Rand Paul is Ron Paul’s son. Now that's funny.

Oh, and for the record-- and I say this as one who has performed, written, and taught comedy for years-- if your audience isn't laughing, it's not funny. If it's only funny to you, it's not funny. If it's in poor taste and offends your viewers, it's not funny. And hey, Rand, get new material.

More corporate sponsored, right-wing anti-Semitism...

By GottaLaff

(click on image to enlarge)

I saw this earlier, but my friend Larisa Alexandrovna beat me to the punch on writing it up, so I'll post a few excerpts from her post, and suggest you go here to read the rest:

No matter the issue, be it tax cuts for the middle class or health care for all, the stupid (and/or paid for) are out protesting against their own best interests.

But stupidity has crossed the line into offensive propaganda.

The photo was taken at today's glue-sniffer rally by ThinkProgress' Lee Fang. The sign above reads “National Socialist Health Care: Dachau, Germany – 1945."

Fox News has aggressively promoted this rally and its talking heads, like Glenn Beck, have aggressively tried to tie health care reform to Nazism. Americans for Prosperity, a corporate front-group sponsored this event.

Please read the whole thing, and thank you Larisa.

I'm sickened by this, and it's long past time to stop these ignorant, bigoted hate-mongers.

VIDEO- Rush Limbaugh: Scozzafava "guilty of widespread bestiality" for screwing RINOs

By GottaLaff

If it weren't for these clips, I'd never know this bucket of crass existed.



Boss Limpdong, what a classy guy. He makes an obscenely good living being an offensive scumbag, and America keeps tuning in:

You might say Rush Limbaugh took his metaphor a bit too far Monday, declaring the former NY-23 moderate GOP candidate Dede Scozzafava "guilty of widespread bestiality" for screwing all Republicans-In-Name-Only (RINOs) by endorsing a Democrat.

Tea Party PhotOh! "Seniors: Sign up for your body bags"

By GottaLaff

Click on photos to enlarge. These are from the San Diego, CA Tea Tantrum. See how not hostile and not irrational they are?

Most offensive bumper sticker ever

By GottaLaff

Mr. Laffy was driving home yesterday and saw this bumper sticker:

Taxpayers are the Jews for Democrat ovens.

Welcome to Corporate RushpubliHate 2009, brought to you by UnNeighborly Grassrootitude Hypocrites, or UGH. Short on bigotry? Running out of fear mongering? Can't say no to death threats? Just scream "UGH" and help is on the way!

Now go enjoy yourself a big steaming mug of sickos.

VIDEO: Dana Milbank jokes that Hillary Clinton should drink ‘mad bitch’ beer

By GottaLaff

I was not at all unhappy when he stopped being a Countdown punditiot. Justifiably (at 2:35):

Washington Post reporters Dana Milbank and Chris Cillizza regularly do a political commentary video series called “Mouthpiece Theater.”

Wow. Self-consciously "Aren't we witty" delivery much?

Jamie Foxx to Miley Cyrus: "Make a sex tape and grow up!"

By GottaLaff

Let's take a detour away from all that teabagging and veer off into the Land-O'-Crazed-Celebs... Oh wait. They're nearly synonymous. 'K anyway:

Jamie Foxx launched a crude attack on teen sensation Miley Cyrus on his Sirius satellite radio show [...] It's not clear when the comments were made. But the insults began flying after someone brought up the 16-year-old's recent feud with Radiohead after Cyrus wasn't allowed to hang out with the band after the Grammys.

Foxx is heard saying: "Who is Miley Cyrus? The one with all the gums? She need to get a gum transplant!"

He also says: "Make a sex tape and grow up!"

A woman is heard calling Cyrus the b-word.

I have a funny feeling that somebody with a big, foul mouth will be forced to issue an apologeee...