You have to wonder if American conservatives and libertarians feel somehow constitutionally repelled by the joint effort, championed by the Chilean national government, to save the 33 Copiapo miners. In the Right’s laissez faire of life, death, and the general welfare, should the company and the miners – they knew the risks, the took their chances – have been left to fend for themselves? Back in May, The Washington Independent reported on Paul’s reaction to a Kentucky mining disaster – and the usual refusal on the Right to hold business, or themselves, responsible for what happens to anyone else.

“We had a mining accident that was very tragic,” he told Good Morning America. “But then we come in and it’s always someone’s fault. Maybe sometimes accidents happen.”

MSHA records show the mine was cited 840 times by federal inspectors for safety violations since January 2009, and 11 times closure orders were issued.

Sometimes accidents happen? The Associated Press notes the safety history at the mine since 2009:

Records show inspectors from the Kentucky Office of Mine Safety and Licensing have issued 31 orders to close sections of the mine or to shut down equipment because of safety violations since January 2009. Those records also show an additional 44 citations for safety violations that didn’t result in closure orders.

Now, a new Kentucky political ad is holding Paul responsible for his dangerous ideas.

Kentucky Senate candidate Rand Paul is facing fire from an independent political group as it rolls out a new attack ad taking aim at the Republican hopeful for reacting to the deaths of two coal miners in his home state by saying “accidents happen” earlier in the election season.

The new one-minute radio spot from AmericansforAmericaPAC targeting Paul comes in the wake of a rescue mission in Chile to save dozens of miners who had been trapped underground for more than two months. Given the dominant coal mining industry in Kentucky, it should come as no surprise that the story hit close to home in the Bluegrass State.

via Rand Paul Attacked For Coal Mining Remarks With Ad Invoking Chile Rescue (AUDIO).

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