Crandall Canyon mine owner Robert Murray took the occasion of a short interview with AP to express just how hard this whole experience has been on him, and to bitch about the miners union, which is being a big meanie to him. Poor Bob. I bet if those nine dead miners weren’t, you know, dead, they would shed a tear for you. Dickweed.

I’m afraid the whole episode has not been good PR for the mining industry:

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Families and friends vented their frustration at the mine’s owner and questioned whether it was too dangerous to be working there.

At a funeral Tuesday for one of the rescue workers who died, a friend of one of the trapped miners confronted Murray and accused him of skimping on the rescue efforts. He then handed Murray a dollar bill.

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“This is just to help you out so you don’t kill him,” the man said.

Ouch.