Miners Take Aim At Judd
By WENNFriday, July 9, 2010
Miners in Kentucky have taken aim at actress ASHLEY JUDD for campaigning against the removal of mountaintops to dig for coal - by poking fun at a topless photo of the star.
Judd recently gave an emotional speech at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. to highlight the environmental damage caused by mountaintop removal mining.
The practice involves the use of explosives to mine for coal in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia and Kentucky - Judd’s home state.
She branded the practice “strip mining on steroids” and criticised U.S. government officials for appearing to support the “rape of Appalachia” by approving permits.
Her stance has upset local miners and a group of cheeky workers decided to get their own back at a golf tournament in her native state.
A large poster featuring a half-naked image of the star, with her hands covering her breasts, was put on display at StoneCrest Golf Course in Prestonburg on Wednesday (07Jul10), bearing the question: “Ashley makes a living removing her top - why can’t coal miners?”
The photo was taken from a 2006 issue of Marie Claire magazine.
The golfing event was sponsored by two coal industry groups, Friends of Coal and Coal Operators and Associates - but the creators of the controversial poster remain a mystery.
However, Paul Hughes, assistant general manager at the venue, insists no formal complaints were made about the poster.
He said on Thursday (08Jul10), “All the people that was here yesterday, they was all for it (sic).”
Judd has previously teamed up with the Natural Resources Defense Council to lobby for an end to the practice.
She has yet to respond about the topless photo prank.
