THE BEAST

Former SCORPIONS and current KINGDOM COME drummer James Kottak has a message for immigrants and refugees hoping to resettle in the U.S.: "fix your shithole country first" before placing an undue toll on American taxpayers.

It's unclear what prompted the musician to lash out, but his comments came in a series of tweets touting America's greatness while putting down other countries.

"So you want to come to my country....maybe try to fix your shithole country first instead of putting the burden on me tax payer," he tweeted on Friday (November 29).

"I've had it ...I paid $38000 in taxes last year...what did you pay?" he asked his 18 thousand Twitter followers.

A short time later, he added: "Man, Americais the best! I have been to 85 + countries and they all suck. We live in the most blessed country ever!" He then quickly corrected himself: "Germany is great… They don't all suck...I just don't remember a good time"

In recent months, Kottak has repeatedly used Twitter as a way to voice his controversial views. On November 3, he opined that "all law enforcement should be men." In September, he raised eyebrows when he questioned whether climate change is real, writing in a series of since-deleted tweets: "Tell me when one time you have seen 'killed from climate change' or 'death from second hand smoke' appeared on a gravestone....and I am a total anti smoker... it's all b s"

Back in July, he angered some people on the social media platform when he wrote that " Trump rules" and insisted that "anyone against America is a socialist communist asshole."

In June, Kottak , who calls himself a "news political junkie" on Twitter , made BLABBERMOUTH.NET headlines when he said that America should take care of its "homeless problem" before accepting any more "outsiders."

This past week, Kottak seemingly offered up an explanation for his controversial tweets, saying: "You know I post things for debate...this goes back to my college days as a young philosopher minor and music major. Most peeps hate the truth. I gravitate towards it and relish."

Kottak has spent much of the last year touring with the reunited KINGDOM COME , also featuring guitarists Danny Stag and Rick Steier , bassist Johnny B. Frank and singer Keith St. John (formerly of MONTROSE and LYNCH MOB ).

In September 2016, Kottak was dismissed from SCORPIONS during his well-publicized battle with alcoholism and was replaced by former MOTÖRHEAD member Mikkey Dee .

SCORPIONS guitarist Matthias Jabs later said that he and his bandmates "had to make" the decision to fire Kottak , explaining that they gave the drummer "all the chances" to get better. "We reached the point — or he reached the point — where it was just not worth it," Jabs said.

Last fall, Kottak told Detroit's 101 WRIF radio station that his recovery was "a work in progress." He explained: "Over the last 10 years, I would say I was 90 percent sober, and then I'd have these struggles and I'd go through a bad two- or three-week period. So right now it's, like I said, to use a cliché, it's one day at a time and I work the program. I still go out, and if you wanna drink a bottle of Jack in front of me, go for it — [it's] no big deal — but it is, like I said, a work in progress."

Man, Americais the best! I have been to 85 + countries and they all suck. We live in the most blessed country ever!

— James Kottak (@JKottak) November 30, 2019

Germany is great

— James Kottak (@JKottak) November 30, 2019

They don’t all suck...I just don’t remember a good time

— James Kottak (@JKottak) November 30, 2019

You know I post things for debate...this goes back to my college days as a young philosopher minor and music major. Most peeps hate the truth. I gravitate towards it and relish.

— James Kottak (@JKottak) November 28, 2019