Rush Limbaugh in Rehab

[Berzerker]

Vee - It's interesting that oxycontin has the nickname of "hillbilly heroin", so while you're denigrating other people who use drugs (to create this "distinction"), why not refer to Rush as a heroin addict? I'm sure there are a few demeaning names you could use for Rush, like JUNKIE... Btw, how do you know Rush got addicted because of pain? Maybe he just liked how the pills made him feel and kept using them after the pain had diminished. If we are to accept his version as gospel, and he's been living a lie for years now, why not just accept the word of every other drug user? Hey, they're all in pain and therefore have the same excuse as Rush...no "distinction"...

[Theben]

Cruelty? Ned, Limbaugh has advocated imprisoning drug users for years even while he was violating the drug laws. His hypocrisy gets exposed and the left is cruel? He wants people jailed for doing what he has been doing, but now people who agree with him have found a heart for Rush while wanting millions of people thrown in cages for doing the same thing?

Jeez. 1st the Cubs and Red Sox reach the finals, then Che and Bunnygrrl, get married, and now I could swear that Bezerker is almost defending the left?!?

That's it. I'm finding religion. The Second Coming must be right around the corner.

[mindseye]

and now I could swear that Bezerker is almost defending the left?!?

Yeah, this is why I love drug-related threads. It's the only time I can stand on the sidelines waving pom-poms for Berzerker!

Berzerker, next time you're in Shanghai, do stop by for a smoke.

[uh Clem]

Limbaugh, Slots Bennett, Dr Laura...it's the right-wing scolds who've been having all the good times. I dread even contemplating what kind of perversions Ann Coulter is up to. *shudder*

But thank God that Tommy Chong is off the streets.

[Ned]

I just checked Rush's site. He has an "essential stack of stuff" section with articles on various topics. There is no section for drugs. There's no article, in more than 100 on the page, that is related to drugs.

I have been listening to Rush Limbaugh for years. I don't recall a single statement of his on drugs. Although I don't listen to Rush Limbaugh every day, nor do I listen to his entire show when I do, I just do not remember him ever saying that he advocates that first-time drug users be imprisoned. To the extent that press reports indicated he did say this, they attribute a quote from 1995, years before he became addicted.

If Rush is really a hypocrite, it would be because he was arguing for penalties for people abusing drugs at the exact same time he himself was abusing him. As I said, I personally do not recall Rush ever addressing the topic of drug abuse and penalties, at least not in recent years.

I do not doubt that he has talked about medical marijuana use in a sarcastic manner. I think it is sarcasm went to the issue of genuineness of the medical use.

The statement that he constantly argued for jail time for drug abusers is not supported by anything on his site or anything that I can recall personally.

I also submit to you, that even if he had these positions in the past, he will not have them in the future. I believe he will see drug addiction as a true medical problem. People on the left will probably now see a champion on the right for moderation when pursuing drug offenders. This has got to help their cause.

Also, think about this. To the extent that Rush's audience would have advocated jail time for first-time drug abusers, they will no longer do so given that their hero himself as a drug addict.

[Berzerker]

Mindseye -

Berzerker, next time you're in Shanghai, do stop by for a smoke.

I'd have to be abducted before I found myself in Shanghai

Ned -

I just do not remember him ever saying that he advocates that first-time drug users be imprisoned.

Read the thread, it has some quotes. I've heard him comment on drugs and how he feels about those "maggot infested pot smokers".

To the extent that press reports indicated he did say this, they attribute a quote from 1995, years before he became addicted.

According to Oedo (or was it Clem or someone else), the quote about sending more white drug users up the river to balance out blacks and other minorities was from a ~year ago.

If Rush is really a hypocrite, it would be because he was arguing for penalties for people abusing drugs at the exact same time he himself was abusing him.

No, he could have been arguing for those penalties from decades past, not just contemperaneous use. The only way he could avoid the charge of hypocrisy was if he did a 180 when he began using drugs and advocated legalisation or leniency.

I do not doubt that he has talked about medical marijuana use in a sarcastic manner. I think it is sarcasm went to the issue of genuineness of the medical use.

Sarcasm designed to demean people using pot for it's medicinal properties and the movement to legalise medicinal pot. Sorry, I don't believe for one minute Rush cares about the genuineness or efficacy of medicinal pot... He seems to take positions based on where the liberals are, no detectable principles at play.

The statement that he constantly argued for jail time for drug abusers is not supported by anything on his site or anything that I can recall personally.

Your lack of knowledge is not evidence.

I also submit to you, that even if he had these positions in the past, he will not have them in the future. I believe he will see drug addiction as a true medical problem.

Wanna bet? He's been a vocal supporter of the drug war even during his years of drug use.

People on the left will probably now see a champion on the right for moderation when pursuing drug offenders. This has got to help their cause.

That would be true if he isn't an unapologetic hypocrite, don't hold your breath. I used to think Rush had a semblance of honor but this revelation and his expressed desire to help authorities go after his suppliers is calling even that into question. He truly will be a rat if he tries to get others caught...

Also, think about this. To the extent that Rush's audience would have advocated jail time for first-time drug abusers, they will no longer do so given that their hero himself as a drug addict.

That would ascribe consistency to them as well... But he isn't a "first time abuser", he's been using for years. He's a first timer wrt the courts only...

[Ned]

This is the only quote of which I am aware that cites Rush on drug users. It is dated 1995.

""Drug use, some might say, is destroying this country. And we have laws against selling drugs, pushing drugs, using drugs, importing drugs. ... And so if people are violating the law by doing drugs, they ought to be accused and they ought to be convicted and they ought to be sent up," Limbaugh said on his short-lived television show on Oct. 5, 1995."

http://apnews.excite.com/article/200...D7U43G0G0.html

I don't buy the hypocrisy argument until someone can get a verify quote from recent times.

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by Theben
and now I could swear that Bezerker is almost defending the left?!?

Considering the fact that he is a libertarian, why is that considered odd in a drug thread?

[Q Classic]

vee, and other rightists defending rush:

what did you think of clinton's potsmoking?

[Kuciwalker]

Just because someone is a hypocrite doesn't mean he is wrong. Not that I'm saying he is or he isn't; I'm just pointing out that his hypocrisy doesn't affect the logic (or lack thereof; I personally haven't heard them) of his arguments. To say so is an ad hominim fallacy.

[The Mad Monk]

Originally posted by Q Cubed
vee, and other rightists defending rush:

what did you think of clinton's potsmoking?

Personally? Nonissue.

Politically? Fun to bash him with.

[The Mad Monk]

Originally posted by uh Clem
Limbaugh, Slots Bennett, Dr Laura...it's the right-wing scolds who've been having all the good times. I dread even contemplating what kind of perversions Ann Coulter is up to. *shudder*

But thank God that Tommy Chong is off the streets.

You're so bitter.

[Q Classic]

was it a non-issue? truthfully? or did you enjoy using it as a weapon to destroy his credibility and call him a hypocrite?

[The Mad Monk]

I never used it as a weapon myself, I just chuckled at the battle royales going on over it at the time. I mean, please -- "I never inhaled"?

[The Mad Monk]

You just don't leave yourself open like that.

Say you did it straight up, or leave it lie.

[Q Classic]

true, that's one thing that rush has over clinton's weasling.

but the point remains. if you were a member of the group that so vociferously attacked clinton's use of marijuana, in regards to the left's attack on rush right now, you should sit down and shut the **** up because nobody likes a mother-****ing hypocrite.

boy, does that feel good to say.

of course, nobody in that crowd is going to do that, because rush has a valid excuse while clinton was a draft-dodging ninny.

[Static Universe]

Originally posted by Q Cubed

of course, nobody in that crowd is going to do that, because rush has a valid excuse while clinton was a draft-dodging ninny.

Since when is a bump on the ass a valid excuse?

Edit: regarding Rush's draft-dodging, that it.

[MrFun]

Didn't Rush Limdumb say several times in the past that all drug-addicts ought to be locked up??

Well now, I'm sure he won't mine being locked up -- you know, just to be consistent with his "superior morality" bullsh*t??

[Q Classic]

i don't care what rush's excuse is. or what his rightist defenders excuse is. or his compatriot cheerleaders, for whom anybody on the right can do no wrong, because, surpise surprise, they're always right, unlike those slanderous liberals who never use logic and hate america. really, i don't give a damn.

he did drugs. those painkillers are prescription for a reason--they're highly addictive; some are actually synthetic opiates/opiate-derived--that's why they're so addictive. guess why oxycontin is called hillbilly heroin? because oxycontin contains opiates, much like heroin.
he got addicted. he wanted more. he broke the law to get more. it's that plain and simple.

now, he probably won't go to jail. why? one could argue it's because of the relaxed-penalty supporters, but if you want the plain and simple truth, it'll be because of who he is. he's rich. he's famous. he's got powerful friends. he can hire the best lawyers money can buy. politics will have very little to do with it, unless he decides to take the route so many other drug addicts are forced to take: i.e., the public defender. which, and i doubt you'll disagree, he won't do.

when he gets through this, and he gets back on the air, as he will, he just might have changed his mind about addicts. sad, isn't it, how a lot of rightist blowhards soften their stance only when it hits home: look at cheney and gay rights, much to the aggravation of the evangelical right.

i suppose it's pointless to tell the left to stfu and take the high road, and not attack rush during this time. i also suppose it's pointless to tell his sycophants and colleagues to stfu and take a good hard look at themselves: if they *****ed at all about clinton, or any other leftist about drug use, they have no ****ing right to complain about the left tearing rush apart here--they need to get off of their ****ing moral high-horse, because they are surely not holier-than-they.

i suppose it's too much to ask from anyone at all to just stfu, pray for that sorry-assed bastard, and hope that he gets off of that disgusting habit. taking joy in someone else's sickness...

[TCO]

I doubt that most people in this situation would go to jail. I'm no Rush fan (Today's Tom Sawyer) but I don't really care much about this deal. I think he's also had a live-in gf (he shared that on KFI once). I don't really care unless he says that its ok for him and not for others or the like.

[Jack_www]

I have heard that people addicted to the pain killers that Rush was addicted to have lost their hearing. I think that this was the real reasion behind Rush's hearing loss. But the few times I have heard him on the radio as of late he has not really been disscussing the drug issue, and focus more on politics. Yes he may be a hypocrite when it comes to drug issue, but does not mean what he has said is correct or not correct.

[Berzerker]

TCO -

I don't really care unless he says that its ok for him and not for others or the like.

He did exactly that in an interview for Playboy a few years back.

Static -

Since when is a bump on the ass a valid excuse?

Edit: regarding Rush's draft-dodging, that it.

That was a cyst which, coincidently, did not prevent him from playing high school football but did prevent him from "defending his country" from the N Vietnamese.

Ned -

I don't buy the hypocrisy argument until someone can get a verify quote from recent times.

You aren't reading the thread, at least one quote has already been given from a year ago. Back when I listened to Rush 4-5 years ago he expressed support for not only the drug war but "getting tough" on many occasions. You haven't been watching the media much these past few days either since a number of quotes have been offered to establish the fact that Rush is and has been a vocal proponent of the drug war.

[TCO]

Originally posted by Berzerker
TCO -

He did exactly that in an interview for Playboy a few years back.

quote it. Net, net. I haven't heard much from him on this issue. Nor have I ever heard him taut himself.

BTW, you are a doper.

[Berzerker]

Yes he may be a hypocrite when it comes to drug issue, but does not mean what he has said is correct or not correct.

He is a hypocrite, and that's what we're discussing, not if the drug war is correct. But this matter does expose more than Limbaugh's hypocrisy, it also exposes the hypocrisy of many who support the drug war. Now we hear 'tough on crime' conservatives expressing compassion for addicts because one of their own is an addict. And what happened to "drug users support terrorists"? Was Rush making this argument while he was using illegal drugs? hmm...the government and many of his friends and allies were making that argument...

[Berzerker]

TCO - I did quote him, stop doing one arm curls with Bud and read the thread.

[Jack_www]

Originally posted by Berzerker


He is a hypocrite, and that's what we're discussing, not if the drug war is correct. But this matter does expose more than Limbaugh's hypocrisy, it also exposes the hypocrisy of many who support the drug war. Now we hear 'tough on crime' conservatives expressing compassion for addicts because one of their own is an addict. And what happened to "drug users support terrorists"? Was Rush making this argument while he was using illegal drugs? hmm...the government and many of his friends and allies were making that argument...

I was just pointing that out because a lot of people like to attack people instead of the issues. As for Rush I dont know what should happen to him. I dont think he will have an easy time kicking his addiction to pain killers. I heard that he has tried to get off of them twice before and failed. I have heard a lot of radio talk show hosts hopping for the best for him, because they know him personaly and Rush helped them in the bussiness. Others that dont know him have been going over the issue a lot.

With the "drug users usport terrorist" this is mainly the case with cociane and other type drugs. And Rush is not addicted to cociane, he his addicted to precription drugs. I have also heard conservatives talk show host condeming Rush for what he has done.

[Berzerker]

Jack -

With the "drug users usport terrorist" this is mainly the case with cociane and other type drugs. And Rush is not addicted to cociane, he his addicted to precription drugs. I have also heard conservatives talk show host condeming Rush for what he has done.

He was buying black market prescription drugs, so who knows where they came from. You can buy oxycontin from Pakistan etc... and you can rest assured Rush wasn't trying to make sure the drugs he bought came straight from Pfizer. And we don't see terrorists from Colombia/Bolivia bombing us here so that was the government's attempt to link the situation in S America to Al Qaeda. And it is highly dis-ingenuous for US politicians to try and blame Americans who use cocaine for events in Colombia. The US has blackmailed Colombia into waging our drug war, so the results of that drug war lie at the doorstep of the politicians, not Americans who use cocaine.

[rah]

/threadjack/
Berz, up for a game later?
/end threadjack/

[Dis]

white people should go to jail for drugs, but minorities shouldn't.

Rush should be in jail.

He is a hypocrite.

Sure we are talking pain killers here. He's not a crackhead. But saying he's better because he doesn't take crack might be deemed racist. He is a junkie who just happens to use a higher class of drugs. He doesn't use white trash drugs.

[Q Classic]

well, i dunno. oxycontin abuse is high in rural areas of the south.

rednecks are often confused, and indeed, synonymous, with white trash.

thus, one could argue rush was using white trash drugs, but not inner city black drugs.