Rush Limbaugh admitted at the end of his program today that he is addicted to pain medication and is checking himself into rehab for the next 30 days (on my blog I've pulled together some of the coverage).…
"A sinister cabal of superior writers."
Rush in rehab - Comments Page 2
Article comments
26 - Eric Olsen
DP, I appreciate your respect - thank you. I think what you are seeing differently here is that while his drug use may have begun legitimately - it often does - but the insidious part is that the use hangs on, becomes a part of a person's life, and may take over that person's life. Rush had the advantage of plenty of cash to fund his dependency - he didn't have to turn to crime - but I think you are down-playing its effect on him - it may have caused his hearing loss. I fail to see how his addiction is any more admirable or qualitatively different from the drug use he rails about. It's kind of a Roy Cohn-ish type situation as I see it.
Of course I simplified his audience - it is much more varied than "dittoheads" - but it is the dittoheads who are his core audience, upon which the empire is built, and they do seem to take him as pretty close to the fount of all wisdom. I sense some serious cognitive dissonanace in dittohead land until they get their cue from Rush how to assimilate this blockbuster.
Rush is talented, smart, spirited, funny, if also pompous and self-righteous. He can come out of this fine if he uses it to become a more empathetic, compassionate, and humble person - otherwise the hypocrite label will his scarlet letter.
27 - DP
Eric, actually he did turn to crime, at least allegedly. And if the drug caused his ears to be blown out, then that was a self-destructive "insidious" effect of addiction. I don't really feel comfortable defending the man, but I stand by my assertion that his drug abuse is not the type of societal detrimental drug abuse he railed against.
28 - Natalie Davis
Hmmm. Do suffering patients who use marijuana to ease their ills get the same pass as Rush appears to be getting so far? Nope. Is what they do insidious? I think not.
29 - Barney
Rush is a lying, cowardly, pill-popping racist twit and I'm not going to listen to him anymore. He's let me and all his listeners down. It's time to find another voice. He's had it. I don't want to hear his excuses. He's in rehab because he got caught. Otherwise, he'd be back at his mansion sucking down scotch and oxycontin. To hell with him. He's like the guy in "Face in the Crowd," getting rich on preaching abstinence and damnation, while he's backstage licking Vicodin powder off his sleeve.
30 - DP
Natalie, actually I think most chemo-therapy patients who smoke pot do get a pass. It's a fairly common practice. I don't think most prosecutors, who are elected officials, care to expose themselves to the public wrath it would inspire, even if they are hard hearted. Of course there are some ass-cops who will roust them and take their baggie away.
The only insidious effect of Rushs' drug abuse I acknowledged was if it caused him to lose his hearing. That's just an allegation. I remember hearing about some natural cause for this, some sort of disease or something. Otherwise, he appeared to function splendidly- the radio show, speaking engagements, and his stint on ESPN before liberal fascist oppressors moved quickly to silence him for having a simple reasoned, but forbidden, opinion. A strong case, I think, for decriminalization.
You know, I'm not a big Rush fan or apoligist, I listen occaisonally and generally agree with his arguments as he presents them, but I get political overload from him. What I find amusing here is the hate he inspires from people who are too arrogant to acknowledge they are hateful (not you Natalie). It tickles me to read something like: He should have his eyes gouged out as he's gang raped in prison, but I pray for his recovery and world peace.
31 - Natalie Davis
In truth, DP, many patients are arrested and jailed for seeking relief. About a year ago, there was a huge row in California over DEA agents rounding up folks in wheelchairs and such. I am pro-legalization in every sense, but particularly when it comes to medical-marijuana patients. There are some law-enforcement types who will look the other way (goddess bless 'em), but the federal government is zealous in enforcing its war on (some) drugs and a plant, no matter who gets hurt.
I recently finished reading a book called Prescription Pot, which focuses on George McMahon, one of the seven remaining legal medical-marijuana users in the nation. As I've been doing a ton of writing over the past couple days, I am waiting for motivation to strike, but the moment it does, I will post a review. His story -- which includes anecdotes about the ill treatment he still receives from law-enforcement officials despite the fact that he gets his pot rations from the feds -- is one that should be heard.
32 - Eric Olsen
Perhaps the best good that can come from this is the spotlight on how Rush is treated - 30 days in therapy for now - for a raging criminal addiction lasting five years, and how Tommy Chong is treated - nine months in federal prison - for selling bongs and sundry paraphernalia over the Internet. Skewed much?
33 - Phillip Winn
I wonder how many of the folks on Capitol Hill listen to Rush. Sometimes I suspect quite a few do. Perhaps (I'm ever hopeful) a few freshman Reps will wise up on the ridiculousness of the "war on drugs". Probably not, and it seems that the folks on Capitol Hill are against decriminalization/legalization regardless of party affiliation, but it would be a start.
34 - Ellen Dyke
It seems to me that one of the great flaws in human reasoning is that we tend to categorize people. Label them right-wing, liberal, Democratic, Republican, fundamentalist, etc. One or two stated opinions and people assume to know you. Has there ever been a public figure that hasn't been fit into a box by what he/she says or does? What about walk a mile in someone's shoes to know them? Has there ever been a public figure that hasn't fallen under the "wanting to see fail" scrutiny of so many who purport to know better or have the right answer? I want to view people with compassion (how does that label me?) and be open to the fact that I could be wrong in my opinions. I do appreciate the variety of views out there, but feel sorry for those who are so willing to viciously attack when they haven't looked at how ugly they are themselves.
35 - Natalie Davis
Ah yes, the "I'll worry about the log in my own eye" theory. A wise one, that.
36 - Kevin Martin
JUST SO I GET THIS CORRECT, FOR SOME YEARS HE’S BEEN IN SO MUCH FRICKIN PAIN HE HAS TO CHOW DOWN 30-40 OXYS A DAY TO MAKE LIFE LIVABLE ENOUGH TO SIT AT THE GOLDEN EIB MIKE & TELL EVERYONE HIS SCORE FROM HIS LAST GOLF GAME. THAT IS A JUNKIE NOT AN ACCIDENTAL ADICT. ALSO IF HE’S BEEN THROUGH REHAB TWICE HE’S NOT A 1ST OFFENDER. I THINK A CIGAR BOX FILLED WITH NARCOTICS WOULD QUALIFY YOU AS A DEALER, MABEY EVEN A TERRORIST. BUT WHEN HE GETS OUT WILL THE FEDS CONFISCATE HIS HOUSE OR CARS, I DOUBT IT…I WOULD HAVE MORE COMPASSION IF HE TOLD THE TRUTH, BUT WHY SHOULD HE CHANGE NOW? I AM INTERESTED TO FIND OUT
37 - The Theory
i am more interested in seeing your caps lock key un-pressed.
38 - MCH
"If Rush doesn't come out against the drug war after all of this, he's cooked. If he does, he might still be cooked. Hypocrisy is a dangerous thing. Ask Newt Gingrich."
- Phillip Winne, #20, Oct. 11, 2003
Escaping the frying pan, Lardbaugh is more hypocritical than ever, as his fortune continues to grow, almost three years later...