A Message To Conservatives: "Your Silence About Rush Limbaugh Is Deafening."

MichaelGraham.com ^ | 12/24/03 | Michael Graham

[suspects]

A NOTE TO MY FELLOW CONSERVATIVES:

Your silence regarding Rush Limbaugh is excruciating.

I like Rush, too, and given that he and I have the same employer, I'm not exactly improving my career prospects by being consistent. It's a bad habit I picked up after years of listening to, and admiring, Rush Limbaugh.

And if we learned the lessons of Limbaugh (individual responsibility and the rule of law), how can we now agree to "Clintonize" ourselves defending him? A drug addiction is one thing, but blackmail? He's allowed himself to be blackmailed for years--the same years he was rightly pounding the stuffing out of the Clintons? And now he claims he's the victim of a politically-motivated prosecution?

What's next: "The b**** set me up?"

Of all the disappointing decisions Rush has made, these last two are the most disheartening. Consider for a moment what blackmail is: An admission that you know what you're doing is wrong.

The decision to fork over the cash is just that--a decision. It can't be any less difficult to make that decision than to decide to, say, go to your lawyer, spill your guts and spend a month in detox at Charter. So why not choose to do the RIGHT thing?

But that's not what Rush chose to do. He chose instead to continue, for years, to do the wrong thing and then--after he was caught--blame the consequences on the vast, left-wing conspiracy. As Rush himself said very wisely and correctly when Jim Carville made the same argument defending President O.J., "It doesn't matter what Ken Starr's politics are if you're innocent."

Bill Clinton wasn't an innocent victim of political vendettas. He was a perjurer and obstructer of justice who blamed others for his own lack of character and its consequences.

Which means, my fellow conservatives, that Rush Limbaugh is....?

I'm sorry, I can't seem to hear you. It must be that deafening silence again.

[nicmarlo]

See my posts 99 and 117.

[NeoCaveman]

A Message To Conservatives: "Your Silence About Rush Limbaugh Is Deafening."

Sorry. I will try to be more vocal in my support of Rush Limbaugh

[uncbob]

unlike Rush who has admitted to being an addict of legal PRESCRIPTION!!! drugs for a legitimate, extremely painful medical problem?

Admiited on his own on maybe on the advice of his lawyer who also told him to get his butt into rehab so if a court case comes up he can show his treatment as way of influencing any court decision ( which would probably have included mandatory rehab )

In addition he has stated he took the drugs in private because he wanted to completely enjoy THE HIGH by himself

You have not heard him say I couldn't stop taking the drugs because the pain was too intense he said HIGH

[TigersEye]

Funny way to characterise holding our represenatives up to standards.

I don't know what district you're in to have Rush as one of your representatives by mine are Leahy, Jeffords and Sanders. I wouldn't mind having Rush.

[Lazamataz]

Neil Boortz put out a (libetarian) challenge to listeners to name one person who was harmed by Rush.

His wife.

[VRWC_minion]

So you........and some others here........see no difference whatsoever between someone like Rush who gets hooked on legal pain killers (and you know why he took them initially) and some heroine junkie on the street, right?

not really. Both are destroying thier lives and hurting their loved ones with their behaviors. Money or lack of it doesn't change anything neither does the reason someone got hooked. Your junkie on the street might have become an unwitting addict and didn't do it intentially either. The cause doesn't affect the current reality.

[Ima Lurker]

1)If you're being blackmailed, then you're the victim.

Apparently not if you are a powerful conservative.

Rush has no one to blame for his troubles but himself. However, even the most jaded liberal has to admit there is a huge difference in becoming addicted to prescription pain medication and becoming addicted to cocaine, etc.

[uncbob]

I wonder about the hypocrisy of the drug warriors who probably drink themselves as they advocate long prison sentences for harmless MJ users.

Don't waste your time trying to show these people the hypocrisy of their actions they are as bad as the democrats I know who are against Gay Marriage- Abortion--Affirmative action etc etc but still vote democrat
You can't show them their ilogical position either

[ampat]

Silence silence, what silence. He's been all over the news and talk shows. From liberal to conservative media. Silence? BS.

[GodBlessRonaldReagan]

Well, he's sure pimping it here at every opportunity!

[uncbob]

Unlike Clinton, Rush is an ENTERTAINER,

And here I thought he was THE MAJORITY MAKER a title conferred upon him by the incoming GOP majority in the house in 94

A tiltle he often boasted of having

Therefore he is a person of GREAT influence

[longtermmemmory]

This is a BS article. Is this an attempt to "same as" legacy repair for clinton from bizarro land?

Rush admitted his adiction and sought treatment. Clinton was a lawyer and a public official and had a history of misconduct that caught up with him.

Rush's adiction is itself not an illegal status nor is he an elected official.

[BraveMan]

Dear Michael Graham,

When the liberals pillorize the housekeeper as they did Linda Tripp, I'll get back to you.

Cordially,

BraveMan

[TigersEye]

Only AFTER he got addicted ( he admitted he didn't want to call attention to the subject) Before that he did take on the drug users and called them POT HEADS MAGGOT INFESTED etc etc and said put them in Jail

So we can put you down as another one who sees a moral equivalence between smoking rope for kicks and an addiction to narcotics that your doctor suggested would help you. I guess there should be a legal equivalence too ... but where is it? When was the last time someone's medical records were subpoenaed for trial in a possession case for Rx or illegal drugs?

[uncbob]

The parents of the children who bought bongs from him?

Yeah right as if their kids ain't still going to be able to buy POT or WORSE BOOZE

[zeugma]

I think we should all give Rush the same understanding and sympathy that we know he would extend to anyone else that was found to be addicted to drugs and buying them illegally for years...

You are absolutely dead on with that. It made me laugh out loud. Rush is the poster boy for the phrase "hoist by his own petard".

[BibChr]

You know, I love it when one of the first responses to a thought-provoking article is a really good response.

Too often, a good thread a thread gets off to a bad start because a bunch of knot-headed jackasses spew off their molten jackassery.

You have accomplished the former, and whatever follows, I really doubt it has improved on your succint, right-on-target statement:

"I might say more if I actually knew something about it..."

Well done.

Dan

[Matchett-PI]

Guillermo: "We've hardly been 'silent.' There has been a ton of posts on here alone in support of Rush."

For good reason, too.

In addition to the transcript I'm providing below, I will also be transcribing an interview John Kasich (sitting in for O'Reilly last night) had with former US Attorney, Kendall Coffey, of Miami. (Coffey is one of the guys who went to Tallahassee to help Algore in his efforts to steal the election from GWB in 2000. Some of us Florida Freepers were there when he was, and I have the videotape of C-Span's coverage of our FReep, too, BTW. :)

Tuesday, 12-23-03 Aprox 5:30 PM EDT Sean Hannity Radio Show - Transcribed by me from my audiotape.

Host: Curtis Slewa {sp?), sitting in for Hannity.

Guest: Mark Levin of the Landmark Legal Foundation.

Curtis: "..Now, Mark, on the matter of Rush Limbaugh, we heard him on his nationally syndicated show respond to what his attorney Roy Black had said about the Palm Beach District Attorney's office and their on-going investigation. It's very confusing to me, and I think most folks listening from afar, because of the nature of us not really knowing what's going on. Can you try to bisect it and dissect it for us?"

Mark: "OK. This hasn't been discussed in any detail by all these meatheads on TV, and it's very upsetting to me. I secured a copy of the transcript of the hearing and I want to walk you through this briefly. But there are very, very important points that haven't been made public, that are in the public record! OK?

Number one: The Florida Constitution creates a fundamental right to privacy, in article one, section three.

Unlike the US Constitution, in which every Liberal tries to find a right to privacy, Florida actually creates one in black and white, OK? It has a statute that creates a doctor-patient priviledge, OK? This becomes a fundamental right under article one, section three, twenty three of the Florida Constitution.

Number three: There's a three-part test that has to be met before you can get a search warrant. The test, in my opinion, was not met. The difference between a search warrant and a subpoena is this; a search warrrant, you're concerned -- prosecutors are, law enforcement is -- that the evidence might disappear, so you might want to get a breathalizer test right away. You might want to look for something right away. But doctor's records??

As opposed to a subpoena, where the party being subpoena'd, or the party being targeted has a right to intervene, seek court, ah, seek a hearing, before they can actually seize the documents. At no other time, in the history of Palm Beach County, has a search warrant been issued in this manner against somebody who was addicted to pain killers -- against somebody who went into rehab.

So, what is it that they're investigating? Let me put it to you this way, Curtis, first we read the leak about money laundering, right?"

Curtis: "Yes"

Mark: "Then they asked the New York authorities, 'Are you investigating money laundering?' 'No'.

Curtis, interrupting: "Right -- Attorney General, Elliot Spitzer, who's a pit bull on almost every issue, said, 'No, we're not looking into this at all'"

Mark: "And no fan of Rush Limbaugh's, I'm sure."

Curtis: "No, not at all. Nor of Sean Hannity, I might add."

Mark: "Then we heard about a drug ring. What happened to the drug ring this DA was investigating? Then we heard about this maid who was all over the National Enquirer. Does anyone know where this maid is? 'Cause I haven't read any reporter who's interviewed her., or her drug-pushing husband. Where is he?"

Cyrtis: "Alright now, on that matter -- ah, there were media reports today in which Roy Black was talking about the blackmail -- the actual blackmail. Ah, what penalties exist for that in the State of Florida, that the maid and her husband might be subject to?"

Mark: "There are extortion penalties in every State. Those are very, very serious crimes. I don't know why this DA is standing on its heels or sitting on its tukkas (sp?). Now, hold on, I just want to make a point."

Curtis: "Sure."

Mark: "Let's talk about these four doctors. This is critical. Roy Black layed this out the other day, and not a single media outlet picked it up, Curtis. They accused Rush of 'doctor shopping'. That's the big crime they're looking for, OK? Now listen to this. Two of the doctors are Dr. Drurer (sp?), and Dr. D'Zeil (sp?). Alright?"

Curtis: "Yes."

Mark: "They say Rush would go to Dr. Drurer and then would go to Dr. D'Zeil, or D'Zeil, and then go to Drurer, and somehow shop doctors in order to get prescriptions, OK?

Curtis: "Ah huh."

Mark: "What their affidavit to their search warrant did not say, is that these doctors both worked at the same surgery center -- the Jupiter Outpatient Surgery Center -- and not only that, as Black pointed out, Drurer was only filling in for D'Zeil when he was available to issue the prescriptions to Rush. There is no doctor shopping between these two judges -- I mean doctors.

Want to hear the third doctor? He's Dr. Del'a Cruz (sp?), of Los Angeles. He works at the House Ear Clinic. Rush went there, because six months prior to losing his hearing, he sought treatment. And then he was treated by another physician, who was there for his hearing loss - ah - that's it! That's the doctor shopping they got!

Now, no judge hearing this before this search warrant went through, would have accepted the argument that there, on its face, that there was a potential violation of this so-called "doctor shopping" statute."

Curtis: "All right. Well you've answered most of the questions that I know I and others had as there continues to be comments from Black who is representing Rush Limbaugh. I appreciate your insights Mark Levin."

A Pharmacist named "Herb" then calls in, and Curtis questions him about what he is required to do (in the way of reporting it to the authorities) if he suspects someone may be "doctor shopping" in order to obtain more and more prescription drugs.

Mark Levin then called back in to the show.

Curtis: "Alright, well Herb, on the line, we actually have counsel. Ah, Mark Levin -- we had just heard from him -- wanted to just engage you on something you said. Are you there Mark?"

Mark: "Yes. Yeah, here's the problem, Herb."

Herb: "Ah huh."

Mark: "They're investigating 'doctor shopping', OK? You're saying, 'well the real legal problem is, they are investigating 'doctor shopping'. Now why do you think they're doing that?

Herb: "They are investigating it, or they aren't?"

Mark: "Yes. They ARE."

Herb: "Well, because basically, to me as a pharmacist, I would say this person who was doing the doctor shopping, has a big problem."

Mark: "No, no, that's not why. Because the entire other part of their so-called case, doesn't exist any more.

The maid sold her story. The maid was an alleged extortionist. The maid's husband was a convicted drug pusher. Where is this drug ring? Where is the money laundering? Those are all apparently, dead ends.

So now, they are doing what we call, 'paper shopping' by looking at these doctor's records. And if you heard what I said earlier on this program, you would have heard the backgrounds of these four doctors, and how on its face, it's absurd."

Herb: "Well, you know, anywhere in the United States, unfortunately, you can always find physicians -- there is always those few rotten apples in the barrel ..."

Mark (interrupting): "But Herb, you've switched positions. You called Curtis and you said, that's not the issue, who wrote prescriptions' - but where did he buy the drugs?"

Herb: "Right."

Mark: "I just explained to you why that door's locked. And now you're coming back around the corner and you're trying to argue, there's a few doctors out there who will always write prescriptions -- that's NOT "doctor shopping".

Herb: "Well, let me just say, I'm not a lawyer. I don't know all the intricacies of what you're saying as far as physcians, but my position is, that, and I listen to Rush quite often .."

Mark (interrupting): "I'll tell you what was said in court... I'll tell you what was said in court ...."

Herb (interrupting): "No, no, my position is, that it was very poor judgement on Rush's part to go ahead with this thing. I don't care if... "

Mark (interrupting): "I think everybody knows that. Rush got a addicted to pain killers. Now, we're beyond the (garbled ?lecturing?). He went to rehab. This prosecutor apparently has never gone after a first-time addict after he's gone to rehab. You don't have to be a lawyer to figure this out. You don't have to be a pharmacist to figure this out."

Curtis: "All aright Mark, I'm going to have to let you and Herb go now .."

Mark: "Alright. My honor."

[alnick]

The parents of the children who bought bongs from him? Yeah right as if their kids ain't still going to be able to buy POT or WORSE BOOZE

A responsible parent wouldn't want their children buying booze, pot, or bongs.

[uncbob]

not really. Both are destroying thier lives and hurting their loved ones with their behaviors. Money or lack of it doesn't change anything neither does the reason someone got hooked. Your junkie on the street might have become an unwitting addict and didn't do it intentially either. The cause doesn't affect the current reality.

Very true BUT I have seen this more often in the case of ALCOHOLICS who are more numerous than non liquid drug addicts