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FreeRepublic , LLC PO BOX 9771 FRESNO, CA 93794
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Posted on 10/11/2003 6:46:30 PM PDT by Destro
Rush to jail?
Posted: October 11, 2003
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com
So Rush has publicly admitted he's "addicted to prescription pain medication," confirming details of a story broken by the National Enquirer last week.
If he was true to his word, following his broadcast yesterday, the nation's top talker checked himself into a 30-day drug rehab program to shake his monkey.
Beyond his personal support of the drug war, the most intriguing aspect of Rush's current problem is that, since Nixon declared war on "public enemy No. 1" in 1972, conservatives of various stripes have been the biggest boosters of the policy.
Working tirelessly to expand state and federal powers to go after dealers and users, right-wing drug warriors lobbied hard for strict sentences and tough penalties. If people wouldn't stop using drugs on their own, the government was going to force them. A drug-free America was the end, and zero tolerance was the means.
But think about this, you who are conservatives and so vigorously support the war on drugs: Would you really like to see the legal thumbscrews tightened on Rush Limbaugh – a man admiringly thought of by millions as the leading conservative icon in this country – the way you so enthusiastically insist for other violators of the nation's drug laws?
I have no clue how the current police investigation into Limbaugh's situation will turn out, but regardless of the legal facts of the case and given that he's confessed it himself, would you like to see Rush in jail?
Would you feel a) terrible if he ended up behind bars; or b) proud that justice had been done, that yet another drug abuser was locked away from the society that he could so easily harm with his pernicious addiction?
It's easy to forget that Justice is blind. But while that scarf is tied so tightly over her eyes, Justice weighs friends and coworkers, sons and daughters, husbands and wives in her scales. She weighs our heroes and icons, and she doesn't give a hoot about the circumstances of someone's illegal drug use or his ideology, only that he is breaking the law.
The rule of law is a sword that cuts both ways, but if this sword whacks Rush, it will only prove that – despite his own support over the years – it shouldn't be swinging at all.
What possible good could incarcerating Rush Limbaugh accomplish? Would his life, professional or personal, be better off?
Would jail time help his show improve, or his newsletter get better? After 15 years of excellence, surpassing all expectations, proving himself to be the most skilled radio talent in history, it'd be hard to imagine. Consumers of Rush's entertaining and enlightening product have been more than well served over the years. I've been listening to Rush for almost half my life – not half my adult life, half my total life. Drugs didn't destroy his productive output.
The same isn't true for what jail can do. Ask former Congressman James Traficant.
What about his relationship with his family, friends and wife? Stopping Rush's addictive behavior might be a very positive thing in his personal life, but isn't that a matter best left decided among the immediate parties? Outsiders shouldn't step in and forcibly work to improve or salvage personal relationships with regard to finances or hygiene or character flaws. Why drugs?
Taking drugs is a choice – just like making an investment or, for a more negative image, gambling. But as long as Rush isn't harming anyone with his decisions, then the government should stay out of it. Or, government should also step in and make sure hubby isn't poorly investing the family savings, that he flosses daily, and isn't so selfish. After all, pride and egotism (two things at least Rush's public persona isn't lacking) do far more damage to personal relationships than dope does.
And note that it's covetousness, not drug use, that wraps up the Ten Commandments. Jealousy and envy are far more dangerous to society than funny cigarettes or little blue pills. So if it makes sense to go after drugs in the effort to save society, then it's equally sensible to send cops to round up all the envy-pushers on Madison Ave. and in the halls of Congress.
Isn't it better to let Rush sort out this problem on his own – just as we let citizens deal with their own failings in other areas, leave him free to decide what needs fixing in his own life and take care of it?
And if that's true for Rush, then it's true for others. Millions of Americans do use or have used illegal drugs. Many do so with no negative consequences in their lives; they don't beat their kids, they perform acceptably at work, and they forget their spouse's birthday with no more frequency than the rest of us. But those that do have negative consequences from abuse – what sense does it make to heap more problems on their situation by jailing them or otherwise entangling them in the legal system?
They can lose their jobs, their public standing, sometimes their families. If they bring such calamity on themselves, that's unfortunate and tough. Life's full of bad news. But siccing the state on them to produce the same results is unconscionable. Using the government to bring ruin on someone's life when he is neither harming nor defrauding his neighbor is wrong – even if it is for his own good.
Rush has admitted to having relapsed in his "recovery" from addiction. He said he checked himself in two times before this most recent trip. Clearly this is ample evidence that Rush's problem is too complex for the ham-fisted force of law to solve.
Sometimes the state should just butt out of people's lives, and one of those times is when people are struggling with drugs.
Joel Miller is senior editor of WND Books. His own company, Oakdown Books, recently published "Drinking With Calvin and Luther! A History of Alcohol in the Church."
*I agree with about 70% of his his philosophy - it's the hubris-laden delivery that turns my stomach
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The testimony of a snitch — particularly one who has sold her story to a supermarket tabloid — is not enough to do it.
I have not heard that any search warrant was executed on Limbaugh's home or office in order to gather evidence to prove an offense has been committed.
Of course they wouldn't; they believe only liberal drug users and abusers should be thrown in the pokey, not conservative ones.
"Rush and Chong". Has a nice ring to it.
Miller makes some good points, but I don't get the harping on the right-wing as primary supporter of the Drug War. Most vocal and vociferous, perhaps, but the Drug War is a bi-partisan enterprise.
Not when the testimony of the snitch is the sole evidence in the case.
I know something of these matters and there must be convincing evidence that a crime has been committed.
The testimony of a snitch who has proven to be reliable in the past might be enough to justify a judge issuing a search warrent, but it is not enough of and by itself to gain a conviction.
The libertarian program is to kill the addicts by making drugs legal, cheaper and more readily available.
Rush: I was addicted to Oxycontin. Taking it illegaly. What are you in here for?
Chong: I sold glass, man.
Rush: Grass you say?
Chong: No man, glass with an L.
Well, Mr. Miller certainly is young and idealistic. Perhaps the insertion of the word "obvious" before "negative consequences" might make his statement a bit more congruent with the real world.
Should we take the libertarian approach and legalize drugs? It's a good question which can be argued well from both sides. What we need is time series region by region data (John Lott, where are you?) to correlate the effects of decriminalization with societal trends such as crime, productivity, wealth and poverty, etc. There is nothing like some good data to trump opinions.
It seems, however that those areas in Europe that have legalized drugs have had at best, mixed results from the experiement. (How is the economy in Amsterdan these days?)
So, what about Rush? Jail for him? Well, it seems unlikely that the circumstances of this case would lead to an arrest and prosecution. However, let's say that he had been arrested multiple times for possession of a controlled substance, and his attorney could not discredit the evidence, then probably yes. While the author is probably correct in assuming that incarceration would not have a benefit on Rush, it would serve as a deterrant to others.
My recent comments were that lower level drug pushers (heroin, meth, crack dealers) should be exiled for 10 years to 3rd world country of their choice and not be executed. Big marijuana dealers should be exiled and not get the death penalty. They too can opt for a 3rd world pesthole that has excellent growing conditions for pot and stay stoned to the gills.
If what Rush did is a crime punishable by prison time - yes. After a jury of his peers convict him.
The WOD will end when the 'peers' stop convicting.
An implantable device that 'dispenses' a local pain killer?
Implantable Pain Relief - www.superiorspine.com/pumps.htm
Implantable pain relieving devices are used in the Pain Center. When other treatments fail, these can work wonders for some people with chronic pain. There are two different types of implantable treatment: Infusion pumps and spinal cord stimulation.Infusion pumps are implanted under the skin and bathe painful nerves in a steady dose of pain reliever. The pump delivers the small, controlled amounts of pain medication, usually morphine, directly into the intrathecal space surrounding the spinal cord. The pump is refilled through a tiny tube inserted through the skin. Some patients who have switched to the pump after taking morphine pills are able to drive, socialize, shop and do all the things they enjoy doing.
Spinal cord stimulation is a technology often effective in treating back, leg and other lower extremity pain. An implantable stimulator emits tiny electrical pulses, similar in frequency to the pain impulses, that block pain messages to the brain. The pulses produce a tingling that blocks pain sensation.
Both types of implants can work wonders for cancer patients or patients with incurable chronic pain because they deliver relief directly to the pain receptors.
Not to be hard on him - after all, I named my 11mo kid Rush, but he should be subject to whatever kind of legal repercussions fall on the average shomo who gets hooked on pain killers and buys them underground for years (assuming they cam prove it).
Caught (busted) for possession means you have to be arrested with the drugs on you or in your car or house. This won't be happening with Rush Limbaugh, not this time around. If he gets back into drugs in the future this may happen.
Maybe Rush should skip the meds, the implants, and the doctors; find out the root cause - and visit a chiropractor.
Why do they always set up the premise for us, and a wrong one. I don't think conservatives are for throwing those addicted to drugs in jail - except possibly if they have been stealing to support their habbit.
Conservatives in favor of a war on drugs would most certainly not have the same compasion for a drug dealer. This consevatve thinks they should serve minimum 5 years on a first offense.
And there are conservatives that think it is none of the governments business if people want to use drugs.
The author has built up a straw man so he could knock it down. So typical when people try to explain the conservative viewpoint - somehow they are incapable of grasping it or they purposely distort it. I think the former.
According to reports she did that on her own and if this is the case the recordings aren't admissable in court.
As a general rule covert recording made without judicial oversight aren't compertent evidence.
Chong: Sorry man. My body is used to humus and tofu. This jail food don't settle right. I think I'll have a word with the warden about the menu.
(laughtrack)
Rush: You do that Tommy. While you are there, would you mind asking the warden if he could move out some of the weight equipment and put in a putting green.
(laughtrack)
Maybe not all, but certianly many, and certainly those who attain positions of power. Bill Benett, for example.
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