Rush Limbaugh: Open Line Friday [Confirms Some Aspects of Drug Story, Checking In To Rehab]

[I Am Not A Mod]

A thread for those listening to today's show.

[Dianna]

You got that right. I'd be telling a fib if I said that putting a bullet through my head didn't cross my mind while under attack. It's that serious.

I've never known pain like that. I couldn't possibly imagine how I might react to it. Hope you've gotten it all under control.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

Rush has in fact disclosed this and his difficulty with pain and meds in the past, although IMO he may not have fully inderstood the gravity of the situation 4-6 years ago.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

I think making a BIG TODOO over this overstates the "peril" Rush is in and it caters to conservatives' enemies.

Yes. But we should not underestimate the extremely difficult circumstances that Rush is in right now. For me and mine, prayers are lifted for this very "old" and magnificent soul.

[LloydofDSS]

The one thing I have always tried to teach my children is to respect and obey the law. Even if a law is "wrong" and "immoral" you still have to respect and obey it. Working hard for years and years to try and change the law does not mean you don't respect the law. In fact, working within the law to change it is a very high form of respect.

I have always admired Rush as a great spokesman for conservative values. When it is clear to everyone that he has routinely violated the law for years, while never lifting a finger to help change the law, it makes it hard for me to hold him up as a role model.

He said today he is not a good role model. I agree.

I have fought long and hard to end the war on drugs and try to restore freedom to our country. My biggest foes have been men like Rush and Bill Bennet. Men who claim to have a high regard for the law while they trample it into the ground. While I argue for freedom, I am called a "druggie" , yet I do not use any drugs. My foes fight to keep drugs illegal while they buy them on the black market.

It is a strange world.

[Dianna]

Does anyone remember if Rush ever mentioned back trouble and surgery? If not, that would be puzzling. That in itself would not be a thing to hide. It surely would have come up during his show at least in passing.

Someone on the various Rush threads this past week did mention Rush talking about back surgery. But no one seemed able to confirm that.

If it wasn't discussed on his program, I don't think he was necessarily hiding anything. Rush isn't a whiner. When talking about his hearing loss, he was rather upbeat about his prognosis and the outcome was good.

The back problem may have been more difficult for him because the outcome was lousy and it was painful. I imagine it would be hard to discuss without sounding angry or bitter.

[Rudder]

I regard Rush's effort to boost conservatism very highly. Having dealt with patients in Rush's predictament for years, I think he will be just fine in 1-2 months and in 6 months he will have trouble recalling his addictive cravings. This is quite far from being catastrophic... smoking cessation is much harder.

[Clock King]

You are so right. Rush at least showed TRUE humility. I rarely see such out of other hardcore drug addicts. They seem to have too much "street" in them, all pride, and haughtiness.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

IMO cravings can be distracted by a variety of means (exersize, etc.). Are you saying that quitting smoking is more difficult than quitting painkillers?

[gore3000]

Does anyone remember if Rush ever mentioned back trouble and surgery? If not, that would be puzzling. That in itself would not be a thing to hide. It surely would have come up during his show at least in passing.

Nope, but he did hide his problem with hearing for a long time, so I am not surprised that he would have hidden that also. Rush is a hard worker always was and if he took a lot of time (can't be sure that far back) then it was for good reason.

[ILBBACH]

ROFLMFAO!

[Rudder]

Absolutely. Smoking is one of the most difficult addictions to break and certainly far harder than quitting pain killers, including opiates. Go cold turkey on pain killers and in a few months cravings abate. Quit smoking and two years later cravings still obtain.

[truth_seeker]

"LE is interested in users and dealers alike. There are a ton of users-only in federal prison as we speak."

I'd be mighty curious where that information comes from.

In my state, drug possession, not for sale, would be a state offense, not federal, first of all.

And for a first offense, the defendant would most likely be sentenced to some fine, some probation and some kind of drug diversion program.

Maybe Florida is a real tough state, for first time offenders, for possession, not for sale. You tell me.

And be sure to dial me into how it gets to be a federal offense, federal prison.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

Smoking is one of the most difficult addictions to break and certainly far harder than quitting pain killers, including opiates.

It's hard to imagine, never having been a smoker. Wow.

[Libertarian Billy Graham]

There are a lot of roads to hell built on "good intentions." Alcohol prohibition was one of them. The drug war is another.

In fact there was little or nothing "good" about the intentions of America's 19th and early 20th century little old ladies who used the power of government alcohol prohibition as their tool to deal with their violent drunken husbands--nor should the intentions of today's modern Church Ladies and Soccer Moms ever be described as "good."

These Baptists and Busybodies are not mere well intentioned dupes tricked by knavish Bootleggers into establishing rackets for the Bootleggers to control. The prohibitionists are far greater criminals with more evil intentions than the street gangs and racketeers, because the prohibitionists commit crimes against our once sacred bills of rights.

[Rudder]

never having been a smoker. Wow.

Very fortunate for you. You don't know what you're not missing.

[Captain Culpepper]

thanks for starting this thread. Very important.

First, obviously, I will be praying for RUSH and his family. I read the thread earlier this week headed by "Rush is my Friend".. I agree with most of the sentiments there.

While I have had my disagreements- as has anyone with any independent thought- with RUSH- over the years- RUSH is unquestionable the epicenter of CONSERVATIVE THOUGHT over the past 15 years.

He is an original. Smart. Funny and too clever for his opponents. They never stood a chance.

And that is why they will try to rip him to shreds over the next coming days, weeks and months.. The liberalestablishmentmediademocrates will work overtime to paint all conservatives as "hypocrites" and paint RUSH as a "Holier than thou" figure. We know better.

We all... all of us who are not the "mind numbed robots" that Rush has correctly pointed out that the liberalestablishmentmediademocrats think we are- but aren't-- need to continue making the points, and fighting the fight we continue to fight.

Because the bottom line is that RUSH simply VALIDATED and gave a home to MOST of our opinions and made MOST of us realize that we are not alone in our Conservative views and actions.

Rush will be back. And as Ann Coulter said brilliantly and funny as usual tonight- just wait until Rush is out of Detox and is clean.. boy will he give them Hell then. Let's hold the fort until then and pray for him in the meantime. We know that it matters.

[texasbluebell]

When it is clear to everyone that he has routinely violated the law for years, while never lifting a finger to help change the law, it makes it hard for me to hold him up as a role model.

Please don't take this personally, I'm only latching onto your comment as one of many today that have been blaming Rush in this way.

He obviously has an addiction, which is far beyond anyone's ability to control alone.

He needs help. And he's getting it, so let's hope this time he gets some relief.

I no longer consider those who are addicted to be the lawbreakers--they have illnesses and can't stop themselves. The lawbreakers are those who provide the drugs.

Rush's illness has made this clear to me.

I never actually thought about it much before, but if someone of his stature and abilities can't control himself, it's obvious no one who's an addict can. I don't blame Rush for his sickness, anymore than I would blame people who've suffered from cancer and other illnesses.

He's sick, and he needs to get better. I feel a great sorrow today for him.

[Orangedog]

Good point. See my #1194.

[truth_seeker]

"In all likelyhood he will be more antidrug after treatment is completed."

In all likelyhood, it doesn't have to last any longer than how long Mr. Limbaugh wishes to remain drug free; eg. the rest of his life.

[truth_seeker]

"I wonder about the body chemistry argument."

Put some research and study into the issue, and you'll learn there IS a proven physiological component to addiction.

Researchers don't claim it explains any and all addiction; just that it is valid, along with genetics, and environmental aspects.

Finally, people with years of recovery (drug and alcohol free) will relate that they simply drank/used themselves into serious addiction.

The substances are addictive, after all. And the research shows that usage triggers physiological changes in the bodies of some users.