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.

[Skooz]

If that is an accurate quote, I stand corrected. I cannot recall him addressing the subject myself.

[Sam Cree]

"The Rushies are twisting themselves into pretzels trying to salvage their image of their hero."

I'm a Rush admirer. I am not twisting myself into a pretzel. I'm sad that he has both pain and an addiction to contend with. Perhaps his stature is diminished temporarily or perhaps permanently. This makes me sad as well, but I am betting he rises above it.

I hope I am right in that, because we need all the warriors we can get in our war against the Left. And he is a warrior.

[saradippity]

You have written a very true,thoughtful and intelligent post. Thankyou.

I hope Rush will enlarge on his world view and come up with some new views on many things. Maybe at some point he will even see that to call people kooks and morans for thinking that perhaps there may be a couple of unseen hands,(conspiracies) capable of moving things to disadvantage some for the gain of others is wrong and self-serving.

Perhaps,if he broadens his thinking,(I don't mean come to the support of more government programs)and sees that uncritical support of a party and persons that have lost their moorings,he may again be on the cutting edge. If he doesn't,he's through,IMHO.

Physical pain is no more and no less a problem than lack of inate intelligence.They both present difficulties that society needs to look at. Clearly neither are addressed in a manner that shows any headway is occurring. Just my thoughts.

Thanks again for your post.

[WackyKat]

You little kitty, have no heart or compassion

As I have stated repeatedly here, I have great sympathy for people with addiction problems.

I have no sympathy for the hypocrisy of people such as Rush who use their powerful public position to support the insane War on Drugs while abusing narcotics themselves.

[Fred Mertz]

Please tell me whose lives, Rush has ruined, other than his own and Marta's.

I thought abusing drugs equated with supporting terrorism; at least that's what that ONDCP television commercial drummed into my head.

[Tribune7]

I've listened to him quite a bit. Can you be specific?

[ellery]

People who celebrate other people's troubles only hurt themselves.

This will and should raise interesting policy questions here at FR, and I look forward to delving into those.

But separately, I pray for Rush's recovery and honor him for being brave enough to tell the truth.

[Tribune7]

Freep on! :-)

[Qwinn]

"I have no sympathy for the hypocrisy of people such as Rush who use their powerful public position to support the insane War on Drugs while abusing narcotics themselves."

I stand corrected in that that quote if accurate does establish that he was once for the WoD.

Note your use of the word "while", though. The damning quote in question is from 1995. I believe that predates his addiction.

I will agree that if he pushed that message -while- on drugs, that does indicate a very condemnable level of hypocrisy - almost as much hypocrisy as those who defended Clinton deserve, in fact.

But if you're going to say he was doing one "while" doing the other... no, that hasn't been established. I'm not saying he didn't... just suggesting that you might want to prove it before claiming it.

Qwinn

[Diddle E. Squat]

The article you linked to has a quote of Rush supporting the WOD in 1995. That was a couple of years BEFORE the failed back surgery that resulted in his beginning to use pain killers. So at the time he wasn't on drugs.

Further into the article(in the part that was excerpeted) is another quote from Rush in 1998, where he talked about that perhaps drugs should be legalized.

[WackyKat]

In fact, as someone else wrote earlier in the thread, Rush has been an vocally against the prescription drug plan that would have tax payers paying for his drugs.

That's your argument for why Rush isn't a hypocrite.?!

You people are in a major flight from reality

[zoyd]

Huh!? 1+1=4?

Are you COMPLETELY unaware of the Drug Warrior arguments? Rush helped keep his dealers in business, thereby CONTRIBUTING to lawless behavior, and ENCOURAGING others to become drug dealers, because they have an endless supply of users in folks like RUSH.

He is simply contributing to the sale of illegal drugs in America. How could that HELP our society?

How much money do you think he gave to his drug dealer, over the years?

You really must get up to speed on WOD arguments.

[shempy]

I love Rush. This situation he is in does little to change that. I wish him well. I have dabbled in pain pills and, as libertarian as I am, I have learned to appreciate that they require a prescription.

But I also smoke dope for fun and relaxation. I can tell you I am not a slave to my weed. I wouldn't ever steal, cheat, or kill for weed. I wouldn't put my health in major danger for weed. It is just something I do at home at the end of a long and productive day at work. My dad does the same thing, only his recreational relaxer is 2 or 3 small glasses of gin.

So I would say that someone addicted to prescription pills that were originally taken to treat pain and someone that smokes dope for fun are not equivalent. I think the guy smoking dope for fun is doing a lot less harm to his health, family, etc. than the guy addicted to the more deadly prescription stuff. But I don't think of either people as automatically evil.

Again, my thoughts are with Rush. He is a good man with a bad problem and I am thankful he is seeking treatment. We need him around!

[Republican Red]

For 30 day facilities the rate is less than 30% recovery.

It seems to me that Rush avoided help for years because of the publicity.

Now, it might be because of the publicity that he is successful. All the eyes of the world will be upon him and many want him to fail. Rush seems like the type to want to prove the enemy wrong.

[george wythe]

While I respect that, and won't forget, he's also been a major hypocrite on the WOsD.

The discovery of his addiction might make a Rush a better man.

Rush will probably have a different attitude toward people with terminal cancer, AIDS, or multiple sclerosis who want to use medical marijuana.

Now Rush may realize that sick people should be cut some slack, even if they want to smoke a weed that happens to be illegal in the US, a ‘dangerous’ weed that has never been linked to marijuana overdose.

Rush will change for the better

[blackie]

At the time, they said I should work on the alcohol addiction first ~ I didn't listen, I figured that withdrawl is tough no matter what and I didn't want to do it twice. :)

I'm still a little crazy ~ the difference is, I have it, it doesn't have me. :)

[ItsTheMediaStupid]

This is not right and it is not of God.

I don't see anything wrong with having pills for everything, its how you use them that counts. Its of God as much as an automobile. God didn't invent them or the drugs, or at least didn't tell us how, but he did invent the physic and laws of science that make them work! He told man to learn how to use the earths resources and to do good with them. I think curing medical problems is good, even if temporary with a pill.

[arete]

I have had 5 major surgeries and was given fair amounts of narcotic analgesics for the associated pain. The experiences taught me one important thing about narcotics -- pain or no pain, narcotics make you feel good and that is the very reason so many people become addicted. Rush chose to continue his use of narcotics beyond medically advised or pain management requirements. He obviouly liked how they made him feel. He's a junkie. The pain and doctors didn't make him a junkie. He made himself a junkie.

Richard W.

[tsomer]

So you're okay with coke addicts snorting to their heart's content, as long as you're not harmed by it?

Not coke. But prescrition meds are okay because they 1. are strictly controlled by the FDA, and 2. are one of the few industries left in this country.

Okay. You're right; this is BS. I no longer know what I think. I'm an addictive personallity myself and I needed to believe Rush was clean.

As the bard said: "This is like another Fall of Man."

[Joe Hadenuf]

But its not like someone who uses them to get high.

Oh come on. People that are hooked take um constantly, pain or no pain.....And they need more and more just to feel better mentally and physically.... Ask anyone who's been hooked bad....If they're honest, they'll tell you......