Rush Limbaugh Has No Sense Of Irony

frost, disinfo.com, December 7, 2003

In response to the Florida State Attorney Barry Krischer's [1] continued investigation of his alleged illegal prescription drug purchases, on Thursday [4 September 2003] Rush Limbaugh [2] actually said in a prepared statement by his lawyer, 'Mr. Limbaugh . . . is being subjected to an invasion of privacy no citizen of this republic should endure.' Does this mean Mr. Limbaugh is longer the staunch unquestioning defender of the Patriot Act and the John Ashcroft method of criminal justice? Is the irony completely beyond him? (article) [3].

On NBC's Today show, Limbaugh's attorney Roy Black [4] actually said, 'They are looking to publicly embarrass him and affect his radio program. . . . Why is Rush Limbaugh the only person treated like this in America?'

Presumably, this was said with a straight face. One supposes that neither Limbaugh nor Black are aware of the hundreds of individuals detained without due process or legal representation since the passing of the Patriot Act, the expanded wiretap and search powers granted to law enforcement by the same Act, or the many hundreds more held at Guantanamo Bay who have effectively zero privacy and little hope of justice.

As far as public embarrasment and career-trashing, Limbaugh is hardly the first victim (presuming there is any truth to his attorney's statement). Look no further than Greg Palast's [5] essay in the Russ Kick-edited Abuse Your Illusions [6] (New York: Disinformation Books, 2003), where a fabricated quote (as opposed to an actual criminal investigation) was used by right-wing power-wielders to end the career of US Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, [7] in response to her investigations into the Florida 2000 vote debacle, and human rights abuses by the Barrick mining corporation, amongst other things (article). [8]

This is only one example of course: the streets of Washington DC are littered with the debris of careers destroyed in the name of political expediency. Unfortunately, Limbaugh will probably make out much better than McKinney. He will have no shortage of supporters and faithful listeners, willing to forgive his human frailty while at the same time supporting his agenda of intolerance and bigotry. 'All the pigs, all lined up . . .'

[1] - http://www.pbcgov.com/cjc/CJC_Members/Bios/barry_krischer.htm

[2] - http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/today.guest.html

[3] - http://www.msnbc.com/news/1001269.asp?cp1=1

[4] - http://www.black-law.com/tv/tv.html

[5] - http://www.gregpalast.com/

[6] - http://www.disinfo.com/site/displayarticle13.html

[7] - http://www.cynthia2002.com/

[8] - http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=16172