America owes talk host Rush Limbaugh a debt of gratitude, Libertarians say

LP Press Release ^ | October 16, 2003 | Libertarian Party Press

[noprob]

The entire nation owes radio broadcaster Rush Limbaugh a debt of gratitude, Libertarians say, because his ordeal has exposed every drug warrior in America as a rank hypocrite.

"One thing we don't hear from American politicians very often is silence," said Joe Seehusen, Libertarian Party executive director. "By refusing to criticize Rush Limbaugh, every drug warrior has just been exposed as a shameless, despicable hypocrite.

"And that's good news, because the next time they do speak up, there'll be no reason for anyone to listen."

The revelation that Limbaugh had become addicted to painkillers -- drugs he is accused of procuring illegally from his Palm Beach housekeeper -- has caused a media sensation ever since the megastar's shocking, on-air confession last week.

As the Limbaugh saga continues, here's an important question for Americans to ask, Libertarians say: Why are all the drug warriors suddenly so silent?

"Republican and Democratic politicians have written laws that have condemned more than 400,000 Americans to prison for committing the same 'crime' as Rush Limbaugh," Seehusen pointed out. "If this pill-popping pontificator deserves a get-out-of-jail-free card, these drug warriors had better explain why."

Given their longstanding support for the Drug War, it's fair to ask:

Why haven't President George Bush or his tough-on-crime attorney general, John Ashcroft, uttered a word criticizing Limbaugh's law-breaking?

Why aren't drug czar John P. Walters or his predecessor, Barry McCaffrey, lambasting Limbaugh as a menace to society and a threat to "our children?"

Why aren't federal DEA agents storming Limbaugh's $30 million Florida mansion in a frantic search for criminal evidence?

Why haven't federal, state, and local police agencies seized the celebrity's homes and luxury cars under asset-forfeiture laws?

Finally, why aren't bloviating blabbermouths like William Bennett publicly explaining how America would be better off if Limbaugh were prosecuted, locked in a steel cage and forced to abandon his wife, his friends, and his career?

The answer is obvious, Seehusen said: "America's drug warriors are shameless hypocrites who believe in one standard of justice for ordinary Americans and another for themselves, their families and their political allies.

"That alone should completely discredit them."

But there's an even more disturbing possibility, Seehusen said: that the people who are prosecuting the Drug War don't even believe in its central premise -- which is that public safety requires that drug users be jailed.

"The Bushes and Ashcrofts and McCaffreys of the world may believe, correctly, that individuals fighting a drug addiction deserve medical, not criminal treatment," he said. "That would explain why they're not demanding that Limbaugh be jailed.

"But if that's the case, these politicians have spent decades tearing apart American families for their own political gain. And that's an unforgivable crime."

[Petronski]

Pass the doob.

[Wolfie]

Gotta get me some popcorn for this one...

[CWOJackson]

Thank you for posting this. In case some folks weren't sure of the LP's priorities.

[WackyKat]

Devastating. I can't wait for all the stuck pigs to show up here and start squealing.

[Petronski]

This ought to keep them busy:

[LurkedLongEnough]

Now you've done it.

[Tall_Texan]

Needs a BARF ALERT!

[Joe Bonforte]

What a great way to make your case. Post large, bandwidth-consuming, irrelevant graphics. That's a sure-fire way to get people on your side all right.

[LouD]

I've just lost any remaining respect I held for the Libertarian Party.

[Petronski]

Dood! Light one up, relax!

[BlazingArizona]

Seconded!

Get well quick, Rush, and when you return to the air, let's hear a ringing denunciation of the government power grab we call the War on Drugs.

[noprob]

You can't see the hypocracy?

That is tragic...

[CWOJackson]

They kind of remind me of buzzards on a dead animal.

[Servant of the 9]

I'll stand with the Libertarians on this one.
Even a blind pig will find an acorn once in a while.

So9

[Flint]

I just can't remember where anyone, in authority, has said that Rush has broken a law. And, have heard nothing about him being charged with any crime. Am I wrong?

[Arrowhead1952]

Gotta get me some popcorn for this one...

Plus at least on twelve pack of Miller's!

[Tall_Texan]

You can't see the hypocracy?

Hypocracy = government by hypocrites.

Perhaps you meant "hypocrisy"?

[The Green Goblin]

I've just lost any remaining respect I held for the Libertarian Party.

That's ok; we do not value the respect of hypocrites...

[Servant of the 9]

I just can't remember where anyone, in authority, has said that Rush has broken a law. And, have heard nothing about him being charged with any crime. Am I wrong?

That's the whole point.

If he was a lower middle class hispanic who did exactly the same thing he would have been jailed long ago.

So9