Posted on 07/05/2006 1:01:00 PM PDT by wagglebee
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Talk-show host Rush Limbaugh is canceling his international travel plans in the near future, saying he doesn't want to be "framed" by U.S. Customs officials after last week's incident when he was detained for more than three hours for possession of Viagra prescribed in his doctor's name.
"It takes one time, and I've got red flags up, and I'm not going to put myself in the position of being framed," Limbaugh said today on his national radio broadcast. "With all this partisanship that's out there, I'm just not going to make it easy for people to frame me."
Limbaugh says he has canceled a planned golf trip in Spain in August.
"I am not going to involve myself with United States Customs for the next year and a half until this so-called probationary period evaporates. I tell you the election cycles of '06 and '08, especially '08, I think it's going to be one of the most vicious and filthy of our lifetimes."
Limbaugh's "probationary period" stems from a previous, unrelated case of a probe into alleged "doctor shopping" for prescriptions for back-pain medication.
But the host is fuming over the way federal and local officials handled his arrival on a private plane last week at Palm Beach International Airport.
"There's an inbound list [of private passengers] and they know who's coming in that day. It's required by law. So, somebody in there knew I was coming in and from what I was told from people that were there during the time that I was there, mine was the only luggage that was searched. In fact they didn't search the luggage, they just searched my briefcase and the little white bag and they made me open my computer. ...
"I had this bottle of Viagra in my briefcase. I've had it in there since December, [and] forgot it was even in there. There were 30 pills prescribed, and when they counted them out, there were 29. And yet, everybody thinks I loaded up on the stuff for a trip to the Dominican Republic."
Limbaugh said he was being very restrained when he described the actions of the female Customs agent.
"She pulls out this bottle and says with 25 people in the room, 'What have we here?! Viagra!' she shouts. 'And look, it's not your name on the bottle! This is a crime! This is a violation of law!' She's shouting this all over the Customs Office, and the whole room has come to a dead stop."
Limbaugh says it wasn't until the case was turned over to the Palm Beach County sheriff's office that he was able to finally leave the airport, noting, "What happened is that somebody, and I assume it's at Customs, leaked this. How else is this discovered? ... I think this was leaked before I got out of there. It was in the news before I actually was in the car on the way home."
Limbaugh will not face any charges for carrying the non-narcotic drugs, as Mike Edmondson, a spokesman for State Attorney Barry Krischer, a Democrat, today said it is generally not illegal in Florida for a medication to be prescribed in a third party's name if all parties are aware and the doctor documents it properly.
"This was unreal, this experience was totally unreal," Limbaugh said, as he went on to attack news organizations that are trying to link this incident with his previous dispute over pain-relief prescriptions to which the host had become addicted.
"If my name had been Valerie Plame, I will guarantee you this story would have been written differently and it would read differently, and there's be all kinds of, 'Who in the government is leaking the identity and the details of this? He's an average, ordinary common citizen!' But of course, that's not the angle with me."
"I understand they hate me, folks," he said. I expect them to want bad things to happen to me, and I expect them to not like me. I have targeted them for 18 years. It's quite natural that they do this."
Still, Limbaugh was able to keep his sense of humor about the situation, saying, "I have always been able to rise above it all, and this is just another example," and, "If this story persists for over four hours, then please call your local editor or physician."
Well, if she thinks that Rush misconstrued the account, she can sue him for defamation.
Won't happen. The kind of thuggery shown by this customs agent is an attitude that works its way DOWN the food chain. I have no doubt that this scumbag's "superiors" are the same variety of lowlife punk that she is. No. Action needs to be taken MUCH higher up the food chain. This scumbag and her "superiors" ALL need to be made seriously uncomfortable. Ultimately, George W. Bush is in charge of them all. He needs to make a phone call.
Which would be what, Bunky?
I made the mistake of having two perscriptions in one battle.
I got pulled over and the cop went nuts. You would have thought that I drove off a bridge drunk and killed a woman.
How about when you get perscription samples from your doctor?
"String up Corey Feldman? For Viagra? Sorry, Libertarian, I call BS."
Okay, maybe 'string up' is too harsh. But if he were busted 'smuggling' Viagra in this fashion, Freepers would certainly NOT apologize for or look for excuses for him. Still, a lot of people would probably want to string Corey Feldman up without drugs in the mix.
Not true. The bottle WAS properly labeled. It was clearly marked as Viagra, which the Customs agent let everyone know. She also loudly ammounced that the prescription was not in Rush's name. It was in his doctor's name, which according to FL law, as Mr. Krischer state, is NOT a crime, if all parties are aware of what has been done.
I agree with him. Why give them an excuse to come after him.
He won't win anything if he is sitting in a prison cell on trumped up charges.
There is an old saying: "He who fights and runs away lives to fight another day."
He needs to get into a frindlier environment.
Golf is an enjoyable hobby. Or at least it is supposed to be. :)
On the other hand, buying cloths is a necessary evil that should be performed in such a way as to minimize long-term expense, as well as time consumption.
I thought the same thing from the start of all of this.
MEGA,ZETA DITTOS TO THAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
APPARENTLY!!!
Not to mention The"RAPE"of Juanita Brodderick!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Perhaps,The New York SLIMES???
The election of '08 will make the elections of '00 and '04 seem like a church service by comparsion.
The communists[Democrats] will stop at nothing, including murder to regain their power and once in they will not leave again of their own accord.
Reference your post # 137:
That is why I stopped flying.
Good point.
Rush ping..
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