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."
"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."
He should sue the crap out of all of them.
Rush Ping.
Can he bring an action against the Customs Agent? She was WAY out of line. No way her conduct is defensible.
OMG! Rush is guily of the horrific crime of POSSESSING VIAGRA!
She was profiling. Profiling conservatives.
I don't blame him for being very suspicious, and careful.
His relationship with his maid is a private matter.
If this had happened to BJ Klintoon (who I have little doubt carries "medication" with someone else's name on it), the Customs agent would be begging for her life.
.....but, but, but..... the skies are so much safer now that R.L. can't fly with a boner.
Homeland insecurity ping.
Government employee ranks are full to brimming with liberals.
I am glad he is not going to give these Customs Agents the opportunity to plant anything in his luggage in the future.
I would not put it past those hateful idiots on the left.
Right now she is just a stupid Fed.
I am the only one who finds this very funny? How many people make the news for having Viagra besides Bob Dole?
Granted it was a dirty trick, but this is funny in an odd sort of way.
Actually, he's guilty of keeping a prescription drug in a bottle that was not properly labled.
This mean that all those old folks with their daily doses in those weekly containers are breaking the law.
The Law IS an Ass.
If he had looked like a Saudi youth with the name Mohammed, they would have passed him on through.
Given the fact that this information was SHOUTED so everyone in the room could hear her......it could have been anyone who rushed to the media.
He's rich enough, why doesn't he just travel without any luggage, and buy what he needs in Spain?
There is a US Customs Service office in Anchorage, Alaska. Is there one on Diego Garcia to transfer the rest of that crew?
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