[ventana]

Well, Rush was an incredible genius who exposed the left deftly with humor, particularly ridicule. Nobody likes to be laughed at, and in many ways, Rush got an entire nation laughing at some of these folks. He wasn't wrong when he said his show was show prep for other media people: the gist of his jokes often ended up reworked by Lettermen and Leno, not to mention a myriad of lesser market radio wannabees. So, those folks who were at the receiving end of Rush's pitard are now salivating at the chance to issue a rejoinder, especially now that Rush is in no position to reply.

I think an awful lot of Rush's behavior may be tied to the responsiblity of being Maja Rushie. Think about the daily pressure of being right, funny, ahead of the curve 99.9% of the time. This speculation will incense some people, but the fact is Rush spent a great deal of his time analyzing a variety of situations, and, folks, this is one helluva situation! It is not enough to say he was seduced into this because of back pain; there simply must also be a psychological component and viewing the pressures of the show as part of that is fair game. In that light, I don't particularly want Rush back in thirty days. For the longest time I have complained to my husband, among others, that Rush has "changed." I heard the slurring long ago and in tandem with that was a change in the joy I sensed, and some of the subject matter Rush tackled. He became less pro-life: subjects like abortion and euthanasia, the Terri Schiavo case for instance raging in Florida today, were no longer touched by him. That was a substantial change. Even education and the incredible homosexual lobby were no longer mentioned on his show. In some ways Rush became more libertarian, although he always publicly eschewed that moniker.

I sincerely hope Rush takes all the time necessary to get better. I think it is naive to expect that five years of an addiction will dissolve in thirty days, and I think it is reasonable to discuss if the responsibilities of the very show he is being urged back to didn't at some point overwhelm him.

What I want for Rush is that the person he was gets a chance to heal, to become whole and restored. Whatever spiritual journey he needs to take, I pray he takes and for as long a time as is necessary. For sure, he's got a lot of people back over here waiting patiently, and lovingly for him. V's wife.

[maica]

I agree with you, Vs wife, about the change in subject matter of his program, and the rest of your comment, too.

Rush's strength was in using his mind, and he must have found that he could do his 'show prep' better with the medication, or so he thought.

I know that many writers and others dealing in words, like broadcasters, have experienced huge difficulty in doing their work after giving up smoking. It seems that nicotine is a stimulant to the very word-processing areas of the brain.

Perhaps Rush found that the days when he did not use the meds, his mind was 'slower.' He should have taken the time off then, but he was devoted to his show and to his audience. So - we have today's situation.

My heart grieves for him the same as when I learned of his deafness.