Posted on 10/23/2003 2:09:35 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
The right wing operates its own code -- a kind of moral Talibanism where the punishment for sin is death (as in the death penalty) or if the crime is noncriminal, ridicule, ouster or impeachment. The right applies the code to politicians, ordinary citizens and celebrities with equal dispassion. And no one gets away unjudged -- except, of course, for the right-wingers themselves.
The loophole in the code applies when conservatives -- or more accurately, Republicans (I'm not sure ''conservative'' means anything anymore) -- break one of the moral laws. Then, of course, the rules are amended to create what you might call ``exceptions.''
Here's how it works:
Rule: If a small-time drug user gets caught with a couple of joints or a few rocks of crack cocaine and is sentenced to a long prison term under New York's Draconian, Rockefeller-era drug laws, that's justice to the Rush Limbaughs of the world. In fact, Rush would have such a person thrown under the jail and then deported, as he has said many times.
Exception: If Limbaugh himself gets caught copping thousands of mother's-little-helpers in a Denny's parking lot,this self-admitted three-time loser gets 30 days in club rehab and a free pass from the press and the public, who are supposed to be seized with Christian understanding. This exception would not apply to Al Franken. Nor would it apply to one of those black folk Rush has admonished to ''take the bone out of their nose'' before calling his show.
Rule: Gambling is a sin, and the myriad debaucheries of the entertainment industry, including wild and woolly Las Vegas, are to be frowned upon.
Exception: If Bill Bennett bets the college money at the Tropicana, he gets a free pass (and probably a couple of free nights in the boom-boom suite). He remains the official morality czar of Fox News, where he is free to comment on the ''death of outrage'' --including the complex universal logic by which Bill Clinton is to blame for Arnold Schwarzenegger's sins.
Rule: The media is unhelpful to the war effort.
Exception: Geraldo was just trying to help those nice soldiers find their unit's form letter-writing tent.
Rule: The media is biased.
Exception: Fox News has to be biased -- in a fair and balanced way, of course -- because as the company's executives recently said in response to criticism from that evil Christiane Amanpour, the alternative to being foot soldiers for the Bush administration is to be foot soldiers for bin Laden.
Rule: Celebrities should stay out of politics.
Exception: Unless the celebrity is Gopher, Frasier, Sonny, Bruce, that annoying comedian from Saturday Night Live who flopped as an NFL commentator or Schwarzenegger.
It's called the Ronald Reagan exception.
If the Governator were a Democrat, he would have been tarred as a moral relativist, Hollywood elitist, family values-killing lout who had no right to speak about politics, let alone stand for public office. But because he is a Republican, he's free to feel away on whatever suits his fancy, unfettered by the pooh-poohing of so-called conservatives (with the refreshing exception of George Will).
So which is it? Is it right or wrong to take illegal drugs? Right or wrong to disrespect women? Right or wrong to gamble, to cheat on your wife, to drive drunk (the sin a certain commander in chief got a pass on during the 2000 election), or for that matter, to lie . . . ?
That, of course, depends on your political party.
Did I miss this in the reporting....?
Exception: If Limbaugh himself gets caught copping thousands of mother's-little-helpers in a Denny's parking lot
If that did indeed happen Rush would be inside the Criminal Justice system.....
Most people think that the DOE, ADA and AFDIC or constitutionally provisioned programs. An appeal to popularism is not persuasive here.
I didn’t say legalization reduces drug use. No knee jerking please. I said “If the money pored into drug enforcement was diverted into rehab and anti-drug promotion programs, I wonder if there would be more use.” If these programs were expanded, would they make up for the more open access to drugs? That’s not an abandonment of standards, just a search for a more effective and morally consistent way of maintaining them.
I explained in #25 why both Limbaugh and junkies are examples of weakness in the human condition, just different circumstances. I said junkies and Limbaugh were challenged with drugs in very different environments. That’s why if you isolate just that (absent of other character traits), neither can claim moral superiority. (Of course there are huge character differences that make a broader comparison silly.)
If you disagree, feel free to address the specifics of my explanation. But I don’t see the relevance of popular opinion, legal vs. controlled, pain management vs. escapism, or left wing conspiracies
Yes.
Probably not. But if he comes back and doesn’t call for more access to rehab, I think he’ll be critically wounded.
Thank you for your persuasive explanation.
Well if that is the case they must have become very considerate of the libertarian's feelings since they are doing their laughing in private.
Thats a nice thought but I don't think the libertarians are looking for a poster child.
They are looking for hypocrisy.
Regards
J.R.
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