Posted on 12/04/2003 2:44:23 PM PST by Lucky2
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Investigators raided the offices of Rush Limbaugh's doctor Thursday, saying in search warrants that the conservative radio commentator engaged in illegal drug use and "doctor shopping" for prescription painkillers.
The warrants show investigators were looking for records including prescription disbursements, appointment schedules, receipts and a medical questionnaire.
"Mr. Limbaugh's actions violate the letter, and spirit" of the law that relates to "doctor shopping," stated one of warrants, signed by Asim Brown, a law enforcement agent assigned to the state attorney's office anti-money laundering task force. Doctor shopping refers to looking for a doctor willing to prescribe drugs illegally.
Limbaugh denied any wrongdoing to listeners on his radio show earlier Thursday and accused prosecutors in Palm Beach County of going on a "fishing expedition."
Oxycontin is a wonderful drug for patients (especially cancer patients) with intractable pain. Sadly, it is the recreational users who have given it a bad name. I do not equate those who "doctor shop" because of recreational use with those who have no other options available to them because of real pain with a physical cause. Apples & oranges.
The best doctors I ever worked with are the ones who never let their patients suffer. I have seen some patients truly suffer in their last days because for whatever reason, their doctor would not increase a pain medication stating "They might become addicted." I looked at them and wanted to say "You asshole, this person has 2 or 3 days at most to live and you are making it a living hell for them." But I didn't because I liked my job.
No one expected my gallbladder to be in the shape it was because every gallbladder test available always came up negative. 20 years and not one test came back even hinting at a diseased gallbladder. I will tell you this...if I did not find a doctor willing to earn his pay, I would be dead today. I weighed 104 pounds. I could not eat anything. I would lay in bed and watch my intestines roll. I would look in the mirror watch my heart beat through my chest. I had no boobs. My husband took to calling me "Junior". I was literally starving to death. The only thing I could drink was orange juice and I would drink a gallon a day.
The one thing I remember right after my sugery was my doctor telling me I was the type of patient who keeps doctors humble---true vindication. I have this visual of them seeing that gallbladder for the first time and saying "Holy Shit!" and then having to pick themselves up off of the floor before they could proceed.
I am giving Rush the benefit of the doubt because I have been there. I know what it is to suffer physically. Not hurt, not be uncomfortable, but suffer. I will also tell you this, until I had my surgery, even my family thought I was having some sort of "drug problem" because my life revolved around pain control. Unless one has been there, they have no idea of what true pain is.
I honestly don't know what all the equities are, or where things will finally land with Rush. On the face of it from what I've seen in this discussion so far, 2100 pills in ~200 days is about 10-12 pills per day, distributed among a number of painkillers. Niacin you can get OTC, I'm taking a gram a day under doctor's orders, but he didn't have to give me a prescription for it -- it's used to reduce LDL cholesterol. Clonidine is an interesting one to have show up; it's usually not given to men because of embarrassing side effects (gynecomasty). But it's an "old" drug, a relatively inexpensive, generic veteran of the blood-pressure wars. So if you subtract those drugs from what he was taking, what does it come down to, six-seven pills a day of OxyContin and other painkillers?
Still, if Rush broke the rules of pharmacy, then he has to stand up for it, and I think he will.
But your comment about Bubba rang a bell. I smell the same thing ..... the Stainmeister and his hyperugly buddy, Larry Flynt. Flynt was digging around for years in GOP House members' laundry; I'll bet Stainmeister has got Flynt working on leading conservatives like Rush as an avocation, tossing their trash, reading their mail, getting their phone records and talking to the vice peddlers in their area.
Yep, I figure that if a DA wants to inspect close enough he can nail anybody or at least cost them enough in legal fees to ruin all but the most wealthy. So what if he doesn't get a conviction, you're broke.
I guess there's some clamor for "lawmakers" to make laws and get paid for what they do and for LEO's to enforce them and that's what they do.
What a nice change if they took a couple of years off to simplify the legal code.
But then the growth and intrusiveness of government has been going on since day one, such seems to be the nature of humans that put other humans "in charge".
Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of England and revolutionary, was killed by his gallbladder. In his final days, his doctors labored to treat him, to no avail (this was about 1660). Everyone noticed the odor of death around him, even though he was still ambulatory (just) and had his wits about him.
As soon as Cromwell died, an autopsy was called for. His doctors opened him up, and damn near fell over in a faint. His gallbladder had necrotized and his tissues were in an advanced state of decomposition, emitting a stench so powerful it literally knocked his examiners down. But at least everyone was satisfied as to cause of death, and his doctors wondered openly at the strength of his constitution, that he had remained alive for as long as he had with such a burden on his body. Your story happened to remind me of having read that story about Cromwell.
This appears to me to be a fishing expedition. The attorney persecuting Rush is a Democrat.It seems like he is singling out Rush because Rush has for over 15 years called Democrats to the carpet on their policy and their social and political agenda. Something that people like myself do everyday here on FR.
And it isn't just Rush they'll be going after either. They'll be coming for those who excersize their first amendment rights to call them to the carpet on their policy and agenda. They did that to someone who blew the whistle on a count clerk who was a Democrat here in Oklahoma and trumped up charges against them.
These people clearly have very malicious and enormously harmful intentions towards us christians and conservatives and are spareing no effort to try to punish usand single us out just for the simple reason of our blowing the whistle on them and calling them to the carpet. I think it may time for us to buid fortresses and dig some bunkers around our places for these very reasons.
Regards.
Right? Just like your buddies the Clintons.
That's what those scum were thinking 10 years ago. One can only imagine where they're at now. Trying on red armbands, maybe?
Nope! That's because it isn't a crime.
There goes getting a second opinion.
Kind of like some ass-clown who spent a good deal of time flaming JR from LP and then expects to be taken seriously here (not that you were in the past). Hypocrits shouldn't throw rocks.
But, we are talking about Palm Beach County, Floriduh. Sounds like ,they are still sore because they were stopped from allowing the Demoncats to keep having re-counts, until they won.
OK … and shouldn’t all those Hollywood glitterati be subject to the same criminal investigations?
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