Posted on 05/27/2004 2:40:14 AM PDT by kattracks
(CNSNews.com) - A liberal group that monitors conservative media wants Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to remove radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh from the American Forces Radio and Television Services, formerly known as Armed Forces Radio.
According to Media Matters for America, which describes itself as the first organization to systematically monitor the media for conservative "misinformation," Limbaugh has spent the past four weeks trivializing and condoning the U.S. mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison.
"It is abhorrent that the American taxpayer is paying to broadcast what is in effect pro-torture propaganda to American troops," the group's president and CEO David Brock wrote to Rumsfeld. "I ask you to consider removing Mr. Limbaugh from the radio network to protect our troops from these reckless and dangerous messages."
Limbaugh's hour-long show on the American Forces Network is taxpayer-funded and broadcast to almost one million U.S. troops stationed in more than 175 countries and U.S. territories, including Iraq, Brock said.
On his May 4 radio show -- in response to a caller who suggested that what happened at Abu Ghraib was like a "college fraternity prank" -- Limbaugh agreed.
"This is no different than what happens at [Yale University's] Skull and Bones initiation, and we're going to ruin people's lives over it and we're going to hamper our military effort, and then we are going to really hammer them (the culprits) because they had a good time," Limbaugh said.
"You know, these people are being fired at every day. I'm talking about people having a good time, these people, you ever heard of emotional release? You of heard of need to blow some steam off? These people (prisoners) are the enemy. Our people are being fired at, shot at, these are young people that have volunteered to go over there and they're having bullets fired in their way, bombs and mortar fire aimed at 'em by the people that they are guarding and charged to get information from. Everybody has a breaking point. Now, I'm not suggesting that it's common, normal in disciplined military structures for people to lose control. I'm suggesting that it might be understandable. "
In the same broadcast, Limbaugh remarked that what happened at Abu Ghraib, in his opinion, should not be standard operating procedure. "But I don't think that it is," he said, "and I think everybody is overreacting."
He also said the U.S. is "investigating itself to the point of paralysis" and the U.S. is going to "end up with people afraid to pull the trigger."
Watching every word
The "Skull and Bones" remarks have become a big deal in liberal "get Limbaugh" circles. In fact, Media Matters for America recently ran television ads discrediting Limbaugh on the basis of his Skull and Bones remark.
On his May 14 broadcast, Limbaugh said he believes "the prison photos are a way to damage our war effort and damage Bush, and perhaps lead the way to his defeat at the polls in November, which is what this whole prison abuse thing is all about for these people wringing their hands and acting like it's the worst thing they've ever seen."
Brock's letter of complaint to Defense Secretary Rumsfeld also mentioned "recent racially charged and sexist remarks made by Limbaugh on his broadcast" and it complained about Limbaugh's "irresponsible commentary" on May 21, when Limbaugh suggested that the media "out to start making money" off the Abu Ghraib prison photos and videos.
"We need some prison torture, you know, bubble gum cards," Limbaugh said, making the point that the "abuse" scandal was getting more media attention than the beheading of American civilian Nicholas Berg.
Noting the "importance of troop morale and unity during this time of conflict," Brock asked Secretary Rumsfeld to "review whether it is appropriate for the U.S. government to broadcast such messages, which may sow seeds of discord in the ranks."
"As we approach Memorial Day, and as Americans honor our soldiers, the men and women of our military deserve better than to be subjected to a radio host who excuses the worst among their ranks rather than celebrating the best, and who continually uses prejudiced rhetoric that divides rather than unites Americans," Brock concluded.
Media Matters for America also has launched a petition to give the American people "an opportunity to express their disapproval of the broadcast of Limbaugh's irresponsible and divisive comments on American Forces radio."
Al Gore, too
In a speech on Wednesday, former Vice President Al Gore also went after Limbaugh, saying that President Bush ought to condemn the conservative broadcaster:
"This president episodically poses as a uniter and healer," Gore said. "If he really has any desire to play that role, then I call upon him to condemn Rush Limbaugh, perhaps his strongest political supporter, who said publicly that the torture in Abu Ghraib was 'a brilliant maneuver' and that the photos were 'good old American pornography,' and that the actions portrayed were simply those of people 'having a good time' and 'needing to blow off steam.'"
"There's something going on," Limbaugh said on his radio show Wednesday. "I mean, every day now somebody is out there trashing me and mentioning my name from someplace…These comments (about Iraqi prisoner mistreatment) are two weeks old. Now they've even got Gore mouthing these comments.
(Morning Editor Susan Jones contributed to this report.)
See Earlier Story:
Radio Ad Seeks to Undermine Rush Limbaugh (14 May 2004)
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Liberals are stepping up their divide and conquer strategy. The want rummsfeld out. They want condi out. The want rumsfeld to kick rush out. Talk about desperate.
They want the military to have no source of good news. No source of non-commie propaganda, only news from the alphabet soup commies.
Air Amerika fails so now nobody should be allowed to play. I bet they were hoping for their commie USA bashing radio on the Armed forces radio. If they keep this up, they will become so shrill as to only merrit execution.
I believe in pot shots to the gut when we catch un-uniformed combatants not willing to talk. That's torture. That's not Rush.
As for public funding, sure thing, so long as we aren't talking about morale boosters for our troops. If Rush is raising troop morale as a free service, then to heck with these guys. Other than that, I'm all for a complete privatization of all media. We ban ALL paid propaganda. Let's ban Pee-BS while we're at it. And NPR-BS.
They are drunk on the perceived power they believe they have from the liberal media. They started making these demands when Bush started falling in the polls.
No, you sniveling little RAT, what's abhorrent is that the American taxpayer has to pay for the anti-American drivel that PBS and NPR provide. Until the day they are defunded by the guvmint, if the troops want Rush, they should get Rush.
Brock...another x42-hole.
I second everything you've said here. At best it was humiliation of enemy prisoners, at worst a display of wretched excess. Either way, what was depicted in the infamous photos wasn't torture. Rush is guilty of nothing more than putting this into context and pointing out what it was NOT at Abu Garaib prison. And the liberals have lost all sense of proportion. I mean these are the same folks who don't want the American people to learn about what happened to Nick Berg. Yet they want Rush booted off Armed Forces Radio for trying to restore sanity to the discussion about Iraq. One would think our troops would want to hear both sides of the picture. The media has had an agenda the last couple of weeks and it isn't one which has in mind ensuring our victory on a battlefield far from home. The liberals share that agenda and the fact Rush exposed it is part of the reason they want to have him muzzled on Armed Forces Radio. If we're going to prevail in Iraq, political correctness cannot now and ever be part and parcel of our strategery there.
Wonder what Viet Nam would have been like if there had been a Rush on the radio?
Amazing how liberals have plotted and planned to recreate that syndrome 40 years later.
I think they still deliver NPR to the troops.
That's why Neal Boortz said he wanted Air America to succeed, because if it didn't, the next step for the liberals would be to shut down talk radio.
Carolyn
They are like junkies in search of another fix.
If I recall correctly, one of our bases in the Balkans was named 'Rumbaugh'. Seemed to be a shortening of Rush Limbaugh's name. Anyone else remember this, and if so, is my assumption right and the troops were making a statement?
Semper Fi,
Hmm. So now they've set up organizations to monitor us. Looks like we may be starting to make inroads in the media war, folks.
The Dems have been overplaying their hands for years, but THIS should be fun!
From what I understand from the milpers that listen to Rush and call him, his show is only on for a hour. I think Rummy should rub salt by authorizing an extension whereas the troops can listen to all three hours.
They really didn't want to give in but the e-mails and phone calls were to much for them to ignore. They finally compromised and allowed 1 hour of the 3 hour program to be broadcast.
And you'd be surprised how many times the Rush broadcast was never aired because of technical problems State side.
Armed Forces Radio is run by an bunch of libs if you want to know the truth.
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