Posted on 10/31/2006 5:27:11 AM PST by Clive
Re: Oct. 28 editorial cartoon, showing Rush Limbaugh shouting into a radio microphone, with a technician saying, "He must be off his meds."
There is no doubt that the U.S. radio talk-show host Rush Limbaugh's direct style and his own past medication issues make him an inviting target. And although he was, in all probability, technically inaccurate in accusing Michael J. Fox of "acting" in his recent political TV ad supporting a Democratic senatorial candidate, Mr. Limbaugh may have been very close to the mark.
As a neurologist with a large number of Parkinson's disease patients, my impression of the video is that Mr. Fox displayed the poorly controlled "choreo-athetotic" movements seen when advanced Parkinson's patients take their medication to turn "on" and emerge from their natural state of rigidity and rest tremor. At some point after taking a pill, a patient's voluntary movements are freed up, without much excess involuntary movement.
The issue, then, is one of timing. Indeed, a few days after his political ad came out, Mr. Fox appeared at a Democratic event in Chicago with his movements under control, a situation he called "ironic." Strangely, however, he seemed unable to appear controlled for a pre-taped TV ad a few days earlier, when the appropriate timing should have been easier, given the possibility of multiple "takes." Lest this all sound too cynical, consider that Mr. Fox admitted in his 2002 autobiography to going off his medication to appear more disabled before a 1999 Senate subcommittee appearance.
Democratic party manipulation appears to go much further. In offering Mr. Fox as a spokesman, they have clearly hoped he would cut a sympathetic figure immune from criticism, and the faux outrage at Mr. Limbaugh's comments seems to confirm this. While Mr. Fox deserves sympathy for this medical plight, he must assume full responsibility for his words and actions when he chooses to enter the political arena. By politicizing a medical issue, he is, in effect, saying that anyone who cares about new treatment hope for Parkinson's disease patients must vote for the the Democratic candidate in Missouri -- not coincidentally, a pivotal state in the upcoming election to control the U.S. Senate.
This is not only unfair, but absurd. Everyone, including Republicans, supports the many new treatments emerging for Parkinson's patients that promise far more immediate application than do stem cells. Republicans also support stem cell research when it comes from ethically sound sources, such as adult tissues and umbilical cord blood. Ironically, these forms of stem cells have had greater success to date than the embryonic-source stem cells lionized in the Michael J. Fox TV ad.
Dr. Paul Ranalli, FRCPC, Toronto.
"Whether Fox could have timed the filming of the commercial better or not, we don't know" you see, that's the point, we DO know.
Nonsense.
Politics isn't a footrace, it's a cage match. When one makes the choice to step into that ring, he gets to hit the other guy as hard as you want. Thing is, the other guy can do the same.
So what happened, is, Fox threw a dirty punch, Rush punched back, and the MSM threw a left hook -- making Rush the issue. You can take issue with him for that, but "beneath contempt"? C'mon. Give me a break.
I have 2 relatives who have died of Parkinsons. I never once saw either of them as bad a MJF was in his commercial.
There formerly were popular attractions known as "sideshows", wherein people with physical abnormalities would exhibit themselves for money. When Fox chose to make himself into a sideshow geek to elicit political gain, he thrust himself onto the stage. If he can't take counter criticism, then it is too late to hide behind his infirmity.
He is simply the latest in a long line of political shills who whore out their misfortune for political gain. The "Jersey Girls", Cindy Sheehan, the Kennedy Clan, etc. are tragedy whores.
Agreed. I, for one, listened live to most or all of what Rush said about Fox. At no point have I heard Rush speak of Fox, Parkinson's disease, or its victims in a mocking manner. Rush spent most of the time criticizing the Democrat's intent. He also expressed disappointment about Fox either not taking his medication for dramatic effect and/or allowing the Democrats to use Fox as a puppet. Now in retrospect, Fox says he overmedicated and neglected to research the accuracy of what he was paid to say. Fox comes out of it a bit tarnished. The Democrats come out of it looking like idiots, once again. Rush comes out of it looking like Rush, a conservative who calls it like he sees it and more often than not is right on target.
Neither is lying about what Rush did.
< NJ Accent > I got yer motion of a mocking nature right heah! < / NJ Accent >
I have stayed out of the whole MJF thing because I don't give a damn what celebrities think or say or do in the first place. and because this looked like the 2006 variation of what the dems tried to do in 2004 with chris reeve and stem cells, and that fell flat. so it all seemed relatively harmless.
but this definitely makes my blood boil.
I hope the good people of Missouri know they have been duped.
Family Lies
Michael's a character actor,
But we must not consider that factor.
We may only show pity
On the saint from Spin City.
If we question, we're called a detractor.
Fox made it personal, not Rush.
I had a relative pass away recently from Parkinson's. I also had a close friend pass away recently from cystic fibrosis. My relative was in noticeably worse shape than Fox is now, even when Fox is not on medication (or overmedicated). Some people are afflicted worse than others. Fox appears to have average symptoms, although he seems young for the symptoms to be as progressed as they are. My friend with cystic fibrosis was far worse off than any case of Parkinson's that I have seen.
" Mocking the pathological symptoms of someone who is disabled is simply unacceptable "
If Rush had imitated how Fox looked on a tv show or walking down the street- that might have been gratuitous mocking.
But, he did no such thing.
Rush described a political ad for those who had not seen it.
I did the same thing for my wife because she had not yet seen the ad.
At no time in any of the discussions on any of the threads or on Rush's show has anyone mocked Fox's illness-in fact, he's received tremendous sympathy and well wishes.
What we mock is Fox's participation in a blatant misrepresentation of the truth.
http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/eibessential3/mjf0.guest.html
Rush's best point yesterday was the fact that the private sector isn't interested in it at all.
Rush did it ONLY on his PROPRIETARY webcam. He was showing HIS viewers what the add looked like!!!
It was a pretty accurate reenactment.
You are grossly ignorant.
I heard all of Rush's shows and he did not mock Fox. My son in law has Parkinson's and I am very much praying for a cure.
BULL! MJF decided to get into the political arena and deliberately lie about another candidate. Politics is tough, wear a helmet.
If he had simply been lobbying for more research that would have been totally acceptable, but he stepped over the line, and Rush rightly called him on it.
Someone please ask Mikey - "Was the overmedication deliberate?"
Rush was not mocking MJF. He imitated Fox's movements to show his audience what he was talking about. Other words to use instead of 'mocking' would be, imitating or pretending, which would be more accurate. IMO, Fox was 'off his medication' whether he over medicated or under medicated. The point is, he was not using his medication as prescribed so therefore he was indeed 'off' whether up or down. Above all of that, Michael J. Fox is attempting to deceive voters about the effectiveness of embryonic stem cells in curing any disease. Which to date is zero. What they do cause is tumors in rodents. Fox is a RAT shill who will no doubt continue to put himself on exhibit for political RAT gain. He could have made an honest ad but chose to do what RATS do, deceive and manipulate. I have no use for him.
Rush shook in imitation of MF......some call it mocking.....some say he was just imitating him. Too much room for interpretation.....Rush shouldn't have done it, but it's over now.
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