Posted on 01/14/2010 10:43:44 AM PST by kristinn
Led by the Democratic party front group Media Matters which issued a posting headlined "We've already donated to Haiti, it's called the U.S. income tax", the media is smearing Rush Limbaugh with a despicable lie accusing Rush of telling his listeners to not donate to Haiti earthquake relief efforts.
Rush was warning listeners of being taken in by the Obama administration by going to WhiteHouse.gov, as Obama instructed, to make donations to Haiti earthquake relief. He was concerned the donations made there would go to the Obama administration. It was that concern that prompted his remark that has been taken out of context and used to smear Rush--and conservatives.
A caller to Rush questioned why he should go through the Obama administration to make a donation to the Red Cross and Rush expounded on that thought. Additionally, the caller said his mother was headed to Haiti to help out. Rush did not discourage that nor did he in any way discourage people making donations to non-Obama administration controlled charities.
He did make the point that throwing money at the problems in Haiti has not worked because of thievery by dictators who've run Haiti and a failure to focus on self-reliance with the charitable work.
Rush did not tell people not to help the Haitians.
Here is a sample of media outlets spreading this lie about Rush today.
And a host of liberal blogs.
Here is what Rush actually said, courtesy of RushLimbaugh.com:
RUSH: We're going to start in Raleigh, North Carolina. Justin you're first today. Great to have you with us.
CALLER: Mega Rush Baby dittos. My question is, why did Obama in the sound bite you played earlier, when he's talking about if you wanted to donate some money, you can go to WhiteHouse.gov --
RUSH: Yeah.
CALLER: -- to direct you how to do so. If I want to donate money to the Red Cross, why do I need to go to the WhiteHouse.gov page and --
RUSH: Exactly. Would you trust that the money is going to go to Haiti?
CALLER: No.
RUSH: Would you trust that your name is going to end up on a mailing list for the Obama people to start asking you for campaign donations for him and other causes.
CALLER: Absolutely.
RUSH: Absolutely right.
CALLER: That's the point.
RUSH: Besides, we've already donated to Haiti. It's called the US income tax.
CALLER: Rush, my mother was going to be on a missionary trip. She was going to leave at 4:30 this morning to go to Haiti with our church.
RUSH: That's another point, too. Churches --
CALLER: No government money, Rush.
RUSH: Exactly right. Look, there are people that do charitable work every day in Haiti. It's not as though -- like Debbie Wasserman Schultz, it's our fault. Reverend Wright, it's our fault, there's no excuse for such poverty when there's a nation as rich as we are so close. There are people that have been trying to save Haiti just as we're trying to save Africa. You just can't keep throwing money at it because the dictatorships there just take it all. They don't spread it around, and even if they did they're not creating a permanent system where people can provide for themselves. It's a simple matter of self-reliance. Nobody takes that approach down there because this has always been a country run by dictators and incompetent ones at that.
SNIP
RUSH: Well, I'm glad you did and I'm glad you called, Carol. Thanks very much. I had somebody go to WhiteHouse.gov to see what the donation process is. And this is all the guidance you get on donating to Haiti at the White House site. What I'm going to read to you is buried in a very long blog post about what Obama said about the earthquake. You get that first, you gotta read what Obama said, the maximum leader, you gotta read what he says and then you get to the bottom and here's what it says. "You can also help, immediately, by donating to the Red Cross to assist the relief effort. Contribute online here, or donate $10 to be charged to your cell phone bill by texting Haiti. Find more ways to help through the Center for International Disaster Information." So that's all the guidance you get. Now, that's pretty easy, text Haiti and you're gonna get billed for ten bucks and that money ostensibly is going to go to Haiti.
They recognize Marxists when they see one................
read the last paragraph of the article. That’s exactly what Rush said.
Arthur Schopenhauer (1788 - 1860)
A few minutes later, as he was finishing his daily briefing, Gibbs was asked about Limbaugh's remarks. He paused, then returned to the podium.
"In times of great crisis, there are always people who say stupid things," Gibbs said. "I don't know how anybody could sit where he does, having enjoyed the success that he has, and not feel some measure of sorrow for what has happened in Haiti."
He added: "To use the power of your pulpit to try to convince those not to help their brothers and sisters is sad. My sense is that most people though, because they understand we are part of an amazing world, won't listen."
Rush responded to a caller in the third hour today about the lies by the media about his comments, saying that he did not discourage donations.
That wasn’t a response; that was an evisceration.
It certainly was.
personally, i would never give to the international red cross - i would have to understand which red cross was getting the the donations (american or international)
The real use of monies is for "hands on". The immediate first responders. Then come the carpenters, the roofers, the plumbers, the electricians, and the last but not least, the day labourer. I can only imagine the "fat cats" the smooth operatives, the politicians- well call me cynical.
Rush is an easy target initially, but he has hit back and hard.
BTTT
You need to add one about the media comparing Michelle to Jackie O.
Media Matters and the Huffington Post have to have their demons, one of which is Limbaugh. And they will lie. This is a perfect example of both. I wouldn’t take too seriously a pack of liars who live in Fantasyland.
“Soros’ Media Matters deliberately smears talk radio hosts.”
Soros is a propagandist. He only gets praise from the Left because they regard him as a useful idiot.
Obama and the wall street execs. should have to write that 100m check on their personal accounts
save
I took a look at the the whitehouse.gov site last night. Actually, it isn’t requesting a donation through that site. There is a link to the American Red Cross for donations.
But you’re right. I was listening to Rush yesterday, and he did NOT in ANY WAY discourage donations for disaster relief in Haiti!!
were you planning to provide an honest response to what was a very benign and straight-forward question anytime soon, or just continue to rattle off the bumper-sticker rhetoric?
Haitian-Americans generally identify more with Florida’s black communities than they do with the Hispanics, and we all know who where the black community is marching in lockstep for these days. Josaphat Celestin was the Republican mayor of North Miami a few years back, but he was by far the exception in his community rather than the rule.
Telling the truth has become a revolutionary act. Even O’Reilly said he donates to the Haiti Health fund because this bypasses the government. Rush stated that money to Haiti is siphoned off he never said to not give to the Red Cross. He asked why you would go to whitehouse.gov to give to the RC.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.