Basically, it sounds like Media Matters called 'em and manufactured a crisis because Rush occassionally uses the tune to bump back in from commercial breaks. The band doesn't know what it's talking about, other than what they've been told by MM, I'll bet you.
Rush has been using a snippet (fair use) form Spirit of Radio for years. They haven’t been relevant since the Big Money days. Not eve I, who had Slingerland make a copy of the Black and Brass drum set Peart used on Farewell to Kings bother to put them in the tape deck. The last time they were in the news. Alex Lifeson beat the crap out of some guy.