Posted on 10/03/2003 5:45:49 AM PDT by shortstop
Believe me, Rush, I know what youre going through.
That may sound presumptuous, but its true. I have an idea of what the crushing of a dream feels like, of what its like to be on the evening news, of how your stomach sinks when the most intimate aspects of your life are headlined in the paper and laughed at on the radio.
I know what its like. Ive been through it.
And I have good news.
Youre going to be fine. The things that are precious to you are still going to be with you when this is done. The truth will still be the truth, you will still be you, and the world will go on.
The sun will come up; you will survive. Life is good. Remember that and drive on.
Its been a tough week. On Sunday, you said an NFL quarterback was a media sweetheart because he was black. By Wednesday that had cost you your TV job. Then on Thursday, word leaked that you might have a drug problem, and had spent four years scoring OxyContin from your housekeeper.
When it rains it pours, huh?
Heres what I think about where you stand.
First, you shouldnt have resigned. I am sure you did so because they said theyd fire you if you didnt, but it wasnt the right thing to do. What you said was stupid, not racist. And by cutting and running instead of making them fire you you accept a new public standard that essentially forbids white people from discussing race. When you quit youre not a victim of the thought police, youre an accomplice. Youre admitting you did something wrong.
And you did nothing wrong.
Granted, I dont think most people would agree with you.
There have been black NFL quarterback stars for years. This is McNabb, not DiMaggio or Koufax. Theres nothing pioneering or unusual anymore about his race or ethnicity. And you dont get into the Pro Bowl through affirmative action.
But sports analysts say dumb things all the time. Your problem was you are white and you mentioned race. And your ESPN career is gone. Badabing, badaboom.
Now some wonder if you will lose your radio job as well.
It would be ridiculous if you did. And it would be ridiculous if any stations pulled your show. I think your listeners of every race understand. And they know your heart.
Its not about twisting five seconds worth of audio, its about the totality of a persons character and career. And youre not a racist.
But you might be a junkie.
Thats what Wilma Cline, your former housekeeper, says. She says that for four years until the spring of last year she illegally kept you in prescription painkillers. Supposedly Oxycontin, Lorcet and hydrocodone.
That storys coming out today in the National Enquirer. Most of the details were in yesterdays New York Daily News. She said she taped your last two buys, and that once she gave you more than 43-hundred pills in less than two months. The claim is also that an intermediate passed her $200,000 to keep quiet just before she went to the police.
She also claims you went to detox twice, most recently a little more than a year ago.
Well, thats got to hurt to see in the paper, doesnt it? And, if its true, its got to hurt to have that in your life.
Im sorry.
But if thats the way it is, thats the way it is.
Should you quit your radio show? Should you give up your career?
Only if you want to send the message to every other addict out there that they are useless and ruined and ought to jump off a bridge.
But if you believe you can lick it, if you believe you can lay bare you soul on this matter to your audience, if you believe you still have something to offer, then you should stay on the air.
Personally, thats what I think you should do.
Personally, I think that the millions of Americans struggling through addictions of their own would be strengthened by the humble example you now have the opportunity to set. If there is healing power in saying to a small room of people, My name is Rush and Im an addict, imagine what power there could be in saying that to a nation.
Its going to be hard, Rush. That OxyContin is a devil sweeping across the country. So are the other addictions people face the cocaine and crack, booze and sex and if we fired everybody who was an addict wed have a lot of empty jobs.
Its going to be hard, Rush. Youre going to have to go on the air and lay it all out. And youre going to have to ask for forgiveness and support.
And heres my prediction: Youll get both.
Because people care about you. Anybody can bash the Clintons, but your gig is being Americas friend. A great, blustering, opinionated, funny friend. At least thats how I see you. Thats why I tune in.
Thats why Ill keep tuning in.
Stay the course, Rush. Your work isnt done yet. Your country and your audience still need you. Dont let the hurt of today keep you from the work of tomorrow.
I know what its like. Ive been through it.
And I have good news.
Youre going to be fine.
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I wonder about the timing of the Thursday smear. We know how the 'Rats love to kick people when they're down. I would not be at all surprised if the 'Rats had the drug story in the hopper for some time, and timed the release to provide a one/two punch.
Remember the Clinton connection. Zuckerman at the Daily News is a old cards-playing buddy of Bubba, and Bubba's lawyer is the in-house consigliere for the National Enquirer. These two outlets have been the source of numerous Clinton plants over the years. It's kind of a "Communication Stream of Conspiracy Commerce", if you will.
Unless of course he is innocent. I can't beleve the number of pills. How do you take that many and not end up in the hospital? Sounds like his housekeeper was trying to account for the pills that actually went to a number of customers. Like maybe she would get a lighter sentance if she was simply an enabler of one person instead of a pusher for many.
This is an example of why people who need pain relief do not get adequate treatment. This particular drug is very effective at relieving pain but doctors are highly regulated in prescribing it (a class II drug).
Why? Because of its "potential for abuse". What's the problem with this? Because some people abuse this drug, everyone has to suffer for it.
President Bush expressed support of radio star Rush Limbaugh in conversations with top staff on Thursday, a senior administration source told the DRUDGE REPORT.
"Rush is a great American," the president said of the beleaguered host, who has championed the conservative movement for decades. "I am confident he can overcome any obstacles he faces right now."
Like President Bush, I am confident, of that, too.
I especially like and agree with his use of the word, "ANY".
Only if you want to send the message to every other addict out there that they are useless and ruined and ought to jump off a bridge.
But if you believe you can lick it, if you believe you can lay bare you soul on this matter to your audience, if you believe you still have something to offer, then you should stay on the air.
Personally, thats what I think you should do.dittos
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