Posted on 10/07/2003 5:37:58 AM PDT by jimmccleod
Limbaugh's Secret Life By Carol Devine-Molin October 6, 2003
We conservatives are all saddened by the news that Rush Limbaugh is being investigated by law enforcement authorities for illegal buys of prescription painkillers. If accounts being bandied about the media are accurate, then Limbaugh: a) has procured tremendous amounts of highly addictive narcotic medications from his pill-pushing housekeeper Wilma Cline, and, b) is likely to be subjected to arrest. Oh, by the way, dear Wilma sold her hot celebrity story to The National Enquirer for about four hundred thousand dollars. Am I surprised by the overall situation? Yes and no.
Given Limbaugh's outstanding analytical mind and sharp wit, it's difficult to believe that he's constantly in a drug induced state. Who is more articulate and funny than Limbaugh in the world of political commentary? Nobody. However, the hard truth is this: Among entertainers, media personalities and politicos, substance abuse exists in epidemic proportions. For that reason, many conservatives have quickly moved beyond denial and are prepared to hear the worst of it. And I think the majority of conservatives will continue to be compassionate and supportive toward El Rushbo as long as he embraces rehabilitative efforts.
Limbaugh is clearly the most influential conservative of our era, with a radio audience of up to thirty million listeners each week. He's probably converted more Americans to the conservative persuasion than any individual except Ronald Reagan. Understandably, Limbaugh's myriad political foes rejoice in his current troubles. Al Franken and the radical Left are ecstatic. If the tabloid piece largely pans out, Limbaugh has provided his enemies with significant ammunition in efforts to discredit and silence him. But will those hostile to Limbaugh ultimately succeed in ruining him? I doubt it. His current woes are definitely a setback, but not insurmountable. I would state one pivotal caveat. The only individual who can really bring down Limbaugh is Limbaugh himself. Conservatives will maintain solidarity with Limbaugh if, and only if, he dedicates himself to being clean and sober. However, if Limbaugh continues to dabble in drugs, his legion of fans and listeners will slowly drift away.
Although most people are focused upon Limbaugh's legal circumstances, much more is at stake. Drug addiction is a life-threatening condition, which requires proper intervention. Reports indicate that Limbaugh had been rapidly detoxed twice, but returned to drugs both times. Of course he has to undergo another detoxification, and not of the dubious "ultra-rapid" variety that is completed in 24 hours. But what about follow-up care? I'm referring to a program of drug treatment to prevent relapse. Importantly, with relapse there's always the specter of overdose and further physical deterioration. And Limbaugh will have to fight his addictive inclinations for the rest of his life - that is the nature of the beast. It's encouraging to note that many radio and television personalities, such as Don Imus and Larry Kudlow, are succeeding in their day-by-day recovery efforts.
The drugs taken by Limbaugh - OxyContin, Lorcet and Hydrocone - are terribly dangerous by all accounts. Never mind that they cause a host of emotional side effects including paranoia and mood swings. Now, it's coming to light that at least two of these powerful painkillers are linked to sudden hearing loss. In other words, it's conceivable that Limbaugh's deafness was caused by his own addictive behaviors. If that turns out to be the case, it's not only tragic but speaks to the incredible grip of dependency created by these drugs. On some level Rush Limbaugh, like all substance abusers, has self-destructive tendencies. That's his private business, and his responsibility to explore through counseling. For addicts, arrest is often a good thing since the Court system forces them into essential treatment. Roy Black is a very adept criminal attorney who understands these issues. If Limbaugh is charged with a crime, certainly mandatory drug rehabilitation would be part of the plea bargain. I doubt that Limbaugh would be made to serve any jail time.
As to The National Enquirer article, I read it. And I found it to be credible, rife with details that demonstrate the severity of Limbaugh's substance abuse problem. Limbaugh had at least one other drug supplier besides Wilma Cline, referred to as his "FedEx" connection. Apparently OxyContin is Limbaugh's drug of choice. And law enforcement authorities are in possession of a couple of tapes, and a bunch of emails, that substantiate the claims made by Wilma Cline and her husband regarding Limbaugh. The Cline couple cut themselves a very nice deal with the people at The National Enquirer that are experts at marketing
Sometimes unhappy people cling to the false hope that when they "have everything" they will be happy. When they finally "have everything" and are still unhappy they're shattered.
As to why Rush Limbaugh suffers from addiction (if indeed he does), you might also ask why Bill Bennett gambled excessively, or why Arnold Schwartznegger allegedly engaged in sexual harassment long after he was married and entered the ranks of respectability. People can become ensnared in terrible problems. The lure of "sex, drugs, and rock and roll" can as much cause a conservative, even a conservative Christian, to go astray, as it can liberals and nonbelievers.
The political problem arises with the GOP, and especially the conservative movement, identifying with "family values," opposing abortion, legalized drugs, permissive child rearing, homosexual unions, etc. Given the deterioration of American (and Western) public morality, particularly over the last 35-40 years, there was a clear need for a strong affirmation of traditional moral values in the public arena.
However, the downside to this strong stance is that it places its advocates, such as Limbaugh and Bennett, to have to be like Caesar's wife, that is, beyond reproach. When a Republican or a conservative slips, the fact that the mainstream print and broadcast media are in the iron grip of leftists will ensure maximum exposure of their opponent's shorcomings. This applies to the religious community as well. Scandals among evangelical Christian and Catholic clergy will receive abundant air time and a barrage of condemnation. Similar failures of mainline Protestant or black clergy will be given little media exposure and no condemnation.
The "purity" measurement was not one that conservative leaders of earlier times, like Barry Goldwater, Robert Taft, Sr., or Calvin Coolidge, had to endure. But up until the 1950s, liberals and even socialists adhered to traditional moral standards. The public statements of liberal heroes Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman affirming belief in the God of the Bible would cause a 2003 ACLU attorney to suffer apoplexy.
Let's hope that Rush Limbaugh will be exonerated. But we must also consider the possibility of a Rush-less future. Whatever the fate of Limbaugh, we must never let the "Fairness Doctrine" re-emerge.
IF these charges are true Rush should fire his lawyer and throw himself on the mercy of the court and take whatever sentence it hands out. That is if he meant what he said about drugs of course.
IF these charges are proven true and he doesn't do the above, he will be known as one of the biggest hypocrites that ever strutted his huge ego across the public airwaves.
A friend of mine, a World War II veteran, has a cochlear implant, and that operation occurred around his 80th birthday, I think it was.
It turned out that the surgeon and audiologists at the medical center, happened to be aircraft enthusiasts and very curious about World War II aircraft, many of which my friend had flown during and after the war.
My friend always suspected that his hearing loss was because of nerve damage caused by the sounds associated with flying.
So, from both perspectives, patient and doctors, there was much more than the usual discussion, and they are all still good friends who communicate by e-mail, by fax, and by the phone --- it really is a treasure to see this fine gentleman enjoy life.
I heard from my friend, quite a lot about cochlear implants and what is required for surgery to be a success.
Turned out that my friend's actual ear failure was because of "fatigue" of the little itty bitty mechanical connections in the ear itself. There was not any significant nerve damage; but the discovering of the "fatigue" is still difficult enough a problem, that nerve damage is often considered, until lately, to be the source of hearling loss.
Now, Rush Limbaugh might have a drug problem; about that, I cannot say.
However, I sincerely doubt that drugs caused nerve damage to his ears. Such damage would have precluded any cochlear implant surgery --- if the surgery was done by a surgeon who really knows his/her business.
Meaning, possibly there is an exception to the rule, being that a person with a lot of money could pay his way through the obstacles. I suppose that Rush could afford to do that.
Yet that is a very big risk, because when they operate, they cut the nerves, severing them completely from the ear and then wire the cochlear implant harness to the nerves.
The chemical-electromotive power of the human ear nerves, coming from the brain to the cochlear implant, power the implant --- there is no battery in the unit used by my friend.
The ear is forever "cut off" from its usefulness for hearing, other than being a handy place upon which to hang the external audio-box "gizmo" that has an extension which "hovers" over the external location of the implant.
I realize that my bringing up the facts of cochlear implant surgery will probably nt trip up the head-long rush meant to cause Rush to exit stage right, but I thought I would try to relate the facts which should cause a body to take care.
P.S.
For all the "drug experts" out there who believe that they heard Rush slur his speech, FYI: Hearing loss does that, and quickly for some people. For example, when my friend's external hearing patch battery "runs down," his speech begins to wander and "sound funny." Pop in a new battery; speech returns to normal, "just like that."
Have a nice day.
What drug is this? Is it a "typo" or could this very knowledgeable author not know what he is talking about since the the correct spelling is "Hydrocodone."
Reefer madness was fiction.
That would be operational if he confined himself to political commentary. He comments on (and even campaigns for or against) social issues as well.
I'd hire a criminal lawyer if I knew it likely or even possible that I'd be charged with a crime. If I were innocent I'd hire a libel lawyer and demand an immediate retraction by the tabloid.
Rush may be innocent but -- by what he's doing and by what he is not doing -- he's not acting that way.
BTW "friends" who tell addicts they don't have a problem aren't real friends.
True. Its just that Rush has always portrayed himself as infallible and his critics as bumbling fools.
Now the shoe is on the other foot and Rush is acting like Clinton, why?
If there is anything to it, he needs to come clean and get help for his problem, and admit he is a fallible human being like the rest of us mere mortals.
Before you draw this conclusion in finality, better read the study done below. Incidentally, this study was done by the same group that did Rush's surgery. Also, the surgery was done in January 2002 about the same time that Cline claims Rush was in detox for opiate addiction.
Am J Otol 2000 Mar;21(2):188-91 (ISSN: 0192-9763) Friedman RA; House JW; Luxford WM; Gherini S; Mills D House Ear Clinic, Inc., Los Angeles, CA 90057, USA.
OBJECTIVES: To describe profound hearing loss associated with hydrocodone overuse and the successful rehabilitation of these patients with cochlear implantation.
STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective review.
SETTING: A tertiary otologic referral center.
: Twelve patients with rapidly progressive hearing loss and a concurrent history of hydrocodone overuse. Interventions: Comprehensive medical histories, physical findings, audiometric tests, and, in those patients undergoing cochlear implantation, postimplantation performance data were reviewed. MAIN
OUTCOME MEASURES: Clinical characteristics of hydrocodone-related hearing loss and open set word and sentence performance in those patients undergoing cochlear implantation.
RESULTS: Hydrocodone overuse was associated with rapidly progressive sensorineural hearing loss in 12 patients. In four patients the initial presentation was unilateral, and two of the patients experienced vestibular symptoms. None of the 12 patients experienced improved thresholds after high-dose prednisone. Seven of the eight patients undergoing cochlear implantation have demonstrated early success with their devices.
CONCLUSIONS: Hydrocodone is frequently prescribed in combination with acetaminophen for the relief of pain and has a side effects profile similar to other medications in its class. Although not described previously, overuse or abuse can be associated with a rapidly progressive sensorineural hearing loss. These patients can be successfully rehabilitated with cochlear implantation.
This is from an abstract obtained on MedLine. FYI. This particular literature finding disturbs me.
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.