Rush Limbaugh: Open Line Friday [Confirms Some Aspects of Drug Story, Checking In To Rehab]

[I Am Not A Mod]

A thread for those listening to today's show.

[Lost Highway]

Rush is a HYPOCRITE!

There is not a man alive that is not. He broadcast to 20 million people that he has a problem and has asked for no favoritism. It's about as stand up as one can get.

"The show will continue during this time, of course, with an array of guest hosts you have come to know and respect. I am not making any excuses. You know, over the years athletes and celebrities have emerged from treatment centers to great fanfare and praise for conquering great demons. They are said to be great role models and examples for others. Well, I am no role model. I refuse to let anyone think I am doing something great here, when there are people you never hear about, who face long odds and never resort to such escapes.

They are the role models. I am no victim and do not portray myself as such. I take full responsibility for my problem."

[grannyheart2000]

ah yes.....your compassion is overwhelming. I suppose you will tell my 77 year old sister who suffers from chronic back pain that can't be remedied by surgery etc. that the morphine patches she uses daily should be thrown away. Let her live the rest of her life in chronic pain so severe that she cries continually without her patches......yes tell her that she is nothing more than a "doper" like those out on the streets........
Pity those around you should you ever develop such excruiating pain that can't be alleviated through surgery and you choose not to take any pain pills. You have no idea what it's like.....

[rightbanker]

Let me ask you a question.

Consider two people who get aids. One because they are a promiscuous gay person. The other through a blood transfusion.

You probably think that there's an important moral difference between them. I certainly agree with that. The one took a foolish risk. The other was blind-sided. But I don't see a moral difference that relevant to how we treat them once they have both gotten aids. They are both sick. They both need help.

Or would you say that we should treat them differently because one got sick because of his/her own reckless behavior and the other one got sick through no fault of their own? If so, why?

of course, I DO agree that we to do different things to discourage the spread of aids through consensual sex from what we have to do to discourage through blood transfusions. We have to safeguard the blood supply through public and collective means.

We have to discourage reckless sex through some kind of public persuasion directed at individuals.

But what follows about the people who get sick once those means fail? Should we really care for them differently, feel a different degree of sympathy for them?

Why?


That's a serious question. I'm not trying to score debating points.

[Nov3]

I thought abusing drugs equated with supporting terrorism; at least that's what that ONDCP television commercial drummed into my head.

OMIGOD! Rush is a terrorist supporter!< /sarcasm>

[mhking]

How much money do you think he gave to his drug dealer, over the years?

You automatically assume that he has a "drug dealer" giving him "illegal" drugs. That is not an established fact at this stage. I'm willing to give the man the benefit of the doubt.

You, on the other hand, want to string him up to the gallows. So much for support.

[Hildy]

I was thinking about Rush and the 12 steps and I don't have a good feeling about his truly being able to do this program. You obviously know what I mean. The guy is all ego. That's his schtick...he wouldn't be Rush otherwise.

[sissyjane]

Well for one thing the rich addict doesn't steal or prostitute themselves to get their drugs.....I'm not condoning his drug use, but I do not think he should be compared to the bums that live under the freeway.

[Tribune7]

He was Illegally on prescription pain medication while condemning people who were on them like he was.

Be specific.

[WackyKat]

I believe we need to take the fear of the law out of the equation and treat addiction as a public health issue.

Right. But the irrationality of the sort of people on this thread who defend and praise Rush for his courage, while at the same time condemning ordinary drug addicts shows how difficult it is to bring any sanity to this debate.

[Dane]

I just have the belief that if it were, say, Bill or Hillary who was admitting an addiction to hillbilly heroin, the responses from the Rush-lovers would be decidedly different. Do you think that's an unfair conclusion?

Well gee, as President of the United States, Bill Clinton pointed his finger at me and said "I did not have sexual relations with that woman" with his co-enabler Hillary by his side.

Rush admitted his demons today, he deserves all of our support and prayers, IMO.

[Qwinn]

"He was Illegally on prescription pain medication while condemning people who were on them like he was."

Yet again... I have a problem with your using the word "while".

It's been fairly well established that he did so -before-. To me that does not a hypocrite make. His own encounter with it gave him knowledge of how one can get addicted and how difficult it can be to overcome - that IS the kind of thing that can make someone legitimately change their mind on principle, you know.

Now if you can establish that he was for the WoD on drugs AFTER he experienced what addiction was like himself... and ALSO manufactures an argument that he himself should be exempted from the law... then I'll agree he's a hypocrite.

But what I heard him say was that he's not a victim. And he's allowed to defend himself in court just like any other addict is - I doubt he ever said they shouldn't get their day in court. For Rush to be a hypocrite, we'd have to establish that A) he broke the law and B) he doesn't believe he's subject to it.

Neither point has been made.

How do you know he wouldn't serve his jail time without principled protest? If he did so, frankly, he could maintain a stand against drugs without being a hypocrite.

The notion seems to be that if, for example, I supported laws against murder, and then I committed a murder, that automatically means that I lied and I always supported legalizing murder all along. I don't think that follows.

Qwinn

[Joe Hadenuf]

I have a friend with chronic pain from back surgery and I see her struggle - it is a tough situation.

And the drugs usually do more damage than the so-called chronic pain.

Trust me, pain or no pain, once hooked, people pop um just to maintain, mentally and physically.....

They get so jacked up, they forget all about the pain and most thoughts are, "man I want another one".....

In any event, again, I wish Rush the best beating his drug habit.....

[k2blader]

Source?

[Joy Angela]

I just heard the announcement on radio news,
and my first thought was how noble Rush is, I was
in awe of his good character and his courage in
being straight and honest about his addiction.

(in contrast to the deceiving Bill Clinton and his
lies, perjury)

But, then my eyes filled with tears.

We're all behind you Rush.

And yes, our prayers are on the way.

[RANGERAIRBORNE]

RE: Your post #333- I agree with you completely. But I do believe that there are at least three subsets of prescription-drug abusers

1) People with genuine chronic pain seeking relief, who do not realize that tolerance to opiates, especially, occurs pretty quickly

2)People who began with a genuine problem, but decided that they liked the way the drugs made them feel- and continued to use them after the original problem was resolved.

3) Purely recreational drug users (most of whom probably have some form of depression or anxiety disorder).

[ItsTheMediaStupid]

Overall, there's too much reliance on pills and it is only getting worse.

I dissagree many people don't use these pain killers because of the fear of addiction, but addiction is only a problem for a small number of people why choose or must use a high dose. If anything people are not using enough of these pills because of the stigma. Maybe this will help remove the stigma.

[truth_seeker]

It does not matter how he became addicted...he is addicted. Making a distinction between a "good junkie" and a "bad junkie" is a cop out and for Rush's sake I hope is not listening to that excuse anymore.

I hope Rush does recover. I direct sceptics to investigate Eric Clapton.

He has been clean/sober a long time. He was and is rich, famous both while he was addicted, and now after many years of continuous sobriety.

He gives something back. He funds (and works in) a rehab facility in the Caribbean.

There are other figures. Most you don't hear about, because they FOLLOW the precept of anonimity.

I feel being rich and famous and addicted has both positive and negative aspects. I truly hope Rush can apply the positive.

Here is what I have heard: "It doesn't matter if you go through an indigent detox, or Betty Ford. At the end, they both tell you to go to Meetings and get a copy of the Big Book."

[Tribune7]

Should we really care for them differently, feel a different degree of sympathy for them?

It depends. If that promiscuous fellow who got AIDS says how weak and foolish I was thank you for you're compassion, I can be sympathetic.

OTOH, if that fellow said I had a blast, give me money who self-rightous prig so I can keep partying regardless of who else I infect, I'm not going to be.

[Nov3]

I was thinking about Rush and the 12 steps and I don't have a good feeling about his truly being able to do this program. You obviously know what I mean. The guy is all ego.

I have the same feeling but I am praying he can see the beauty of the truth in AA. I seriously suspect he will have trouble listening to anyone however.

It shows how much people understand about this problem when they basically say he will beat this by force of will.

[Dane]

I thought abusing drugs equated with supporting terrorism; at least that's what that ONDCP television commercial drummed into my head

Whatever Fred, get your e-mails from the loser who hangs out by himself in an internet bar and post them here.

Everytime you post you make my point even more, IMO.

Again you never cease to amaze, with your refusal to see reason.