What Rush Should Do

Vanity | 10-24-03 | Always Right

[Always Right]

Rush Limbaugh needs to resolve this malicious prosecution as quickly as possible and do so to the benefit everyone. The case the prosecutors are building against Rush appears likely to be trumped up charge of money laundering and doctor shopping. Rush’s real crime was becoming addicted to pain-medication, which he has admitted and has sought appropriate treatment for. Rush is a first-time offender and should be punished as such. The prosecutor however has given immunity to the maid for much more serious charges to pursue these minor charges against Rush. It is unheard of that a prosecutor would do this, and the only explanations can be the prosecutor is seeking personal gain from this case or is on some political vendetta. This type of prosecution is unethical and should stop. If this was any other person, this case would not have been pursued or there would have been a reasonable plea-bargain long ago. This is will be a very expensive case if it goes to trial, and the level of this crime is clearly not worth spending more tax dollars on.

So what should Rush do? If I were Rush, I would immediately pledge $2 million dollars to drug treatment programs in Florida. However, for every dollar the prosecutor spends from now on this over-zealous prosecution, I would reduce that pledge. I would also volunteer to speak out against drug abuse around the state and give Florida a few PR announcements on his program. It is a joke of that prosecutors are apparently seeking to put Rush in jail for this. Rush has been as open as possible on this subject without putting himself at the complete mercy of this over zealous prosecutor. Yes, Rush should pay for his crime, but the punishment must fit the offense. The politics of personal vendettas and personal gains has no place in criminal prosecutions.

[joesbucks]

I forgot the bad back golf thing. Our company hires private detectives to see if those who file for disability are truly disabled. We've blown a couple of guys claims with proof that if they had bad backs, they couldn't play golf.

[Walkin Man]

If this were Jesse Jackson who did this and not Rush this board would be all over him.

The only reason he stopped is because he got caught.

Ain't that the truth!

The massive hypocrisy of Rush is matched by his cult-like followers here on FR.

[pageonetoo]

I am html challenged. Do you know how to post a photo of a waffle? I would like to caption it. (many) Freepers for Rush / (are) Freepers for the WOD.

Of course, the guy shouldn't be prosecuted, even though he has admitted his 'recreational use' of his drugs, on air. Of course, many, of the same Freepers, will want someone smoking hemp locked up because they are 'a scourge to our ordered society'! How he got started is not as material, as the fact, that he continued. (but he was being treated...etc) I think they call that hypocracy.

Dittohead since 1988, Freeper since 2000. Rush ain't always right, and those who are willing to give him a pass, (because of their unahamed love for him) should weigh in on the efficacy of these insane drug policies.

The whole thing stinks. We are not living in a free country!

Why do they lock up two guys for different sentences, when they both have cocaine? They arrested one with powdered cocaine, and the other was cooked into 'rocks' (making more quantity, for less $$$). (one guy was white, upper middle class, with a family, the other black, from the 'projects', with three 'girlfriends'... I'm a wasp, have used neither! I don't defend either, just think it is a little 'funny'! They are both wasting their resources... and lives!)

I argue for liberty, and the proper appliction of individual rights, guaranteed by our founders, taken away by our 'lawyers'... as Rush frenquently says, "...follow the money!"

[Newbomb Turk]

I like Rush ( started before gulf war I ) but it's time to take it like man.
He should have got help before it became public knowledge if it's that important to him to manage his image.

That said I do think he is being persucuted strictly because of who he is.

Haven't heard much about the beautiful and gracious Marta lately.

[solitas]

Nah - I don't hate him; I just want to see Justice followed-through to a full conclusion: be it guilty or not guilty. My beef is with those who seem to have the attitude of "my limbaugh right or wrong" - they're as bad as the "my clinton right or wrong" crowd and, lately, are getting to be just as lunatic in their rationalizations.

He's human and makes mistakes just like anybody else and should be held to no higher or lower standard than anyone else. The law is the law and if they don't particularly LIKE the fact that there are laws he could have conceiveably broken then they should work to change the laws so he or they can break them again without so much going-on in the media.

It's not an issue of him being addicted - it's one of 'were the pills obtained legally?'. And it's not a matter of "everybody else does it and gets away with it so he should too" - whoever the person is: the law should be enforced. And even if it's only enforced once (whether or not it IS him) then that's just one more perpetrator punished.

He's driven me away from his show - it's not worth filtering through so much crap to hear the logical, conservative points being expressed. I can hear (read) all that stuff on the internet (like: here, among other sites) without sifting through all the garbage. I only get 30 minutes for lunch (the 2nd half hour of his show) and there are more and more days when there is absolutely NOTHING USEFUL in that time period. My time can be better spent than listening to useless b#llsh#t, so I tune elsewhere and get my news in the evening at home.

[christiankungfu]

Good point. Top play devil's advocate, I have to say the unpopular, but obvious truth.

Rush has become a victim of the drug war. A drug war he has supported for years.

I'm sure his human reaction would be to reiterate the ubiquitous propaganda about "those kind of drugs" while constructing apologetics for his medically approved choice of drug.

But he would be in quite a conundrum to approach the basic issue at hand, which is that people should have the right to decide for themselves what drugs are appropriate for recreational and/or medicinal purposes.

William F Buckley has honestly reconsidered his position....perhaps Rush may have found such a catalyst for his personal change.

[OldPossum]

Yes, you are. From what I've read, the deaths associated with narcotics are junkies who take more than the prescribed doses, grind up timed-release tablets and inject the stuff into their arms, mix narcotics with alcohol, in short, do everything inconsistent with the proper use of the drugs. You are mostly dealing with irresponsible, stupid people in this arena. And there is nothing the state can do about such.

[wastoute]

This whole thing is political. I have been a Doctor (M.D.) for twenty years and have only ever even heard of ONE CASE of prosecution for this sort of thing, and that was 22 years ago in St. Louis as a Med Student and I am pretty sure the charges were dropped. The lady was seeing 5 docs a day for Dilaudid.

Try to find a case of prosecution for this. You can't. I have called the authorities for these kinds of things and they won't even listen. You can't get a cop or prosecutor to even stay on the phone when you try to report this kind of stuff. Try it. Call your local prosecutor and tell him you are Doctor so and so and you have a patient (use your own name as patient) that you know is "doctor shopping for Percocet" and see what happens. You can't even get him (or her) to stay on the phone.

[Rightly Biased]

This is all from Bill Clintonleona and his evil bride. Rush will do fine and will fight this to the end.

Buy his way out, I pray he doesn't.

[Bluntpoint]

And nobody should understand better how politics works than Rush.

Rush lit this fuse.

[KDD]

----Potential punishments----

Possessing an illegally obtained prescription drug is punishable by up to 10 years in prison for drugs such as Vicodin, Xanax and hydrocodone. Because OxyContin is considered to have a higher potential for abuse, illegal possession of the drug carries a maximum sentence of 20 years, plus a fine of up to $10,000.

[lonestar]

How many people have been prosecuted for "doctor shopping" in FL?

How many people in FL know it's against the law to "doctor shop?"

I know people who should be in prison if we have a law against it in TX.

[Always Right]

How many people have been prosecuted for "doctor shopping" in FL?

I have seen only 5 examples of people charged with doctor shopping, all of which had more serious charges tied to them such as dealing and fraud. I don't know if anyone is in jail for this. The law is really a bad law, because you could be found guilty of 'doctor shopping' by visiting as few as two doctors in a 30 day period. The catch is you have to try to obtain the similar prescription for the same purpose, not disclose your previous presciption to the other doctor. The Florida legislature made the bar very low for this 'third-degree felony' as many people could unwittingly violate this.

[longtermmemmory]

Rush is not a victim of the drug war. If he was being prosecuted for buying illegal drugs, or obtaining legal drugs illegally, after being caught red handed it would be true. Rush's present prosecution has little to do with drug use or abuse.

If Rush is a victim it is of unfettered prosecutorial discretion. If this was really a drug case we would have been done almost a year ago. The the democrats can scream for "common sense" gun laws, then there should be "common sense" limitations on prosecutorial "investigations".

[buffyt]

There was an article in Reader's Digest a year or so ago that said over two million Americans are addicted to prescription pain pills. I could use some, I have RA and I am in constant pain. I would take someone else's pain pills if I had some. I am on Rush's side. You don't know what chronic pain is until you have it. And when it is in your back, that is the WORST kind of chronic pain. My cousin has had several back surgeries. I know....

[buffyt]

Rush came on the air and admitted his addiction and said he was going into rehab. He admitted that he had tried this before, and had not been successful. I think you are right, and he probably apologized to family et al during rehab, and before and after rehab. I think it took a big man to do what he did.

[christiankungfu]

Rush is not a victim of the drug war. If he was being prosecuted for buying illegal drugs, or obtaining legal drugs illegally, after being caught red handed it would be true. Rush's present prosecution has little to do with drug use or abuse.

If I understand the case correctly, he DID obtain legal drugs illegally. They are prescription drugs which he obtained from an unlicensed seller on the black market. THAT he is guilty of by his own admission. He SHOULD at least pay a fine and do community service. I would agree the agressive prosecution IS more than what is routine for such an offense.

But in calling him a victim, I'm referring to the philosophical premise here. Rush, and any free citizen should be able to acquire and use any drug for medicinal or recreational purposes. In doing so, he takes full accountability, but such is the curse of freedom.

Unfortunately, Rush doesn't HAVE that right in this country and he is now, according to the U.S. government, a drug criminal forced to defend himself for trying to relieve pain.'

Maybe now, he, like Buckley, will reconsider his drug position.