Mike Walker on the Al Rantel Show: "If We're Wrong, Rush Could Own Us"

790am KABC Radio

[Cinnamon Girl]

Mike Walker of the National Enquirer has been on the Al Rantel show for the past two hours discussing the story which his paper broke about Rush Limbaugh's dependence on prescription drugs, obtained illegally through his housekeeper. As Mike said, if this story was erroneous, Rush could sue them out of business. The National Enquirer did all kinds of checking before going with this story. He said they only paid for the story from the housekeeper after she had already gone to the police with her story and evidence.

But the most upsetting thing Mike Walker and Al discussed is the possibility that oxicontin (?) causes deafness and that Rush may have caused his own deafness by taking up to 30 or so pills a day. That is a horrible thought.

My wish is that Rush gets on the radio, comes clean about his addiction, and gets the help he needs. The longer he waits to do this, the worse it will be for him, in all sorts of ways. The police are apparently more interested in busting dealers than users in this sort of situation, but the housekeeper and her husband received immunity with their statements to the police. The claim is that Rush also was receiving UPS deliveries of pills from another source. Whatever the case, he should come clean.

[Palladin]

Quick! Call the National Enquirer and Mike Walker. They pay cash money for tips like that!

[EternalVigilance]

*JFK

[_Jim]

my wish is that Rush gets on the radio, comes clean about his addiction

Presumption of guilt based on the un-scrtuninized stories of others ...

[John H K]

If the enquirer vanished where would we learn that King Tut Died in a Jet Crash or that Elvis is alive and well and fathered the loch ness monster ?

You're confusing the Enquirer and the Weekly World News. All tabloids are not the same. There's a spectrum.

Enquirer is basically celeb scandal; there's no Hitler's brain in a jar, aliens, Loch Ness Monster stuff at all.

[TomServo]

He said they only paid for the story from the housekeeper after she had already gone to the police with her story and evidence.

Why does the Enquirer think just 'cause a crime is reported, the crime is a fact?

[Reagan Man]

When this story first broke, I said, don't screw with Rush Limbaugh. He is one powerful figure in America today and his 20-30 million radio listeners give him tremendous influence in the political arena. I'm not trying to sound dramatic here nor am I overstating things. Just stating the obvious. Rush has buried people in the past. Till this day, some of them still don't realize it.

[Paul Atreides]

I remember that Carol Burnett sued the Enquirer and won. I think that Tom Selleck did, as well.

[BluH2o]

I don't know which will be harder for him--the drug rehab, or rehabilitating his reputation and career.

Have heard little or nothing about Rush and his so called (by no lesser authority than tha Nat'l Enquirer) drug/pill problem since late last week, except on FR. It would seem much is being made about very little ...

[ScuzzyTerminator]

If the pain killers caused his deafness, what caused his need for pain killers in the first place?

Why would you think he ever had a need for pain killers?

[x]

Rush has brought much enjoyment and enlightenment to people, but a political satirist has to be pretty hard-edged. He has to throw darts at the things he opposes while remaining invisible himself. An effective satirist can't say, "Well we all have our faults. Heaven knows I've got mine" -- at least not in the present media environment.

If the rumors are true, we'll probably be seeing a very different Rush -- mellower and less controntational. People will have to make up their own minds whether the new Rush will be better or worse than the old Rush. I'd say better if it's a part of a general move away from exaggerated polarization in public discussion, but worse if (as seems likely) he's the only one to back away from the opinion circus.

[Fred Mertz]

You're not de Nile too, Jimbo? Buy a clue.

[Pubbie]

"Tolerance to opiates is essentially unlimited, if the dosage is increased slowly."

That is NOT true - at least not for Oxycontin.

There IS a limit to the number you can take no matter how gradually you take them!

http://www.oxycontinaddiction.info/overdose.htm

OxyContin Overdose such as other opiates and opioids, can be dangerous. Internet Health Caregivers Edward Barbien, a toxologist at National Medical Services in Willow Grave said, ".anyone can die from it (OxyContin) if they chew or crush it as they take it." Frequent and repeated use of the drug can cause the user to develop a tolerance to its effects, so larger doses are required to elicit the desired sensation and the abuser gets increasingly addicted to the drug. Eventually an overdose does occur when too much OxyContin enters the system. Symptoms of an overdose from OxyContin are:

slow breathing

seizures

dizziness

weakness

loss of consciousness

coma

confusion

tiredness

cold and clammy skin

small pupils.



18 year old Eddie Bisch died on February 19th 2001 after chewing the Central Nervous System depressant and powerful painkiller OxyContin. His death was a result of mixing the prescription medication OxyContin and other substances, including alcohol. He made a mistake and paid for it with his life. OxyContin is a powerful painkiller which has the ability to destroy and end lives.

OxyContin is very dangerous when taken with other drugs, especially depressants. In Philadelphia, 22 deaths have been linked to OxyContin in a 3 month period. An increase in the abuse of OxyContin has lead to the increase of overdoses. OxyContin related deaths are on the rise across the nation and the deaths in Philadelphia have skyrocketed from 17 in 1999 to 41 in 2000 and an estimated 80 in 2001.

[Paul Atreides]

I find it interesting that all of this surfaced, just as the left is trying to develop their own version of Rush.

[Vigilantcitizen]

"But the most upsetting thing Mike Walker and Al discussed is the possibility that oxicontin (?) causes deafness and that Rush may have caused his own deafness by taking up to 30 or so pills a day."

I can assure you, if Rush took 10 oxy's in one day, much less 30, he'd be dead. Very powerful medicine.

One other thing, people addicted to pain medication and who have taken large doses over a long period of time, like crack heads and speed freaks, are quite obvious in their intoxication.

I'm not a Rush listener nor fan, but this whole pill scandal stinks to high heaven. A man with Rush's money and stature would have no problem obtaining legal scripts, especially if he is friends with any sports related doctors, who aren't placed under the same scrutiny as regular doctors. Not mentioning the fact that oxycontin is more expensive to buy on the street than legally.

Even if Rush was buying pills illegally, again, people with his money don't buy from maids. Rush is smart enough to know that the media would pay a large sum to bring him down for any reason, and someone who doesn't make much money, like a maid, wouldn't hesitate to take that money and throw Rush under the bus.

Think about this too. Rush is hated by the klintoon camp, masters at dirty politics and smear tatics. I'd be willing to bet that Rush has been under the microscope for several years now, by paid pros who are very good at what they do, with nothing to show for it.

[myself6]

You say this as someone who wished to keep this issue alive.

[barker]

My wish is that Rush gets on the radio, comes clean about his addiction,....

You're assuming he has one. He may have an addiction, may have had one but doesn't now or may have never had one.

[aristeides]

Didn't he have back surgery at some point?

[_Jim]

You're not de Nile too, Jimbo? Buy a clue.

Oh, I forgot.

YOU have the verified, inscrutibale 'facts' already STRAIGHT OUT OF THE ENQUIRER.

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiight ....

[Reagan Man]

Yes of course. The timing is quite coincidental.

[gdc61]

i care about Rush too, and he said he was tired today, but he DID sound a few rpm slower than usual. most people would be surprised to know that daily users are sometimes very hard to spot.(not the freaks eating 5-10 at one shot)