America owes talk host Rush Limbaugh a debt of gratitude, Libertarians say

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

Delivered-To: dfarber+ () ux13 sp cs cmu edu
Date: Tue, 21 Oct 2003 09:49:03 -0500
From: "Robert J. Berger" <rberger () ibd com>
Subject: America owes talk host Rush Limbaugh a debt of gratitude,
 Libertarians say
To: Dewayne Hendricks <dewayne () warpspeed com>, Dave Farber <dave () farber net>


A good call on the hypocrisy of the neo-cons

America owes talk host Rush Limbaugh a debt of gratitude, Libertarians say

http://www.lp.org/press/archive.php?function=view&record=652
October 16, 2003

WASHINGTON, DC -- The entire nation owes radio broadcaster Rush Limbaugh a
debt of gratitude, Libertarians say, because his ordeal has exposed every
drug warrior in America as a rank hypocrite.

"One thing we don't hear from American politicians very often is silence,"
said Joe Seehusen, Libertarian Party executive director. "By refusing to
criticize Rush Limbaugh, every drug warrior has just been exposed as a
shameless, despicable hypocrite.

"And that's good news, because the next time they do speak up, there'll be
no reason for anyone to listen."

The revelation that Limbaugh had become addicted to painkillers -- drugs he
is accused of procuring illegally from his Palm Beach housekeeper  -- has
caused a media sensation ever since the megastar's shocking, on-air
confession last week.

As the Limbaugh saga continues, here's an important question for Americans
to ask, Libertarians say: Why are all the drug warriors suddenly so silent?

"Republican and Democratic politicians have written laws that have condemned
more than 400,000 Americans to prison for committing the same 'crime' as
Rush Limbaugh," Seehusen pointed out. "If this pill-popping pontificator
deserves a get-out-of-jail-free card, these drug warriors had better explain
why."

Given their longstanding support for the Drug War, it's fair to ask:

Why haven't President George Bush or his tough-on-crime attorney general,
John Ashcroft, uttered a word criticizing Limbaugh's law-breaking?

Why aren't drug czar John P. Walters or his predecessor, Barry McCaffrey,
lambasting Limbaugh as a menace to society and a threat to "our children?"

Why aren't federal DEA agents storming Limbaugh's $30 million Florida
mansion in a frantic search for criminal evidence?

Why haven't federal, state, and local police agencies seized the celebrity's
homes and luxury cars under asset-forfeiture laws?

Finally, why aren't bloviating blabbermouths like William Bennett publicly
explaining how America would be better off if Limbaugh were prosecuted,
locked in a steel cage and forced to abandon his wife, his friends, and his
career?

The answer is obvious, Seehusen said: "America's drug warriors are shameless
hypocrites who believe in one standard of justice for ordinary Americans and
another for themselves, their families and their political allies.

"That alone should completely discredit them."

But there's an even more disturbing possibility, Seehusen said: that the
people who are prosecuting the Drug War don't even believe in its central
premise -- which is that public safety requires that drug users be jailed.

"The Bushes and Ashcrofts and McCaffreys of the world may believe,
correctly, that individuals fighting a drug addiction deserve medical, not
criminal treatment," he said. "That would explain why they're not demanding
that Limbaugh be jailed.

"But if that's the case, these politicians have spent decades tearing apart
American families for their own political gain. And that's an unforgivable
crime."




--
Robert J. Berger - Internet Bandwidth Development, LLC.
Voice: 408-882-4755 eFax: +1-408-490-2868
http://www.ibd.com

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