The Poison of Rush Limbaugh

Rush Limbaugh is a disease.

There's a vile nature to the man and his self-anointed, self-importance, "woe is me, screw you" mentality that lacks any sense of compassion. To those who aspire a God-like path in life, should really evaluate whether or not Jesus would harbor such anger, such resentment and do so without compassion, empathy and love. Those that believe in the tenets of Rush Limbaugh - are un-Christ like.

Yes, he's built a successful money-making empire that's forged on the precepts of hate, sociologic-economic Darwinism that can be whittled down to: "Angry old man, get off my lawn." But he's just an entertainer. An orator with an endless running banter about how the system is failing and it's the liberals that are causing it.

He conveniently applies the history that matters only to him. He, along the likes of Drudge and HuffPo become running commentaries of our daily lives. Each part carrying a significant bias whose slant is dedicated on the base they serve. Our media outlets have become an entrenched version of the Sharks and the Jets ... West Side Story.

But it was Rush that started it.
It was Rush that inspired it.
And there was a fatality that happened along the way: the truth.

Journalism died and prevailing biased commentators prevailed.

History dictates that profound orators sway public opinion and can brainwash people into whatever you want them to think. That's why the likes of some rather notorious dictators have been successful in wooing the masses to follow them wherever, however, whatever.

How does this make it Rush poisonous?

There's a divisiveness.
There's a "you're with me or you're against me" mentality.
There's only one way - his way.
There's hate.
There's vitriol.
There's hypocrisy.
There's self-serving.
There's loathing.
There's self-absorption.
There's very un-Christian-like rhetoric.
There's very counter-intuitive, counter-productive, pro-business, pro-greed, anti-assistance, anti-government, anti-liberal, anti-Christ like behavior.
There's intolerance.

Truthfully ask yourself if this is something Jesus would approve of.

He keeps using the same tagline: "Talent on loan from God," - but there isn't a God out there that would loan out their talent to someone who preaches to be some sort of political deity. It's sad that Rush doesn't get it ... and how he continues to feign superiority when intelligence, morality and common sense trumps someone who gets rich off of instilling his poisonous beliefs on others.

Once you can clue into Rush's tactics ... you can see through the jaded glasses and see the man for who he really is. As the fervor from slut-gate lingers ... it has pulled back a few layers of what kind of man Rush Limbaugh is. As much as I deplore most of what this man says ... I feel sorry for the masses that continually absorb this man's vileness.

We see it in forums.
We see it in our editorials.
We see it in our protests.
We see it in the chain letters and other political discussions.

Rush overestimates that there are more conservatives than liberals. His numbers are artificially created thanks to his longevity on the air. He feeds the red meat base and when those people age and have children ... they indoctrinate them to the likes of Rush and the cycle grows and continues. That's why I say he's a disease.

Rush takes what angers you most ... and makes you more angry about it ... Drudge, Breibart and Fox do their part to shore it up on the media side ... with the slant, bias and lies leaning their way. I won't say that MSNBC and other media outlets don't do their fair share of leaning left ... but when I look at the goals of both sides - I look at the fate of mankind as being a higher priority than those on the right hold important.

The morality of what makes us good ... is being eroded away with the likes of Rush. Most addictions require that moment of epiphany when the clarity of the problem emerges. This recent issue helped jolt some into realizing the "real" man they've been adamantly defending all of these years.

...and they finally opened their eyes.

Breibart

Normally I try to take the high road when it comes to the passing of someone on the republican side of things. We're all human beings, with very differing points of view, but in the end - we're all sailing on the same sea of life. Andrew Breibart was a die hard Republican who was very unapologetic about his views. He would say angry, hateful things because - he could. He felt he was right, justified and otherwise morally superior to attack any democrat or liberal that stood in front of his view.

When someone wants to project themselves in such a manner - it makes him look weaker, less informed and even dense. To be so dismissive while being incredibly antagonistic, hateful and blind to their actions and speech. I've always marveled at how these folks can live with themselves when harboring such ill-will towards anyone that presents a complete argument that is morally stronger than the one they hold. Breibart made his living capitalizing on the morally gray area of what is considered true. Between he, Murdoch and Limbaugh ... the lines of truth get skewed behind a plethora of money that backs corporate media propaganda.

So when I heard about his passing this week - I admit I was conflicted for the first few minutes. I was sad for his family and close friends ... and then I began to take the high road - pointing out differences of viewpoints. Unfortunately, I stopped feeling badly for him when I recalled all of the angry, hateful things he did in the name of politics. The vitriol, the condemnation, the lack of respect, the absence of responsibility - while focused on the stories he wanted to tell - vs. - being truthful.

I was prepared to let his abysmal behavior slide .... until ....

The Fox fake tears, the "warrior tributes," and the enormous outpouring for someone they defend as a champion to their cause.

Cause?

What cause would that be?

Republicans would say that it's the the cause of "taking back their country." As though having control for 8 years didn't do enough harm that got us into this mess to begin with. They of course don't see it that way because they consistently buy into the buffet line that Breibart, Murdoch and Drudge keep dishing out. What Republicans don't seem to understand is how isolated these outlets have kept them. Republican buy into the fact that they have a "fair and balanced" view because that's what the keepers keep telling them...

It all keeps coming back to the irrational perception folks have about their sources of information. That's why I laugh at the notion that Andrew was some sort of warrior for their cause.

That's not what journalism was ever meant to be about. I don't care if it's left, right, libertarian, socialism, or whatever -ism you choose to subscribe to. Journalism is controlled by the media overlords ... and if you want to keep your job - you have to write the stories in a way that's going to satisfy them.

That's why I felt that by trying to push off Breibart's death as some sort of national loss demonstrates the ineptness of the "crusade" he led. When hate, misinformation, deceit and propaganda replace truth, compassion, and unification ... then I hate to say this, but his death probably did more good for the nation than his did being alive.

I understand that there are those that will mourn his loss ... and it disappoints me that I won't be one of them. However, I won't be celebrating in the streets either. I won't be firing off guns as though I've been liberated. But feeling sorry for someone who would wish that a liberal like me die ... no ... I will feel sorry that he wasted his life in such pursuits and has such disdain about him. I will feel sorry for those that mourn the passing of someone consumed with such vile and hate. I will feel sorry for those that believed the stories crafted under the guise of journalism. I will continue to feel sorry for those that operate with a close mind when they think they are open to the world.

Those are things worthy of feeling sad for ... not the passing of some self-absorbed, corporately consumed egomaniac who relished in the downfall of someone if they happened to be ideologically different than he was.

The Report...

I really get a kick out of the Drudge Report.. It's part of my daily routine because I just get a kick out of reading how someone like the Drudge Report can spin any given story..

They have some of the most incredulous headlines including: "Dems Plot House Takeover.."

Well, DUH...

Of course the Democrats are plotting a House takeover because it's the exact same thing Republicans did in 1998 and 2000.. Plotting to take the House over?? Would Matt Drudge rest easier knowing that the Democrats had NO intention of taking the House back?? *laughs*

But moreover, anytime there is anything negative happening to any Republican or Conservative, Matt Drudge puts out a "FLASHBACK" that exposes what some Democrat or Liberal has done in their past......

It's laughable because it's tragic..

It's tragic because the Republicans had a GENUINE opportunity to improve things for Americans and they have failed miserably.. Even with all of the control - there is more corruption, a divisive wedge between the social strata and the erosion of the middle class.. The church controls the White House and if they had their way, we'd truly be reaching the End of Days as it is written in the Bible..

So when there's reports of how bad things are - I tune into Drudge because I know there will be some different light, some different spin to the story that I hadn't considered.. Because *FLASHBACK* FDR may have experienced something similar to what Bush is going through today and it's always self-evident when they always want to move forward by focusing on the rear view mirror..

Good job Matt - keep the spin cycle on medium!!

Tomato, tomahto... potato ... potahto.....

It represents the balance of the equation..

I don't care if your name is Rush..

I don't care if you're an Air America follower..

I don't care if you read the Economist or the Washington Post..

The equation is balanced somewhere in between..

There is no longer (if there ever was) a liberal bias in the media.. Instead, the media has been perverted to some distant relative.. It's unidentifiable.. It's no longer about content as much as it is about editorializing one's view in the world..

The Drudge Report went on a seemingly predictable diatribe about the upcoming HBO special on Air America.. Using such phrases as "witness the ugly business of media ambition" to describe the sullen part of what "liberal media" must be about.. One should talk so boldly, Matt.. Clearly anyone with enough braincells realizes that Drudge is the Republican puppet and will always remain as such..

Asserting himself as some sort of legitimate media organization is laughable at best, scary at worst..

But it's not as though liberals don't have a counter-weight of their own..

But this isn't the point of the rant today..

It's about truth ... or rather the lack thereof..

It's about the abandonment of moralistic coverage regardless of who occupies the White House.. There's a feeding frenzy of outlets scrambling for market share and profit margins - that the media, the press that we have relied on to give an impartial view of the news at hand - is being whored for one political juggernaut or another..

I haven't seen the Air America special -- but I'm looking forward to it.. I actually applaud them for being forthcoming and opening up a potential PR nightmare .... even if it's meant to open up new markets.. You don't see anything similar from Fox News or any of the other republican pundits because they have finally secured a foothold on the airwaves and publications through out the nation -- and they don't want to endanger that precarious position..

I'm not oblivious to the liberal slant on things.. I got my fill of Al Franken sounding completely distraught that there wasn't more mayhem and bloodshed over the recent Iraqi elections.. I know the left is as much to blame for their own political machine as the right side is..

But what we have is a nation that resides somewhere in between.. Instead of trying to gather people into their collective positions, both sides continue to polarize the landscape creating a tremendous amount of indifference and irrational justification for voting/supporting the policies they are..

What's more sad is the fact that if I have a moderate position: I'm boring.. No one wants middle of the road anymore even though it's probably represents the majority of how all Americans feel.. It's also not incredibly shocking to find statistics that will resonate that a figure well over 80% or higher does not believe totally or completely with the party they generally support..

It's the tug-of-war attitude that pisses me off the most.. Both sides are shaking the fence so hard, people are scurrying for cover right and left.. Even if they don't fully identify as republican or liberal, they are often left with no choice because the parties, the media and the pundits have shaved the middle road so much - there isn't much of a strip to stand on..

--If you're against the war, you're a liberal..
--If you're anti-gay, you're conservative..
--If there's no immediate crisis in social security, you're liberal..
--If you believe in Schiavo's rights -- you're conservative..

The list will go on and on..

Both sides will have a score card once you reach the end of the road and that will decide where you fall.. From there you're cast into the throngs of the various misfits that happen to reside on your side of the aisle..

I despise Drudge.. Yes I admit that I admire Air America.. That makes me a liberal.. It doesn't mean I'm happy about it.. I don't like a lot of the things liberals do - but I like them more than I like what the conservatives have done..

I'm a realist.. And whoever can paint the most accurate picture on any given issue - will generally have my support.. Anything less is smoke and mirrors.. Karl Rove, Al Franken, and everyone else on *both* sides of the aisle need to realize that America is somewhere in between..

Want to win in 2006, 2008??

Start thinking about those in the middle and quit being so incredibly decisive.. The nation is already split - and neither party is grasping that concept...

Uniquely ---- what??

Drudge even picked up and *reported* the gaffe by Bush about how a upper 50 year old woman is working three jobs to support her three children.... funny.... laughter.... ensues....

... uniquely American??