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Looks like Wes Clark agrees about Pills Limbaugh:
It's time to put real pressure on Rush Limbaugh. His show is broadcast on Armed Forces Radio, and this time we are going to go straight to the lifeblood of Rush's show -- Congress. Congress has the power to remove Rush Limbaugh from Armed Forces Radio, and it won't be as easy for elected officials to ignore our call.
Tax dollars are used to fund Armed Forces Radio, and that money is not intended for radio show hosts to spout insults at our soldiers. These "phony soldiers" have simply exercised their right to free speech, as Rush Limbaugh does on a daily basis. Simply because a majority of our troops who return from Iraq disagree with Rush on Bush's failed war policy does not give him the right to dishonor their service.
Unlike Rush Limbaugh, members of Congress cannot casually brush off the concerns of citizens. Since Rush won't listen to us, we're going directly to Congress, who can prevent him from disrespecting and censoring the voices of our soldiers.
Harry Reid only got 41 signatures for his letter of condemnation of Limbaugh. One of those missing, quite predictably, is the Connecticut for Lieberman candidate -- who voted to condemn MoveOn and knows who his daddy is.
It would be great to see Senate Democrats get together and put some real pressure on Limbaugh.
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Jane!
Libaugh looks like he just sh*t his pants in that photo.
Limp dick gets his just rewards…!!!
Thanks Jane. Time to stop pretending Rush is news or mainstream or anything that should be on Armed Forces Radio. Heard him referred to the other day as a part of the hate-ocrisy.
Hey Jane!
I was wondering downstairs when I got this email just where Wes got his ideas about removing Rust Limberger from AFR came from…
Oh! This pissed me off no end. Russ now claims the Democrats are attacking him for his remarks re: phony soldiers because they don’t have a plan to “get us out of Iraq.”
That pharaselogy always pisses me off because who got us into Iraq?
And where’s the ReThuglican plan? We have an embassy. We’re not leaving. Christ! Do the Iraqis have any clue yet?
http://correntewire.com/dems_v.....f_soldiers
Reps. response to Rush “phony” statements.
“This disgusting attack from Rush Limbaugh, cheerleader for the Chicken Hawk wing of the far right, is an insult to American troops,” Kerry said.
Today, Senator John Edwards released the following statement:
“Rush Limbaugh should be ashamed of himself for calling brave members of our military ’phony soldiers.’ There’s nothing phony about the sacrifices being made by any of our troops in Iraq. Two soldiers who bravely told the truth about flawed U.S. policy in an August New York Times op-ed died a very real death in Iraq three weeks ago. Limbaugh should apologize to these soldiers’ families and to all the brave men and women in our armed forces fighting for the very freedoms he enjoys as an American every day. All Republicans and Democrats should join with me in condemning his disgusting words.”
either remove him from armed forces radio, because while he has the inherent right to free speech, he does NOT have an inherent right to a broadcast license; or reinstitute the fairness doctrine, and balance his program with someone like Randi Rhodes, Sam Seder, or someone like that.
What a pustule Rusty is.
Flush Limbaugh Now
It’s a great idea, but Rush is going to lie. Fox will carry his water. Nothing will change. Sad.
One other thing. It’s been shown that Rush is incapable of feeling shame.
I got an email from the Wespac on this too, but unfortunately while cleaning out my email, I deleted it. IIRC he had a link to a petition urging congresscritters to pull the plug on the Oxy Moron.
http://correntewire.com/dems_v.....f_soldiers
Reps respond to Rush
Sorry, I disagree. He’s a loathesome creep, but I think our soldiers are entitled to hear him if they want. Some of them might figure out he’s a loathesome creep. The have access to a lot more information than Armed Forces Radio.
melvin @ 13
In that case, I assume you are also behind them having access to liberal radio, progressive radio and straight news shows. Yes?
Hooked on BusChenics…
Go Jane!
“It would be great to see Senate Democrats get together…”
I don’t know how many times I’ve seen this formulation in just the past few months. But it just seems impossible. And hopeless.
Until we get enough progressives in, there will be no hard edge to enforce any kind of unity. No matter what the issue. Bet you a Guiness, the dems will be kowtowing to W right up till the day he skips town.
afternoon pups - got home in time to see kucinich question prince re his no-bid contract….and yeah - FLUSH THAT oxycontin boy with the QUICKNESS! i think i signed already wes clarks request to remove him from armed forces radio… any action on that yet?
It’s just incredible to me that we have to pay for this goon.
smug lil bastard aint he? prince i’m talking about
Rush can spout off all the filth he wants. Just not on the freakin’ public dime kthxbai.
OK this is a drive by as I just wanted to get all the stuff about mercenaries. But I saw this posting so here goes:
As some you know I’m married to a soldier who served both in Irak and in Afghanistan and my father in law is there now.
I don’t have ANY connection to the blog I am about to link to. But If you want to read what a real American soldier just back from Irak thinks about Limbaugh read Army of Dude:
oh man oh man oh man, can we EMBARASS the LIAR out of liarman
we can FORCE him to vote the same he voted against move
you makes your bed, you sleeps in your bed
juslin @ 20
Glad you specified. There are so many options from which to choose who fit that definition.
two beers @ 9
I would, but he’d clog the toilet big time.
and exactly what was shay’s point?
oddmommy @ 25
I know some people who’d help you find a latrine big enough.
PS: If you go through the comments they are pretty disgusting BUT one of them lists Limbaugh’s advertisers and how to get in touch with them.
Somebody could do something useful with info like a mass letter writing campaign or can anybosy spell “boycott”
Got to look after the twins and husband now.
Bye
TexBetsy @ 27
Hell, I’m a bigtime wussy girl, and I’d help you DIG a latrine big enough. Preferably in one of our Glorious Imperial War Zones! Or maybe one of those camps full of Iraqi refugees…
FunnyDiva
Rush should be held responsible for being completely complicit in leading this nation into an illegal war. His role now is that of an American Tokyo Rose verbally attacking Americans, and that is treasonous. JMHO
Wouldn’t the “immunity” clause in the “Protect America Act”, actually immunize people allegedly assisting the government’s activities post-9/11; such as Blackwater and propaganda spreaders like Rush?
It has always disgusted me to no end that Rush Limbaugh has prime time, and last I heard, more time on Armed Forces Radio than anyone else.
I’ve heard it claimed that NPR is the “liberal” balance. Sorry, no dice. In no way are the two comparable.
When Limbaugh was spouting his “boys will be boys, just blowing off some steam”, when the photos of Abu Ghraib were published, one could only imaging his rantings inciting them on.
I will be the first one to defend free speech. But. His rhetoric is not conducive to discipline of our troops and could have even (IMHO) contributed to their misbehavior. Also to be considered, is the Iraqis that work with the troops. What must they have thought, had they overheard one of Limbaugh’s rants! Not good!
Funnydiva2002 @ 29
there is also the option of a landfill, toxic waste dump, etc. I don’t think there’s anything there we would want to recycle.
oddmommy @ 33
There’s always Yucky Mountain.
question….are we giving oxycontin boy wayyyy too much attention? i dont want to give him any more attention as he just basks in all this
oddmommy @ 33
I thought Rust Limberger WAS a toxic waste mound?
Sorry, but I’m with Melvin above, though accept TexBetsy’s suggestion. As much as I believe in engaging in some political brawling and counterpunching, I think this is bad messaging: Rush spews hatred, Leftists engage in “censorship”. Even if the request were to be fulfilled, it’s hard to see that it does anything to really hurt Rush Limbaugh, it looks like we want to propagandize the military and punish those soldiers who enjoy Rush, and we give Rush and other right-wingers another talking point. We can dicker over whether it should be called censorship, but that’s what it sounds like, and it will be screamed loudly by our opponents.
Better, I’d say, is to use the same grounds to call for the inclusion of progressive voices over AFR, as balance to the right wing, and as a way of supporting all our military members, including those who disagree with Rush and the president’s policies.
Since this is mostly a battle of symbolism, we shouldn’t add fodder to right-wing criticism of progressives as intolerant, for no tangible gain on the ground. Insisting on diversity in viewpoints on AFR is consistent with our larger messaging and ideals, and has at least as much chance of helping our cause as kicking Rush off of the military radio.
Ump.
melvin @ 13
IF - IF the programming was/is equitible, which it is not.
Why does Rush hate our troops?
Sorry, but I’m with Melvin above, though accept TexBetsy’s suggestion. As much as I believe in engaging in some political brawling and counterpunching, I think this is bad messaging: Rush spews hatred, Leftists engage in “censorship”..
your reasoning would stand if there were equal representation, or even representative representation according to public opinion but that’s nto the case, this ISN’T free speech SINCE rush is inproportionately represented on military radio. inproportionate to the public and to the government’s opinion
in addition, this is congress sponsored and approved, it’s not a “free speech” venue
‘V’
Amy has a great interview with Sy Hersh on todays program
http://www.democracynow.org/ar.....02/1438239
I guess Harry Reid’s hopes that some Repugs would sign the letter were short lived.
perris @ 40
messed up my edit, could someone close that tag for me, I have no link on that post
thanx in advance
ok, let him stay on AFR, on one condition — that they ship his lard laden ass over to Baghdad and let him broadcast live.
C’mon Rushie — show us what a REAL soldier looks like.
why is that we never hear wingers call for equal access to the airwaves - but progressives generally have to claw for any access….hmmmmm
The double Whammy for Pusbag;
http://www.firedoglake.com/200.....o-network/
New Thread.
IIRC, Some or all liberal programming was cut from Armed Services Radio. Might have been Air America Radio. Put them back in or cut Limbaugh.
perris @ 40
Exactly. If you think AFN is like NPR or other talk radio, think again. It is not. Just like the newspaper we got overseas, depending upon your service: Army, AF, Marines, etc. It wasn’t a mix of the NYT and the Daily Herald. I actually PAID for newspapers every morning to get what the Army Times didn’t print, and read the German papers. The deck is stacked. It’s propagandistic.
Erdla’s link above led me to an interesting comment. No idea about it’s legitimacy, but a few polite phone calls sure couldn’t hurt the cause.
I think that Congressman Udall’s resolution to denounce Limbaugh is the most insane BS I have ever seen. Limbaugh is despicable; but it is not the job of the United States Congress to be determining what is and what is not acceptable free speech. Especially on political speech issues. The same principle applies to the GOP resolution against Move-On; which many Democrats inexplicably signed onto. The people running our country are apparently just ignorant and carefree when it comes to the United States Constitution and what it stands for.
Quite frankly, it is arguably an unconstitutional act for Congress to make such a determination on propriety; even though it is non-binding, it still serves to chill free speech. It was not appropriate on the Move-On ad and it is not appropriate here. Anybody who believes in the Constitution and First Amendment should be violently opposed to these resolutions.
As to a Congressional act to remove Limbaugh from the Armed Services Radio Network, that would not be quite as offensive, but still suspect for the above reasons. Would it not be better to let the Military make the call and also have them make a fair determination on other things they currently preclude from the liberal sphere. some type of “fairness doctrine” approach for the Armed Services would be appropriate without Congress specifically voting certain speech in or out.
you can bet your last buck if we ever voiced those opinions as oxyboy has how LONG would WE remain on AFR???? NOT LONG….
Too bad Feingold opted not to sign. Staying above the fray, I guess.
That a program so biased is allowed on Armed Forces radio is beyond appalling.
Or am I being incredibly naive? It’s probably ALL propaganda of one type or another.
Kathleen @ 42
how about amy and jane on AFR!
oops rep duncan just put down the repug kool-aid!!
hmmmm a repug is actually asking a PERTINENT QUESTION!!! amazing
No one’s saying they don’t have a bmaz @ 51
No one’s saying he doesn’t have a right to say whatever he likes.
Limbaugh is the one who is trying to crush free speech here, not the Democrats. He’s going after the soldiers who are exercising their right to free speech. That’s NOT right.
Bit NOLA @ 17
If you notice one name missing from that list, it is Feingold. This is all just a waste of time to him.
CalGeorge @ 53
Check out Feingold’s votes on the whole MoveOn related mess. His votes have been consistent all along. He didn’t vote to condemn anyone. To vote to condemn anyone would be against the First Amendment after all.
Did all the other Dem senators who did not sign the letter, also vote “no” on the MoveOn resolution?
Frank Burns @ 60
only one senator voted “no” on both moveon resolutions - senator feingold.
@ 49
My point above at 37 was not about what a just world or decent world would look like. My point is about what would be a strategically useful response which keeps progressive themes in the forefront of how it is discussed.
Keep in mind that much of the target of such an effort is to make some inroads with what are sometimes called “low-information voters” — people who will see maybe headlines or hear soundbites, but not delve deeply into the details of any of these issues. If we back proposals that have the clear appearance of being censorship, that’s what the low-information voter will likely associate with the progressive movement. If we back proposals that convey diversity and balance, then that will be the take-away. I prefer the latter values to be associated with progressive proposals, and think that this is ultimately the more important part of the possible outcome.
Best wishes,
Ump.
Bus master control sequence:
Step 1. Disable the enablers.
Step 2. Disconnect the drivers.
Step 3. Terminate ringing.
Step 4. Enable new source.
Step 5. Distribute new signal.
Harmony works this way in a bidirectional environment. Opposing signals thus avoid contention. Bus hogging is mitigated by the arbiter. Fairness is achieved through request queueing in a round robin regime. It is therefore impossible to maintain message continuity when multiple requestors indicate the need for service.
Transactional fairness balances the data flow and maximizes bandwidth to the field.
ALL WE ASK IS TRANSACTIONAL FAIRNESS.
I despise Limbaugh and all he stands for, and I truly admire General Clark. Nonetheless, I don’t think this is a good approach to countering the windbag. Liberals should be very wary of suppressing free speech–even vile free speech. If we aren’t able to win arguments with our opponents, the problem is with our arguments.
That said, is taxpayer money being spent to pay for the programming? If it is, then I think a good argument can be made for withdrawing funding from the show.
It’s almost looking like the majority in congress is afraid to cause waves for fear they wont be reelected.
I’m part of “We the People” and I’m looking for accountable representation.
If the majority of Congress cannot represent We the People, then We the People will cast them aside and elect reps that will represent the People.
Is it time for the wake up call yet?
This smear on Rush Limbaugh is the most disgusting, despicable action by supposed grown adults on the left I have ever seen.
Everyone knows what Rush was saying yet everyone is happy to perpetuate the lie for political purposes.
The Democrats were happy to quote phony soldier Jesse MacBeth and his accusations of atrocities in Iraq, when in fact he never went to Iraq and was kicked out in basic training. Phony soldiers are people who lie about their status as soldiers. They are not real soldiers who are against the war.
Do not ever think that the left cares about free speech. That is a lie–at universities, on the radio, in print. They only care about their speech.
How could a Democrat run this country if they can’t ever decipher what a talk show host is saying? How could they ever every understand the complexities of a national health care system, or decifer Bin Laden’s next video.
Eventually this will backfire on the left, because they lack the intellectual honesty to compete in the political process.
Reid needs to speak less on this topic and let Jim Webb or Jack Reed speak more on it.
brendancalling @ 8
Actually, the Ed Schultz show is now broadcast on Armed Forces Radio - thanks to Wes Clark, who drove the initiative to get Ed on AFR. For years there was no voice from the Progressive side being broadcast to the troops.
Just another reason to be thankful that Wes Clark didn’t retire from public service when he retired from the military.
Does it even matter to anyone what Limbaugh was really talking about? If you go and read the transcript or even listen to a clip of the “”offense” , he was referring to the same “phony soldiers” reported about by Charlie Gibson two days earlier. There have been several cases of people pretending to be soldiers, who use thier fake “credentials” to support thier feelings against the war. Some have been convicted for the offense.
There are some “phony soldiers” out there. This was the whole gist of Gibsons story called “Phony soldiers”. For Limbaugh to reference that phrase coined two days earlier by a major media news program seems accptable, no matter how much he is disliked. After all, his conversation was with a soldier who was complaining about the media not using real soldiers in interviews, the soldier used the word “fake soldiers” , Rush interjected the phrase “phony soldiers” ( and only those two words, mind you) while the SOLDIER himself complained about the phenomenon of these guy poising as veterans. You’d think the soldier would certianly bring perspective to the conversation.
That is….
Unless you think he was a phony soldier.
Let’s be careful of this slippery slope, we don’t need censorship, we don’t need Congress condemning speech like this. It’s what the soldiers fight to defend in the first place.