Take Rush Limbaugh Off Armed Forces Radio

Click here to email Congress to take Rush Limbaugh off Armed Forces Radio.

Last week, Rush Limbaugh labeled any American soldier who supports an end to the war in Iraq as "phony." We challenged Limbaugh through an email campaign to invite VoteVets.org's Jon Soltz to his show and repeat these same insults to an Iraq war veteran's face. Over 10,000 people responded and emailed Rush -- but to our disappointment, he has refused to respond to our request.

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.

How have Republicans in Congress chosen to respond so far? Congressional Republicans have actually drafted a resolution supporting Rush Limbaugh, "commending [his] relentless efforts to build and maintain troop morale through worldwide radio broadcasts and personal visits to conflict regions."

That's outrageous. Rush Limbaugh's "phony soldiers" comment should not be commended -- it should be condemned. And it's time to tell Congress to act swiftly to hold Rush Limbaugh accountable.

Click here to hold Rush Limbaugh accountable for his offensive and outrageous comments -- tell your members of Congress to take Rush off Armed Forces Radio today!

Our armed forces have served us honorably in Iraq, and the least we can do is respectfully listen to what they have to say about their experiences and perspectives on the war. To question the sincerity of our "phony" troops is disgraceful and must end.

Thank you for speaking out.

Comments

[Marnia]

Why is ok to villify General Wesley Clark who served this country well? It is disgusting to see those nutty Bush lovers raise hell about Petraeus yet they have no respect for those who have proven that they deserve it.
We certainly have a lot of hate and division in this country.
Its going to take a miracle to put it back together again.

[hootie1fan]

Just like they all stood up for Max Cleland.

[deminmo]

We are all trying to find the answers to a lot of frustrating questions. A number of people never question the status quo. Others won't believe no matter what evidence there is, because to do so would mean giving up a safety net. And others are just hell bent on their own opinions. That is why there is no progress.

[greenpagan]

The bloated porcine lout must be deflated.

[CalvinistHobbesian]

I don't want censorship, I want context & balance. Leave Rush alone, put Stephanie Miller on afterwards­...

[sunshower7]

If you don’t like censorship, then voice your opposition to Bush’s attempts to stifle MoveOn’s right to free speech and his corporate friend’s censorship of REAL NEWS on national television networks they own and control.

If you want “context” – then put Limbaugh’s disgusting comments in the context of his cowardly excuses not to serve his country during the Vietnam war like other real soldiers, who he has no right – whatsoever – to insult..

If you want “balance” – then put your money where your mouth is and pay for a Republican funded station for this fatuous hypocrite to rant on – instead of letting him use our public airwaves, paid for by American taxpayers, to ridicule our brave soldiers.

Then we’d all be quite happy and willing to ‘leave Rush alone”.

As for Miller, her cheap shots at Cindy Sheehan and others in the ant-war movement don't belong on publicly funded shows, eg, “She [Sheehan] has allowed her grief to addle her brain and she has been sort of pre-empted by the loonie left”

However, I do respect Miller for telling Alan Colmes on national tv that Cindy Sheehan “ has the moral authority (to be a candidate for a peace prize). She sacrificed something in this war. She gave her son. What did the people who are criticizing her give?”

Limbaugh is one of them. He has given this country nothing.

[JimmyTheDhimmi]

OOps Wesley, turns out you are wrong, AFR is controlled directly by the pentagon, i.e. the executive branch, not congress.

Try again if one of your buddies wins the white house in '08

[hfjai]

Wrong. Rush is on AFN because Congress put him there, right after they took control in 1994. Ed Schultz, who is nowhere near as far to the left as Rush is to the right (and who has never ever insulted the troops, no matter what their political opinions), was added a little over year ag, also largely due to General Clark petitioning Congress.

But neither of them have a right to a government funded broadcast. It is not censorship to remove Rush, any more than it would be censorship if they decided not to carry any other radio personality.

[Boomer2]

I listened to "Hanoi Hanna" to counter what AFR was saying and combine the two reports to get closer to the truth. My son has served in Bosnia, Iraq and elsewhere. "Lying Lush" Limbaugh touts that he is a product of "commercial" radio and it is his valiant sponsors who give him air time, in true capitalist fashion. I listen to him out on the desert, as like AFR, his is the only station I can pick up out there. If Limbaugh is to continue on AFR, he should be countered with Olberman, who does not pretend his commentaries are "talk" radio, unlike Limbaugh who's diatribes also go unchallenged on his show. I've often heard people say, "Limbaugh is only an entertainer". If so, then so was Paul Goebbels, Tokyo Rose, and scriptwriter Karl Rove.

A free press should remain free, but if Limbaugh truly is a commercial product, he should not be on publicly financed airwaves, at least without some real truth coming through to sweep his trash from the brains of the listeners.

[Tubby]

General, I don't know what to think of you anymore.

You know as well as anyone that the troops LIKE to listen to Rush!

Why do you advocate taking a mere form of entertainment away from them by attempting to get Rush banned from AFN? Is the First Ammendment so oppressive to you and some of the misguided folks on this blog? If the troops WANTED to listen to Randy Rhodes and Air America, it would have happened already!

[hootie1fan]

They would rather listen to Howard Stern any day.

[hootie1fan]

When I was oversees, people would record Stern off the radio and send his shows along in care packages.

[srmorris]

This issue should bring in to sharper relief what it really means to "support the troops". Does it mean paying lip service to their patriotism while keeping them poorly supplied and unsupported in a militarily untenable position? Does it mean reducing their health care and benefits? Does it mean breaking our word to them by increasing their tours of duty? Or does it mean criticizing them for exercising the very freedoms of expression they are supposed to be fighting for?

[hootie1fan]

They would rather listen to Howard Stern anyway.

[jackstraw005]

look, like it or not (and i didnt) its the same free speech that moveon.org employed. simply consider the source, a fat obnoxious, drug addict chickenhawk, and move on. are there not any more important issues to consider than this. besides, who of consequence listens to rush limbaugh anyway. the people who do listen to him use freedom of speech as compensation for freedom of thought, which they never use. (my appologies for misquoting kierkegaard)ignore him, thats the one thing he cant stand anyway.

[JustOldBill]

jackstraw005's post hit home a reminder to me: what is being overlooked or ignored while so many are focused so much on this gasbag (Rush)? Although the manner of speech he made so popular with the neo-con's and most of the Republican Party, i.e. false conclusions from true premises, is mildly entertaining in very small doses, it does seem to me that there many things more despicable going on that deserve much of the attention being paid to Limbaugh. While I must accept the fact that there are still people who listen to him and believe him credible, I am comforted by the fact that those people are becoming fewer and fewer. Just wondering how we're being hoodwinked by the misdirection this time.

[moonstone]

Well! What do you know! General Clark finally went on record and challenged a holy grail of the radical right. Of course, I periodically listen to Rush only because he is entertaining even though he baubbles along and actually believes his incoherent diatribes bestowed him the innocuous title of 'Director of the Dithyramb'. Sorry Rush, but I have been a soldier proudly serving America and I learned long ago that no one should belittle any soldier. America does not need a caustic spokesman to stir the pot. General Clark should be congratulated for speaking up!

[hootie1fan]

You could take Rush off of AFRS an nobody would really care. They would much, much rather listen to Howard Stern.

[patanderson]

The military in Iraq does not get the entire broadcast of OxyBoy Limbaugh. They were not privy to his "phony soldier" comment which came in during the early part of his propaganda show.

But they damn sure know about it now though! For all of his attempted deflections, he somehow fails to remember..­..IT'S ON TAPE FAT ASS! EVERY WORD OF IT, IN CONTEXT.

It amazes me no end to listen to these phony Americans.­..aka NeoCons/Re­publicans.­..lie out their ass to save their own skins when the TRUTH is out there for all to hear.

They ALL live by the saying: "who do you believe, me or your lying eyes?"...o­r in this case ears.

This isn't going away Cyst Boy....lik­e your Anal Cyst deferment it will be out there, on the record, haunting you for a hell of a long time.

Take a few more pills, lie down and wait for the other shoe to fall....ca­use it surely will.

[Mike O.]

I feel that my intelligence has been reduced just for having READ some of these liberal rantings.

[Darwin48]

...oh come on Mr. Reich-Wing, you don't have any intelligence to reduce.

[hootie1fan]

Are you one of the neo-cons who read?

Welcome

[hardball]

Just as I would not want Congress to censor the American people. I do not believe the American people should censor Rush. Even though, Armed Forces Radio is funded by the American people. We should not want any freedom of speech censored. Weather it be funded by the American people or Congress, or anybody, whether we agree or disagree. In my opinion we would be doing damage to our right to speak freely.

[splashy]

IF they had a liberal on there too, then it MIGHT be acceptable, but there are NO liberals there.

But, even so, Rush saying that soldiers that have risked their lives and limbs, and sacrificed their families' happiness to fight for us should NEVER be called phony soldiers just because they disagree with HIM and his cronies that are chickenhawks.

He REALLY has NO room to talk.

[JimInFortWorth]

Considering removing someone for their comments that were taken out of context as Rush's clearly were then our country is truly in danger. Clark and others of his thinking should be ashamed!

[justice4juveniles]

so far all of his comments have been taken out of context. That seems to be his pat answer for all of his disgusting bigoted, racist, chauvinistic remarks that continually insults every segment of the population except rich, greedy republican white men such as himself. That is getting to be a pretty sorry and tired excuse.