Take Rush Limbaugh Off Armed Forces Radio Network

So Harry Reid is calling on all Senators to sign a letter condemning Rush Limbaugh for referring to soldiers in Iraq who have serious reservations about the war "phony soldiers."

I really don't know which is more exasperating -- that our Senators think it is their job to tell people at large how they should exercise their right to free speech, or that they fire back at Limbaugh in such a weak and meaningless way. I suppose they have to do something or we will be treated to an endless parade of Cornyn amendments where the Village Elders tell us all how displeased they are with such "uncivilized" rhetoric via fiat. They're only in this jam because they foolishly let the Cornyn MoveOn censure bill onto the floor in the first place. But now it's done, and they can't put the toothpaste back in the tube. Would that their gesture was something more effective than stomping their feet and shouting "I know you are, but what am I?"

From Reid's statement:

Freedom of speech is one of our country's most cherished values. Nothing sets us further apart than the countries and regimes we oppose than our belief that everyone's opinion matters, and everyone has the right to express it. That is why, when we hear things on the radio that are offensive, by and large, we tolerate them.

But last week, Rush Limbaugh went way over the line - and while we respect his right to say anything he likes, his unpatriotic comments cannot be ignored.

No, Harry, actually he didn't. Rush may be drug gobbling bloviator who evaded military service courtesy of a giant butt pustule, but his comments were well in line with what is considered free speech in this country, and that actually isn't any of the Senate's business.

What is the Senate's business, however, is that Rush Limbaugh is on Armed Forces Radio Network. His show is broadcast daily to nearly a million troops in 177 countries. In a poll conducted earlier this year, only 35% of service members said they approved of George Bush's handling of the war while 42% disapprove, and 41% say the US is not very or not at all likely to succeed. A full 37% say the US should never have gone to war. It's their network, too.

These young men and women do not deserve to have to listen to their commitment being besmirched by Rush Limbaugh, who never served in the armed forces and whose idea of personal valor is sending his $380 a week housekeeper out to buy his drugs for him. He's got no business on the radio launching attacks on military personnel like that, and his right to free speech does not guarantee him placement there at government expense. I'm sure the GOP would fight like hell to keep him on -- look at all the effort they went to in order to keep Republicans on the reservation with Ari Fleisher's ads and the Petraeus three ring circus -- but that's because removing him would actually be meaningful.

Take Rush off the air. Really, Senators, protecting the troops from this kind of abuse actually is what you are elected to do.

Update: Limbaugh, with the help of Fox News, cuts 1 minute and 35 seconds of the 1 minute and 50 second discussion and pretends he never made the offending comment. Credulous wingnuts everywhere will no doubt take the bait. The entire clip is can be found here.

Jane Hamsher blogs at firedoglake.com.

Follow Jane Hamsher on Twitter: www.twitter.com/janehamsher

Comments

[grannyE]

Oh, no; leave Limbaugh to continue showing our boys exactly who is gaining what by his rants....that Murdoch owns him--that the Bushies own Murdock--that the Bushies, et al, are making billions, and using our boys to grab the oil of the world. Then maybe when our boys come home, they will be much wiser and work to change this debacle.

[proudly]

Wow! What a bunch of vituperative nonsense! Well, if Rush had done what so many of you accuse him of, I'd agree with you.

But he didn't.

That's OK. Keep trying. Make something else up, maybe it'll work next time.

[swkidder]

We should all be forced to listen to Rush, albeit very infrequently. He's certifiably insane - either he never received the kind of education that would allow him to follow a line of logic or his mind is wired in such a way as to preclude doing so. I'm still shaking my head in total disbelief.
It is entirely possible to argue about what the appropriate tactics are for withdrawal and what exactly we might owe the Iraqis whose country we destroyed in the way of an "orderly" withdrawl. But to advocate a need not to "lose" when you can't even define why you would want to stay in order to "win" ... and you have a national voice that we inflict on our troops ... is mind boggling. Support the troops. Fire his ass.

[richw23]

I saw where Limbaugh referred to the fake Iraqi vet getting kicked out of "boot camp" after 44 days. Even before I got drafted, I knew that the Army doesn't have a "boot camp". It is "basic training" and it is specifically not called boot camp, which is a form of marine corps torture. I'm just happy I got drafted into the Army. Some guys in my group in '69 got drafted into the marines. I don't know if they could have challenged that or not, but they didn't at the time. Better them than me.

Anyway, for a guy so opinionated about the military, he doesn't know much about it.

[JimR]

What about the soldiers who are fans of Rush Limbaugh, even after his comments? Are you telling them they can go to hell?

This is still, for the time being anyway, a free country and Rush is free to say what he wants as long as his employers are OK with it.

Others have the right to respond to his comments, as you and Harry Reid are doing, and point them as objectionable (and yes, they are objectionable).

But cries of "shut down his show" are advocating censorship, pure and simple. I don't support Rush, but I don't support censorship, either.

[maxcat06]

Are our tax dollars paying for Armed Forces Radio? Why should we be paying Rush's salary??

[ThePlumber]

Yeah. Just like they pay for NPR and PBS, which are rightly derided by conservatives as being leftist shills.

I'd be willing to give up Armed Forces Radio if you'll give up NPR and PBS.

[CharliePfromHB]

Brainwashing the troops is as American as apple pie. The cause/policy is where the problem is. Quagmire is the operative word. Unfortunately or fortunately, since Vietnam and the evolution of television, the political debate rages on right in front of our troops, our enemies, and our allies. Even the worthiest of wars has the harshest of brutality. However, the level of deceit, fear mongoring, and greed is also in everyone's face at unprecedented levels. But will the winner of this Cognitive Dissonance Apocalypto be the one who scares us the most or scares us the least. Where is the Voice of Reason and can it be heard?

[deminmo]

The Rush followers will continue to support him no matter what.

[blankmw]

I don't know why anyone believes that Rush should be given any attention at all. I also have no idea why anyone thinks that Rush should be censured, censored or prevented from spewing his ridiculous rhetoric. This country has always provided freedom of speech. Why is our Congress wasting even 10 minutes trying to suppress advertisements or radio discussion? I think Rush is a fat, drug addict hate-mongerer who has no clue and I despise him and what he stands for. I, however, don't think that we should decide what is and what isn't allowed to be said on the air waves. If the soldiers want him on their air waves, so be it. I just hope that someday our country will have advanced to the point that there aren't any fools who would give Rush the time of day. Just ignore the idiot and anything he says. And, Congress, get to the real work of this country and cease and desist your efforts to "control" free speech. It's pathetic, and it's not your job!!!!!

[JackMonroe]

Look, let's get this straight. America is the land of the free and the home of the brave, and if Rush wants to insult America's fighting men and women, then he should be able to. Seems to me that a lot of republicans have trashed veterans. Gosh, I remember the Swiftboaters. And their personal ties to the White House. Or how they treated Max Cleland. Or how a whole lot of them never quite got around to serving their nation in uniform. It's what they do. Heck, they've been doing it for years. I guess that's why they called the fifties the McCarthy Era. On the other hand, any reason why that football player, Vic, can't babysit Rush for a few days?

[Artos]

Rotten Limburger is in no position to make any kind of judgements on any military related matter or on anyone who is serving in the military. He is a suited chickenhawk who has never served a day in his life and I wouldn't trust him with a slingshot much less a rifle in his hands.
I had a conversation with Herr Rush Goebbels back during the 1980s when he had a talk show in Sacramento. I asked him then if he had ever been in Nam since he was about my age and would have been eligible. He got sarcastic and made light of the fact that he had been classed 4F as though to claim a legitimate excuse. Then when I asked him why he was so enthusiastic in promoting wars when he had never lifted a finger to serve he got mad and cut me off. Here again he proved how much he believes in America and our Constitution. Free speech to him meant that it was only free if you could pay for it. He had the air wave under his control and he could shut off anyone that disagreed with him or questioned him.
As a Vietnam Vet I can only say for my part that I have more respect for someone who stood up to be counted against war, than someone like Rotten Limburger who promotes war and then sits on their fat behind at home enriching themselves while others fight for his freedom to denigrate them. As far as I'm concerned those who want peace are preferable to those who promote war. I would like to send Rotten and all those like him to Iraq right now. If I had one wish it would be that they would all have to walk patrols in downtown Tikrit everyday for a year. Then we could be well rid of them.

[Qbear]

Limbaugh shouldn't get ONE DIME from our GOVERNMENT.

[interventor]

Several years ago, US Forces Network cut back on Limbaugh. After many complaints from the troops he was restored. If they want him off the air the troops will complain. If not, don't be nannies and demand the troops have no say in the process. They're grown men and women doing a dirty job and with dangerous items.

[SpaceCadet]

[[They're grown men and women doing a dirty job and with dangerous items.]]

Many of those men and women would no doubt prefer to listen to Democracy Now or Bill Moyers. Since they're adults, they shouldn't have to be spoon fed a steady diet of radical rightwing propaganda from windbags like Limbaugh. I wonder how much variety the soldiers are offered when it comes to political programming.

[SpaceCadet]

[[They're grown men and women doing a dirty job and with dangerous items.]]

Many of those men and women would no doubt prefer to listen to Democracy Now or Bill Moyers. Since they're adults, they shouldn't have to be spoon fed a steady diet of radical rightwing propaganda from windbags like Limbaugh. I wonder how much variety the soldiers are offered when it comes to political programming.

[ThePlumber]

You're right. Our troops should be fed a steady diet of radical leftwing propaganda from windbags like Moyers.

[Artos]

You say that the troops have a say in what they want to hear on U.S. Forces Network? If that is so then why are they only getting to hear right wing pro war gits like Rush. Why aren't they permitted to hear more liberal progressive talk show hosts whose only interest is to help them get home in one piece? Are they refusing those hosts? Or is someone deciding for them who they get to hear and who is it? I rather think that the only thing they are getting to hear is right wing chickenhawks like Limbaugh who could n't give a damn if they get home in one piece or not so long as his pantywaist chickenlivered behind gets to stay home and make himself rich. He reminds me of those HomeGuard characters from the Movie "Cold Mountain".

[newdem]

One of the most important protections democracy has is an unpoliticized military. Rush poisons the minds of citizens and I'm sure the same thing happens to soldiers. This is a man who does not believe that people with views different than his deserve any rights to call themselves Americans. He doesn't believe in democracy, which is a rational way for people with differing opinions to work together or at least peacably side-by-side. He has done more to destroy this country than anyone and I fear the effect he has had on our military. Get him off before it's too late.

[Libsrule]

I agree completely. An unpoliticized military is necessary for a true and free democracy. One has only to look at the military junta in Burma.

BUT if the Bush/Cheney junta had their way, they would have a military strictly loyal to them in order to keep them in power. I still think Darth Cheney is jealous of the Burma military junta.

BUT Rush is an asshole.There is no other way to look at it.

What is really amazing is how many Rush Trollz on here defending him. Just amazing. His dittoheads must have been put on alert to come hit all the liberal sites and slam the sites showing how Rush called soldiers "phony" who opposed the war and try and convince everyone that what he said was taken out of context.

Funny but they are the same people going around slamming Kerry for his joke which they STILL repeat claiming he didn't botch the joke but said what he really believed.

Trollz are so damned dumb it's unbelievable. The ones on this thread alone have obviously been told what to say, just look at the responses. They all come from the same talking points memo.

WE know what he said, and we know what he meant.

Rush is more of a traitor to America than anyone from Moveon.org can ever be called. Moveon is trying to save democracy and Rush is trying desparately to turn America into a one party rule permanent republican rule Thousand Year Reich.

Keep going trollz, we're not fooled by your idiocy.

[dirtystrat]

"He has done more to destroy this country than anyone and I fear the effect he has had on our military. Get him off before it's too late."

Your attitude about free speech is more dangerous than anything Rush has ever said. I guess you are not a believer in free speech unless its coming from move on dot org.

[Artos]

Funny you should defend Rushs free speech and your own when you work so hard to squelch anyone who disagrees with your Warmongering. I have spoken to Rush before and according to him " He who controls the air waves has the right to speak and if you don't control it then you haven't got that right".
that's his idea of Free Speech. As far as I am concerned the gloves are off and I intend to fight fire with fire. I think you Right wing chickenhawks feel that we liberals are all passive and won't fight back. Well I'm a Viet Vet who served as a front line infantryman and a liberal, so believe me when I say I will fight back. As they said on the flag of one of our 13 colonies,"Don't Tread on Me".

[momilitia]

Lies and slander are not "free speech", go to bed ditto head. Don't forget to drink your kool-aid, don't want any late night withdrawls.

[shaggles]

If the military folks want to listen to him that's fine. They have the right to make up their own minds about what he says just like the rest of us. There seems to be a lot of misunderstanding on the right about Media Matters though. They always give the full context of the quote at the end of every article. Limbaugh is clearly referring to soldiers or former soldiers who speak out in the media against the war. Anyone who says differently is just trying to spin it.

[JSquercia]

Well if anyone would KNOW about PHONEY soldiers
it would be Rush an established member of the ChickenHawk Brigade . Remember Rush first expalined his absence from military service by claiming he had an old football injury . When that was proven to bea LIE , his real reason was discovered to be a cyst on his BUTT . He said that it was FOUND by an Army Doctor during his Physical . The TRUTH was that Rush came witha note from HIS doctor calling attention to his "problem"