Rush Limbaugh wrote a half-hearted apology to Sandra Fluke. Here's what a real apology would look like.
Dear Ms. Fluke:I sincerely and deeply apologize for the words I used on-air to describe you. I was wrong to do so, and my personal attacks were well past the bounds of basic human decency. I have been known to say that words have meaning, and so I take full responsibility for the ones I used. I hope that someday we can meet so I can apologize in person.
This whole incident has caused me to reflect on the nature of what I do. For more than 20 years, I have pushed the bounds of good taste and decency to make political points. I straddle the line between entertainment and political commentary, but the fact remains that I have influence, not only in the minds of my many listeners but also in the actual corridors of power. That influence comes with a certain level of responsibility. That doesn't mean I should stop trying to entertain, but it does mean I should be thoughtful about the things I say. When I called you a slut and a prostitute I disregarded those responsibilities.
I also need to apologize for some factual errors. When I spoke about your testimony I did so without reading it or listening to it. It was not, as I said, about your sex life, which you have had the class not to discuss during any part of this controversy. I said you were having "so much sex" you couldn't afford your birth control. This of course was an inaccurate depiction of how birth control works; women are either on the pill or not, and the amount of sex they have does not affect the amount of birth control they take. I am sorry for those errors.
I will not apologize for the things I believe in. I do not believe that the government should mandate that insurance companies offer birth control free of charge. I don't believe government should mandate anything the insurance companies do. Insurance companies should cover what they like; if they do not provide the services you like, don't use them. I am especially offended that the Obama administration is forcing religious employers to cover birth control, and I believe it is an attack on their religious freedom.
I have to decided to take a week's hiatus from my show to further reflect on this incident and my actions. I hope to return a better person. I am certain that I will continue to say things that offend some people -- that is unavoidable -- but I am committed to never again using the kind of personal and destructive language I used to describe you.
Again, I apologize to you, Ms. Fluke, and to women everywhere for my sexist and offensive language. I also want to apologize to my sponsors, whose trust I hope to regain.
Sincerely,
Rush Limbaugh
Follow Jesse Berney on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jesseberney
Also let us not forget those unfortunates that will end up in the penal system. If you force women to have children that they can not afford to raise (but could have easily prevented) SOMEONE has to pay for them & in the long run it is the taxpayer that ultimately pays in the end. It is said that "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" I say we should invest in the prevention rather than go bankrupt trying to keep up with the installments for the cure!
As his basket loses eggs
Rush’s words the question begs
His mea culpa only serves
To suck up to sponsors & perves
Is that tail between his legs?
-- @Noah_Veil
~WolfLady~.
Mr. Limbaugh.
I hope you would agree that ours is a time of economic uncertainty, and even the most sanctimonious and comfortably employed among us should not neglect the importance of making a good first impression. I have never read your work until now, but throughout the process I was constantly hounded by one thought: I'm being lectured by a forty-something man wearing a sportcoat, and a baseball cap. A baseball cap. Whatever other affinities you share with him, realize that Michael Moore is not a fashion role model. I have seldom seen a profile pic so slovenly; such disorder makes it hard to take any of your ideas seriously. Please Jesse, get help.
___Best wishes,
___J.
And, for the record, thirty-something.