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As unlikely as it may seem, it turns out that Rush Limbaugh and I have a couple of things in common: For one, we both have been addicted to pain killers. In my case, it was the result of a shooting that left me paralyzed; in Rush's, it was due to severe back pain following spinal surgery. And we both have platforms where we are free to state our opinions. But that's where the similarity ends. Whatever else people may say about me, I am not a hypocrite. I mean what I say. The same cannot be said for Rush, whose words have enormous impact on the 20 million "dittoheads" they reach five days a week. Among Limbaugh's many ill-chosen remarks, the following ring the hollowest, given recent events: "Drug use, some might say, is destroying this country. And we have laws against selling drugs, pushing drugs, using drugs, importing drugs. And the laws are good, because we know what happens to people in society and neighborhoods which become consumed by them. And so if people are violating the law by doing drugs, they ought to be accused, and they ought to be convicted, and they ought to be sent up." Ironically, during this particular diatribe, he went on to single out white-collar drug users, adding that we should "send them up the river too." It's funny, but I do not see Rush Limbaugh demanding to be thrown in prison. In fact, he has hired a lawyer to keep his fat ass out of jail. Fair enough—I personally believe that drug addiction is a very complicated issue and, among other things, that it should be treated as an illness rather than a crime, even for Rush. I can allow as how, given his situation, Rush has come to realize that he was wrong on this particular issue. What bothers me is that he hasn't come out and admitted that he was wrong. He also hasn't apologized to the people who are in jail for minor drug offenses, at least in part because of the cultural climate created by Limbaugh's rabble-rousing rhetoric. In short, he is still refusing to accept responsibility for his actions. And by the way, Rush, since you were indisputably wrong on that issue, don't you think now would be a good time to reconsider all the other radical positions you have taken over the years? Or do you really believe this is the only mistake you have ever made? Larry Flynt Publisher HUSTLER  |
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