Summary Tue 5/11/93
John Switzer
for Tuesday, May 11, 1993
by John Switzer
NOTE: This is being posted to both alt.fan.rush-limbaugh and
alt.rush-limbaugh and thus you may see it twice if your sysadm
aliases the two newsgroups together. Since most sites don't
support both groups, this double-posting appears to be
unavoidable, however, if anyone has any ideas on how to avoid it,
please let me know. Thanks - j...@netcom.com.
This unofficial summary is copyright (c) 1993 by John Switzer.
All Rights Reserved. These summaries are distributed on
CompuServe and the Internet, and archived on CompuServe and
Internet (cathouse.aiss.uiuc.edu and grind.isca.uiowa.edu).
Distribution to other electronic forums and bulletin boards is
highly encouraged. Spelling and other corrections gratefully
received.
Please read the standard disclaimer which was included with the
first summary for this month. In particular, please note that
this summary is not approved or sanctioned by Rush Limbaugh or
the EIB network, nor do I have any connection with them other as
a daily listener.
******************************************************************
May 11, 1993
LIMBAUGH WATCH
May 11, 1993 - It's now day 112 of "America Held Hostage" (aka
the "Raw Deal") and 190 days after Bill Clinton's election, but
Rush is still on the air with 600 radio affiliates (with more
than 18 weekly million listeners world-wide) and 214 TV
affiliates (with a 4.0 rating). His first book has been on the NY
Times hardback non-fiction best-seller list for 34 consecutive
weeks, with 2.5 million copies sold, and his newsletter has over
250,000 subscribers. "The Way Things Ought To Be" has fallen to
the number three spot on the LA Times best-seller list but has
climbed back to the number two spot on the NY Times list.
Limbaugh Watchers await future indications of whether there is
any place for Rush Limbaugh in Clinton's America.
NEWS
o Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE) attacked European nations for
their indifference towards the Bosnian situation, stating, "This
is no more a civil war than Germany and Austria and
Czechoslovakia had civil wars in the 1930s. This, as then in my
view, is fascist thuggery on the march where religion is not a
cause of violence, but I believe the excuse for violence." Biden
added that the Europeans would be a lot more involved in stopping
the war if the Muslims were the aggressors.
o Santa Barbara animal activists are protesting the arrival
of the Carson and Barnes Five-Ring Circus in nearby Carpinteria,
claiming that "no animal can possibly learn tricks without being
abused." Phillip Aguirre, 13, was one of four activists standing
outside the circus' main tent, shouting "the cruelest show on
Earth" and passing out leaflets that claim circus trainers beat
and mistreat their animals. Aguirre stated "I don't think animals
should be treated that way. Everyone should be treated equal. It
makes people feel different about the circus."
Denise Ford of Animal Emancipation, Inc. of Ventura claimed "the
bull elephants were displaying autistic behavior. They were
swaying back and forth very violently. That's a sign of
psychological breakdown." She also claimed that the circus
animals were denied water. She added that people should not get
entertainment for animals, stating "Romans used to watch
Christians being thrown to the lions for enjoyment."
Animal trainer Brad Jewell denied these charges, saying that
positive reinforcement techniques are used, with the animals
being rewarded with treats such as carrots, apples, and lettuce
when they get their tricks right.
Ernie Miller, a circus assistant manager, also denied the charges
of cruelty, saying that the elephants' cages are big enough to be
called "elephant condos." He added that it wouldn't make sense
for the circus to mistreat these animals; denying them water
would be ridiculous, and Miller asked "why would we put a $75,000
animal in jeopardy? It would be like buying a brand new Mercedes
Benz, taking it home, and putting sugar in the gas tank."
Referring to Ford's charges of autism, Miller pointed out that
elephants sway back and forth because it's their nature. He added
that the circus is expected to generate $15,000 of charitable
funds for the Carpinteria library and Girls Inc. He admitted he
didn't mind the protestors since "businesswise, I can't complain.
They've given us a lot of publicity."
MORNING UPDATE
Rush remarks that the most amazing thing happened on Monday - the
Senate Rules Committee held hearings to investigate Senator
Robert Packwood (R-OR). About 250 Oregonians have filed charges
stating that Packwood is "unfit to serve" because he lied to
reporters in order to block pre-election charges of sexual
harassment and sexual misconduct.
Rush is intrigued by these charges, especially as Packwood is not
unique in lying about alleged sexual misconduct. Rush can't quite
remember the name of the other politician who's done this, but he
thinks Gennifer Flowers had something to do with it. Rush is
frustrated by his inability to remember the full details, but it
also seems to him that this politician lied about cutting taxes.
Furthermore, Rush has the impression that this politician's
campaign was built on fraud and deceit.
Rush still quite can't remember the guy's name, but he does know
one thing - if the Senate throws Packwood out on these charges,
this other guy had better look out because he'll be next.
FIRST HOUR
Items
o Rush had a bizarre dream last night, involving President
Bush and a young woman who works for him. The three had dinner,
and afterwards they checked into a hotel in Kansas City, a city
Rush defines as the "site of almost every failure and near-
success" of his life. They hotel put Rush and the woman in a room
in the lobby of the hotel, and it had glass walls. In the dream
Rush then woke up in the morning to the realization that everyone
in the bar was staring at him. The EIB staff ask if the crowd was
applauding, but Rush tells them that it was not that sort of
dream.
o Rush received a note from Steve of Palmdale, CA who told
him that he bought a Mac and a modem just so that he could log on
CompuServe and send Rush electronic mail; Steve is even learning
to type. Rush notes that this sort of thing is happening all over
the country, and so he wants to reiterate that he receives
several hundred pieces of mail each day and he reads each and
every one of them. However, he cannot possibly reply to all of
them.
Rush points out that he reads these notes himself; he does not
let his staff handle this chore, mainly because he's not about to
give his CompuServe password to them. "You never know what kind
of money these people would waste getting on my account," Rush
notes. He bets that Kit Carson in particular would be "all over
the forums" trying to get advice from other hen-pecked husbands
about how he can get his wife to let him watch the game of the
week.
Getting back to the subject, Rush says he does reply to some
email, but he can't answer all of it. However, he does read every
letter he gets, which by itself takes copious amounts of time.
o Rush is just fit to be tied because of something which
happened right before the show. He got so angry that he threw a
tantrum in his office, banging on his desk so hard that the ball
in his Mac's trackball flew out of its holder. He would love to
launch into the reasons why he's mad, but courtesy and decorum
prevent him from doing so.
o Rush returns to the subject of the Senate hearings on
Robert Packwood. He mentioned this subject somewhat seriously on
his TV show, but he would like to point out today that this is a
serious subject in the Constitutional sense. However, the fact
that the left is making such absurd accusations against
conservatives does show that conservatives are winning, although
the battle is not by any means over.
Conservatives don't seem to know how to hold power or how to use
it, and as a consequence they don't have much to show for their
eight years of Reagan. However, political correctness is now
helping the conservative cause because it's getting so silly.
Victory, though, is not assured at all.
However, when Clinton nominates someone like Loni Guinere <<sp?>>
to head up the civil rights section of the Justice Department,
conservatives have to rejoice. Guinere thinks that middle class
and upper class blacks should not be listened to in the debate on
civil rights and culture because they aren't "authentic" blacks
(i.e. poor or third world blacks).
She also wants to rewrite the Constitution to let minorities
overturn the election victories of the majority because
minorities couldn't win since they are minorities. It's expected
that the Republicans will make quite a struggle about Guinere
because of her antipathy towards the Constitution.
In a similar manner, some 250 Oregonians are assaulting the
Constitution by demanding the removal of Senator Packwood for
lying to reporters. The Constitution does not list "telling the
truth to reporters" as a requirement for being a US Senator, so a
success here could set a dangerous precedent. Even ultra-liberal
Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) is worried about the "Pandora's Box" that
could be opened by this case.
One of the smartest things about this was said by Senator Wendell
Ford (D-KY) who asked whether the Senate should become the judge
of the veracity of campaign statements. Ford also pointed out
that it would be impossible to determine whether Packwood's
alleged lies had any effect on the outcome of the election and
thus impossible to prove fraud occurred regarding the election.
What is going on in the Packwood case is hysteria run amuck, and
it's being fueled by a confidence born of last year's election.
Rush is certain that most of the people who signed the petition
against Packwood are confident that they can win; although one
caller thought that they were only trying to make an issue out of
sexual harassment, Rush believes that most of these people
arrogantly think they can win and unseat Packwood.
Of course, fund-raising is also an issue. Even if this group
fails to nail Packwood, they can send out all sorts of fund-
raising letters demanding more contributions so as to help them
with their cause "to nail other white guys."
o Bill Clinton has admitted that he cannot govern by his
leaving Washington to hit the campaign trail again to push his
economic plan. His trip to Cleveland, Chicago, and New York is
all about reminding the people that he won, and Bosnia has now
been placed on the back-burner.
o Maggie Gallagher of NY Newsday has written a great column
today about the attempt in Hawaii to legalize gay marriage.
There's also more news about the gays in the military issue.
o The Ombudsman of the Washington Post, Joanne Bird, wrote
a column Sunday about the Post's coverage of Republicans who told
alleged racist and sexist jokes and its lack of coverage of
Clinton's remark about a "black guy." Bird acknowledges that they
didn't think this quote was news until "Rush Limbaugh made it
news." Rush points out the fact he can not only report the news
but can make the news will probably send "chills down the backs
of journalists who are trying to do the same thing."
*BREAK*
Retired General Norman Schwarzkopf testified this morning before
the Senate Armed Services Committee about ending the ban on gays
in the military. Schwarzkopf said, "I've been labelled morally
bankrupt by some because I refuse to advocate hanging every
homosexual from lampposts." Rush says he's felt this kind of
pressure himself from a small group of Americans who think every
homosexual should be totally condemned.
Schwarzkopf also said that although homosexuals have served well
in the military, in every case he knows about, their units have
become divided when their fellows learn of their sexual
orientation. He then stated "the job of the military is to go to
war and win, not to be instruments of social experimentation."
Rush remarks that this is common sense and the prevailing view,
and the debate on Bosnia basically comes down to "can we win?"
Will having an "ethnically diverse and sexually diverse" force
help the military win in Bosnia? Will it matter if 20% of the
armed forces are minorities or lesbians or whatever, if the
military can't win?
Rush is getting a bit leary at the idea that the US has a "moral
obligation" to go into Bosnia because "ethnic cleansing" is going
on. Why is the killing going on over there worse than killing
anywhere else in the world? Liberals, though, seem to think that
the magic words of "ethnic cleansing" mean that the situation in
Bosnia is more horrible than the other atrocities that now exist
in the world.
*BREAK*
Rush repeats that EIB is now on WRNO, the first commercially-
licensed shortwave station in the world, at 15.420 MHz. WRNO has
an effective broadcast power of 3.2 Megawatts, reaching all the
way around the world. The station has received "QSL" response
cards from almost every nation in the world, including the
rainforest.
Rush digresses a moment to point out that the "rainforest" used
to be called "the jungle," but this is no longer politically
correct. Rush tells Bo Snerdley to remind him to use the correct
term "jungle" instead of the PC lingo. Bo agrees, and points out
that nobody in business ever says "it's a rainforest out there."
Getting back to the subject of QSL cards, Rush says that these
cards are sent by listeners world-wide to the stations they hear
for the first time. The stations then use these cards to get an
idea of where they are broadcasting to. Rush doesn't know what
"QSL" means, but says that he's already heard from eager
listeners who are going on cruises or other trips and are now
planning to take their shortwave radios so that they can listen
to Rush.
Phone Susan from Summers, NY
Susan read A.M. Rosenthal's editorial Friday on the Clinton
Presidency, and she thinks it's a sad case when columnists such
as Rosenthal and talk show hosts such as Rush have to give advice
to the President. She is amazed that those running the Clinton
administration really think they can solve problems just by being
good people.
Rush says this arrogance descends from a socialist way of
thinking. Susan adds that if Clinton really has tried "harder
than ever" to fix the economy, then he should fess up to his
inadequacies. She quotes Rosenthal as saying that the Presidency
"is not simple and limited; it is big and sometimes downright
messy."
Rush notes that US News and World Report had a mock Presidential
poll which showed if the Presidential elections were held today,
Clinton would get 37%, Perot 35%, and Bob Dole 25%. The bottom
has fallen out of the Clinton administration, which is now on the
road to Cleveland and Chicago in an attempt to recapture the
initiative.
The Democratic National Committee, which is controlled now by the
White House, is even talking about a national petition drive to
collect millions of signatures in support of the Clinton health
care plan. Up to 60 town meetings are planned, and Ross Perot-
style infomercials may even be shown, with celebrities travelling
the nation endorsing the Clinton plan.
Rush points out he has no problem with celebrities speaking out,
but he does have a problem with celebrities being put forth as
experts on issues such as national health care. The media doesn't
challenge these people on the issues, so someone like Barbra
Streisand, who probably doesn't even cut her own toenails, will
be lecturing the company on the "merits" of the Clinton health
care plan.
Volunteers will also be going door-to-door, which brings to mind
the socialist-driven causes of the 60s. These are incredible
things for the White House to do, yet Clinton is simply trying to
recapture his lost momentum. The reason Clinton has lost the
initiative, though, is that people are now becoming aware that
his plan cannot work and that all it will do is punish working
Americans.
Susan comments she saw the news clip on Rush's TV show about
small businessmen leaving the White House grumbling about how out
of touch Clinton was. Rush adds that the NY Times had a front-
page story about small businesses opposition to Clinton's
programs. Susan says she and her husband own a small business,
and the tax load on them is outrageous. If Clinton's taxes are
increased, it will make things even worse.
Susan also doesn't think the government's health care plan is
going to improve their health care. Her daughter just had major
surgery, and she's glad she also didn't have to go to whatever
doctor or hospital the government dictated. Rush thinks that
Susan's concerns are valid and are being shared by more and more
Americans; the fact that Clinton has to go back into a campaign
mode to regain momentum shows the "governing gridlock" that has
afflicted his administration.
*BREAK*
Phone David from Seymour Johnson AFB
David saw the letter sent to President Clinton by a bunch of
Hollywood liberals, and not only did it say that only President
Clinton "knew what to do," but it also advised him "not to listen
to the Pentagon." David's been in the Air Force for 12 years, and
Clinton has yet to show any experience or knowledge about what to
do with the military.
Rush says that this is absolutely right - a bunch of Hollywood
leftists and pacifists are telling a draft-dodger who has held
the military in contempt all his life that "only you know what to
do" about the US military. Rush is mad not only that these idiots
are saying this to the President, but also at himself for not
picking up this salient fact himself. Then, though, for these
Hollywood leftists to tell Clinton that he should not listen to
the Pentagon, who are the real experts on the military, is even
more ludicrous.
David says that the Air Force Times is also reporting that
Congress is considering implementing a $75 charge on US military
service personnel for their health care. Rush is not surprised,
and says that the one thing which is a given is that no matter
what it costs now, everything will cost more if Clinton gets his
way. Just because men and women have offered to serve their
country and perhaps give up their lives doesn't mean that they
won't have to pay more if Clinton does what he wants.
Rush thinks that this would be a great campaign slogan for 1994
and 1996 - "everything will cost you more under Clinton." He
thanks David for calling and for pointing out that a bunch of
Hollywood pacifists are telling the "Chief Pacifist" that "only
you know what to do." He sighs and adds "this is scary, folks."
*BREAK*
Phone Sheldon from Manhattan, NY
Sheldon saw an article in the New York magazine about Clinton's
first 100 days. In the table of content's "blurp" about the story
it says that Clinton apologized to both Rush and Bob Dole, but
the story itself doesn't mention Rush once. Rush bets that some
editor with a bias against him excised that portion of the story.
Sheldon called the magazine and first talked to Norman who
promised to call right back about why this section of the story
was missing. Norman never called back, even after Sheldon's
repeated phone calls, so Sheldon then called Tony, another
editor. Tony eventually returned one of Sheldon's numerous calls
and suggested Sheldon write a letter to the editor.
Rush is not surprised by any of this, and bets that what happened
was that he was mentioned in the original story, which is why the
"blurp" referenced him. However, after the blurp was written, the
references to Rush were cut by an unfriendly editor. He thanks
Sheldon for this intriguing story.
*BREAK*
SECOND HOUR
Items
o Rush got a note on CompuServe from someone who thinks he
will have to "tone it down about the President a bit" because the
EIB network is now world-wide. The listener is concerned that
folks across the world will hear Rush complain and criticize the
President and thus think America is falling apart.
Rush, however, disagrees and suspects that his practice of
freedom of speech will generate a lot of envy across the world
because most people in the world don't have the same freedom he
has to criticize their leaders. These people will thus want to
emigrate to America even more, first to meet Rush and then to
become Americans.
If anything, Rush will "go to the mountain tops" and shout all
the louder, now that his message is global; he'll definitely not
"tone it down."
o Rush was astounded to realize that a second unauthorized
biography about him is being written. Rush notes that both of
these books have materialized only after he has written his own
book, which has just happened to be a best-seller for 34 weeks,
selling like wild-fire. Thus, "other publishers, too chicken and
too cowardly to take the lead in this area" have decided to put
out their own book with Rush's name on it.
Thus, these publishers find authors for these works, and these
authors are running around trying to dig up as much dirt as
possible on Rush. Rush isn't worried about this, though, because
his life has been a "dry ball," free of any scandal or juicy
gossip. However, the rumor is that the author of the second book
has "shut down" his operations because someone is investigating
him. This author accuses Rush of this, but Rush denies it;
however, he admits he is enjoying the spectacle of an author who
thinks he can poke and peer into any crevice into others' private
lives being outraged that his own life is being examined.
Rush admits that EIB did do a Nexis search of this author's
previous work, but that was the extent of their "investigation."
Rush thus has no idea of who the investigator is, but he repeats
it is not he because "I don't do that kind of lo-ball stuff that
you writers do." Rush admits he has to agree with former New York
Mayor Ed Koch about one thing - if journalists were subjected to
the same scrutiny they put their subjects under, the world of the
media would be a far different place.
o The Senate's investigation of the Norfolk submarine
showed how cramped the bunks are on Navy ships. The testimony so
far has been pretty predictable, but what has not been so public
is the battle shaping up between President Clinton and Senators
Nunn and Warner. Clinton has promised to lift the ban on gays in
the military in July no matter what, or at least that's what he
is saying.
Sam Nunn, though, has pointed out that Congress can override
Clinton's executive order with a law; Senator Warner has
indicated he would introduce a bill that would allow anyone in
the military to quit any time they want if they're gay or they
don't like serving with admitted gays. Of course, right now if
you're in the military, you're obligated to serve your hitch, but
Warner's bill would end that restriction.
Rush thinks this is a great type of "in your face, President
Clinton" bill, and it will be interesting to see how the
President handles this particular conflict and issue.
*BREAK*
Items
o Rush introduces a proud new sponsor of the EIB Network:
<<Birds are singing as Mrs. Rodham calls her husband>> Willie,
get down here - breakfast is ready!
<<Willie, running down the stairs>> Sorry, honey - gotta get
going. I'll stop by McDonalds.
<<Mrs. Rodham>> Gosh darn it! No matter how hard I try, I can't
seem to keep him home for breakfast!
<<Announcer>> Excuse me, Mrs. Rodham . . .
<<Mrs. Rodham>> Who are you?
<<Announcer>> Have you ever tried . . . these?
<<Mrs. Rodham>> Lefty's Whole Hog Sausage? Why, no, I haven't
tried it. What's it made of?
<<Announcer>> What every Democrat loves - 100% pure pork!
<<Mrs. Rodham>> Sounds great!
<<Announcer>> That's right, Lefty's Whole Hog Sausage is made
from the same stuff that the Clinton economic package is made of
- government pork through and through! Willie will love it!
<<Willie, the next morning>> Hey, honey, this is great! Can I
invite Tom Foley, Ted Kennedy, George, Donna, and Dee Dee over
for breakfast tomorrow?
<<Mrs. Rodham>> Sure, Willie, as long as I'm in charge, there's
plenty to go around.
<<Announcer>> See? What did I tell you?
<<Mrs. Rodham>> You're right! Now, if I could just keep him home
at night! <<boing!>>
<<Announcer>> Lefty's Whole Hog Sausage - just look for the label
with a suckling pig. Made from what every Democrat loves: 100%
pure pork. Lefty's, another fine product from House of Congress.
o Rush admits he was wrong yesterday when he said that his
show is the most-listened to show of any type in 11 US cities;
the correct figure is 12 cities, and Rush erroneously left San
Francisco off the list. Rush chuckles at how his critics
predicted he would soon fade away and become irrelevant after
Clinton's election.
o Rush notes that one of the most common warnings being
heard now in reference to the gays in the military issue is that
ending the ban would jeopardize the military's cohesion. People
have noted that the militant homosexual activists make their
sexual orientation the primary and most significant aspect of
their character, and furthermore these activists insist that
others not only tolerate them, but fully accept them.
Rush has thus gotten a lot of letters from people who think the
real problem of gays in the military is that they're going to be
gay first and soldiers second. Some critics are saying that this
is being proven by the story about how the army discharged a
highly-decorated soldier, Sgt. Jose Zuniga, after he publicly
disclosed his homosexuality at the gay rights march in Washington
two weeks ago. Zuniga, a Gulf War veteran, won the Sixth Army's
Soldier of the Year Award last year.
Zuniga will not contest his discharge, which was an honorable one
at the recommendation of his battalion commander, because he
wants to continue to fight for ending the ban against gays.
Zuniga remarked his discharge "just goes to show how determined
they are to get rid of the people who don't fit their morality
standards," and he hopes to be eventually reinstated if Clinton
lifts the ban.
Supporters of maintaining the ban are saying that Zuniga's words
are proving the "gay first, soldier second" fear. This is a
question which will be highly debated as this issue continues to
be examined.
o Virginia Governor Douglas Wilder is being criticized for
affecting a lisp and a limp wrist while speaking to reporters at
the state Democratic convention last Friday. One reporter asked
Wilder about his children's marriages and whether the Governor
was planning on getting married himself. Wilder laughed the
question off, and then another reporter joked that the first
reporter was actually proposing. Wilder reportedly then displayed
the limp wrist and lisped "oh, thop it!"
Wilder, however, are denying that he did this, but four reporters
have confirmed the story. Rush admits that this case is a tough
call as to whom to believe - a Democratic governor or four
reporters. "The jury's still out," he states.
o Maggie Gallagher of NY Newsday wrote a column about the
Hawaii state Supreme Court's near ruling that the state's ban on
gay marriages was unconstitutional. Rush notes this is another
case of judicial activism, whereby the courts bypass the
democratic process. Rush notes that marriage laws are
transferrable across state lines, so if Hawaii legalizes
marriage, it's possible gays could get married there and return
to their home states legally married. Rush promises to discuss
this some more later.
*BREAK*
Phone Bob from Chicago, IL
Bob is a 68-year-old conservative who disagrees with Rush on many
issues; he does think Rush is a "tremendous word-spinner who
could make a pregnant woman think she's a virgin." Bob, though,
thinks Rush hasn't given Clinton a "decent chance" and is
"slamming" him. He also agrees with the letter writer who think
Rush's negativism towards Clinton will reflect poorly on the
United States. Bob fears that people listening to Rush will start
to think that his opinions are really those of most Americans.
Rush isn't bothered by that because it will mean "we really are
going to win!" He understands Bob's point, but he notes that the
White House is the one not letting the story about John Conyers
dying. The White House went out of their way to give Newsweek
another story about this, and they implied that Rush is making
things up about Clinton. However, Rush is not doing anything but
examining and reporting on the policies and actions of the
Clinton administration.
Rush is not about to let Clinton ruin the country just because
people think Clinton should "be given a chance." Bob, though,
thinks Rush presents his opinions snidely and sarcastically,
thereby diminishing respect for the office of the President. Rush
thinks that if anyone is destroying respect for the office, it's
Clinton. Bob, however, thinks Rush's use of "Slick Willie" and
his parodies are too negative.
Rush points out that Saturday Night Live and others in Hollywood
have done far more against the Presidency over the past decade
than he, and Bob remarks "Saturday Night Live is not Rush
Limbaugh." Rush admits "that's for damn sure," but he recalls how
many comedians and others were making things up about Dan Quayle,
George Bush, and Ronald Reagan.
Bob says he didn't vote Republican last year because of Dan
Quayle; "I cannot foresee a government run by somebody as
ridiculous as Dan Quayle, and I felt Dan Quayle was a disgrace to
the Vice President's office." Rush has to disagree with that -
Quayle was not a disgrace nor was he an unqualified idiot.
However, the scourge of the comedians towards him was incessant
and never stopped.
However, President Clinton is being treated as he deserves to be
and as he's asking to be. For example, how can anyone take
Clinton seriously when he stages a Hollywood-style "taking of the
White House lawn" with the US Marines? Bob thinks Clinton had a
"lot of guts" for not serving in Vietnam because at least he
"stood up for what he believed in"; Quayle, however, hid behind
his enlistment in the National Guard.
Rush points out that Clinton didn't fight for anything, he ran
from his obligations. Applauding Clinton for his draft-dodging is
like applauding him for "trying so hard"; Clinton doesn't deserve
praise in either case. Bob thinks Rush is "word-spinning" again,
but admits that higher taxes are not the answer.
Bob adds that he also didn't like how Oliver North "wrapped
himself in the American flag and committed treason against the
Constitution. He did exactly what people expect from an anarchist
but not from someone who serves the Constitution in a uniform."
Rush recalls that liberals have even said that it was so
important for Clinton to be elected that he had to lie in order
to achieve this goal; thus, Rush thinks Bob is being a bit
selective with his application of morality here.
Bob, though, says that in his speech today, Clinton told the
students that he wants to eliminate the waste in the student loan
process by ending the profit that banks and others are making.
Rush says that Clinton is once again attacking profit, but Bob
says that Clinton was against only "unnecessary profit."
Rush sees the same old thing in this - Clinton wants the
government to have more control of people's lives, in this case
it's students' lives. Bob, though, thinks that school districts
need more money, especially as teachers are "demanding and
getting exorbitant salaries." Rush is amazed at this conclusion
because teachers are not overpaid in any sense; some districts
are spending $6000 to $7000 per student, which means that for a
class of 30 students, teachers could get triple their current
salaries and there would still be money left over.
Bob challenges Rush to come to his school district and find
things which could be cut, and Rush admits he'd love to; he has
no doubts he could find a great number of people who could be
fired without problem. Bob says his point is that tax rates were
recently raised for this purpose; if the rates hadn't been
raised, another series of bonds would have had to been issued,
and this means a bunch of bankers would have made a profit.
Rush doesn't see anything wrong with that since the bankers would
be putting their own money at risk. If the country gets rid of
the people who are willing to put their own money at risk, then
things are going to get really bad really fast. There's no reason
to punish the achievers and risk-takers.
As far as the schools go, if a class has 30 students, with each
student allocated $6,000 a year, the teacher could get paid
$100,000 and there'd still be $80,000 left over. The country,
though, seems to have bought into the fallacy that money buys
education and that the problem with the schools right now is a
lack of money. Rush bets that the US's founding fathers probably
spent all of a modern month's worth of lunch money for their
education.
Bob again urges Rush to "ease off on your pressures," but Rush
still insists that only the occupant of the Oval Office can
damage it. Rush is therefore not worried that he might damage the
office of the Presidency and promises to be more concerned about
truth.
*BREAK*
Phone Diane from San Francisco, CA
Diane says that Friday's NY Times had a story about how the Labor
Department overstated its estimate of how many jobs were created
in the latter part of the 80s by 540,000. This means that its
estimates of how many jobs disappeared during the recession were
also off. The Labor Department was counting paychecks, not
workers, and will reportedly correct its mistakes next month.
Rush says that this is an incredible piece of news - it means the
Clinton campaign thus blamed the Bush administration for losing
over 500,000 jobs which never existed in the first place. The
Associate Commissioner of the Labor Department said "we blamed
the recession for eliminating jobs that never existed in the
first place. It just dawned on us recently after we'd gone
through the millions of records what really happened. We now find
that productivity fell trivially during the recession. In fact,
we might change this to `it was only a slight drop.' "
Thus, 1.2 million jobs were lost during the recession, not the
1.7 million jobs bandied about by Clinton and Gore. However, this
is all "water under the boathouse" but it does show that things
weren't that bad then and aren't that bad now.
*BREAK*
Moments ago, a New York federal judge ruled that Leonard
Jeffries' rights were violated when he lost the chairmanship of
the Black Studies Department at the City College of New York
because of remarks he made in 1991 attacking Jews for financing
the slave trade and for holding blacks back.
The judge said that Jeffries' free speech rights were violated by
his firing, and this case affirms that racism is not a crime.
Thus, it could be asked why baseball can get rid of Marge Schott
but NY City College cannot get rid of Jeffries. Rush promises to
elaborate about this in the third hour.
*BREAK*
THIRD HOUR
Items
o Rush returns to the subject of Leonard Jeffries, who has
filed a $25 million lawsuit against the City College of New York
for his firing. Rush will try to show excerpts of what Jeffries
said, but he recalls that Jeffries claimed Jews and the Mafia
conspired to belittle blacks in the movies and that Jews financed
the slave trade. Jeffries also said that white people were "ice
people" while blacks were "sun people."
Rush again points out this verdict is that racism is not a crime,
and he has to agree with this principle. Just because someone
offends someone else doesn't mean they can be fired or otherwise
punished. Of course, Eden Jacobowitz is learning all about what
kinds of punishment can be lodged against someone for allegedly
racist comments; Jacobowitz may be thrown out of the University
of Pennsylvania for calling some black sorority members "water
buffalo," which university officials claim is a reference to
"large, black animals that live in Africa." The university
evidently still hasn't realized that water buffalo are indigenous
to Asia.
Rush recalls that Marge Schott was suspended for a year for
racist comments, so if the owners of baseball have a right to
take away someone's property for a year, then why can't CCNY get
rid of a chairman who makes racist statements? Rush notes that
Jacobowitz and Schott are both white, but he adds that neither
person has yet gone to court over their case; if they did or do,
then their situations may well be upheld, as was Jeffries'.
However, it does seem to Rush that there's a double standard that
exists, which allows blacks to make racist statements with
impunity, while whites must be punished severely. Rush promises
to keep his audience posted on the results of the Jeffries' case.
Rush admits he is outraged by this double standard, but he points
out that it's hard to be outraged on a daily basis.
o In the Periscope section of this week's Newsweek, an item
reports about Clinton's "verbal jab at Rush Limbaugh." The
magazine reports that Clinton was "getting back" at Rush for
"comparing Chelsea to George and Millie's dog on TV." Rush
recalls that this occurred after the election while he was
discussing the "In and Out" lists; one such list said "Out - cut
dog in the White House, In - cute kid," but a picture of Millie
was mistakenly shown while Chelsea's name was mentioned. Rush
apologized numerous times for this gaffe and repeatedly said it
was not intentional.
He doesn't quite know how to interpret the Newsweek story, though
- if their report is true, then Clinton obviously holds petty
grudges for a long time. The more important point, though, is
that Ross Perot got into a mess of trouble for innocently
referring to members of the NAACP as "you people." When Clinton
came along and referred to a Democratic congressman as a "black
guy" who attacked his Attorney General, the press, though,
virtually ignored it, as have John Conyers, Jesse Jackson, and
all the other black and civil rights leaders.
Readers to the Washington Post noticed this fact and flooded the
paper with letters wondering why the press didn't complain about
the jokes Clinton made about Rush and Senator Dole, when it
castigated others, such as Perot before the election and more
recently Oliver North, for their remarks. The readers pointed out
that the Post's reporters were there at the White House
Correspondents Dinner, and thus saw and heard what happened for
themselves.
The answer is that in the case of Perot, the people who were
"insulted" complained about it, thereby creating a story. When
Dole and Rush finally reacted to Clinton's jokes, these stories
did finally, albeit slowly, become news. The Ombudsman to the
Post also mentioned that it took the Post four days to report on
Oliver North's allegedly racist and homophobic jokes.
The Ombudsman for the Post also lists a number of "simple
reasons" or possibilities for why attention is paid to some
incidents and not others:
1) the media's liberal bias never sleeps (a roomful of hard-nosed
reporters heard President Clinton, but it wasn't news until Rush
objected);
2) news judgements are not scientific;
3) journalists who cover politics and social events see things in
different lights. A society reporter added that nobody once
mentioned Clinton's jokes about Dole and Rush to her;
4) journalists stereotype conservatives as intolerant, and
Clinton's comment fit this assumption;
5) there's a bit of truth in each of the above explanations;
6) there's a difference between remarks that criticize groups and
those that criticize individuals.
Rush adds number 7 - these remarks were made by the President of
the United States who says that he's the new FDR, JFK, and LBJ.
*BREAK*
Phone Bob from Olein, NY
Bob says that people should respect the office of the Presidency,
but if the man in the office makes decisions that don't deserve
respect, then he should be criticized. For example, it's totally
unacceptable that President Clinton wants to end the ban on gays
in the military. Rush notes that an interesting phenomenon has
occurred - when a Democratic President is elected, everyone is
supposed to give him a chance and "come together as Americans to
support our President."
Hollywood never asked for America to come together to support
President Reagan, but now that the President is a Democrat,
everyone thinks Clinton should be given a "chance." Rush points
out that the left had better wake up because their selective
application of compassion and concern "is starting to drive a lot
of people nutso, me included!"
*BREAK*
Items
o Today's Wall Street Journal has a story with the headline
"These People Like Being Incorrect Because They're So Very
Right." The story is about a mail order business, `The Right
Stuff' in Springfield, VA, which sells stuff to those people who
are "politically right, not politically correct." Among the big-
selling items are shirts, pins, bumper stickers, and neckties
with slogans such as "Rush Limbaugh for President." Rush notes
that this means EIB Merchandising now has a competitor.
o Edward James Olmos' application for a concealed weapon
carry permit was rejected by Los Angeles officials. Rush doesn't
know what Olmos' views on gun control are, but he suspects it
will be hard for Olmos to support that cause now.
o The 11,000 PATCO air traffic controllers fired by
President Reagan are being lured back to their jobs by President
Clinton. Today's NY Times is reporting that some of these workers
are being invited back, and some 3,000 are expected to accept
Clinton's offer. Rush bets that Clinton will justify this by
saying that these guys have learned their lesson and should be
shown some compassion.
o The rape trial of Joel Rene Valdez is expected to begin
today; Valdez is claiming that he didn't rape the woman because
she consented to sex by asking him to use a condom. The woman,
though, says that the guy overpowered her and put a knife to her
throat, and the trial will determine whether the sex was
consensual or not. Rush finds this to be a fascinating case, and
if the man is acquitted it will have an interesting result on the
"no means no" argument. Rush expects he'll be talking about this
case again later.
o A special election for Lloyd Bentsen's Senate seat will
be held June 5th; Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison will oppose
appointed incumbent Bob Krueger. Hutchison placed first in last
month's special election among a field of a dozen candidates.
Rush predicts Hutchison will win this election and he again urges
Texas voters to take the long view and not vote according to a
single issue such as abortion. The more Republicans in the
Senate, the better it will be for the country when Clinton's
economic plan goes before Congress. Rush wishes Hutchison his
best, and he remarks that he admires her tenacity and strength of
character.
He adds that it's about time the Republican party is showing that
they can field decent women candidates, and he's excited about
Hutchison's campaign and what her election victory will show to
the country.
o A baby born Mother's Day was conceived with the help of a
turkey baster. Janet Johnson Whittle's $15,000 in vitro
fertilization failed, so her sister Julie Johnson volunteered her
services as a surrogate mother. Julie stood on her head and
received her brother-in-law's sperm via a sterilized turkey
baster. John Franklin Whittle was born last Sunday, weighing 7
pounds, 10 ounces. "What health care reform?" Rush asks, as he
marvels in amazement at the inventiveness and creativity of
Americans.
o Today's USA Today has the following story: "Body Parts: A
pedestrian on a morning walk in Manchester Township, NJ found six
plastic bags containing body parts. `We think it's the same guy,
but we don't have any leads,'" said police spokesmen. Rush thinks
this is a very sexist remark to make, but he wonders if "same
guy" refers to the victim or the murderer.
*BREAK*
Returning to the subject of Kay Bailey Hutchison, Rush says that
it looks like the country may not only have a new Republican
Senator, but also a Republican mayor of Los Angeles, Richard
Riordan. It is also possible that New York might have a
Republican mayor, while Governor Cuomo's approval ratings are the
lowest they've ever been. Thus, there are reasons to be hopeful.
Phone J.W. from Norfolk, VA
J.W. congratulates Rush on station number 600 and thanks him for
spurring him and his partners into starting their own computer
services company. Rush asks him if he's "selling computers that
work," and J.W. says no, "we're not selling a better mousetrap,
but we've found a better way to bait it." He promises to send
Rush some email on CompuServe about his business.
Rush notes that he has a Mac Quadra 700 at home that he's
planning on upgrading to a 950, and he has a Mac IIxf at the
office. Bo Snerdley has a Mac Centris 650, while H.R. "Kit"
Carson has an LC. "We're Mac'd here," Rush states, and he adds
that both of his computers are setup to automatically download
his CompuServe email. However, he points out that sometimes his
Macs does freeze up, which means they can't clear out the mailbox
in time for some correspondents to avoid getting "mailbox full"
messages. Thus, he urges J.W. and others on CompuServe to show
some patience if they have to resend their messages.
*BREAK*
Phone Jim from Houston, TX
Jim is a self-employed commercial real estate broker who still
managed to do very well during the recession. Jim was washing his
car recently, and he had the radio turned on to Rush's show. A
woman from across the street who's the neighborhood recluse came
storming out of her house, jumped in his car, and shut the radio
off. She was storming mad and angry beyond belief that Jim was
listening to Rush, even though the volume on his radio wasn't
that loud.
Jim told her that all she had to do was ask him to turn the radio
down, but she was still so mad she couldn't talk straight. She
thus stormed back across the street, walking almost in front of
oncoming traffic, and slammed her door shut. Jim thus suspects
that Rush's voice is at a frequency which really irritates
certain members of the left. Rush thanks Jim for this story and
notes that it demonstrates that his show is so powerful, it even
gets recluses out of their houses.
--
John Switzer | "To Protect and Control" -- motto of the
| Eerie Indiana police department.
Compuserve: 74076,1250 |
Internet: j...@netcom.com |