Rush's Crime
By Michael R. Bowen (10/07/03)
What exactly did Mr. Limbaugh do wrong last week? Well, for starters, it's not what he did last week. It's what he's been doing for decades.
Did he lie? No. He merely pointed out a fact: that our society in general, and our media in particular, have a policy of judging persons of a certain skin color differently from persons with other skin colors.
Did he say that black skin makes a man incapable of being a good quarterback? Nothing of the kind. Not even his fiercest critics can claim that with a straight face.
Did he abuse drugs? Maybe. He's not telling, at least not until the legal matters have been ironed out. All we know so far is that he's been accused. Note, please, that he's issued no denials or counter-accusations. He's not said that the allegations are all lies, nor has he dished out dirt on his accusers.
So what is it? The celebrity world is full of people with drug problems, and they are lionized, not condemned. Public figures at the highest levels have been proven to be liars, yet have retained the fervent support of their partisans. Prominent senators with substance abuse problems remain liberal lions of the East. Other liberal senators have been members of the Ku Klux Klan, yet they retain power and respect.
Mr. Limbaugh's crime is not making racist remarks, groping women, or abusing drugs, whether or not he actually did any of those things. His crime is opposing affirmative action, abortion, political correctness, high taxes, big government, gun control, and the Nanny State. His political philosophy is the only thing which distinguishes him from the prominent, but forgiven, sinners of our day.
That, and the fact that he's not a liar. For to keep in the good graces of the liberal establishment, you must speak lies and live lies. You must claim to support American strength, yet undercut our military. You must profess the faith that all men are created equal and have equal rights, while treating certain men as inferior and granting special rights to others. You must demand that we be a nation of laws made by the citizens, while relying on legal chicanery to overturn the will of the people. You must proclaim your support for the family, and insist on the need to protect our children, while systematically destroying the former and aborting the latter. You must loudly praise what America stands for, because if the voters knew what you really believe, you'd be tarred and feathered.
No, Mr. Limbaugh's offense wasn't doing what liberals routinely do: saying foolish things and getting high. His crime was Being Human While Conservative. His crime was -- and remains -- telling the truth about the Left: that they are racists, enemies of the family, enemies of the working man, enemies of America, and enemies of freedom. Officially, he will be condemned for his remarks and his pills, because the real transgression can't be named: that he refuses to live the lie.
(Printer friendly version) Email: Michael R. Bowen
