Rush Limbaugh passes

[gregj410]

His lovely wife Catherine opened the show with the sad announcement that Rush passed this morning.

[Chris Webster]

Far-right radio host Rush Limbaugh made it his life’s work since the 1980’s to make American conservatives more reactionary and hateful. A cigar smoker who denied it was harmful, he died today at age 70 of lung cancer.

One of the ways he made the world a worse place to live was a regular segment on his radio show called the “AIDS Update” where he would celebrate the AIDS-related deaths of gay and bi men. The segment was apparently so awful that even Limbaugh himself later stopped it and said it was “very insensitive to people who were dying.”

In the 1980s, gay and bi men were dying at an alarming rate from the virus at a time when even mentioning LGBTQ people was still very taboo. Then-President Ronald Reagan didn’t talk about the epidemic for years as it ravaged the community while government agencies dragged their feet in responding to it and religious leaders celebrated it as divine punishment for homosexuality.

It was in this context that ACT UP held a protest at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City in 1989, protesting Cardinal John O’Connor’s opposition to safe sex education that could save people’s lives.

This upset Limbaugh, according to Ze’ev Chafets, who wrote in his book Rush Limbaugh: An Army of One: “He chastised ‘militant homosexuals’ for their disrespectful behavior and shortly thereafter began broadcasting irreverent and tasteless ‘AIDS Update’ segments introduced by Dionne Warwick’s ‘I’ll Never Love This Way Again.'”

He likely picked that song as another insult to the gay and bi men who had died; they’ll “never love this way again” because they’re dead.

Rush Limbaugh celebrated the deaths of gay men from AIDS on his radio show

[HONDO74]

TOTAL FAR LEFT WING PROGRESSIVE BULL ShSSSS.

[v8vega]

Naturally ABC TV news highlighted as many negative things about him as they could come up with. Senile dottering Biden hasent said a word, what a a hole. Some right wing talk radio gave tribute to him all day yesterday.

[HONDO74]

Iam not a fan of Rush Limbaugh. I have only heard him a few times way back in the 90s on my hour drive home from work, That was when he was making a mockery of the liberals favorite. BLOW JOB BILL..

I always preferred to listen to Paul Harvey. Another conservative the liberals hate

[MurphOnMillerAve]

I occasionally listened to them both, to get variety in points-of-view on various topics. I always figured that was one of the ways I could broaden and/or validate my own thinking.

The Buddah would have approved of that approach , concerning who was "right" in their thinking.

[Neil]

"always preferred to listen to Paul Harvey."

Comparing Paul Harvey to Rush Limbaugh is like comparing Margaret Thatcher to Oswald Mosley.

Give Hatred a Chance---Rush Limbaugh channeling John Lennon.

[chuck]

Another conservative the liberals hate

??????

Paul Harvey never cut others down, including people he may not have liked. He was a gentleman. A well read and well spoken history teacher who also worked as a radio broadcaster. That's about the only thing I can find in common between Mr. Harvey and the other guy that passed away yesterday is that they were both on the radio.

[robert.]

I dont think Rush believed half the crap he said. He found a market and took it for a ride. Milked it for every last dollar he could.

[HONDO74]

Paul Harvey......

If I were the prince of darkness, I would want to engulf the whole world in darkness.I’d have a third of its real estate and four-fifths of its population, but I would not be happy until I had seized the ripest apple on the tree — thee.

So, I would set about however necessary to take over the United States.

I’d subvert the churches first, and I would begin with a campaign of whispers.

With the wisdom of a serpent, I would whisper to you as I whispered to Eve: “Do as you please.”

To the young, I would whisper that the Bible is a myth. I would convince the children that man created God instead of the other way around. I’d confide that what’s bad is good and what’s good is square.

And the old, I would teach to pray after me, “Our Father, which are in Washington …”

Then, I’d get organized, I’d educate authors in how to make lurid literature exciting so that anything else would appear dull and uninteresting.

I’d peddle narcotics to whom I could. I’d sell alcohol to ladies and gentlemen of distinction. I’d tranquilize the rest with pills.

If I were the devil, I’d soon have families at war with themselves, churches at war with themselves and nations at war with themselves until each, in its turn, was consumed.

And with promises of higher ratings, I’d have mesmerizing media fanning the flames.

If I were the devil, I would encourage schools to refine young intellect but neglect to discipline emotions. I’d tell teachers to let those students run wil. And before you knew it, you’d have drug-sniffing dogs and metal detectors at every schoolhouse door.

With a decade, I’d have prisons overflowing and judges promoting pornography. Soon, I would evict God from the courthouse and the schoolhouse and them from the houses of Congress.

In his own churches, I would substitute psychology for religion and deify science. I’d lure priests and pastors into misusing boys and girls and church money.

If I were the devil, I’d take from those who have and give to those who wanted until I had killed the incentive of the ambitious.

What’ll you bet I couldn’t get whole states to promote gambling as the way to get rich?

I’d convince the young that marriage is old-fashioned, that swinging is more fun and that what you see on television is the way to be.

And thus, I could undress you in public and lure you into bed with diseases for which there are no cures.

In other words, if I were the devil, I’d just keep right on doing what he’s doing.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

Beyond beyond.
And quite the eye-opener.

[chuck]

I dont think Rush believed half the crap he said. He found a market and took it for a ride. Milked it for every last dollar he could.

You are probably correct. He had more in common with other "shock jocks" than serious journalists/analysts/commentators.

[HONDO74]

I dont think Rush believed half the crap he said. He found a market and took it for a ride. Milked it for every last dollar he could.

You are probably correct. He had more in common with other "shock jocks" than serious journalists/analysts/commentators.

Kind of like Howard Sterns....

[chuck]

Kind of like Howard Sterns....

Yes, exactly.

[HONDO74]

"always preferred to listen to Paul Harvey."

Comparing Paul Harvey to Rush Limbaugh is like comparing Margaret Thatcher to Oswald Mosley.

Give Hatred a Chance---Rush Limbaugh channeling John Lennon.

I was not comparing Paul Harvey to Rush Limbaugh. I said I listened to both back in the 90s on my way home from work. My comment was that Paul Harvey was a conservative. To some people he was a far-right conservative, a brother in arms to the John Birch Society, Billy Graham, William F. Buckley and other icons of the 1940s, '50s and '60s. Therefore liberals detested him for his conservative viewpoint.....