Rusted Sky

I watched with a very uneasy feeling last week while Reid tried to censor a broadcaster he didn't agree with. I haven't listened to Rush in years, but I've known of his support for the US military for about as long as I've known of him. I respect the man, even though I don't agree with everything he says.

After the MoveOn.Org stupidly prominent "General Betray-Us" ad ran in the NYTimes, I figured there'd be some sort of backlash. After all, when you're caught red-handed at something completely idiotic, you're going to try hard to deflect blame for your actions. And there's no better way than to point out "He's doing it too! Waaah!". So, in a speech about fake soldiers and posers who are being lauded by the anti-war crowd, Rush made the comment they were 'phony soldiers'.

And how is that inaccurate? When you try to pass yourself off as something you aren't, you're being a phony. It's simply an honest evaluation.

"Media Matters" took that, and ran with it as their best chance. Reid took it on as a pet cause, spending who knows how many ridiculously expensive Congressional man-hours on an investigation and condemnation of Rush Limbaugh. (Obviously, this was the most pressing matter facing the country at this time.) Reid was so incensed at this that he attempted to get Rush banned from the Armed Forces Radio Network, where he is VERY popular. (Much more so than Reid, I'd venture to guess.)

He even went so far as to have a letter written and delivered to Clear Channel, asking them to make Rush apologize for his horrible statement calling the soldiers 'phony'. It was an outrage! Rush must be stopped!

I took a look at the transcript of his speech, and it was pretty damn clear he was referring to the posers like Jesse Mcbeth, NOT the soldiers who disagreed with US policy in Iraq.

But that doesn't really matter WHAT Rush said, does it? All that's important is the spin, and the left has been spinning this issue as hard as they could to try to deflect attention from their own stupidly inept support of the MoveOn Betray-us ad.

If you've got to dig real hard and take TWO WORDS completely out of context, and ignore completely everything ELSE Rush has done for the troops over the years (while I would be quite surprised to find MoveOn giving ANY money to ANY charity that might benefit soldiers) then you've changed from being a mere critic to a calculating liar.

Now, I'll take it as a given that all politicians are liars of some form or another. But in this case, where the lie is intentionally designed to silence someone who is critical of antiwar efforts should make you wonder - would you REALLY want someone in control of the US Senate or House (or the Presidency) who would attempt such a vile form of censorship through character assasination?

Is that the sort of government you want, where you DARE not disagree? (And spare me the hyperventilating scare stories about how free speech as been stifled in the US - I don't see it. What I DO see is a time and state in our culture where ridiculous statements aren't going unchallenged, which is NOT the same thing. Don't bitch about your speech being taken away when you're disagreed with.) What Reid tried to do with Rush was censor him, stifle his freedom of speech, with the full force and authority of his position - and he was completely and utterly wrong in the attempt to do so.

Of course, accountability isn't exactly a hallmark of the Democrats these days. They were hurt a lot by the MoveOn ad - and this sure didn't help.

But Rush, showman that he is, decided to counterattack. He put the letter up for auction, and so far it's generated $2.1 million in bids (at this time). The money raised will go to charity, and Rush intends to match the winning bid. He's also challenged the 41 signers of this shameful document to do likewise, so the Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation could get a nice little chunk of change (about $84 mil) if they come through.

But I think they won't. It's one thing to be generous with the taxpayer dollar. It's another thing completely to be generous with your own money in large quantities.

Rush gets that.

Reid? I don't think he does.

J.