Irony In The Eye Of One Of Rush Limbaugh's Storms
We all know the storm Rush's comments have caused this week. Since I listened to an entire hour of his show on the Fluke incident, it was easy for me to digest his point: "It is so absurd to assert that otherwise free Americans should subsidize your optional sexual activities so that you face no consequences, I will counter that with other absurd notions, like demanding you posting a video of it so others can receive something in return." Rush didn't say he wanted this. He said it because he felt is was absurd, like what Fluke was demanding.
Each Friday I go into Legalzoom.com's headquarters in Glendale to provide free legal advice to anyone who wants it on Legalzoom's Facebook page. This is a private enterprise making FREE services available to people who cannot afford to start up an account at a law firm for whatever reason. Legal Zoom sponsors this voluntarily because they are a good Corporation that cares about the community. It's done efficiently, private sector style.
This was hard to do on Friday because evidently one of Rush's enemies on the Hill encouraged people to launch a boycott against Rush's sponsors. So there we were, courtesy of a private company, supplying people, any takers, with my FREE services, relieving the public burden with private resources, voluntarily supplied. But ironically, this became very difficult because so many people were posting complaints about Rush being opposed to the government forcing Catholic institutions to provide other free services which violate their religious conscience, we were having trouble providing my free services to people with real problems, in need of real help, some urgently.
This program sponsored by Legalzoom is called "Free Joe Friday." Anyone can go to Legalzoom's facebook wall for Friday and see the juxtaposition of me trying to help people, but suffering though a maze of people trying to put a stop to it. If a "buycott" seems in order to you, use Rush's promo code, which is his first name, and let them know there are two sides to this.
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Comments:
Apr '11
Re: Irony In The Eye Of One Of Rush Limbaugh's Storms
You act like you're being all good and stuff, but by offering free legal advice you promote the rule of law and thus, ultimately, the oppression of the masses by the military industrial complex. Obviously, come the revolution, violence can solve that problem, but until then True Patriots can best support the working man (and woman!) by being a jerk to you on facebook.
Right? I tried to find an explanation for how it was going to promote women's rights, but couldn't find one in my imagination or in the facebook comments.
Apr '11
Re: Irony In The Eye Of One Of Rush Limbaugh's Storms
Depressing.
Jun '10
Re: Irony In The Eye Of One Of Rush Limbaugh's Storms
In Pope Paul VI's 1968 encyclical, Humanae Vitae, he was trying to warn people that this "miraculous" new pill that prevented pregnancy was not the path to fewer abortions, but to more abortions. Because, when you change technology (as he was well aware of in other contexts, like war) you can reduce the tangible risks of doing evil, and therefore get more evil. Make it easy to bomb civilians, and you'll have more dead civilians. Take away the fear of pregnancy in premarital and extramarital sex, and first you get change in behavior, and then, the new behavior eventually changes basic attitudes about sex. The pill doesn't cause abortions directly, but the attitudes (about sex) that the pill brings with it lead to more abortions. It leads to more divorce too. He understood that 45 years ago.
Edited on March 4, 2012 at 12:02amJun '11
Re: Irony In The Eye Of One Of Rush Limbaugh's Storms
I wonder if the thugs out to silence opposition through boycotts and hateful messages have ever been Legalzoom clients. Somehow, I doubt it.
Re: Irony In The Eye Of One Of Rush Limbaugh's Storms
Oops.
billy
Depressing. · 36 minutes ago
Apr '11
Re: Irony In The Eye Of One Of Rush Limbaugh's Storms
Rush has issued an apology to Sandra Fluke.
Here.
Re: Irony In The Eye Of One Of Rush Limbaugh's Storms
I don't think legalzoom believed they were actual customers, or that they posed a financial threat to the company. In the end, I suspect there was a tipping point when they actually feared for the safety of their employees. The bomb scare at Rush's house was an unfortunate coincidence, as were death threats at KFI Radio associated with John & Ken, maybe even Andrew Breitbart dying mysteriously, who knows? Chaos isn't called chaos for nothing.
Jun '10
Re: Irony In The Eye Of One Of Rush Limbaugh's Storms
billy: Rush has issued an apology to Sandra Fluke.
Here. · 2 minutes ago
Sometimes the best way to demonstrate how absurd a statement like Ms. Fluke's is, is just play the absurd statement and impeach the witness with some simple contrary facts. She was living in an expensive city, going to a very expensive university, and this...this?...is the kind of subsidy she needs from me? And yet, I don't know if an apology was necessary. I don't think you could distress or embarrass Ms. Fluke with artillery barrages, let alone some name-calling. She seemed like an old grizzled activist to me.
Jun '11
Re: Irony In The Eye Of One Of Rush Limbaugh's Storms
Well, it's also like you said, it's difficult to actually conduct business when you're being harassed. And you know, progressives don't really care about Legalzoom clients - the ends justify the means, you have to break a few eggs, etc. etc. etc.
Re: Irony In The Eye Of One Of Rush Limbaugh's Storms
It's interesting to see the backlash on their Facebook page now for caving. But will conservatives make threats and carry this on during the work week? Of course not.
Sep '10
Re: Irony In The Eye Of One Of Rush Limbaugh's Storms
Anybody who testifies to Congress about such a thing deserves whatever lampooning they get.
I didn't hear what Rush said 'til now (and it was funny), but I could overhear bits of the report about it on the local news last night from another room, and I was amused to hear the word "hurtful," the word that always makes an appearance in manufactured controversies of this type.
An on that note, I am so tired of hearing reports about supposed controversies about what someone said. Some people just can't stand being confronted with truth.
May '10
Re: Irony In The Eye Of One Of Rush Limbaugh's Storms
Yes, indeed, just as Beth C. pointed out, we are dealing with utopians for whom the righteous end ALWAYS justifies the means, no matter how hideously gruesome, no matter how many must die, go without food, whatever. This is what comes of being so aflame with love for humanity: there's absolutely no room for any human beings in particular, only abstractions. Same thing was said of Lenin, I believe.
Mar '11
Re: Irony In The Eye Of One Of Rush Limbaugh's Storms
I'm grateful we still have some Stormbringers. We lost a huge one this week. Two of that caliber would have been devistating. For as much as we need "class" outlets like Ricochet, we still need those who aggressively take the fight to the other side as well.
Feb '11
Re: Irony In The Eye Of One Of Rush Limbaugh's Storms
The stooges feigning hysterics over contraception coverage are silent over recent cuts to military medical benefits. The prudes enforcing the new civility code of conduct fall conveniently deaf and/or join in when the subject of ridicule is a conservative. Proud feminists support her for being an "independent woman" yet see no contradiction in the fact that she is seeking dependence.
Fluke made her bed. Let her sleep in it.
Sep '11
Re: Irony In The Eye Of One Of Rush Limbaugh's Storms
Bomb threats? Death threats? Outrageous stuff, and it must be condemned. Having said that, I disagree with Rush's use of the S word, and am glad that he apologized for it. My parents have been pro-life activists forever; in the 40 years I have known them, I have never heard either my mother or my father ever use the S word. In fact, they never use derogatory language towards women in any way. They are from the WWII generation, and respect women to the point of being reverential, although they are perfectly willing to disagree with women, in a respectful way. Rush did the right thing by apologizing.
Apr '11
Re: Irony In The Eye Of One Of Rush Limbaugh's Storms
Chris Bohle: The stooges feigning hysterics over contraception coverage are silent over recent cuts to military medical benefits. The prudes enforcing the new civility code of conduct fall conveniently deaf and/or join in when the subject of ridicule is a conservative. Proud feminists support her for being an "independent woman" yet see no contradiction in the fact that she is seeking dependence.
Fluke made her bed. Let her sleep in it. · 1 hour ago
I'm a huge fan of Rush, but when I heard him say this I found it more than a little off-putting. I understand the point he was making, but the word itself was a jarring.
After reading this profile of her in The Daily Caller, I think he did right thing.
Sep '11
Re: Irony In The Eye Of One Of Rush Limbaugh's Storms
I read the article in the Daily Caller; she is an activist, but that doesn't justify the language Rush used towards her. No woman deserves that, no matter how wrong she may be.
Feb '12
Re: Irony In The Eye Of One Of Rush Limbaugh's Storms
Rush made many great points when talking about this "lady". I was astounded that anyone would have such a massive entitlement mentality that she would insist we subsidize her sexual activities. I have been a LegalZoom customer because of the recommendation of Rush, however, I will cease all business with LegalZoom if they have pulled the advertizing to the Rush Limbaugh show because of this absurd event!
Feb '11
Re: Irony In The Eye Of One Of Rush Limbaugh's Storms
billy
I'm a huge fan of Rush, but when I heard him say this I found it more than a little off-putting. I understand the point he was making, but the word itself was a jarring.
After reading this profile of her in The Daily Caller, I think he did right thing. · 0 minutes ago
Maybe it was "off-putting" but it pales in comparison to the multitude of offenses coming from those who are pushing the contraception mandate. They are using this offense as cover while they bulldoze basic freedoms. An ill-chosen word directed at someone who willing sought controversy should not distract us from the bigger picture.
And in Rush's defense, if he had it do it over again I'm sure he would have used a more appropriate word - like trollop or strumpet or fornicatress.
Apr '11
Re: Irony In The Eye Of One Of Rush Limbaugh's Storms
Chris Bohle
Maybe it was "off-putting" but it pales in comparison to the multitude of offenses coming from those who are pushing the contraception mandate. They are using this offense as cover while they bulldoze basic freedoms. An ill-chosen word directed at someone who willing sought controversy should not distract us from the bigger picture.
And in Rush's defense, if he had it do it over again I'm sure he would have used a more appropriate word - like trollop or strumpet or fornicatress. · 10 minutes ago
I agree. However, Rush can do, usually does, much better. When I heard him say it, it really struck me as just not being his style.
I also think he has manipulated this event into a conservative win.