OT: Poll--Rush Limbaugh - A Drug Addict's Punishment

[coyote]

I couldn't agree more. I don't want to see ANY addicts in jail for it, and maybe Rush getting 'slain' by his own sword will make a difference among the law-and-order crowd. [quote]Originally posted by Dan South: [b]That said, the fact is that today, in the USA, drug abuse is a crime. Rush should not be held above the law just because he's rich and famous. Maybe if he does some hard time, he'll use his position and his influence and his BIG MOUTH to affect change in our country's antiquated drug laws, the laws that make dealers and street gangs rich and erode neighborhoods in every state.[/b][/quote]Now on to some issues raised in this thread..... [i]"Always vote your heart."[/i] This is incredibly dangerous. It leads to policy based on emotional outburst instead of rational thought, consideration, and deliberation. It is why the Constitution originally had bufers between the people and the process (ie. Senators were chosen by the legislative bodies of the States they were to represent). [i]My brother was ruined by simple marijuana, so to hell with anyone wanting legalization.[/i] NO ONE is ruined by simple marijuana. Pot is an inanimate substance. It cannot reach out and grab you and force itself into your bong. Millions of people smoke it without harm.... No, what ruins us is our own compulsions. If it weren't pot it'd be beer or OTC meds or gambling or compulsive handwashing or whatever. Sorry about your brother, but to use your own phrase "To hell with anyone" who blames the substance rather than recognize our own responsibility and complicity in our own ruination. [i]"Do addicts normally go to prison?"[/i} Here in New York, we have the marvelous Rockefeller drug laws which indeed have sent thousands of addicts to prison for considerable stretches. This whole "war on drugs" is a direct result of policy based on emotion instead of rational thought. Yet we keep voting our hearts, and thereby perpetuating dysfunctional policy....

[jeffbayson]

From this week's issue of The Onion... [quote][b]Limbaugh Says Drug Addiction A Remnant Of Clinton Administration[/b] WEST PALM BEACH, FL — Frankly discussing his addiction to painkillers, conservative talk-show host Rush Limbaugh told his radio audience Monday that his abuse of OxyContin was a "remnant of the anything-goes ideology of the Clinton Administration." "Friends, all I can say is 'I told you so,'" said Limbaugh, from an undisclosed drug-treatment facility. "Were it not for Bill Clinton's loose policies on drug offenders and his rampant immorality, I would not have found myself in this predicament." Limbaugh added that he's staying at a rehab center created by the tax-and-spend liberals.[/quote]

[MattC]

Why does't he take up an instrument and front an all-right-wing band? It could be the answer to vintage Rage- call it "Rage against the Liberal."

[Saint Johnny B]

That's unbelievable. A man who preaches that people should be resonsible for their actions tries to blame Clinton for his actions of going into the street and buying illegal drugs and then becoming addicted to them. So according to Rush, convict Clinton for Rush's criminal law violations. Perhaps, Rush could plead insanity, 'cuz that lame ass excuse certainly puts him out there on the lunatic fringe. In truth: Rush must take responsiblity for his actions, he sees the real source of his problems everyday when he looks in the mirror. Rush got himself into this legal mess, he has ONLY himself to blame for it. No one forced Rush to swallow, shoot-up, or buy drugs.

[Salyphus]

Johnny, you need to check out [url=http://www.theonion.com/]The Onion.[/url] You'll be glad you did!

[Saint Johnny B]

Thanks. Looks good. :)

[Super 8]

[quote]Originally posted by coyote: [b] [i]"Always vote your heart."[/i] This is incredibly dangerous. It leads to policy based on emotional outburst instead of rational thought, consideration, and deliberation. [/b][/quote]You misunderstood me -but that's alright... Maybe I wasn't clear. I mean't voting for what you believe to be the RIGHT THING. It was in reference to politicians saying you were' soft on crime' for not sending addicts to jail. Basically, screw what other people think. If you feel that voting a certain way is the right thing to do, then that is what you should do. Hopefully that makes sense.

[Super 8]

[quote]Originally posted by eljefe: [b]"Were it not for Bill Clinton's loose policies on drug offenders and his rampant immorality, I would not have found myself in this predicament."[/quote][/b] I would LOVE to see his rationalization for making this statement. Can you see him in a group therapy session discussing their issues??? He's sitting there between one guy who can't stop combing his hair, a woman who is always attracted to the 'wrong' men, and a big Indian who never speaks. And each one is blaming their addiction on something other than themselves. GAWD! Get a grip! :cool: [img]http://www.scottscenic.com/OFOCN_chaira.jpg[/img] [i]"The Liberals put me in here... The Liberals put me in here... This is all the fault of the tax-n-spend Clinton administration.... It's the Liberals.....Liberals.....Liberals....[b]gahdammit, where's that damn nurse with my damn methodone!!![/b]"[/i]

[Super 8]

I suppose I should be fair and acknowledge that those are words of a man who is in a treatment facility for drug addiction. It's natural to rationalize your addiction and attempt to blame others for it. It's a process he'll just have to go through. I cannot imagine WHY he would be continuing to speak on the air during this time. It's certainly not in his best interests. Oh well... If we apply the "12 steps" to this situation, I think we can clearly see that Rush isn't very far along. It takes time. I can imagine he's feeling pretty desparate right about now. It must feel like he's lost anything he ever had in life. Think about it. That's pretty rough!

[Salyphus]

ROTFLMAO

[Dylan]

[quote]Originally posted by GZsound: [b]The City of Portland lets them live for free in "Dignity Village" and provides them with free methodone.[/b][/quote]And ironically there have been more overdoses from methodone than herion in the last year in Oregon.

[Flemtone]

Now, I may be pointing out the obvious here (and smack my balding head if I am..), but The Onion is a HUMOR and PARODY I-mag. I'm nervous when I see folks apparently taking this seriously. :eek: Want some parody to REALLY take seriously? Go to: http://www.whitehouse.org and http://www.landoverbaptist.org If you haven't clicked on every link in "Surfin' the Net With Jesus", you haven't been livin'! Enjoy yourselves, and keep repeating.. "It's a parody...it's a parody..." -Tim from Jersey :thu:

[henrysb3]

It's my understanding that Rush coherced his maid to go to her doctor and complain of back trouble to get an OxyContin perscription, at least that's her story, though I must have missed that issue of the Inquirer. A local retired doctor who writes a column in one of our local papers said that Limbaugh's rehab along with his cochlear implants for the deafness (which is a side effect of Oxy), should run at least a half a million dollars. Dr. Roy listens to Rush a few hours a week and had a couple of nice quotes from previous programs about how Medicare was not necessary. He also noted that the back pain apparantly didn't alter Rush's golf game enough for him to quit or really complain. Anybody remember his remarkable weight loss? He never would discuss how that happened. Have you ever seen a fat junkie? I remember the show following the McNabb comments. He was still trying to dig up support for his assertion that race was the only reason this guy was a starting QB. On that same show, he addressed the just-released story of his drug use. He acted like he didn't really know what it was all about, saying they surely would have more information later. One of the other guys in my band and I have listened to Limbaugh off and on for years. I became aware of him a couple of years before he became famous. The two of us were tossing this back a forth to the tune of the Oscar Meyer Weiner song: "I wanna be an Oxymoron A Dittohead's not good enough for me I wanna be pompous and judgmental Maybe Rush will be in love with me." Megadittos, Rush, but don't make it too obvious when you pretend you dropped the soap - your other cover could be blown. After rehab, will he go back to encouraging people to ridicule the homeless (many of whom are there because of addiction)? Will he extoll the virtues of gluttony, "adult beverages" and cigars? Will he still go on and on about the The Rule of Law and personal responsibility? Will he still be Dubya's buddy? Or will he come back the Vanqushing Knight (or maybe Grand Dragon) who, more than ever before, Knows it All? ............................ "Where have you gone Joe Dimaggio, A nation turns its lonely eyes to you." ...Paul Simon

[Saint Johnny B]

That's right! :)

[Griffinator]

[quote]Originally posted by GZsound: Dan, I will not defend Rush. However, and this is a serious question, do addicts normally go to prison? I know here in Oregon there is no law I could find that says it is against the law to be an addict. It certainly is against the law to posses illegal drugs, but most of the criminal penalties are for those who sell illegal drugs. All politics aside, is it common to jail addicts that are only guilty of possession? And if they are jailed, for how long? I do believe a conviction for possession of dope or cocain here is something like 24 hours in jail if no other crime has been committed.[/QB][/quote]Actually, no it isn't. Mandatory minimum sentencing has put thousands upon thousands of people in jail for multiple years for simple possession, if that possession is of sufficient quantity (marijuana: usually about 1/2 ounce is sufficient to turn possession into possession with intent to distribute) Furthermore, what Rush is accused of is not simple possession. It's possession [b]plus[/b] conspiracy. Conspiracy to distribute carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 7 years in Federal Prison.

[Synthguy]

[quote]My Dad was addicted to simple BEER. His addiction indirectly cost him his life, when I was 23. Should we criminalize that?[/quote]You know, I would love to. And I would love for you people to look at what it is you're addicted to and what it's DOING TO YOU. You people occasionally inadvertently admit that these substances are dangerous and even deadly, and argue about them so flippantly. Now perhaps you think so little of yourselves that you would ruin your lives with them, but if you don't mind, I'd rather you kill yourselves with them, rather than unload an even greater plague on us than we already have. I'm looking for some common sense and consistency with the left, and I'm not seeing very much of it.

[Salyphus]

Sir Basil, how about looking in the mirror and thinking about the things that YOU are addicted to. Hint: addiction doesn't only apply to drugs, or even to physical things. I'm looking for a lack of condescension and hypocrisy here, and not seeing much of it.

[Griffinator]

[quote]Originally posted by Sir Basil: [b]I'm looking for some common sense and consistency with the left, and I'm not seeing very much of it.[/b][/quote]Agreed. Hence, my departure from the left and into the realm of logic (the Libertarian middle)

[Super 8]

[quote] Sir Basil -The Enlightened One- speaks: [b]I'd rather you kill yourselves with them, rather than unload an even greater plague on us than we already have. [/b][/quote]Interesting... There are more people living on on this planet now than perhaps there have been in the history of the world. We live longer, and we live better than we ever have in the history of the world. What is this 'plague' of which you speak? And by the way: People can be governed by laws -OR- by common sense, but not by both at the same time. One negates the need for the other. Do you still want to outlaw beer?

[coyote]

Ahhh yes, if YOU PEOPLE would blahblahblah.... Here's the rub. We tried Prohibition of alcohol, back in the 1920s . It DIDN'T WORK. It simply created an entire criminal class, along with a corrupt enforcement establishment. So while it was very well-intentioned, its results were worse than the problem it looked to solve. And so it was repealed by a nation which had had enough of those bad results. Does this sound familiar? If not, do some research on the "drug war" begun in the 1960s and still with us today. Only difference is that today, people are so stuck in their beliefs and passions that they refuse to look at results. How immature are we to believe that we can advertise potions and pills all evening on TV, but not expect people to seek relief from their psychic pain via those pills and/or various illegal substances? [quote]Originally posted by Sir Basil: [b] [quote]My Dad was addicted to simple BEER. His addiction indirectly cost him his life, when I was 23. Should we criminalize that?[/quote]You know, I would love to. And I would love for you people to look at what it is you're addicted to and what it's DOING TO YOU.[/b][/quote]

[Griffinator]

Simple reality for all you purported conservatives out there (who seem to still have a desire to outlaw everything, which is definitely NOT a conservative trait) Human stupidity is a form of natural selection. When we as a society (referring to the US) started outlawing everything we perceived as stupid and wrong, we disrupted that selection process, and derailed the evolution of our society. Now, instead, we have the idiot masses controlled by the wealthy few, and no hope of a next step, since the wealthy few are intent on maintaining their control at all costs.

[SFOracle]

Emil Guillermo from the SF Chronicle had this to say about Rush: [quote] Limbaugh on Limbaugh would be merciless. He'd have some drug song like "White Rabbit" or "One Toke over the Line" playing in the background, and then he'd gleefully pass judgment with a single phrase: "Moral weakling." And then he'd go to commercials. [/quote]

[GZsound]

[quote]Originally posted by Evil D Mon: [b] [quote]Originally posted by GZsound: [b]The City of Portland lets them live for free in "Dignity Village" and provides them with free methodone.[/b][/quote]And ironically there have been more overdoses from methodone than herion in the last year in Oregon.[/b][/quote]Your government at work..

[Saint Johnny B]

I have heard many pros and cons about legalizing all the drugs. Lower insurance rates because there would be less burglaries etc, higher tax revenues, and less heath problems because the legalized drugs would not be adulterated, and that in the 1800's you could buy herion/morphine called "laudnum" over-the-counter at your local general store. I've heard about the rising costs of imprisoning people for long periods of time, and that it would be cheaper to send these folks to college. Incidently, I don't think Rush ever really earned a degree, but with free time in jail, who knows, maybe he could get one. I've also heard all the arguments about how all forms of drugs have cost society and families incalculable damage. So far, the law favors this last position. Well we can't blame the government for Rush Limbaugh being a low-life drug addict, he did it to himself. But from the poll here, it looks like Rush will get special treatment and is somehow above the existing law, such as it is.

[Wow]

Someone tell me about Absynth. (the drink)

[Dylan]

[quote]Originally posted by Wow: [b]Someone tell me about Absynth. (the drink)[/b][/quote]All I know is that it's made from wormwood and is known for making some people go crazy. I think that Van Gogh was on it when he cut his ear off :eek: . I'll stick with beer and wine, thank you :D .

[Griffinator]

[quote]Originally posted by Johnny B: [b]But from the poll here, it looks like Rush will get special treatment and is somehow above the existing law, such as it is.[/b][/quote]You set the poll up, dude. You gave us two options on a multipart question. I'm sure the vast majority of people here will tell you that they think Rush should be put to the same legal scrutiny any other person implicated in drug-related conspiracy charges. The problem is, you blew the poll again. The way you worded it, either we thought Rush should go to jail or we thought that drugs should be legal. I favor the latter. Now, to make matters worse, you're misinterpreting your own data - making some kind of bizzare assumption that we all think that Rush should get the "O.J." legal treatment. Speaking at least for myself, and I suspect for more than a few of the pollees, I'm saying your assumption is obtuse and shortsighted. Word your poll better and you'll get more accurate data, genius.

[coyote]

That's the beauty of polls. Most are structured to get exactly the result the pollster desires. Right now, a pollster could elicit a 75% approval rating for Pres.Bush if he structured the questions properly - and the same pollster could elicit a 75% disapproval rating for Bush from the same sample group by changing the questions.

[Wow]

[quote] Word your poll better and you'll get more accurate data, genius. [/quote]OUCH!

[Super 8]

Why do you keep calling Rush a "low-life drug addict"? Why 'low-life'? Why not just call him a drug addict and have done with it?