cannabisnews.com: Crash of Conservative Icons 





Crash of Conservative Icons 
Posted by CN Staff on October 13, 2003 at 14:51:11 PT
By Bonnie Erbe, Scripps Howard News Service
Source: SHNS 
All of a sudden a spate of right-wing icons seem less, well, iconic. Three in a row - William Bennett, George W. Bush and Rush Limbaugh - have transformed themselves from political pillars to pitiable paleoliths.To be "fair and balanced" about this, the left wing has lost more than its share of discredited heroes in the past few years (Gray Davis the most recent, Jesse Jackson before him and Bill Clinton before him.) But their falls from grace lacked the certain pop, pop, pop, rapid-fire velocity with which the right is doing in so many of its own of late.
Just five months ago we learned the Bookie of Virtues (as he was widely described by the liberal media) had a hidden vice: gambling. Republicans' own four-star culture war general had lectured the nation on all manner of ills, and been remunerated generously for his profligate advice, at $50,000 per lecture in some cases. However, the former Education secretary remained comfortably quiet on one societal ill: gambling. Why? It was his own. Down came the Bennett statue and we have heard little from him since.While Bennett was awkwardly uttering mea culpas on national television, President Bush's job approval rating was hovering around 60 or above in nationwide polls. But late last month, pollsters registered a significant drop. The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, for example, released a poll of registered voters showing the president has a "statistically insignificant 45 percent-43 percent edge over an unnamed Democrat" among them. The Pew Center's research showed "as recently as July, the president held a ten-point advantage over a generic Democratic candidate (47 percent-37 percent)."Why? This conservative idol was found to have been prevaricating about Iraq and his ultra-liberal attitude towards government spending was sending the economy into a tizzy.Then there's Rush. Ah, Rush, that "great American" in President Bush's description. Not only does Limbaugh self-immolate on ESPN by making a completely gratuitous and somewhat racist remark. Shortly thereafter Rush reveals (only because he was about to be busted by a federal investigation) that he's hooked on prescription pain killing drugs procured illegally and in massive amounts. He's now in hiding in rehab.Like Bennett on gambling, Limbaugh's public attacks on liberals and liberal issues stayed suspiciously, yet wisely away from drug abusers. He reveled in taking apart "feminists," invented the term, "feminazi," derided environmentalists as "tree-huggers" and spent countless hours dehumanizing the Clintons. His drug abuse-bashing record is less capacious.In 1995, Newsday reports he did aver the following on his talk radio platform: "There's nothing good about drug use. We know it. It destroys individuals. It destroys families. Drug use destroys societies. Drug use, some might say, is destroying this country. And we have laws against selling drugs, pushing drugs, using drugs, importing drugs.... And so if people are violating the law by doing drugs, they ought to be accused and they ought to be convicted and they ought to be sent up."Question: Now that his former housekeeper has provided evidence to prosecutors of Limbaugh's capacious drug habit (she claims to have sold him 4,350 doses of OxyContin, Lorcet and hydrocodone in one 47-day period) can he rehabilitate himself not only off of drugs, but with his audience of 20 million listeners each week? Of the three, Bennett has the weakest chance of public rehabilitation and re-acceptance. He also has the smallest following. Limbaugh could rehabilitate most effectively by proving he's not a hypocrite and serving time in prison for his not-insignificant legal transgressions.What, jail you say, isn't that a bit harsh? These were, after all, prescription drugs (procured however, just as illegally as banned substances.) Yes, jail! Remember his own words, "The answer is to go out and find the ones who are getting away with it, convict them and send them up the river, too." Now it's your turn, Rush.Of the three, President Bush will have the easiest time restoring faith among his formerly faithful. All he need do is pray for the economy to turn around, which it seems to be doing with or without his intervention.But the right has lost some luster nonetheless.Bonnie Erbe, host of the PBS program "To the Contrary," writes this column for Scripps Howard News Service.Source: SHNS (DC)Author: Bonnie Erbe, Scripps Howard News ServicePublished: October 13, 2003Copyright: 2003 Script Howard News ServiceWebsite: http://www.shns.com/Contact: copelandp shns.comRelated Articles:Hypocrisy Revealed http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17544.shtmlLiberals Love Limbaugh's Painhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17543.shtmlRush To Jail? - Joel Millerhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17536.shtmlHypocrisy in Sin City http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16259.shtml
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Comment #9 posted by FoM on October 13, 2003 at 18:58:51 PT
phil_debowl 
And thank you too! I appreciate it!
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Comment #8 posted by phil_debowl on October 13, 2003 at 18:43:12 PT
cannabis isn't addictive
but cannabisnews is very addictive :).Thanks FOM
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Comment #7 posted by FoM on October 13, 2003 at 18:05:00 PT
Jose
You know what happens to a person who runs out of Cannabis? They go bummer!That's my joke and why isn't cannabis legal? Don't run out of Oxycontin if a person takes them. It's more then just a bummer for them.Cannabis isn't addicting and they must hear us soon.
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Comment #6 posted by Jose Melendez on October 13, 2003 at 17:59:54 PT
perscription, newkewler, nordic, what's the diff?
"We all then should be able to go get lots of Oxycontin from wherever we can and he will understand."Yeah, hundreds at a time, thousands and thousands!But not one cigar, er, I mean spliff. Not one roach, not one seed. Why is it not a conflict of interest for those who are HEAVILY lobbied by the pharmaceutical industry to be insisting we have to go to jail while those pharmies keep getting pumped out by the, gosh, is it trillions?"Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.""I hate it when you quote him.""Who, Freud?""Oh. I thought it was Clinton." - stupid joke by jose
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Comment #5 posted by FoM on October 13, 2003 at 17:39:49 PT
Oxycontin
It seems like Gary Bauer would have to agree with this. We all then should be able to go get lots of Oxycontin from wherever we can and he will understand. He will show us compassion.
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Comment #4 posted by phil_debowl on October 13, 2003 at 17:31:50 PT
Treating pain
So, the Right thinks it's ok to treat physical pain, weather it be through legal means or not, but to treat mental pain is evil and bad. Isn't that how alot of drug addicts start out? In alot of cases they're ultimatly trying to fix depression problems, and then accidently get hooked, just like rush. But because their pain wasn't physical, I guess it's irrelevent
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on October 13, 2003 at 15:49:03 PT
Comment on This Sentence
This sentence seem to imply that illegal drug use is for fun and prescription narcotics are for pain. That is so far from true. I bet there are people who use heroin that use it to help with some serious or chronic pain. He said:There is nothing inconsistent between wanting tough laws to penalize the recreational use of illegal drugs and believing that individuals wrestling with addiction to powerful medications taken to manage extreme pain deserve our compassion. 
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on October 13, 2003 at 15:44:54 PT
News Article from Crosswalk.com
Commentary: Gloating Over RushGary Bauer, President, American ValuesRush Limbaugh's announcement at the end of his Friday radio show that he was addicted to pain killers has resulted in barely hidden glee on the political left. Over the weekend, Limbaugh was accused by media critics of hypocrisy and worse. Keep in mind these are the same folks who usually criticize conservatives for being too judgmental! I doubt if they have suddenly rediscovered reliable standards of right and wrong. I suspect they see a chance to kick a conservative leader when he is down.But what are the facts? Rush had spinal surgery some time in the 90s for herniated disks and extreme pain. The surgery failed and the pain worsened. He was legally prescribed powerful pain medications to help him cope with his condition. Unfortunately, Rush became addicted to these medications, something that has happened to many Americans, including former First Lady Betty Ford.  
There is nothing inconsistent between wanting tough laws to penalize the recreational use of illegal drugs and believing that individuals wrestling with addiction to powerful medications taken to manage extreme pain deserve our compassion. On Friday Rush alluded to other reports suggesting he procured some drugs illegally. He pointedly said that these reports are in some portion distorted and inaccurate.No one should "convict" him before the facts are known. His friends and supporters will, I hope, stand with him, pray for him, and help bring his common sense voice back to the airwaves soon.For more information about Gary Bauer and the American Values organization, visit their website.  http://www.ouramericanvalues.org/http://www.crosswalk.com/news/1224998.html
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Comment #1 posted by 420toker on October 13, 2003 at 15:25:58 PT
WHY WHY WHY
I want to know why I'm seeing alot of conservatives taking up for Rush. To top it all off they can't possibly understand why he is being picked on by all those nasty liberals for his problem.Excuse me but when you make an art out of publicly roasting people without their input then of course they will take this opportunity. It reminds me of a Star Trek TNG epesode where Q is suddenly made mortal and all the little critters in space that he has taunted and tortured over time come looking for him. (please forgive the reference)Plus we love to point out hypocracy
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