Rush
Limbaugh does it again... and of course it comes as no
surprise.
This time he
targeted Sandra Fluke, the third year Georgetown Law student who was
denied an opportunity to speak to a key all male Republican committee
(headed by indicted car thief Darrel Issa ) about the need for women
to have access to contraception.
Rush raged that
since Fluke wants to require employer based health insurance policies to cover
birth control, she is a "slut" and worse. He
somehow equates getting health coverage for birth control with getting
paid to have sex, and then argues that Fluke wants taxpayers to
pay her to have sex, and she should post videos of herself having sex so
taxpayers will know what they are getting for their money. Hmmn, what
great "conservative" thinking that is.
The taxpayer
argument? Tut, tut, tut. You
wonder if he really believes this stuff himself. America's
Anchorman, as Rush advertises himself, is again trying to scare people about a
complete nonstarter. But frightening people with misinformation is
what he does, three hours a day, five days a week, to 20 million listeners
across the country. Whoring himself out
with lies in order to gain ratings.
This time, he is facing
some pushback. Groups across the country are urging a boycott of Limbaugh
The mattress giant Sleep Train has already pulled its ads in the wake of the
Fluke comments, and the group is pressuring Pro Flowers to stop advertising as
well. The National Organization for Women is also calling on Clear Channel to lose Limbaugh. These are good measures, but not good enough.
Rush targets women all the time (including yours
truly,) but broadcasters like Clear Channel who put him on hundreds of
stations nationwide and profit handsomely insist no matter how vile his
comments, he enjoys "freedom of speech."
True. But Clear
Channel is effectively denying the rest of us OUR freedom of speech
on our public airwaves, something which is expressly forbidden by the United
States Supreme Court. From RedLion Broadcasting v FCC, "The First Amendment does not protect private
censorship by broadcasters who are licensed by the Government to use a scarce
resource which is denied to others."
People like Sandra Fluke (and frankly anyone who has a
non-right wing agenda,) are routinely denied access to the microphones
on our
public airwaves. That is private
censorship, and it needs to stop. It is bad for the individuals being
unfairly attacked, it is bad for society, and it is bad for democracy.
It is past time for We the People to demand we ALL enjoy our
first amendment rights on the radio airwaves which we own (and which the
corporations only borrow.)
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