Limbaugh's Bullshit "Apology"
Rush Limbaugh has "apologized":
"For over 20 years, I have illustrated the absurd with absurdity, three hours a day, five days a week. In this instance, I chose the wrong words in my analogy of the situation. I did not mean a personal attack on Ms. Fluke.
I think it is absolutely absurd that during these very serious political times, we are discussing personal sexual recreational activities before members of Congress. I personally do not agree that American citizens should pay for these social activities. What happened to personal responsibility and accountability? Where do we draw the line? If this is accepted as the norm, what will follow? Will we be debating if taxpayers should pay for new sneakers for all students that are interested in running to keep fit?In my monologue, I posited that it is not our business whatsoever to know what is going on in anyone's bedroom nor do I think it is a topic that should reach a Presidential level.
My choice of words was not the best, and in the attempt to be humorous, I created a national stir. I sincerely apologize to Ms. Fluke for the insulting word choices."
A few things:
1) Rush Limbaugh is sorry (not really) for his "choice of words" and "insulting word choices." But that's not the problem. It's only part of the problem. Had he not called Ms. Fluke a "slut" and only called her a "woman of questionable morals and standards," it would only have been slightly less offensive. Beyond the fact that it's no business of Rush's what women do with their sex lives, Ms. Fluke was not discussing her own personal sexual activities. She should never have been personally under discussion in the first place.
2) Rush Limbaugh has been an indirect supporter of Rick Santorum's bid for the presidency, in part because of his stances on social issues. Rick Santorum is constantly addressing sexual topics at a Presidential level, and it hasn't seemed to bother Rush that much. Rush is a liar and hypocrite.
3) The question is whether insurers will cover contraceptives, not whether taxpayers will subsidize them directly. Insurers are already required to provide Viagra, which has no purpose except to allow men to have sex. Rush has never indicated that he has a problem with this. Rush is a liar and hypocrite.
4) Having sex is a universal constant of the human condition, as natural and universal as eating and breathing. It is not a "social activity." The question is not whether people will or will not have sex. They will. The question is whether women will be allowed to control their own destinies and have any life options beyond motherhood and subservience to their husbands. Rush knows this.
Rush wants a world in which he gets to decide who is impregnated and when, where the taxpayer funds his erection but not his partner's freedom, and where the woman's freedom (if allowed at all) is only purchased at the cost of her impoverishment. That's what this is about. That's what this has always been about.
Rush has a great deal more to apologize for than his choice of words. Even his utterly inadequate pseudo-apology is chock full of lies, distortions, hypocrisy and false contrition.
.