The way you talk about Rush tells me without a doubt you've never listened to his show.

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Hold my beer and watch this...

Really? Glad ya know me so well. And you're wrong.

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My panties aren't twisted. Just commenting on what I perceive to be the differences.

If you listen to Stewart, you come away with the impression that our government is messed up from all sides, no matter what party you favor. You also come away with the impression that our media coverage is just as bad.

If you listen to Limbaugh, you come away with the impression that only Republicans know how to run the government, and all Democrats are out to take your civil rights away while turning our country into a socialist utopia. You also come away with the impression that any media outlet that's critical of Republicans in any way is nothing more than a 'mainstream liberal attack dog'.

I think there's significant differences there that just saying they're both entertainers.

You accuse him of "racism, bigotry and hate speech".

Please provide examples.

Racism will generally get you kicked off the airwaves a la Imus and hate speech will get you arrested or at least fined by the FCC.

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Hold my beer and watch this...

You two - shaddup. This is just gonna turn into another bicker-fest between the both of ya.

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mechaphil

Limbaugh accused Democrats of wanting to send the military into Darfur to secure votes from blacks.

http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/200708230008

Limbaugh compares NFL games to gang warfare without weapons.

http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/200910120009

Limbaugh acknowledged racist comments made while he was in Pittsburgh in a Newsday article back in 1990. His quotes:

"Have you ever noticed how all composite pictures of wanted criminals resemble Jesse Jackson?"
"Take that bone out of your nose and call me back." (A black caller on the phone that he could not understand.)

These are just some quick examples. He says this kind of stuff all the time.

Fine, I'll just accept the hard truths that Rush uses hate speech and our public schools teach creationism

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Hold my beer and watch this...

I'm not trying to be argumentative, but that stuff is out there. These are his words.

“Have you ever noticed how all composite pictures of wanted criminals resemble Jesse Jackson?”

“Look, let me put it to you this way: the NFL all too often looks like a game between the Bloods and the Crips without any weapons. There, I said it.”

“They’re 12 percent of the population. Who the hell cares?”

[To an African American female caller]: “Take that bone out of your nose and call me back.”

“Obama’s entire economic program is reparations/”

“When a gay person turns his back on you, it is anything but an insult; it’s an invitation”

Democrats will “bend over, grab the ankles, and say, ‘Have your way with me’” to African American and gay voters.

"I'm a huge supporter of women. What I'm not is a supporter of liberalism. Feminism is what I oppose. Feminism has led women astray. I love the women's movement — especially when walking behind it."

"This will play right into Obama's hands. He's humanitarian, compassionate. They'll use this to burnish their, shall we say, 'credibility' with the black community -- in the both light-skinned and dark-skinned black community in this country. It's made-to-order for them. That's why he couldn't wait to get out there, could not wait to get out there." --on Haiti earthquake relief, Jan. 13, 2010

"This is no different than what happens at the Skull and Bones initiation...I'm talking about people having a good time, these people, you ever heard of emotional release? You ever heard of the need to blow some steam off?" --on the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal

"They oughtta change Black History Month to Black Progress Month and start measuring it."

Do I really need to find more? I mean it's REALLY easy.

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That's hate speech?

Well go arrest his ass....or at the very least he should be fined by the FCC...I mean they have rules about that sort of thing. Right?
Right?

Howard Stern probably offends larger portions of the population than Rush does.

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Hold my beer and watch this...

Well you asked for examples and I gave them. Discount them if you will, you have that freedom. I'm not getting into what the FCC should do. You challenged me to prove he uses hate speech and I did.

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Veiled racism is not hate speech.
Hate speech is a definable thing, not a catchall term one can apply to anything nasty someone says.

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Hold my beer and watch this...

I think XC's right here; that's racism; not hate speech.

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OK, then we've got two of the three covered (Racism and bigotry, but not hate speech). That's a quorum, right? Good, we're all in agreeance - Rush Limbaugh is a pompous, hypocritical douchebag. Thread closed. Next firestarting topic please.

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mechaphil

Done



Dictionary.com definition: speech that attacks a person or group on the basis of race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation.

Hate speech is still hate speech. It's protected under the Constitution until in incites violence that is considered imminent.

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Regardless the guy is a piece of shit who tries to convince people he's a legit voice of the GOP. I for one would be even more offended by him if he claimed to represent MY views. I just would like it if all news agencies would come with a warning (like a news version of nutritional info) sticker so people know what they're getting.

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Can we please move on? Someone should lock this under the pretense that we all agree Rush Limbaugh says some hateful, xenophobic, racist bullshit.

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mechaphil

All right, your choice Phil, I've got Gay Marriage or Jesus Isn't Real.

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Both sound fun and we've been down Gay Marriage before, so let's go with Jesus Isn't Real.

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mechaphil

Well played kind Sir.

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