From RushLimbaugh.com - Jan 27: "Roy Black was on Hannity & Colmes Monday night, and it was just awesome. Since it is the day of the New Hampshire primary, I waited until later into the show to play you some of the sound bites from the Hannity & Colmes program, so that our version of this story has a chance to get out there in a widely disseminated way. I want to be honest. It makes me very uncomfortable to do this. It makes me very uncomfortable to have to do it, but it seems to be the only way right now of getting any mass distribution on our side of this, and since this is a media battle that's taking place rather than a legal battle between me and the state attorney's office down here, this is the way we're going to have to play it. So I beg your indulgence on it. For those of you that didn't see it, it's quite fascinating. It's paramount that no matter how badly this makes me feel, I have to take whatever steps I can to put it in proper perspective for you, the most important people to me in all of this, who want to know the truth, and who are the ones who have made this program what it is. So I hope you'll forgive the indulgence I'm asking ... " (click here to view the appearance and read the transcript)

Rush Limbaugh's attorney criticized prosecutors Monday for releasing letters detailing plea discussions despite a state attorney general's recommendation that the documents were not public records. Palm Beach County's top prosecutor said in a phone call to Florida Bar Association staff members Thursday that the attorney general's office told him the letters "are not normally to be revealed," according to bar association notes of the call released Monday by Limbaugh attorney Roy Black. Black also disputed prosecution claims that Limbaugh received more than 2,000 pills in about 180 days (11 pills per day). Black said the records in question show Limbaugh received about 1,800 pills over a period of 210 days, which averages out to 8 1/2 pills per day. He said his client was taking them for pain and other problems that couldn't be corrected by surgery. The attorney accused the Palm Beach County state attorney's office of improperly leaking what he called a "false story" about a supposed plea deal and called for an investigation of state attorney spokesman Mike Edmondson  (read Palm Beach Post) (read CNN)

Limbaugh on Letterman? Howard Dean seems to be getting good press from his appearance on Letterman's show on which he did a Top Ten bit about his "Yeeeeeeeearrrrrrhhhhh!"  yell in Iowa. Maybe this might work for Rush Limbaugh.  Could El Rushbo do a Top Ten countdown about his alleged illegal drug purchases in the Florida doctor shopping investigation that continues? Would Limbaugh even consider returning to David Letterman's show?  During an appearance on December 17, 1993, Letterman asked Limbaugh, "Do you ever just wake up in the middle of the night and just say to yourself 'I am full of hot gas?'" Limbaugh on Letterman?  Don't count on it happening anytime soon (read W.W. Wimbish)

Palm Beach County prosecutors rejected an overture last month from Rush Limbaugh's attorneys that would have allowed the conservative commentator to enter drug rehabilitation rather than face criminal charges for prescription drug abuse. Prosecutors say they think they have evidence that Limbaugh committed at least 10 felonies by illegally obtaining overlapping drug prescriptions, according to documents released to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel on Thursday. They offered to end the investigation if Limbaugh pleaded guilty to a single felony for "doctor shopping" and agreed to a three-year term of probation, a deal that Limbaugh's Miami attorney Roy Black called "preposterous" on Thursday ... Martz offered to end the investigation through a plea agreement. "We believe this case can be settled without a trial," he wrote in the Dec. 15 letter. Prosecutors said Limbaugh would have to admit to doctor shopping, a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison. Limbaugh would be placed on three years of probation, required to undergo a treatment program approved by a judge and subjected to random drug tests during that time. "Mr. Limbaugh would provide community service during his probationary period in a manner approved by the court," Martz wrote. "We would suggest that those efforts be utilized to raise public awareness of the dangers of prescription drug addiction." And since Limbaugh does not have a criminal record, the prosecutors' offer would have allowed the judge to withhold a formal finding of guilt, meaning Limbaugh would not be a convicted felon if he successfully completed all terms of his probation. It was unclear Thursday whether the prosecution offer is still on the table. Prosecutors declined to comment on the letters, which were released to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel in response to a request under the state's public-records laws. Prosecutors consulted with the Florida Attorney General's Office and the Florida Bar before determining the letters are not confidential and had to be released as public records (read Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel)  (read Palm Beach Daily)  (read Palm Beach Post) (read Keith Olbermann)  (read Joe Scarborough)  (read Dan  Abrams)

Three medical organizations joined civil libertarians Tuesday in backing Rush Limbaugh in his battle to keep his medical records secret. The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, the Florida Pain Initiative and the National Foundation for the Treatment of Pain say the rights of patients, as well as doctors, are at stake in the Limbaugh case. If granted permission by the 4th District Court of Appeal, the groups will file an amicus curiae or friend-of-the-court brief on behalf of the syndicated radio talk show host. Brian Kahan, a lawyer for the medical groups, didn't know exactly how many physicians are represented by the petition, but he said the largest of the three groups, the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, has 3,500 members and was established in 1943. (read Palm Beach Post - John Pacenti)  (read comments by Roy Black, Limbaugh's attorney)

A conservative public-interest law firm is seeking records from the Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office, in an attempt to determine if the office has planted negative stories in the media about an investigation into Rush Limbaugh. The Landmark Legal Foundation, of Herndon, Va., and Kansas City, Mo., filed a public records request Thursday with the Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office asking for any and all communications with employees and outside individuals or groups relating to Limbaugh. State Attorney Barry Krischer will decide whether and how to answer the Landmark Legal Foundation's request. Krischer spokesman Mike Edmondson said, "Investigative intelligence would not be public record, including staff or assets assigned to an investigation (read Palm Beach Daily News)

Rush wasn't built in a day. That's Michael Harrison's take on this week's announcement by Progress Radio that it had signed comedian/author Al Franken for a daily show intended to provide a liberal challenge to the medium's 600-station gorilla, Rush Limbaugh. The founder and editor of Talkers magazine, the industry's lead trade journal, says that if Progress Radio fails it will be because of the impossibly high expectations it has set for itself. "The physics of the market tells us it takes years to build up radio programs, much less a network," says Mr. Harrison. And it's not an accident that America's two top talk-show hosts -- Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity -- are longtime radio guys. "It's a maddening process if you don't have that in your blood." In most quarters the Franken news is being billed as one of the great matchups -- Ali vs. Frazier, Fischer vs. Spassky or even (dare we say it) Bush vs. Gore. And plainly Progress Media CEO Mark Walsh, a former AOL exec who served as a technical adviser to the Democratic National Committee, is banking that he can pull off in radio a liberal version of what FoxNews did in TV (read Wall Street Journal)

Donovan McNabb is over it. His father is not. Donovan McNabb can joke about it. His father cannot. Until now, he couldn't even talk about it. The humiliation of Rush Limbaugh's remarks from Sept. 28 are neatly tucked away in the back of the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback's mind. Ask McNabb about the incident and the reaction is a smile and a shrug. Or even a joke about all the attention he has gotten. "I should hire him as my marketing rep," McNabb cracked. But Sam McNabb still is furious. Sam McNabb still seethes over Limbaugh's suggestions during his short-lived career on ESPN's Game Day that Donovan is overrated and the product of the liberal media's desire to see a black quarterback succeed. The comments took Sam McNabb back 20 years, to the time he moved his family into an all-white neighborhood in Mount Carmel, Ill. He thought of the terror and the anger. He thought back to the smell (read Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Landmark Legal Foundation today filed a freedom of information request with the Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office (SAO) seeking any and all information of communications to or from the SAO or any of its employees and outside individuals or groups relating to Rush Limbaugh. Mark R. Levin, president of Landmark, stated: "We want to know why Palm Beach County State Attorney Barry Krischer waited 10 months before investigating allegations against Rush Limbaugh – only after stories appeared in the National Enquirer (read NewsMax)

You are about to SCARBOROUGH COUNTRY.  No passport required, no double standards allowed. Rush Limbaugh is accused of doctor shopping, but he says it‘s a witch-hunt.  Petty politics or the rule of law?  Tonight, Roy Black is here with the “Real Deal” on Rush‘s side of the story. SCARBOROUGH:  By the way, I think it‘s a big media conspiracy.  You know, when the story of Rush‘s addiction first broke, you said that the maid who went to “The National Enquirer” actually tried to blackmail Rush Limbaugh.  What evidence do you have of that?  BLACK:  Well, Joe, I‘m glad you asked me that, because I was watching your show last month when their lawyer appeared on.  And I think he said with a straight face that Rush had given them loans or gifts of several hundred thousand dollars after the maid left his employ.  And, of course, he said that with a straight face, which is, of course, simply not true (read MSNBC Transcripts)

According to the Associated Press, Howard Simon, executive director of the Florida Chapter of the ACLU, noted that it might seem odd that the group has come to Rush Limbaugh’s defense. “But we have always said that the ACLU’s real client is the Bill of Rights, and we will continue to safeguard the values of equality, fairness and privacy for everyone, regardless of race, economic status or political point of view,” Simon said. That’s the ACLU I know and love. Those amendments are to be honored and obeyed. Unfortunately, interpretations by the right, especially the religious right, and the far left would weaken or even destroy them. Were that to happen, our country would be doomed. No matter what our political persuasion, we’d all be well advised to consider the Bill of Rights our client the way the ACLU does. Maybe Limbaugh will figure that out, but I doubt it (read Dave Payton - Charleston Daily Mail)

Rush Limbaugh's attorney, Roy Black, made an appearance on Joe Scarborough's MSNBC show Wednesday night.  There was a promise on the pre-show promo to reveal things you'd never heard before. In addition, Limbaugh is going to be spotlighted on  'Headliners and Legends' this Sunday, 10 p.m. ET, MSNBC. Are these the beginnings of calculated media appearances that may include the work of the PR-Crisis management team of Sitrick and Company which handles high profile Hollywood, political and media personalities? (MSNBC Web site)

An appeals court Tuesday ordered prosecutors to turn Rush Limbaugh's medical records over to the courts and keep them sealed, pending further review of the case. The Palm Beach State Attorney's Office, which seized the records in November, must surrender them to the circuit court in West Palm Beach, said the 4th District Court of Appeal. The appeals court also ruled that the American Civil Liberties Union can join the conservative radio commentator in fighting to keep the records private. The ACLU, an unlikely ally, joined the case Monday, supporting the claim that Limbaugh's constitutional right to privacy has been violated (read AP)

Check this out: The Beverly Hills Police Department has served a subpoena on the banking records of a Hollywood star. A recent report in the National Enquirer that the celebrity had a pill addiction – proof of this came from a paid tip to the tabloid from the star’s maid - has caught the notice here in Tinseltown among the cops and the Los Angeles district attorney’s office. Authorities, unable to prosecute the star on the basis of an addiction alone, are examining whether the celebrity engaged in money laundering or doctor shopped their prescriptions, a felony in California. Pretty heady stuff. But it never happened, and probably never will. Such star treatment doesn’t seem to apply to Rush Limbaugh, who developed an addiction to painkillers after a surgical procedure in the late 1990s. The charge of doctor-shopping is practically unheard of on the Left Coast, where celebrity visits to Dr. Feelgoods followed by ritualistic visits to rehab centers rank up there with the number of stiletto heels in Paris Hilton’s closet. The list of the addicted and famous is huge (read James Hirsen - NewsMax)

Attorney Roy Black issued the following statement today on the Court's action to keep Mr. Limbaugh's medical records sealed during the appeals process. "We are pleased that the 4th District Court of Appeal has granted our motion for a stay and has ordered the State Attorney's Office to surrender Mr. Limbaugh's sealed medical records to the Circuit Court. The state's seizure of Mr. Limbaugh's private medical records without following the due process defined in Florida law is a threat to everyone's fundamental privacy right." (read)

In a motion filed today, the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida said state law enforcement officers violated Rush Limbaugh's privacy rights by seizing the conservative radio talk show host's medical records as part of a criminal investigation involving alleged "doctor-shopping." "For many people, it may seem odd that the ACLU has come to the defense of Rush Limbaugh," noted the ACLU of Florida's Simon.  "But we have always said that the ACLU's real client is the Bill of Rights and we will continue to safeguard the values of equality, fairness and privacy for everyone, regardless of race, economic status or political point of view." "We have defended the rights of every group on the political spectrum from anti-war protesters and Oliver North to church-state separation activists and Jerry Falwell," Simon added. The case is Rush Limbaugh v. State of Florida, Case No. 4D03-4973. In addition to May, Randall Marshall, ACLU of Florida's Legal Director, is counsel of record. The ACLU's request to submit a "friend-of-the-court" brief on behalf of Limbaugh was filed today with the Fourth District Court of Appeal. The ACLU said in its motion that the state infringed on Florida's constitutional right to privacy when it failed to follow well-established protocol, mandated by law, when confiscating Limbaugh's medical files. The organization stated that its interest in the case was "to vindicate every Floridian's fundamental right to privacy by ensuring that the state be required to comply" with the law Click here to read the ACLU's motion to file an amicus brief  (read Palm Beach Post - AP)

Limbaugh's legal travails continue. Of course, Limbaugh's attorney Roy Black would like to extricate him from all criminal liability, if possible. Here's the crux of the matter - Limbaugh is probably the best known conservative in America today, and he's a ready target for Liberal elites such as Democratic politicos and Left-leaning media types who would like nothing better than to harpoon him. And, from the get-go, that's precisely why I thought that Limbaugh was at tremendous risk for prosecution, despite initial law enforcement statements that Limbaugh was "only a buyer" and of no interest to them. It's not surprising that Palm Beach State Attorney Barry Krischer, a highly partisan Democrat, is pursuing Limbaugh with a vengeance (read GOPUSA - Carol Devine-Molin)

Rush Limbaugh's dependence on painkillers, his recent drug treatment, and related legal problems have headlined the three major network news broadcasts repeatedly over a period of many weeks now. The reports are consistently cast in the most lurid, exaggerated, inflammatory and prejudicial terms. The persistent drumbeat began with Limbaugh's ESPN comments alleging media favoritism toward black quarterback Donovan McNabb and exploded in the days following the National Enquirer's disclosure of Limbaugh's addiction to painkillers. Network anchors Dan Rather, Tom Brokaw, and Peter Jennings all slyly insinuated that Limbaugh was himself participating in drug selling operations, with references to his involvement in a "powerful drug ring" (Rather-CBS) "drug-selling" (Brokaw-NBC), and "sale of black market prescription drugs" (Jennings-ABC) (read Sherry and Steven Eros - Human Events)

I have never written a column containing the words, "Rush Limbaugh," but, based on my view of the world and the nation, regular readers might assume that I am not one of his biggest fans. Let me confirm that the assumption is absolutely correct. I am not a Limbaugh fan of any kind, great or small. I think he has done a lot of harm to the Republic, not offset by any good. But, he, like you, is entitled to all the rights guaranteed by the Constitution and by laws passed under its authority, and, if I understand what is happening, his rights are, at least, at risk. Bleeding-heart conservatives come to the defense of Limbaugh to argue that he did not harm anybody but himself, that relevant drug-abuse laws are excessively harsh, that what will really help Limbaugh become a law-abiding citizen is not prison but continuing treatment, and that he is a the victim of a double standard of law enforcement.  Most or all of that argument applies to several hundred thousand Americans now in prison for violation of state or federal drug laws. And they are the real victims of a double standard which sends generally poor and/or minority defendants to prison for relatively minor offenses for which people of affluence sufficient to pay good attorneys could and do get off with fines or wrist- slap sentences, or just a lecture from the judge (read Waldo Profitt - Herald Tribune)

Roy Black, who represents the bombastic host (Rush Limbaugh) never has missed a chance to accuse Palm Beach County State Attorney Barry Krischer -- a Democrat -- of investigating Mr. Limbaugh strictly for political reasons. Yet when a Post reporter tried to ask about all the references to the case by Republicans, Mr. Black was unavailable. No surprise. For the past three months, Mr. Black and his client have tried to shift attention away from the issue -- prescription-drug abuse. Mr. Limbaugh is being singled out. Mr. Limbaugh's privacy is being invaded. When The Post reported last week that doctor-shopping is a charge that is rarely filed in Florida, Mr. Black -- available that time for comment -- claimed that the statistics supported his charge of unfair treatment. In fact, the statistics do nothing of the sort. For one thing, the whole issue of prescription painkiller abuse is relatively new. OxyContin abuse began getting the government's notice in Florida just three years ago. The next year, the Republican-controlled Legislature -- singling out Mr. Limbaugh? -- made doctor-shopping a felony. Also, it's obviously easier for prosecutors to pick up on cases where a person has died because a doctor overprescribed such pills  ... The number of doctors who engage in such abuse is low, but the effects can be deadly and devastating. Doctor-shopping is part of the problem. The Republican Legislature says so (read Palm Beach Post Editorial)

Reporting in the land of make-believe . . . Limbaugh's defense in the money laundering investigations is that his housekeeper "bled him dry" blackmailing him. Here is his attorney Roy Black's explanation for his use of prescription painkillers: Black described Limbaugh as a victim who suffered from a degenerative disc disease with "pain so great at one point doctors thought he had bone cancer." He said Limbaugh chose to take the addictive painkillers, rather than have surgery to try to correct the problem, because doctors would have to reach his spine through his throat, which could threaten his career as a commentator... "It's not money laundering to pay blackmail and extortion," Black said. (read story) As that story was broadcast into millions of homes, there are bound to have been 11-year-olds wondering why Limbaugh was willing to pay blackmailers "substantial amounts of money" not to tell about his use of legally-prescribed painkillers for his painful, degenerative disc disease. Journalists don't seem to share that curiosity. Once again, information that makes no sense is reported as if it did (read)

Once an icon for rising Republicans who now dominate state government, radio commentator Rush Limbaugh has become a Capitol poster boy in the fight against prescription drug abuse. On Wednesday, Attorney General Charlie Crist and Florida drug czar Jim McDonough mentioned Limbaugh's addiction to pain pills -- and charges that he illegally obtained them -- while urging the Senate Criminal Justice Committee to fight an epidemic that they insist is claiming five lives a day. "The pharmacist in that (Limbaugh) case is a pharmacist who is no longer licensed," McDonough, the director of Gov. Jeb Bush's Office of Drug Control Policy, told committee members. Regardless, the pharmacist sold Limbaugh and others thousands of pills "essentially out of the trunk of his car," McDonough said. Limbaugh's attorney, Roy Black of Miami, was in meetings Wednesday and unavailable to respond to requests for comment, said an assistant who answered the phone at his office (read Palm Beach Post)

Rush Limbaugh's attorneys took the fight over his medical records to an appeals court on Wednesday in an effort to keep the records sealed while they seek to reverse a judge's order opening them up to prosecutors investigating the conservative radio commentator's prescription drug use. The filing is a preview of the larger legal battle expected to play out in the appeals court in the coming weeks. The motion asks the Fourth District Court of Appeal in West Palm Beach to keep the records sealed from prosecutors until the court has considered whether the judge should have granted prosecutors access to them late last month (read Sun-Sentinel)

At this point, prosecutors have seized Rush Limbaugh's medical records from four doctors to try to determine whether he illegally went from doctor to doctor to get enough drugs to satisfy his habit. On his radio show and in court, Limbaugh has complained bitterly that the seizure violates his right to privacy, in particular regarding medical matters. But Limbaugh seeks a protection that he would deny to others. On April 4, for example, Limbaugh noted that American doctors had performed spinal surgery on Pfc. Jessica Lynch, who had just been rescued. According to a transcript of his broadcast ( www.rushtranscript.blogspot.com ), Limbaugh offered conjectures as to why the surgery was necessary: "One of the things that we do know about, from anecdotal evidence from previous captures of female POWs, is that the Iraqis hang them naked by their feet," Limbaugh said. "Now, you take it from there -- but she did suffer from some lumbar spinal injuries that required surgery."He also noted that Lynch had suffered two broken ankles. "Yeah, two broken ankles, which might have come from the being hung naked upside down by the ankles." To Limbaugh's frustration, the military had refused to release further medical information, citing respect for Lynch's privacy. He wanted to know if Lynch had been raped, he said, not out of voyeurism but because it might shut up those feminists who are always griping about letting women serve alongside men in the military. Some have wondered recently whether Limbaugh's troubles might make him more understanding of his fellow human beings, might help him look beyond himself and his own narrow perspective to the larger, more complex world where the rest of us live. It seems unlikely, though. In the words of a Japanese proverb, a frog stuck in a well cannot know the ocean. And in his smugness, Limbaugh has dug himself a well too deep to ever allow escape. It does make his words ring hollow, though  (read Jay Bookman - AJ Constitution)

The folks at Web site www.amiannoying.com have polled readers to come up with the most, and least, annoying personalities of 2003. Topping the most annoying list for 2003 are the rabid, cave-dwelling members of al-Qaida, followed closely by Michael (painfully dislocated shoulder) Jackson and Rush (keep government out of my medical records) Limbaugh. Other irritating entities: former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, Dallas Cowboys coach Bill Parcells, Martha Stewart, French President Jacques Chirac, TV hostess Jillian Barberie, Courtney Love, Jennifer Lopez, the Rev. Al Sharpton and the North American Man Boy Love Association (read Arizona Central)

Nationally syndicated radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh has seen the light, or maybe felt the heat. In either case, he suddenly realizes the consequences of living in a society where government agencies have unfettered access to personal information and where individuals have little or no constitutional protections. Welcome back, Rush ... (read Chuck Baldwin - Too Good Reports)  (Chuck Baldwin Web site)

A judge gave Rush Limbaugh nearly three weeks more Monday to seek a temporary ban on prosecutors viewing his medical records -- a baby step in what could be a long appeals court battle over the talk-show king's conversations with doctors. Limbaugh's attorneys say the state is on a politically motivated "fishing expedition" against the ultra-conservative commentator. They've vowed to fight the release of the records all through the appellate system  (read Palm Beach Post)

... a recent peek into the Limbaugh defense has all but made me question whether Rush’s head is in this case. On his radio show, Rush has taken to claiming the prosecution is involved in a political witchhunt. Regardless of whether it was Rush or Black who came up with this strategy, it’s both a legal and a public relations failure. And it’s going to be one that Flush Rush folks are going to jump on like kids on a trampoline. First, the legal problem with the apparent defense is that it targets the very people who have the power to send Rush up the river. This is the equivalent of poking a lion with a sharp stick while you’re locked in the lion’s cage at the zoo. It has the potential to blow up in Rush’s face on two fronts. First, it’s going to taint the jury pool, but not in his favor. The more Rush talks about it on his show, the more people are going to hear about the case, which will drag out the case longer than it needs to be. Second, by talking about the alleged bias of the prosecution before the trial, it sets Rush up for a slander charge if a judge doesn’t find any wrongdoing. I have two words for you, Rush: Al Sharpton (read Thomas Lindaman - American Daily)

Predictions for 2004 by Frank Cerabino -- May 22 -- Rush Limbaugh goes into treatment center, announcing addiction to spray starch. June 7 -- Michael Jackson goes into seclusion at Mar-a-Lago. Donald Trump denies reports that Jackson has converted him to Nation of Islam (read Palm Beach Post)

A judge granted Rush Limbaugh weeks more this morning to appeal to a higher court for a ban on prosecutors viewing his medical records.  Prosecutors revealed at the hearing, though, that their investigator had already looked at the records. Assistant State Attorney James Martz told Circuit Judge Jeffrey Winikoff that the information would remain confidential until the legal battle over the records is completed. Limbaugh is under investigation for alleged "doctor-shopping" -- a third-degree felony. He has not been arrested or charged with any crime. Mark Shapiro has until Jan. 23 to seek the ban from the Fourth District Court of Appeal (read Palm Beach Post)

Rush Limbaugh received moral support from unlikely allies this weekend. Fox News Geraldo Rivera used his "At Large” program this weekend to highlight the Palm Beach Post’s report that suggests Rush is being unfairly targeted by local prosecutors for doctor shopping. Geraldo said, "A review of the record by the Palm Beach Post newspaper says what I said on this program three weeks ago. Essentially, that if you are going to investigate every senior citizen in Florida that went doctor shopping the jails down there would be overflowing.” Doctor shopping is a felony in Florida and involves a person seeking the same medications from multiple doctors at the same time (read NewsMax)

Radio commentator Rush Limbaugh says prosecutors are unfairly targeting him with a prescription fraud charge known as "doctor shopping" because he is a famous political conservative. In fact, a records search by the Clerk of Courts Office revealed only one case in the past five years in which Palm Beach County prosecutors charged a defendant with illegally acquiring overlapping prescriptions. That case never went to trial because the defendant, Michael Schlosman of West Palm Beach, died. Schlosman was the ex-husband of Jamie Massey, who died of an overdose after being prescribed more than 20,000 prescription pills in a three-month period from West Palm Beach psychiatrist Dr. George Kubski. Kubski was sentenced to a year in jail for manslaughter by culpable negligence. Schlosman was charged after he failed to give any helpful information for the prosecution of Kubski, Tierney said. One of the doctors who prescribed the powerful and addictive painkiller OxyContin to Schlosman was Dr. Lawrence Deziel, according to court records. Deziel also prescribed Limbaugh hundreds of painkillers, including OxyContin and Norco, a combination of acetaminophen (Tylenol) and hydrocodone, according to a Nov. 25 search warrant. Deziel has not been charged with any crime. He could not be reached for comment  (read Palm Beach Post - John Pacenti)

Stop! Don't touch that dial. There's nothing wrong with your radio. That piercing, high-pitched sound you hear is not a mechanical malfunction. It's just Rush Limbaugh, whining into the microphone. Silly me. And I thought conservatives were real men. You know: stand-up-and-take-your-medicine-like-a-man kind of men. Limbaugh is just the opposite. He's a crybaby conservative. He wants to take his medicine - mountains of those little blue pain pills - and suffer no consequences. At first, I admired the way Limbaugh handled his drug problem. True, he didn't come forward until he was outed by his maid. But once the story hit the media, he fessed up. He admitted he was a drug addict. He didn't deny that he fed his habit by obtaining an excessive supply of drugs illegally. And he checked himself into rehab. Good for him. The problem is, ever since he left the detox center and returned to the airwaves, Rush has never stopped complaining (read Bill Press)

Rush Limbaugh's attorneys will be back in Palm Beach County Circuit Court on Monday to ask a judge for clarification on his order last week sealing the conservative commentator's medical records. In a ruling made public Dec. 23, Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Jeffrey Winikoff found that prosecutors could review Limbaugh's medical records they seized several weeks earlier as part of their investigation into his prescription drug use. Limbaugh's attorneys then asked Winikoff to order the records resealed so they could have time to appeal, which the judge did the following day. Winikoff ordered Limbaugh's records sealed for 15 days. Limbaugh's attorneys have filed the notice of appeal, and now they want to ask Winikoff if he will extend the time limit so the appeal can be heard or whether the judge wants them to take the issue to the appeals court (read Sun Sentinel)

Transcript from "MSNBC Hardball" with Mike Barnicle, Lanny Davis and former Congressman Bob Barr ----

This whole case has a very Alice in Wonderland quality about it. 

BARNICLE:  Lanny, you know, it‘s been in the public prints from coast 20 to coast and on radio and on TV, the fact that, you know, Rush Limbaugh has a problem.  He has an addiction problem.  He‘s an addictive personality.  And we sought treatment and is still seeking treatment. 

And we know that he probably took enough OxyContin to get a 747 up off the ground. 

So why are we in court over things the evidence we know, it‘s on the record.  Why is this in court?

DAVIS:  Look, I have some sympathy on a human level for Rush Limbaugh. 

And I think he‘s taking steps to help himself. 

I just think that when somebody is as sanctimonious as Rush Limbaugh is in attacking, and doing it personally, Democratic leaders, he‘s going to be asking for that lower standard that he applies when it comes to evidence to be applied to him. 

I happen to be sympathetic with his complaints about invasion of privacy.  But the sanctimony invites this kind of unfair treatment, I think. 

BARNICLE:  On his radio show, Rush today accuses Democrats of trying to take him down.  Let‘s have a listen to this.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

LIMBAUGH:  My friends, it is and has been obvious to me for the longest time, that all of these leaks were an attempt to try me in the court of public opinion. 

The Democrats in this country still cannot defeat me in the arena of political ideas.  And so now they‘re trying to do so in the court of public opinion and the legal system.  I guess it‘s payback time. 

(END AUDIO CLIP)

BARNICLE:  Bob Barr, we heard an awful lot of leaks and an awful lot of false information and innuendo coming out of the Clinton hearings, the impeachment hearings.  It sort of sounds like Rush is saying the same sort of thing now about his situation that involved President Clinton, no?

BARR:  Well, he is.  But to be honest with you, that really does not concern me that much. 

Rush is a big boy.  He‘s made an awful lot of money doing what he‘s doing.  I don‘t begrudge him that.  He‘s a very, very good journalist.  Let him, you know, play out in the arena and get some mud and get some hits as he dishes them out. 

What bothers me is what the prosecutor is doing in this case, completely losing focus of the real case here, which was blackmail by Rush‘s former housekeeper and her husband, and going after Rush with what appears to be a concocted prosecution. 

BARNICLE:  Lanny, why is it always Florida where these things happen within the judiciary?  What is going on down there?  Why is it always Florida?

DAVIS:  He also made reference to the Bush/Gore contest in his statement today, which I thought was ludicrous. 

Look, Rush Limbaugh is utterly hypocritical.  Yet he complains about prosecutorial leaks, innuendo and smears when we spent all of the years in the White House watching that happen to the Clintons on Whitewater.  And with all due respect to my friend Bob Barr, I believe Ken Starr‘s prosecutors did the same thing regarding some of the Monica Lewinsky matters. 

Rush Limbaugh ought to say that on the radio.  He‘d gain at least respect when he‘s suddenly now acting wounded. 

This isn‘t about the Democrats.  This is about prosecutors leaking to the press.  That‘s wrong.  And I agree with Limbaugh on that.  But it‘s not about the Democrats. 

(End of MSNBC transcript excerpt -- For the full transcript, click here)

York County Coroner Barry Bloss has noticed a trend in the last year — fewer people died from oxycodone, the main ingredient found in the 12-hour time-release painkiller OxyContin. As of Tuesday, Bloss’ office had seen just three oxycodone- or OxyContin-related deaths in 2003. That’s down from the six deaths reported in 2002 and the five deaths reported in 2001. The attention was partially fueled by radio personality Rush Limbaugh’s admission that he was addicted to the powerful painkiller. All the attention may have caused doctors to review who receives the drug and why (read York Daily Record)

David Limbaugh's book, Persecution: How Liberals are Waging War Against Christianity, documents more than 800 examples of discrimination against Christians in America. The book struck a chord: It spent five weeks on the New York Times best-seller list during the fall, and catapulted Limbaugh, a lawyer who says he didn't become a Christian until he was in his 30s, into the talk-show spotlight. Beliefnet senior producer Deborah Caldwell interviewed Limbaugh recently about the issues in the book, and also queried him about the legal struggle facing his better-known brother, Rush. David Limbaugh declined comment on his brother but talked at length about discrimination against Christians (read BeliefNet)

The biggest news of 2003 in radio happened on television. Two of the most successful nationally syndicated talk radio hosts -- Rush Limbaugh and Michael Savage -- got booted off TV for incendiary and offensive comments -- the same kind that they make every day on radio. Limbaugh lost his job as a football commentator after alleging that player Donovan McNabb was overrated because the media want to see an African-American quarterback succeed. Savage was kicked off his highly self-touted MSNBC show after accusing a caller of being gay and saying he hoped the caller died of AIDS. Did the bright lights of the TV cameras suddenly expose these two as divisive, mean-spirited hatemongers? Not likely. Both hosts are still huge on radio, boasting 20 million and 10 million listeners respectively. This was the year that conservative talk radio lived up to the slogan of ``Hot Talk'' KSFO-AM (560): ``They used to call you right-wing wackos. But now you are changing the world.'' (read Brad Kava - Mercury News)

The bigger they are, the harder they fall" is an accurate adage, especially as it applies to Rush Limbaugh. Limbaugh, of course, once claimed to be the brightest and the most well-informed where the American body politic is concerned, a conservative political pundit whose views on right, wrong and morality once served as a watermark for the values that helped make this nation great. Now, he has been reduced to asserting before a court of law that he is a victim of blackmail. I find it downright insulting that his attorney, Roy Black, has claimed before the 15th Circuit Court in Palm Beach County that Limbaugh was blackmailed. And not even by covert operatives of the Democrat Party, but by his former housekeeper, Wilma Cline, and her husband, David (read Ken Hamblin)

My friend Eric Stearn is an alcoholic with a bipolar condition. That's not his fault and he tried over the years to deal with both conditions. But, a little more than a year ago, Eric got drunk, drove his car through a stop sign and hit another vehicle. A 6-year-old boy in that car died. Eric was arrested and is now serving a 13-year jail sentence. Eric was devastated by the accident and would, obviously, have preferred a lighter sentence, but he accepted the legal responsibility for his actions with some degree of grace. I, too, have driven cars after drinking. The fact I didn't smash into someone else is due more to the grace of God than to my moral superiority. But I was lucky and I face no legal consequences of my past behavior. Rush Limbaugh is not morally responsible for being a drug addict. But if he broke the law in obtaining 2,000 (or more) addictive pills, then he is legally liable for the consequence of his actions. He deserves his day in court and he will get it. He may well beat the rap. Perhaps his doctors should lose their licenses for prescribing so many pills. The purpose of the legal proceedings is to sort all that out. But if he's a victim, he's a victim of his own genes and of his own arrogance, not of some Democratic political vendetta (read Bill Wineke - Wisconsin State Journal)

Last week, attorney Roy Black appeared on NBC's Today show to discuss his representation of Rush Limbaugh, whom Palm Beach County prosecutors are investigating for possible illegal purchases of prescription drugs ... MS. COURIC: You also compared this to the Kobe Bryant case? MR. BLACK: Well, Katie, what I said is that the right of privacy applies to everyone, whether you are the alleged victim of a crime, such as in the Kobe Bryant case, or the alleged suspect. It's the right of privacy that's important... Rush Limbaugh has the same rights as everybody else ...  Could it be that Patricia Bowman had privacy rights, too -- just like Rush Limbaugh and everybody else? Twelve years ago, Ms. Bowman stood on the opposite side of the courtroom from Mr. Black when she accused William Kennedy Smith of raping her. A cornerstone of Mr. Black's defense was portraying the Jupiter woman as psychologically unstable. To do that, he and his legal colleagues repeatedly sought access to her medical and psychological records. At one point, Circuit Judge Mary Lupo scolded the defense team for its methods. The attorneys served subpoenas to numerous health-care providers who had treated Ms. Bowman during the 10 years before the trial. Their records requests included information about where and when she had had an abortion and the drug rehabilitation programs she attended. Even information about contraception was requested. Mr. Black and his associates did not bother to tell health-care providers that the matter was under judicial review, so many of them unwittingly complied and gave up records that should have stayed sealed  (read Palm Beach Post Editorial)

What do Rush Limbaugh, Erin Brockovich, the people who brought you the "Girls Gone Wild" videos, rock and porn video star Tommy Lee, Enron and National Public Television have in common? Maybe it's Sitrick and Company of Los Angeles, New York and Washington. Unless there's a misprint on a news release, Rush Limbaugh and his attorneys are evidently using the same crisis management/PR firm that many Hollywood film companies and high profile individuals with problems turn to, Sitrick and Company.  (Sitrick and Company (Web site) Headed by Michael Sitrick, the company is listed as the source of the PR Newswire news release from Limbaugh's attorneys dated December 24 as "SOURCE Sitrick And Company on Behalf of Rush Limbaugh's Attorneys" (click here to read it).  Among Sitrick and Company's other clients: Mantra Films and its owner director, Joseph R. Francis, who produced the "Girls Gone Wild" videos, Premiere Radio Networks, the LA Catholic Archdiocese, Don King, Enron, Wen Ho Lee, Halle Berry, pop singer Toni Braxton, Dr. Laura Schlessinger, Global Crossing, Halliburton, activist Erin Brockovich, recording artist R. Kelly, rock star Tommy Lee,  comedienne Paula Poundstone and National Public Television.  Michael Sitrick and Alan Meyer wrote the book, "Spin: How to Turn the Power of the Press to Your Advantage."  According to one news story, Sitrick has "been reportedly known to ask for up to a $100,000 retainer."  What do his clients say about Michael Sitrick and his company? From Sitrick and Company's Web site, here are two client's comments: "When our clients have a potential public perception problem we turn to Mike Sitrick. He's creative, he's concerned, and he has the very best media contacts."  Patricia Glaser, Esquire — Attorney for Kelsey Grammer + "There are a lot of people who claim to know how to do public relations. We've tried a lot of them. I haven't come across anyone who is in Mike Sitrick's class. Mike is clearly the best." Marvin Davis — Billionaire, Financier.  A news clip on Sitrick's Web site from Forbes' "The Informer," says that Sitrick waived his normal fee for Wen Ho Lee.  Will he do the same for Rush Limbaugh?

(Rush) Limbaugh claims that his problems stem from a massive conspiracy on the part of his political enemies in law enforcement. "The Democrats still cannot defeat me in the arena of political ideas," Limbaugh said on his Tuesday radio show. "And so now they are trying to do so in the court of public opinion and the legal system." Limbaugh used to defend the legal system - and he used to ridicule citizens who claimed that their constitutional rights had been violated by police and prosecutors. But now Limbaugh, who is fortunate enough to be able to afford the representation of celebrity attorney Roy Black and a team of defense lawyers, has joined the conspiracy nuts. The people who have been hunting for someone to host a new left-wing radio talk show may have found their man (read St. Pete Times Editorial)

''Medical records are a lot different than looking at your office or searching your automobile,'' said Howard L. Simon, executive director of ACLU of Florida.  ''I don't know if Rush Limbaugh wants the help of the ACLU, but I intend to call his attorney on Friday,'' Simon said ``There is nothing that is more intrusive to your privacy.'' Simon also questioned the high-profile criminal investigation of an individual over what would be nothing more than personal consumption of a controlled substance. Limbaugh had admitted to abusing painkillers, including the narcotic Oxycontin.  Doctor-shopping is ''an emerging offense that we will see used far more often,'' said Miami defense attorney Ben Kuehne. The charge is a third-degree felony that could net an offender up to five years in prison.. Privacy was also a concern for Miami attorney Gary Bruce Winick, a professor at the University of Miami School of Law, had a different take. If Limbaugh is charged, he said, then his records become public -- period (read Miami Herald)

Rush Limbaugh got his way yesterday, but he's still whining. A Florida judge gave the right-winger a 15-day reprieve on having his medical records turned over to prosecutors so he can pursue an appeal. But Limbaugh complained on his radio show that prosecutors jumped the gun. "The state attorney has already had his investigators poring through them," the recovering pill-popper groused to his listeners ... Limbaugh admits he was hooked on painkillers for years and had to go through rehab to kick them. But he insists the criminal investigation into how he got his pills is a political witch-hunt orchestrated by Democrats (read NY Daily News) (read Palm Beach Post)

A judge resealed Rush Limbaugh's medical records Wednesday, giving the conservative radio commentator's attorneys time to appeal his earlier decision allowing prosecutors to examine the files for evidence Limbaugh illegally purchased painkillers. Palm Beach Circuit Judge Jeffrey A. Winikoff ordered the records remain sealed for 15 days while Limbaugh's attorneys pursue their appeal. Winikoff had ruled Tuesday that prosecutors could examine the records, but could not make them public (read San Francisco Chronicle)

Rush Limbaugh Web site: Read transcripts of Florida hearing on Limbaugh's medical records (read)

Rush Limbaugh's medical records have been unsealed — but only for the eyes of investigators probing criminal allegations that the radio talk-show host "doctor shopped" to double up on prescriptions for painkillers. On Monday, Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Jeffrey Winikoff denied Limbaugh's petition to quash the search warrants issued for the seizure of confidential medical records from four doctors in Florida and California. Limbaugh's attorneys asked for a stay of the judge's order and prepared to file an appeal. Miami attorney Roy Black said his client should not have to sacrifice his privacy to prove he is innocent of doctor shopping. Limbaugh visited one doctor in the same medical practice as another doctor who was on vacation — which is not doctor shopping, Black said Monday ... On Tuesday afternoon, Limbaugh devoted part of his conservative talk show to a recap of the state's "fishing expedition." He derided what he called officials' leaks to the media about investigations for alleged drug trafficking and money laundering — and said isolated references to such probes was part of a political agenda. "It is, and has been, obvious to me for the longest time that all these leaks were an attempt to try me in the court of public opinion," Limbaugh said. "The Democrats in this country still cannot defeat me in the arena of political ideas, and so now they are trying to do so in the court of public opinion and the legal system. I guess it's payback time."  (read Stephanie Murphy - Palm Beach Daily News) (read Palm Beach Daily News)  (read Miami Herald)  (read CNN)

(click the graphic to the left to read The Smoking Gun and the official Rush Limbaugh ruling by the Florida judge)

A Florida judge today (Tuesday) ordered radio talk-show host Rush Limbaugh's medical records released to prosecutors in connection with an investigation into prescription drug purchases. The ruling came a day after an attorney for Limbaugh charged that the conservative talk show host was being blackmailed by the Florida couple whose allegations triggered an ongoing investigation into his purchases of painkillers (read CNN) (read Palm Beach Post - AP)  (read the Smoking Gun)

With the ruling by the judge in Florida today, the Limbaugh investigation by state and federal authorities can continue. This is not a nice Christmas gift for the Limbaugh family. Now, the excuses and stonewalling will begin again. "The dog ate my homework." It’s a left-wing conspiracy, I tell you, friends!" Is Rush Limbaugh practicing those phrases and just what he will say today on his radio show? The "Blackmail Defense" story by Limbaugh and his "minions" sounds a little like the excuse given by so many accused pornographers who profess, "I was just doing my own private investigation into the effect of porn on society!" When the dream team hatched that strategy, they must have been thinking that if and when the court convenes and they put the maid up on the witness stand, who are they going to believe -- A lowly maid or El Supremo Rush? Perry Mason, where are you when we need you? (read The Wimbish Review)

During a hearing over whether prosecutors should have access to Limbaugh's medical records, attorney Roy Black said Limbaugh paid "extreme amounts of money" to Wilma Cline, his former housekeeper, and her husband, first for pills and then for extortion. Black alleged that the Clines had threatened to go public with information about Limbaugh's drug use unless they received $4 million. "They cornered him in the parking garage of his studio, and they demanded $4 million in order to keep this quiet and not sell it to the Enquirer," said Black, adding Limbaugh wanted to report the Clines to authorities but was advised by business associates not to. Black said Limbaugh wanted to contact the FBI, but was told by an unidentified friend that if he went to the authorities, they would target him, and his political enemies would use the information against him.  Asked about the blackmail accusation against the Clines, Ed Shohat, their lawyer, said: "I'm not aware of any fact that would support such a claim. It's not surprising under the circumstances ... Rush Limbaugh confessed and admitted that he bought the pills. . . . I know of no facts that my clients demanded money from Rush Limbaugh in any way," he said." During Mr. Black's presentation, the most detailed defense of Mr. Limbaugh since the investigation became public in October, the lawyer called the prosecution of his client a witch hunt built on leaks tailored to smear Mr. Limbaugh's reputation. In court yesterday, Mr. Black accused Michael Edmondson, a spokesman for the state attorney's office in Palm Beach County, of orchestrating leaks to several organizations. He asked that Mr. Edmondson be barred from the case. In an interview afterward, Mr. Black added, "Our research shows he worked in a number of Democratic campaigns." A woman at Mr. Edmondson's office who identified herself as his assistant said that he was unavailable and on vacation and that the office would not respond to any of Mr. Black's accusations. Reached at his home last night, Mr. Edmondson's boss, State Attorney Barry Krischer, declined to comment. Black asked for Monday's hearing to contest the seizure of the records and to ask a judge to prevent prosecutors from reviewing them. He argued that prosecutors failed to follow legal guidelines for obtaining the records and violated Limbaugh's right to privacy. In Florida, a person has a right to be heard by a judge before prosecutors can subpoena medical records. In Limbaugh's case, Assistant State Attorney James Martz said they wanted to seize the records first and then notify Limbaugh. "We don't know what they're going to do," he said. "We don't know if records are going to be destroyed." Keevin Bellows, a spokeswoman for Premier Radio Networks, said Limbaugh, who recently completed treatment for addiction to prescription painkillers, recognizes that he may have purchased drugs illegally under Florida law and "certainly had more pills than he could ever use." However, she said Limbaugh never intended to sell the drugs. "He wants this thing to go away," she said. "He won't admit to anything he didn't do." Limbaugh is broadcasting from South Florida this week and may say something about the case on the air Tuesday, according to Bellows. Judge Winikoff did not immediately rule whether prosecutors can access the records, but court officials said that decision could come as soon as today. The judge seemed to indicate that prosecutors had not followed the proper procedure, but he said that appeals courts have given prosecutors a second chance in other cases (read CNN)  (read Sun Sentinel - Peter Franceschina) (read NY Times)   (read Rapid City Journal - Jill Barton)  (read Palm Beach Daily News) 

Palm Beach County prosecutors filed a motion Friday saying they already have met the legal requirements to examine Rush Limbaugh's sealed medical records seized as part of their investigation into the conservative radio commentator's prescription drug use ... A Palm Beach County judge approved a warrant to seize records from three local doctors, and a judge in Los Angeles signed a warrant to seize records from a doctor there. Martz's motion says prosecutors need only demonstrate that the medical records are "relevant" to the prescription drug investigation for a judge to approve their reviewing them. Martz argued that the records clearly are relevant in a prescription drug fraud investigation (read Sun Sentinel) 

From Rush Limbaugh's Friday Show Quotes: “Dean says stupid stuff, and that's when his supporters love him even more. He says some of the most outrageous things, but he's always having to go back and modify, correct or whatever because he shoots from the hip and it's going to get him in trouble.” - “Clinton never did anything wrong. The press always categorized Clinton as a genius and brilliant and Hillary as the smartest woman in the world. Have we see Mrs. Dean anywhere in the camera?” (read RushLimbaugh.com)

Frank Cerabino, Palm Beach Post Columnist: "While I agree it is hilarious to be a pompous junkie, I'd rather have people laughing with me than at me. But you're right about how amusing the "Notes from hell" writers can be. The following letter is a great example. The Post welcomes the return of Rush Limbaugh. Then, as a final note, expresses concern over a spinal disk operation through his throat that might endanger his future in broadcasting. I'm sure it occurred to many reader/listeners that there's another orifice through which surgeons could reach Rush's spinal disks. However, that might be even more damaging for him since it's the region from which most of his commentary emanates" (read Palm Beach Post)

Unlike Humpty Dumpty, Rush Limbaugh has not had a great fall. In fact, he's had a really crummy autumn. Right now, of course, the right-wing radio rapper is under investigation to see whether he illegally obtained vast amounts of pain-killing narcotics, to which he admitted an addiction on his radio show in October. After that, he went into five weeks of drug rehabilitation, from which he emerged and told his radio audience that he'd learned he had to stop trying to please other people. That was his insight from the experience: No more Mr. Nice Guy. But Limbaugh's agonizing autumn began before that. Two weeks earlier, he'd been fired by the sports network ESPN -- which had bafflingly hired him to do football commentary -- for declaring that Philadelphia Eagle quarterback Donovan McNabb not only was not that good, but was getting a free ride for being African American. "I think what we've had here is a little social concern in the NFL," explained Limbaugh. "The media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well. There is a little hope invested in McNabb, and he got a lot of credit for the performance of the team that he didn't deserve." Oddly enough -- but maybe partly because most National Football League players are black, and it might be hard to argue they all are overrated -- Limbaugh was gone before the penalty flag hit the ground. But what's been interesting is the value of his insight and judgment. Because since then, McNabb and the Eagles have gone 10-1. Limbaugh, on the other hand, faces the possibility of five to 10 (read David Sarasohn - The Oregonian)

Commenting on Dean's break with the former president, Limbaugh noted Friday, "This is a dangerous strategery for Dean. He's challenging the Godfather of the Democrat Party." The top talker then warned, "That kind of thing will get you dumped in Fort Marcy Park. I would recommend [Dean] call Bob Torricelli or Andrew Cuomo and find out what happens when you cross Don Clintleone." Before Cuomo and Torricelli decided to end their election campaigns last year, they were urged to do so in phone calls by the former president. It's not clear whether Dean heard Limbaugh's warning, but later that same day he called Clinton directly, bypassing Torricelli and Cuomo (read NewsMax)

The holiday season apparently has escaped the notice of Rush Limbaugh, the right wing's most famous drug addict. His latest cock-of-the-walk diatribe -- delivered as if he personally captured Saddam Hussein -- included references to the present Democratic front-runner Howard Dean as "Nikita Dean." In one neat word, he manages to lump the Vermont doctor who had the audacity to speak against America's entanglement in Iraq in with the shoe-thumping, anti-American Soviet Cold Warrior Nikita Kruschev. One shudders to think what Mr. Limbaugh would say if one arm weren't tied behind his back (read Great Falls Tribune)

The Secret Lives of Dentists. The Secret Lives of Married Men. We make movies and write books about the lives we keep hidden. Everybody, it seems, has secrets. Strom Thurmond, the segregationist with a mixed-race daughter. Rush Limbaugh, conservative radio commentator with an addiction to pain pills. They railed in Congress and on the airwaves against the lives they themselves were living. The face they showed the world was more like a mask. "It's a kind of a constructed persona," says David Leddick, author of The Secret Lives of Married Men, stories of gay men who lived their lives married to women. "A lot of these people sent somebody else to the door. They had constructed a public persona who wasn't who they truly were." Thurmond and Limbaugh and the men in Leddick's book have a lot of company, especially among the powerful and the elite. Presidents are especially notorious for having secret liaisons (read Carolyn Susman, Palm Beach Post)

Rush Limbaugh's hearing is set and will be held Monday at 2 pm in Palm Beach.  The judge will be asked to rule on his request to block any "unauthorized" public disclosure of the Palm Beacher's medical records as part of the legal case against him (read CNN) 

At WAPZ radio in Wetumpka, general manager Robert Henderson knew something was wrong when two Elmore County deputies showed up and took Roberta Franklin to a back room for a talk. "When she came out she said I've got to go," recalls Henderson. And on the way out Franklin was in tears. "She was nervous and kind of teared up a little," Henderson says. Franklin was booked on second degree theft of property in Elmore County. On that charge she is accused of stealing Hydrocodone from an individual. Franklin told WSFA by phone Tuesday that charge is a 'complete fabrication.' From the Elmore County jail deputies took Franklin to Autauga County where she was arrested again. This time on 5 counts of 'obtaining drugs by fraud.' The indictment accuses Franklin of calling in a prescription for Hydrocodone to a pharmacy without authorization. Reporter: "Will she be fired?" Henderson: "I don't know." (read WSFA TV - Montgomery)

Conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh asked a judge to rule on his request to block any "unauthorized" public disclosure of the Palm Beacher's medical records as part of the legal case against him. In a petition filed Monday in Palm Beach County Circuit Court, Limbaugh asked for a hearing within three days on his request to have his medical records sealed. Limbaugh argued that he has a constitutional right to privacy over the records, and that the seizure of the records by the State Attorney's Office was making it difficult for him to obtain treatment from his doctors (read Palm Beach Daily News)

At least, say some residents of this finger of sand that covers just 3.75 acres, Rush Limbaugh had the good sense to drive across the bridge and buy his drugs in West Palm Beach. It didn't happen here. Still, Limbaugh, who will be 53 next month, was national news. And Palm Beach was guilty by association. Again. "He brought a negative attitude to Palm Beach; that's the real crime," said Shannon Donnelly, society editor for the Palm Beach Daily News. "That's the worst crime you could commit in this town." A registered Republican who is twice divorced and married to his third wife, Limbaugh is alternately described as pompous and bombastic on the air. And it may seem as if he craves attention. He was made an honorary member of Congress by adoring conservatives in 1994. Two years earlier, President Bush personally carried Limbaugh's bags into the White House when Limbaugh stayed in the Lincoln Bedroom. But those who know him say he is shy and retiring off the air, a man who prefers to curl up on a sofa and watch football. "He's not out much," Donnelly said. "He has a circle of friends he socializes with, normally at the clubs and at his home.  "I never see him in the stores." (read Lakeland Ledger)

Rush Limbaugh's spin team came up with a secret plan to save their boss after the conservative commentator admitted he was addicted to painkillers, the New York Daily News learned Thursday. The plan involved taking up former Sen. Bob Dole's offer "to help" the embattled radio jock - and suggesting he write a supportive letter to Newsweek magazine. The Oct. 13 memo to Premiere Radio Networks' president Kraig Kitchen, obtained by the Daily News, also recommended doing a survey of Rush's listeners to gauge their reaction to Limbaugh's embarrassing admission ... Next week, a judge will decide whether the medical records should be made public. Bellows said the records show that Limbaugh's addiction stemmed from his numerous medical problems, and they want them made public. Also yesterday, the National Enquirer reported that "the police web is tightening around Rush Limbaugh" and that he could be arrested in days  (NY Daily News)

To: Rush Limbaugh
Re: Donovan McNabb
Mr. Limbaugh, Whaddya think of him now? You said he was overrated back near the beginning of the NFL season when you had an ESPN gig and the Philadelphia Eagles were struggling, which was fine as far as it went at the time. Donovan McNabb wasn't very good in September (a 51.1 QB rating), and neither were the Eagles. But then you added the preposterous comment that the media is reluctant to criticize a black quarterback ... Anyway, things have changed quite a bit since you resigned at ESPN in the flap resulting from this statement: "The media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well. There is a little hope invested in McNabb, and he got a lot of credit for the performance of his team that he didn't deserve." The Eagles have won eight consecutive games to get to 10-3 going into Monday night's visit to Pro Player Stadium to play the Dolphins (read Greg Stoda - Palm Beach Post Sports)

"Rush Limbaugh isn't under investigation because he's a known conservative propagandist. He's under investigation because he's a suspected criminal. Roy Black, Mr. Limbaugh's attorney, fumed last week that the radio talk-show host who lives in Palm Beach is "being subjected to an invasion of privacy no citizen of this republic should endure." Even allowing for the level of bombast that comes from well-paid defense lawyers, Mr. Black went over the top ... State Attorney Barry Krischer is a Democrat. Mr. Limbaugh thus charges that the investigation is political. In fact, Mr. Limbaugh's problem is that the status he rises to behind the microphone doesn't translate into favored status outside the studio ... " (read Palm Beach Post Editorial)

Quotes from Rush Limbaugh's Wednesday program: “Sodomy is protected by the Constitution, but free speech 60 or 30 days before an election is not. The question is: 'Can a candidate be sodomized 30 or 60 days before an election?'” -- "The word 'testicle' is no different than using the words 'breast' or 'ass.' You ought to be calling John Kerry. He's the one using the F-word to talk about George W. Bush." -- “I cannot believe what Wesley Clark said yesterday and that he's still walking. I cannot believe that he got his testicles back from the lockbox after what he said. I'm stunned.” -- "The first hour of this program was penetrating and explosive. It got in there, got it, and got out. I thought it was going to generate all kinds of response. Instead, here come people from a Viagra convention calling up here about testicles." (Source: Web site)

Quotes from Rush Limbaugh's Tuesday program: “I haven't been to the grocery store in a long time. I have staff that does that for me. But I went to the grocery store recently, and they tried to over-prescribe me on all kinds of stuff. I know what Ozzy is talking about.” -- “My essay about the NFL’s minority hiring policy for coaches has not been given much attention because to do so would sort of make it tough for those who wanted to get all over me for the McNabb comment,” -- “The way Gore executed this endorsement has Clinton all over it, man: screw your friends when they're no longer of any use to you. Cast them aside, Fort Marcy Park, whatever, it doesn't matter.” (Source: Web site)

I like conservatives. I like the way they feel about unions, globalization, farm subsidies, helmet laws, states' rights, animal rights, affirmative action, the environment, free trade and Ted Kennedy. I also like the way their women dye their hair really blond and flare their nostrils when they're angry. But the reason I can't get down with the conservatives, despite my libertarian leanings, is their absolutism. Rush Limbaugh has long been rabidly antidrug, saying all users should be locked away. Yet when he came back on the air after just five weeks of rehab for addiction to some drug I'm actually too conservative to have even heard of, he suddenly believed the liberal doctrine that addicts are victims of a disease who can be cured only through the help of others. If Rush accidentally kisses a man on the lips, he's going to switch on gay marriage and have no show left (read Time -Joel Stein)

Palm Beach County state attorney Barry Krischer, whose office announced it has seized the medical records of top radio host Rush Limbaugh, is a Democrat who strongly supported frequent Limbaugh target Janet Reno when she was nominated to be U.S. attorney general in 1993. "I think she's highly qualified, and believe the manner in which she's handled high-profile cases ... shows she's got the courage and integrity to do the job," Krischer told the Orlando Sun Sentinel after the Clinton administration nominated his Dade County colleague (read NewsMax)

If there is a "Wimp Factor" in the 2000's, it might surely be said that the new wimps are some members of the news media. Many in the media appear to be frightened by the prospect of their being criticized by right wing zealots for even thinking about reporting on Rush Limbaugh’s admitted drug addiction and alleged to be illegally gotten drugs. Some media seem to have prejudged him to be innocent and are working backwards to prove that he is squeaky clean and really is the victim of a left wing conspiracy by Florida state legal officials. Is this becoming the "Era of the Cowering Media?" Rush Limbaugh probably has more than enough reasons to be frightened to shivering fits by the raids of the Florida state attorney's office on his four doctor's offices, the allegations that he used his maid as a "Drug Mule" as well as him having possibly aided and abetted in the destruction of evidence, and covering up a crime ...  (read The Wimbish Review)

Rush Limbaugh on Friday poked fun at the investigation into whether he bought painkillers illegally, hours after his attorney accused investigators of political motives. The conservative radio host compared search warrants for his medical records to calls for Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean to release political records from his years as Vermont governor (read ABC News)

Rush Limbaugh's attorney accused the local prosecutor Friday of having political motives in investigating his client for allegedly purchasing painkillers illegally. Roy Black said Limbaugh was not a target of State Attorney Barry Krischer's investigation into the illegal sale of painkillers until the National Enquirer in October quoted Limbaugh's maid as saying she had unlawfully sold the conservative radio commentator such medications. "Suddenly an elected public official could not ignore the name Rush Limbaugh," Black said on NBC's "Today" show. Black is also a paid NBC commentator. "They are looking to publicly embarrass him and effect his radio program ... Why is Rush Limbaugh the only person treated like this in America?" Krischer's spokeman Mike Edmondson said Friday that the prosecutor stands by a statement he released earlier that Limbaugh's rights have been scrupulously protected (read TribNet)  

"They are looking to publicly embarrass him and affect his radio program," Roy Black said on NBC's "Today Show." "Why is Rush Limbaugh the only person treated like this in America?" ...  Defense attorney Marvyn Kornberg, who represented Joey Buttafuoco and other high-profile clients, said Black is blowing smoke. "I don't think Rush is being treated any differently than anybody else," Kornberg said. "The difference is that his case made the newspapers. But that's what happens when you are a high-profile individual - it comes with the territory." (read NY Daily News)

Jesse Jackson cited differences in treatment for radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh, who is white and was treated with "dignity and respect" despite Limbaugh's admission that he had abused drugs, and pop icon Michael Jackson, who was handcuffed before being charged in a child molestation case in California (read The State South Carolina)

December 4, 2003

PHX News
Located online at http://www.phxnews.com/fullstory.php?article=7895 

LIMBAUGH TO COPS: THIS IS A FRAMEUP! Noted House Doctor Named
by Greg De Orlando -- Thursday December 4, 2003 at 8:30 pm MST

Palm Beach, Florida - (Dec. 4, 2003) Rightwing radio commentator Rush Limbaugh announced on his radio show today that Florida law enforcement authorities wielding search warrants have seized his medical records from four of his doctors. The four warrants alleged illegal drug use and "doctor shopping" for prescription painkillers. The Associated Press said two warrants were served on an outpatient-surgery clinic and one on an ear-nose-throat clinic, all in Florida. They said information on the fourth warrant wasn't immediately available.

Based on the name of one of the four doctors named, Dr. Antonio De La Cruz, the fourth warrant applies to the famed House Ear Clinic, in Los Angeles, where Mr. Limbaugh had an electronic device implanted in 2001 to restore his hearing. Limbaugh denies any wrongdoing.

Limbaugh has been a subject of what the National Enquirer described as "an ongoing criminal investigation aimed at identifying dealers and buyers" of illegally obtained prescription drugs. His housekeeper, Wilma Cline, said she turned him in shortly after meeting with an attorney representing him in November 2002. The attorney allegedly paid her $100,000 and asked her to give him her computer. She claimed she instead later smashed the hard drive of another computer in front of him to satisfy this request. She turned over emails stored on her computer that showed Limbaugh's drug purchases to the prosecutors and the Enquirer. The same attorney had already settled Limbaugh's drug bills with another $100,000 check, which he delivered in a parking lot, according to Cline. These charges, if true, would amount to bribing a crime witness, destruction of evidence, and obstructing justice.

Cline claims that Limbaugh himself paid her hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, delivered in a Cuban-cigar box. The Enquirer story of October 21 had Limbaugh telling Cline "he had to be careful about withdrawing thousands of dollars from his bank accounts." The withdrawal of amounts over $10,000 must be recorded by a financial institution under the Patriot Act. This provision was designed to impede money-laundering by terrorists and would be a federal law violation if the charges are true.

The importation of Cuban cigars violates federal law under a US embargo of trade with Cuba, but the banking violations and potential drug charges are far more serious

Limbaugh previously admitted to illegally abusing prescriptions in another on-the-air announcement on October 10, 2003. After a month in rehab at Tucson Sierra, "a special psychiatric hospital" in Arizona, Limbaugh returned to his program. In his October announcement, Limbaugh claimed he first started taking prescription drugs to alleviate pain from a failed back operation.

Before that, Limbaugh's only publicized medical problem was his sudden hearing loss in 2001. On October 11, 2001, at the House Ear Clinic in Los Angeles, there was a press conference with Dr. Antonio De la Cruz, named in one of today's warrants, and Dr. Jennifer Derebery, of House, and -oddly - rheumatologist Dr. Michael Weisman of Cedars-Sinai Hospital. Dr. Derebery said: "We are treating Rush Limbaugh for hearing loss resulting from autoimmune inner ear disease (AIED). We base our diagnosis on Mr. Limbaugh’s medical history and hearing tests. Mr. Limbaugh does not display most of the symptoms associated with AIED, but he has suffered rapidly progressive hearing loss since May 2001, which we are currently treating with medication at the House Ear Clinic."

Mr. Limbaugh did not present the symptoms of the condition these doctors diagnosed him with, but hearing loss is a well known effect of opiate abuse. His housekeeper, Cline, said that she supplied him with Lorcet, hydrocodone, and OcyContin - all opiates. One email to Cline showed he needed 30-40 OxyContin 40-mg tablets a day - enough to kill any person not conditioned to it.

Cline also claimed Limbaugh was getting a "FedEx fix" - bottles of hydrocodone delivered by the overnight service. Liquid hydrocodone, of course, is used intravenously. The back-pain claim surfaced two years after the House clinic conference. At the conference, Dr. Weisman was described as "an expert on the drugs commonly used to treat rheumatoid arthritis." He was referred to as "a consulting physician in Mr. Limbaugh's medical treatment." Apparently his records were not subject to the warrants.

Rheumatoid disease can result from the use of contaminated needles and is a threat to drug addicts who "mainline," or take drugs intravenously.

Back pain can also result from opiate withdrawal. If the opiate is suddenly stopped, withdrawal symptoms occur, including back pain, restlessness, anxiety, rapid pulse, increased blood pressure, crying, runny nose, yawning, muscle spasms, tremors, and many other symptoms. Their severity depends on the opiate used, how often, and how much.

When Cline expressed concern over the amount of drugs she thought Limbaugh was taking, he told her, "They're not just for me, you know," according to Cline. She said she didn't believe he was giving them to anyone else.

The possession of large amounts of illegal prescription drugs often carries a long prison sentence. A Google search for "sentenced possession oxycontin" revealed the items below and over 1200 others. *************************************************** "BROOKS and RUSSELL each face a statutory maximum sentence of 60 years imprisonment, and a fine of up to $6,000,000. They are scheduled to be sentenced on November 25, 2003 at 2:30 p.m. at the federal courthouse in Abingdon." http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/vaw/press_releases/brooks_10sep2003.html

"BARTON faces a statutory mandatory minimum penalty of 80 years in prison up to a maximum penalty of life in prison and fines of up to $3 million when he is sentenced November 10. ALALUSI faces a statutory maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to $1 million when she is sentenced November 3." http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/vaw/press_releases/barton_21aug2003.html

"He also was sentenced to 21 years and 10 months in prison for illegal acquisition and distribution of OxyContin." Tuesday, September 2, 2003http://www.pressherald.com/news/state/030902appeals.shtml

"A federal jury Thursday convicted Lockwood resident Jack Glendale Standley on two charges that he distributed OxyContin, a strong prescription painkiller, but acquitted him of two other drug counts. Standley, 72, faces up to 30 years in prison and a $2 million fine on the distribution convictions. http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2003/08/15/build/local/64-drug-trial.inc **************************************************** Many of the sentences were for possession with intent to distribute, which is a common charge when large amounts of contraband are found.

The main supplier of the drugs Cline sold Limbaugh apparently was the Beshara drug ring of Lake Worth, Florida. Louis Beshara (photo), who has had his pharmacy license revoked, and his wife Gloria, were arrested this spring after an investigation by the Florida State Attorney's Money Laundering Task Force and the Palm Beach County Sheriff's office.

The Beshara drug ring diverted 450,000 hydrocodone tablets to illegal resale, according to a May 14 press release from the sheriff's office. http://www.pbso.org/mediarelations/index.cfm?fa=viewrelease&release=1128

The release said the diverted drugs had a street value of over $1 millon.

Limbaugh claimed the investigators who today seized his medical records are on a "fishing expedition." His lawyer, Roy Black said, in a prepared statement Limbaugh read, that Limbaugh is not part of a drug ring and has "never" been the target of a drug investigation.

On the one hand Black said, "We won't speculate on why the State Attorney's Office is handling Mr. Limbaugh's case the way it is."

On the other hand, Black did speculate "why" when he also said, "Unfortunately, because of Mr. Limbaugh's prominence and well-known political opinions, he is being subjected to an invasion of privacy no citizen of this republic should endure."

Ironically, the head of the state government is Gov. Jeb Bush, the brother of the president, for whom Mr. Limbaugh is a leading spokesman.

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Investigators raided the offices of Rush Limbaugh's doctor Thursday, saying in search warrants that the conservative radio commentator engaged in illegal drug use and "doctor shopping" for prescription painkillers. The warrants show investigators were looking for records including prescription disbursements, appointment schedules, receipts and a medical questionnaire. "Mr. Limbaugh's actions violate the letter, and spirit" of the law that relates to "doctor shopping," stated one of warrants, signed by Asim Brown, a law enforcement agent assigned to the state attorney's office anti-money laundering task force. Doctor shopping refers to looking for a doctor willing to prescribe drugs illegally (read USA Today)

Rush Limbaugh and his lawyer are accusing prosecutors of going on a "fishing expedition." In a statement from his lawyer, which he read on his talk show today, Limbaugh said prosecutors in Florida have seized medical records from four of his doctors. He says those medical records will clear him -- and he denies any wrongdoing (read KRON 4)  (read New York Post)

Thursday December 4, 2003

Roy Black, attorney for Rush Limbaugh, released the following statement today:

"We have been informed that this afternoon the Palm Beach State Attorney's Office will announce that it has seized the medical records of four doctors who treated Rush Limbaugh for serious medical conditions and the pain resulting from them.

"In fact, what these records show is that Mr. Limbaugh suffered extreme pain and had legitimate reasons for taking pain medication. Unfortunately, because of Mr. Limbaugh's prominence and well-known political opinions, he is being subjected to an invasion of privacy no citizen of this republic should endure.

"Let us make our position clear: Rush Limbaugh is not part of a drug ring. He was never a target of a drug investigation. He became addicted to a prescription drug during legitimate medical treatment. He has publicly admitted this problem and has successfully sought treatment which continues today.

"We won't speculate on why the State Attorney's Office is handling Mr. Limbaugh's case the way it is. But what should be a responsible investigation is looking more and more like a fishing expedition."

Source: Rush Limbaugh.com (click here to read statement and listen to audio)

* Breaking Story -- Thursday December 4 -- Rush Limbaugh reads a statement authorized by his attorney ... Says state attorney's authorities will announce this afternoon that they have seized his medical records.  Limbaugh says investigation is underway but is a "fishing expedition" and invasion of privacy ... More details upcoming at www.radiodailynews.com

What's next? Many captains of industry and managers of most mutual funds seem to be crooks. Now we learn that America's premier right wing talk show host is a junky. Rush Limbaugh is back from five weeks in detox doing business at the same old stand: spewing bile and defaming liberals and Democrats 15 hours a week. The interesting thing about this episode is that Rush sounds no different now than he did before detox, when he was high as a kite most of the time. Maybe drugs aren't so bad after all. It would be ironic indeed if Rush turns out to be the poster boy for legalizing drugs. The difference between Rush and the average junky is Limbaugh could easily afford $100,000 a year for drugs. He didn't have to rob liquor and convenience stores to support his habit (read Journal Standard)

Rush Limbaugh may not be arrested, let alone spend time behind bars, for illegally buying narcotic painkillers. "We’re not sure whether he will be charged," a law enforcement source told CNN in early October. "We’re going after the big fish, both the suppliers and the sellers." Following up on a story The National Enquirer broke on October 2, CNN reported that the conservative radio commentator’s name had come up during "an investigation of a black market drug ring in South Florida," where Limbaugh has a home. A former housekeeper told the Enquirer she had sold him tens of thousands of hydrocodone and oxycodone pills during a four-year period. If Limbaugh escapes serious legal consequences, there will be speculation about whether a pill popper who wasn’t a wealthy celebrity would have received such lenient treatment. Still, the distinction between dealer and user drawn by CNN’s source is both widely accepted and deeply embedded in our drug laws. That doesn’t mean it makes sense (read Reason - Jacob Sullum)

"This is our last live program till next Monday, and I just want to say a few short things here. You know, I have more to be thankful for than ever this year and in the future for a host of reasons. I don't think that I express thanks to those of you in this audience quite often enough. I know I make it a point to do it at Thanksgiving and Christmas every year. But you all have been so kind. I wish, well - if you've been to the website you've seen some of the e-mail that came in during my absence is absolutely stunning to me. It brought me to tears, a lot of it, which is a new thing for me. I did not know how to cry, I really did not know. I had not cried in 30 years, and I've been touched more than ever in my life because I finally have learned how to be. I've learned how to let myself be touched, and I'm in the process of learning how to touch others - you know, in a personal way, and you all have no idea how instructive you are in showing me that way. 
So I'm indebted to all of you in this audience no matter what your political affiliation, no matter what your opinions are ... " (read Rush Limbaugh)

Pain Killer Rush is back on his day job, hastening the slide of his 30 million ditto-heads down the rabbit hole. Limbaugh is drug-free, if we take him at his word. His word, though, is once again blaming every evil loose in the world on either Bill Clinton or the conspiracy of illicit liberals. Good manners suggest that Limbaugh be offered sympathy for rehabilitation from his maddening addiction to illicit drugs. The fellow talk shows groan with defenders denying that their stoned idol should be judged a common criminal and imprisoned like other addicts whom the judicial system steamrolls. Not withstanding its illegality. Limbaugh's addiction, they say, is an understandable pursuit, sort of a white millionaire's benign pain therapy. Even Rush begs for relief from this double standard (read Les Payne)

Radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh's recent public admission of his addiction to OxyContin, also called ``hillbilly heroin,'' confers a serendipitous relevance upon award-winning journalist Barry Meier's penetrating examination of the history of that drug. Of course, when Meier wrote ``Pain Killer'' he had no inkling that Limbaugh was hooked on OxyContin. In fact, his book was released before the commentator's confession of his prescription drug abuse. Otherwise, Limbaugh's predicament would have confirmed Meier's assertions about the drug's dangerous addictive powers. Nevertheless, Limbaugh's decision to go to a rehabilitation clinic to try to shake his addiction, and reports that he may face criminal charges for purchasing the drug illegally, may give Meier's book new relevance -- and a sales boost. OxyContin, Meir notes, picked up the ``hillbilly heroin'' nickname because its abuse first proliferated in rural and suburban areas of Maine, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts (read Cecil Johnson)