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(The opinions expressed are those of William Wesley Wimbish, an independent-minded media critic) |
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Let them be the twin commanders of the nation's efforts to not only investigate what went wrong, but it's apparent from watching them, they are both convinced that they have the ultimate solutions to all the problems. And who better to serve than two men who already are wealthy. They don't need to be paid. They could be the modern day "Dollar a Year Men" who worked during the FDR presidency. We'd be fools to not put them on the next C 5-A military transport plane to the Gulf Coast. Let's suit them up in military camouflage and fit 'em with flak jackets and hip boots to wade through the toxic wasteland waters. Let's give them a staff, too. I nominate Michelle Malkin, Ann Coulter, Monica Crowley and Laura Ingraham to serve with them. They're America's new "A-Team!" If you thought that the video of General Douglas MacArthur's wading ashore on his return to the Philippines was historic, wait until O'Reilly and Hannity hit the beaches! W.W. Wimbish September 6, 2005 Rules
W.W. Wimbish
Let's Put The Adults Back in Charge of the Newsrooms! It must be
the producers who are doing this to the viewers and to the news cable
channel I don't care
if she lied, I don't care if her husband was embarrassed, I don't care
how many other brides and grooms have experienced this and I don't care
about hearing any more details or want to watch or listen to any more
lawyers and psychiatrists overanalyzing the individuals. When was the last time you saw a serious discussion about gas prices or, for that matter, any real news of substance? Do we still have a war going on in Iraq and Afghanistan? You wouldn't know that our young men and women soldiers are dying overseas in Iraq -- the media seems mainly interested in window-peeping on people's private lives and playing in the voyeur's sandbox again. Did you know that the North Koreans launched a test missile over the weekend? Probably not, because the media had it's "reporters" in Albuquerque, not Seoul or Tokyo. Did you know that, over the weekend, the Reverend Pat Robertson said that the appointment of the wrong judges is a graver threat than terrorism? Most likely not because you couldn't scrape the silly news off the TV screen. Hello
exploitation -- Goodbye judgment! If anyone should be paying a fine or reimbursing law enforcement officials, it should be CNN, MSNBC and Fox News, not the bride! If the big three news channels are running short on cash, they can always borrow the money from O'Reilly. If he had enough money to buy off a former employee and avoid an embarrassing lawsuit over a phone sex incident (remember the Case of the Runaway Loofah?) surely he can spare a hundred grand or so to pay for the bride's fines. And, while he's at it, maybe he can use his skills to gather and hide all the audio and video tapes of the news media coverage of the nervous bride's escapades just like he did with the phone sex tapes so we won't have to watch those damned countless replays of the bride walking through the Albuquerque airport with a multi-colored blanket over her head! Bottom line
-- It appears that a nervous bride ran away and went on a spree. End of
story! Let's let the law enforcement officials get back to the
serious work that they need to do. Trust me. Their time
would be better spent elsewhere and they don't need to baby sit the
media. The intelligence of the public is underestimated. It appears that the intelligence of the media has been vastly overrated. Did news personalities take all those college courses and study seriously all those years so they could report on this kind of silly news story? Can we put
the adults back in charge of the newsrooms? The news channels are
turning into "All Inside W.W. Wimbish March 29, 2005 Have they no shame? At long last, have they no shame?
"Until this moment, Senator,
I think I never really gauged your cruelty or your recklessness. Have
The Senate and the House and
the President of the United States, spurred to action by right
The media (few are without
guilt in this) stuck their noses right in the middle of this mess and
After watching a few minutes
of the "news" coverage, I have to turn off the TV and go take a shower,
so filthy do I feel from the dirt that's being flung on the TV screens
by the media people who have camped out on the hospice lawn or are there
by satellite link and are using this family tragedy to score ratings
points. Meanwhile, polls show that up to 80% or more of Americans don't want the Congress, the President -- and probably the media -- invading the sanctity and privacy of hospitals and hospices to force their opinions and politics on their own families. The President and members of Congress have used all the "code words" and phrases to signal to the right wing that they are "one" with them. Phrases like "Culture of Life." When you hear these often repeated words and phrases like "starving to death," "barbaric," "cruel and unusual punishment" and "no food or water," you'll know where those came from. The Congress and the President are being manipulated by these kooks and carnival barkers who pass out these talking points.
It is a tragedy that a fine
and gracious
lady, Mrs. Schiavo, is being used to promote the ideology of politicians
and ratings points by the media. They call her "Terri" as if they've
known her all her life. If they respected her, they'd call her
Mrs. Schiavo.
Will Congress and the
President devote as much passion and time to solving these problems?
Probably not as long as we keep having to deal with these "wag the dog"
situations. Where will it cost more? Well, to begin with, it could no longer just be a simple, quiet decision among family members when the moment comes to decide when to say goodbye to their loved ones when all hope of survival of injuries or medical complications is gone. Now the Congress and the President have opened the door to thousands or millions of similar Schiavo-Schlindler situations in large and small cities all across the nation. Congress and the politicians, to cover their butts, will most likely pass restrictive laws that will require costly 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th opinions by doctors and specialists. What's to stop some of those same crazies who are in front of the hospice in Florida from invading the privacy of families in hospices all across America, filing injunctions and grabbing media spotlights? Those extra opinions are going to cost Americans an enormous sum in dollars that would better be put to use on food, clothing and education. It's the Congress, the President and the media who brought this mess upon us. But, as usual, they spread the mess while we taxpayers have to spend our hard-earned money to clean it up. The American people have already been stuck with the recent bill for millions of dollars that were used to pay for presidential transportation and security, and for the hundreds of members of Congress to return to Washington on that night to cast one vote, yes, one vote, on behalf of Tom DeLay and his right wingers. Why hasn't the media covered that story? And, speaking of costs, has the media looked into who has been paying the costs of hospice and hospital care for Mrs. Schiavo during the past decade and a half? Are Mrs. Schiavo's bills being paid by her legal husband, Michael Schiavo's health insurance? The Schindler family wants to take over guardianship of their daughter. But, will their insurance policies cover her hospice care? Would Medicare pay for her care if the Schindlers took over guardianship? Taxpayers are being stuck with the bill for the Pinellas Park Police and other public servants who are providing 24 security for the hospital and close surrounding areas. Have you heard a word on any news channel about that cost? These are simple questions for which the media have not sought answers. This current crop of immature and reckless media will, naturally, hide behind their "It's news, so we have to cover it" mantra. The real truth is that they really don't have to cover it. Not when it is the media that is creating the news, not just covering it. Unfortunately, the media doesn't know how to gracefully back away from this mess they themselves have created. For the past couple of days, the media seems to be intoning that they are unbiased in their reporting and feel it is necessary to cover this story for the moral and legal issues involved. The actors in this tragedy, the Shiavo and Schindler families, their "groupies" and others seem to plan their news conferences around which on-air cable TV personality will give them the most exposure and face time. And the eager beaver media has surrendered itself right into these actor's hands. It makes one beg for the good old days when the adults were running the news operations around the country. Have they no shame? At long last, have they no shame?
Tom DeLay may be the next
one who falls. When politicians feel the heat from voters back home, DeLay's in hiding. Where is he? The media aren't pursuing him for answers. They're all staked out in front of a hospice in Florida, disturbing and trampling on the last moments of the lives of Mrs. Schiavo and the others who are living their last days in the hospice. If there is one politician who may come out ahead in all of this mess, it's Jeb Bush. At least he was smart enough to publicly state as soon as he "saw the light" that he has done all he can legally. He has continued to maintain that stance.
Jeb was always looked upon
as the smartest one of the Bush boys. He's showing that maturity
and "smartness" now. His big brother, W, is still out playing with
the kooks and wacky-weirdoes who now think of him as one of them. October 29 Bill O'Reilly says it's over. But, is it? He says he's not going to say any more about it. But why should that stop the media from covering this story of the sick behavior of another media person? Is it because they are afraid that he or Fox News won't invite them to be on his show and the network? Is that a form of blackmail, a way that the media buys the media's silence? Chances are some in the media are hot on the trail of those two foreign ladies Bill bragged about bedding down, according to the lawsuit filed by his assistant producer. I might feel better about all of this if Bill had agreed to see a psychiatrist as part of the settlement. Are we talking about a double standard of conduct and justice here -- for media and non-media people? The settlement says there was no wrongdoing on either side. But, if there wasn't any wrongdoing, why did he file a lawsuit? Bill paid the bill for silence. But, why won't he turn over the tapes to the news media and let them -- and us -- in a fair and balanced way of course, play them and listen to them and be the judge? He claims to be a man of the people. But, something smells here. What average workin' man masturbates in his hotel room while talking with his assistant? There's something really sick about all of this. The next time I see Bill point to the TV camera with his finger to make a point, I'll think about where that hand has been. Some will, fairly or unfairly, compare this payoff to Michael Jackson's out of court settlements of 10 years ago. Is this a personal matter for Bill? Sure. But, he is a public person. If he is going to hold others to higher standards, should not the media and the public hold him to a higher standard? Would an average man of simple means and average income be treated the same way as Bill O'Reilly? Therein lies the problem. Once again, someone with millions and millions of dollars pays someone to be silent -- and now they think they can walk away as if nothing happened. Is that fair, is that balanced? Perhaps not. As Margaret Carlson writes, " ... a hush has fallen over the Fox News commentariat, and its brothers and sisters in arms. Apparently, there are no morals police to police the morals police" (WW Wimbish) July 30 W.W. Wimbish's mini-analysis of the Democratic National Convention Coverage: With 15,000 members of the media and a third of that number of delegates, you'd think that the media could have at least interviewed a few of the delegates instead of using the delegates as an audience and backdrops while they interviewed themselves repeatedly. The media have become, in the spirit of the Rolling Stones song, "Star F_ _ _ ers" + Once again the media trivializes news coverage by commenting on the length of a speech, its being rushed, the balloons not dropping, etc. instead of analysis of the content of speeches and difference in the candidates. Worst moment of the convention? Bill O'Reilly grandstanding in his fake New Yawk accent when he tore into Michael Moore during a moment of "convention tension" on O'Reilly's Fox News Channel show -- Best repetition of talking points? References to John Kerry's not voting for the $87 Billion -- Weirdest Cut? Chris Matthews' breaking into Al Sharpton's speech to say that Sharpton's political career began with a lie, the Tawanna Brawley episode. Best commentary and insight during the convention? Mike Barnicle. Worst commentary and lack of insight? Joe Scarborough Best comedy commentator? Triumph the dog
William Wesley Wimbish April 10 Rush Limbaugh seems to think that his celebrity status has elevated him to a level where he is above the law and above criticism. He has accused the legal authorities who are following an alleged trail of illegal drugs purchases and doctor shopping of being on a witch hunt. There wouldn't be a hunt if Limbaugh hadn't become addicted to pain killer drugs. His need for the drugs appears to have gotten out of hand. THAT is why he is being investigated. What makes Rush Limbaugh special? His celebrity? Yes, his celebrity does make him a special person. Being a celebrity means that you are going to be talked about, read about and covered by the media a lot more than the average person. You can't just turn on or turn these things off by wishing that they will go away. It is the cost of being a celebrity and it goes with the territory. Limbaugh has attempted to portray himself as just a common man with a common problem among common men and women who get hooked on common prescription pain killers. But, he loses my sympathy when he attempts to put himself in the category of being uncommonly accused, uncommonly investigated and uncommonly prosecuted because he is a celebrity and a right wing icon. (Try telling that to the judge if and when you are arraigned, Rush) Common, everyday people can't afford to hire a world class attorney like Roy Black to represent them. Common, everyday people don't have a huge megaphone like his radio program to proclaim to the world that they are innocent and only the victims of witch hunts by legal authorities. Jails and prisons are populated by common people who have been found guilty of what Limbaugh has been accused of doing -- illegally purchase prescription drugs either by doctor shopping or, in his case, allegedly paying for pills with cash-filled Cuban cigar boxes in Denny's Restaurant parking lots. Has Limbaugh made any effort to help those common people by speaking out on their behalf, visiting them in jails or drug treatment centers? None that we've seen. It only hurts his case when he tries to make us believe that he is waging a grand and noble battle for everyone who's ever been accused of doctor shopping and illegally purchasing drugs. That's simply theatrical hyperbole and, frankly, BS. There is nothing unusual about this defensive action of his. It is entirely natural. What you are hearing Limbaugh say is "How could they accuse me, a beloved celebrity, of doing anything wrong?" What he really means is, "I got caught! How can I get out of this?" If he is convicted of purchasing -- illegally -- those thousands and thousands of prescription drugs from his former maid (and possibly other drug suppliers) and several doctors in Florida and California, will part of his sentencing include community service in drug rehabilitation centers? Those five weeks he spent in drug rehabilitation don't seem to have done much good to help him with the addiction. Oh, sure, he was a little contrite and humble for about 2 minutes when he went back on the air after returning from the drug treatment. But, the humbled guy who came back is humble no more. He's laughing at his drug addiction. How can you take this guy seriously when he doesn't take his drug addiction seriously. One of the signs of recovery is for the patient to be able to cope with the fact that they're addicted and it's their own fault. Rush Limbaugh hasn't come to grips with that yet. He keeps blaming others for his woes. It is everybody's fault but his. There are indications that Rush Limbaugh is in a state of panic in the State of Florida. His nervous, daily, silly on-air chatter and his daily rants against the legal authorities and media are similar to those of a person who's trying to find the right excuse to talk his way out of being accused of wrongdoing. When I hear the excuses and the nervous chattering, I think of the Saturday Night Live line, "Yeah, that's the ticket!" He just doesn't get it, does he? He is either too immature or too thick-headed to accept that he is the one who brought all this on himself. The doctors didn't over-prescribe the pain killers. It looks like he tried to find a way around the doctor's prescription limits by reported "doctor shopping" and spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on illegally gotten drugs purchased from his former maid and, possibly, others. Evidently, his pill popping habit turned him into a glutton. His enormous appetite for food was replaced by a ravenous appetite for pain pills. Remember, this man thinks larger than life in all things that he does. Because he is extremely wealthy, he probably thought that he could break the laws and feed his pill addiction. His celebrity status and super wealth made him believe that he was above the laws of common and mere mortal men and women. He's not the first wealthy celebrity who believed that. And he may not be the first celebrity whose fall from grace was because he believed that to be a celebrity is to be granted special rights and privileges. He's now beginning to use the "Conspiracy Card" to defend himself. He's laughed at conspiracy theories in the past, but, now that he thinks the suit fits him, he's the most vocal proponent. Who are the players in his conspiracy theory? You can list them as anyone who is not a card carrying member of the right, Florida's legal authorities and the media. Limbaugh brought forth the seeds of conspiracy on his program on Thursday, April 8th, when he said, "Now, ladies and gentlemen, please indulge me, if you will, a brief personal moment. Yesterday, oral argument occurred at the Fourth District Court of Appeal here in -- well, over there in West Palm Beach, across the intercoastal waterway. The subject was, as usual, being misreported by the media. I've looked at some of the stories today, and they're really bland when you consider what's at stake here. And they're bland frankly, because I do not cut a sympathetic figure with the media. They're not concerned about what happens to me because I'm who I am. They don't report that this is about much more than just me. This is about whether law enforcement can ignore a Florida statute and storm into doctors' offices with search warrants, using any after-the-fact excuse to justify it, and take someone's entire medical file and then go through that file, not knowing what they're going to find, hoping and praying they find evidence that might lead them to an investigation of a potential crime. That's exactly what happened here. It's not being accurately reported" I heard the song, "Poor, Poor, Pitiful Me" playing in the background when I read his comments. If there is any conspiracy in the media, it is a silent conspiracy to NOT give this unique story the space on newspaper pages and on news networks that it deserves. Only the Associated Press, CNN, your local newspapers the Palm Beach Daily News and Palm Beach Post, and Sun-Sentinel appear to have assigned any journalists to cover your story. The news networks are contented with running AP and Palm Beach Post news stories. There have only been a couple of efforts by ABC, CBS and NBC -- for the time being -- to cover the story. NewMax and WorldNetDaily, the right wing online flacks for the Republican Party and the right wing agenda, continue to cover the Limbaugh fall from grace as if he were the Messiah, being crucified for everyone else's sins -- except his own. MSNBC, Fox News and CNN have provided free time to NBC's paid consultant and Limbaugh attorney, Roy Black, to, literally, allow him to give speeches proclaiming that Rush Limbaugh is being singled out for prosecution because of who he is. He's just doing what any attorney would do for his client. But, he gets to perform on a larger stage. The news coverage could change, depending on an upcoming decision by the panel of judges in Florida that would allow or prevent his medical records being viewed and used by Florida's legal authorities so that the investigation can move forward. With celebrity comes visibility and responsibility. Limbaugh has homes in New York and a ritzy, $25-35 Million address in the playgrounds of the rich and famous in Palm Beach. It's hard for me to imagine that he's just a "common man." Common men and women don't have a 10 year, $285 Million contract or millions of fans who idolize them and think that they can do no wrong. It's time for Limbaugh to quit blaming others for his troubles. Others didn't allegedly grind and snort, pop, swallow and illegally buy those thousands and thousands of prescription drugs. If he is convicted, there will be no doubt that he did. It's about time that Limbaugh realizes that he has to be responsible for his own actions. He needs to come to grips with the fact that he is probably a pain killer drug addict, stop whining and face the music like thousands of others have to do everyday in court. This is one situation that he can't talk himself out of in the court of public opinion via the airwaves. He'll have to argue in a court of law like all of those common, everyday people -- one of whom he claims to be. Celebrity doesn't work when you're being tried before a jury of a dozen rather than by a nation of obedient dittohead listeners. W.W. Wimbish e-mail wimbish@journalist.com April 1 Things I am pondering ... Air America hosts were on TV talk shows talking about their radio shows for longer periods of time than they were on their own radio talk shows on the debut day of the leftward leaning network. It was over coverage to the max. No wonder the AA talk shows seemed a little shaky and off balance. The hosts kept tripping over camera lights and microphones shoved in their faces by the overzealous media. The wise among the radio pros know that anyone’s first day performance on the air is never an indication of the next 999 days that are to follow. With all the hype and hoopla whipped up by the print, over the air and online media about Franken, Garofalo, Rhodes, Schultz, Winstead, Chuck D, and Maddow, you’d think that it was a one day event, not just the opening day of the talking season. Steady. Steady. Calm down. Quiet your beating heart. Take a deep breath. Once the media get out of their faces, we’ll hear how the Air America’s talk team does its job. Conservative radio wasn’t built in a day. It took a few years for Limbaugh and his Stepford sons and daughters to figure out their own formulas. With debut day behind them, there’s a fresh team suited up and ready to take the field. It will be interesting to listen during the coming months to see how Air America shapes up. Expect a few bumps in the road, changes here and there, some additions and deletions from the on-air team and producers. But, quit judging the total product from the first day's offering. You're smarter than that. If I may offer a little advice to Al and the gang, it is this. Talk TO and WITH America, not AT Americans. Cut out the “inside the studio” chatter and talk about things that Americans are talking about, not your co-hosts and show business people. Cut out the cheap clichés. Take a broom to them and sweep the John Kerrys, Michael Moores, Bob Kerreys and Al Gores out of the studio. It's a workplace, not a mingles bar. The most important thing you can do is quit talking about and knocking the conservative talk show people with your every breath. You’re giving them way too much credit for what they’ve done on talk radio. They're not really that smart, you know. They've just had the whole ballpark to themselves. That's changed. They're more frightened of you than you should be of them. Who'll be the paper tigers? That's up to you. Now, that you’ve suited up, take to the field and knock a few balls around. We’ll be listening. Speaking of Rush Limbaugh … He wasn’t on the air yesterday, was he? Do you think he was listening to Air America or sitting in his attorney’s office listening to the strategy for his April 7th court date in Florida that's just a few days away? Meanwhile, his attorney, Roy Black, is making the rounds to show that he is earning his money. It's not what you hear from this legal gladiator in the Limbaugh camp that counts. It's what you don't hear. Roy Black continues to issue carefully penned and printed statements for the media and doing his weekly tour of easy interviews on MSNBC and the Fox News Channel. Although Greta Van Susteren is no journalist, it doesn't help bolster Fox's "fair and balanced" claim when she ends the interview by asking Black to say "hello" to his wife for her. Nor does it help the slightly less right wing fanatical image at MSNBC when the usually tough-talking Jeannine Pirro (substituting for Dan Abrams) calls attorney Black "my friend" during her interview. Actually, speech might be a better word than interview to describe these chatty, chipper little visits. Black could just as well have supplied the questions to the show hosts and producers given the tender questioning that has been displayed on these "news" channels. Naturally, Roy Black has been careful to appear on only these friendly news channels and networks where he is either a paid contributor or appearing on a program with right wing hosts. He's never been fully interviewed by a print or electronic media journalist, only these who are, at best, entertainers and fluff commentators. He's never, to my knowledge, even appeared on TV with another guest who might have a different view on Limbaugh's situation. Is Roy Black dictating the terms of his appearances on MSNBC, Fox, CNN and other news channels? You ask, we'll listen for your answer. On Limbaugh's www.rushlimbaugh.com and Roy Black’s www.royblack.com, you'll notice that they only print and tout the positive spin and news stories that favor Limbaugh. Even there, as is the case across the fruited plains, Limbaugh’s support and positive news stories seem to be “a country wide and a centimeter deep.” Gee. You'd think there'd be more political and media support among the15 million listeners his program attracts weekly. But, judging from the small numbers who have stepped forward so far to defend Limbaugh, they either don’t care or are withholding judgment. Of course, Black would be a fool to ever submit to a bona fide journalist's questions because, if he did, he would have to answer tough questions such as "What about all those alleged illegal drug buys that his former maid claims Limbaugh made from her in Denny’s parking lots, exchanging Cuban cigar boxes full of cash for illegally obtained pills to feed his habit? What about those e-mails he sent to the maid and voice mails that may exist which contain demands and requests that she deliver to him even more illegally obtained drugs? Is it true that one of Limbaugh's attorneys actually tried to buy the former maid's computer hard drive for $100,000 so that he could destroy the possibly damning evidence of those e-mails?" Roy Black is smart. His defense strategy is a little like that of a baseball team coach who keeps arguing with an umpire over a strike to divert the ump's attention while a runner is stealing second base and well on his way to third. The legal authorities in Florida are smart, too. They're not wasting their time on cable news talk shows chatting with hosts whose attention span is about as long as the life of a studio light. The Florida legal authorities have been very, very quiet lately. It could be that they are waiting for their day in court to show their cards. A judgment day for Limbaugh is coming -- and it's not the April 7th court date when learned lawyers will argue the merits of whether or not the authorities in Florida should be able to keep and use Limbaugh's medical records that they seized through a court order signed by judges. That may be just a smokescreen, an attention distracting maneuver and ploy that Black is using to keep the attention of the media and the public away from the possibly damning evidence that may exist in the testimony of the maid -- and who knows how many other possible witnesses and former employees -- that could reveal more details about those alleged thousands and thousands of illegal pills that Limbaugh supposedly purchased with hundreds of thosands of dollars during the several years that his maid claims to have been his personal "drug mule." Follow the money. Check those FEDEX freight bills. Talk with the maid and the house man. Talk with the maid's attorney, Edward Shohat. Stay tuned. Limbaugh's real problems may be just beginning. Meanwhile, the next time Roy Black shows up on cable TV, don't listen to what he says. Listen for what he doesn't talk about. As long as lazy, elite investigative journalists ignore what may be one of the biggest media stories of the year by ignoring the former maid's allegations, those hundreds of thousands of dollars that Limbaugh supposedly spent on illegal drug buys will continue to be silent. No telling what stories those dollars could tell. W.W. Wimbish e-mail wimbish@journalist.com March 5 Stewart Verdict Sends a Loud Message to the Big Shots in Business and Entertainment If anyone should be shocked and worried
about the guilty verdicts in the Martha Stewart and Peter Bacanovic
case, it might be Rush Limbaugh. While Limbaugh continues to appear
chipper, feisty and full of machismo on his radio program, the wheels of
justice in Florida are turning -- and he can hear the nagging, gnawing
grinding of the gears. As this columnist has repeatedly said,
(scroll down this page) Limbaugh has not once denied that he
purchased thousands and thousands of illegal drugs from his former maid
Wilma Cline (up to 30,000 in one year, she claims), to my knowledge.
That no journalists or talk show hosts have asked Limbaugh, his
attorney, Roy Black, Wilma Cline or her attorney, Edward Shohat,
questions about his alleged purchases of those thousands of drugs in
addition to those of the "doctor shopping" prescription charges, is
troubling. Their not asking these questions or grilling these people
about Limbaugh's former maid, Wilma Cline's accusations, either means
they have lousy program producers and researchers, and editors, or that
they are protecting their own media pal, Limbaugh. You be the judge. But, until the lazy media gets off their individual and collective rear ends and asks the questions, we won't know. William Wesley Wimbish March 3 Things I am pondering ... If Rush Limbaugh is convicted of allegedly buying thousands of dollars of illegal drugs, trying to skirt state and federal laws to avoid reporting withdrawals of amounts close to $10,000 and purchasing drugs via FEDEX across state boundary lines, would President Bush pardon him? Why hasn't Limbaugh been invited to spend the night in the Lincoln Bedroom again, during the Bush, Jr.'s term? Is it the "Drug Thing?" Has anyone asked? Why not? The major reason that Sean Hannity's new book is so high on the NY Times Bestseller's List? It could be that his constant hawking of his book on his radio and TV shows has something to do with it. I wonder how many people who have bought his and books by other talk show hosts have actually taken the time to read the books. Most of them are just regurgitations of what they've said on the air. Will someone slap Alan Colmes and wake him up? He appears to be watching the show rather than participating in it lately. Maybe they should change the name of the show to "Hannity and Leftovers." Leftovers is what he usually gets by the time Hannity has monopolized the airtime. Rush Limbaugh makes fun of John Kerry, saying that he married Teresa Heinz for her money. Did Marta Limbaugh marry Rush because of his money? It's a fair question. They're now "public people." Bill O'Reilly boasts that a big part of the money that he makes off of selling cups, T-shirts and other stuff on his Web site goes to charity. How much is a big part? He won't say. February 18 - 19 Things I am pondering ... Rush Limbaugh talks about everything BUT he avoids "THE BIG QUESTION" -- "Did you or did you not buy illegal drugs from your maid and others?" Rush Limbaugh's Web site seems to have listed all the positive press there is about his drug case. No "fair and balanced" there! There are his attorney's press releases, comments from the ACLU, an editorial from the Miami Herald and a couple of carefully selected stories from NewsMax and the Palm Beach Post. BUT, where are all the high profile people defense statements from his usual political allies? Where's Governor Jeb Bush's intervention? Where's the current President's statement and where's the former President George H.W. Bush's supportive statement? If Rush Limbaugh's good enough to spend a night in the Lincoln Bedroom (1992), isn't he an ally who deserves Bush I's support? Where's Premiere Talk's positive statement that praises Limbaugh? Their absences are very, very conspicuous. Roy Black, Rush Limbaugh's lawyer, will once again appear in a friendly field on Court TV's Catherine Crier show this afternoon at 5 PM ET. He'll cleverly piddle and diddle on about Limbaugh's medical records privacy, blah, blah, blah. Ho-hum ... But, he won't dare be responsive about the question of the thousands and thousands of illegally gotten drugs that Limbaugh supposedly received from his former maid in Denny's parking lots and by FEDEX over several years. The Court TV interviewer, Catherine Crier, should ask Black about those thousands of pills and show some gutsy questioning ability. It'd be nice to see a news outlet avoid just being just another mouthpiece for Limbaugh's Ditto Defense Dream (Hallucinations?) Team ... Face it. The doctor shopping and medical records matters are secondary to Limbaugh's purchases of thousands and thousands of illegal drugs over the past few years. Perspective! Perspective! The media seem to be wandering off of the main points of this case. Post Script to the Court TV Roy Black Interview: 5:15 pm ET -- Once again, the media missed a unique opportunity to ask Roy Black directly, "Is it true that Rush Limbaugh bought and paid for thousands and thousands of illegal drugs from his maid and other sources in addition to those he obtained from doctor's prescriptions?" Catherine Crier had a golden gate in front of her that she could have gone through, but, she failed to take the step. Her cozy interview with Roy Black proves once again that the media do protect their own. Had it been anyone else besides Limbaugh under the spotlight of accusation, Crier would have probably have done her best to scratch out the eyes of the attorney who represented the accused to get the answer to that question. Nice try, Catherine. Rush owes you a Cuban cigar. Meanwhile, the question goes unanswered while the media fiddles with favored attorneys who are frequent guests on their shows and handles them with kid gloves. Shame on you, Judge Crier. W.W. Wimbish Those who serve and surround President Bush in his cabinet and other advisory posts should be coined, "The League of Extraordinary Ladies and Gentlemen Who Have Vivid Imaginations and Selective Memory." They keep changing the goal posts about WMD and coming up with new adjectives and prepositions to explain why none have been found and other messy questions that they haven't fully and honestly answered. January 29 Rush Limbaugh is NOT a big fat liar! But he and his attorneys certainly seem to have a problem with math and a glaring omission of facts. Someone out there is apparently creating one of the biggest smokescreens and bait and switch operations in many years. (Has Sitrick and Company signed on as the crisis manager and public relations strategist?) And you know what? It seems like the "elite" and "non-elite" media have been fooled by these brilliant defensive tactics. Don't worry. Will Wimbish is here to help you. I'm doing your homework for you at no cost to you or your editors. Read on. The recent full-blown attempt at presenting a positive media campaign for Rush Limbaugh includes an appeal for fans and the faithful to e-mail the legal authorities in Florida. The seemingly orchestrated efforts also have featured at least 3 TV appearances by Limbaugh's high dollar attorney, Roy Black, on NBC's Today Show, with MSNBC's Joe Scarborough and an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News. (Black is a paid contributor to NBC) Limbaugh, Black and his crisis management team are smart! They won't let themselves be exposed to hostile questions from "real" media people, curious and investigative journalists (where are they, by the way?) and anyone armed with real facts. If you watched the Fox News Channel's lovefest-interview between Sean Hannity and Roy Black on the evening of the New Hampshire primary, you may have wondered whether or not it was going to end in a double orgasm. It was that lovey-dovey, cozy and syrupy sweet. The same thing occurred when Joe Scarborough "interviewed" Roy Black. No tough questions. It was, in more ways than one, an opportunity for Black to, in essence, make a speech. It wasn't an interview. It was "group agreement" between two men. On Limbaugh's Web site you'll find links to letters to and from Florida officials hurling accusations of contradictions and concealment at each other . The ACLU has filed a friend of the court brief but has been relatively quiet since the filing. Mark R. Levin and the Legal Landmark Foundtion have filed ethics complaints against the legal authorities who are investigating Limbaugh in Florida. You'll remember Mark Levin from the Clinton impeachment days. He was a more than frequent guest commentator on Fox, CNBC, MSNBC, CNN and in right wing publications in the late 1990's during the impeachment hearings. He's listed as a speaker on the conservative Young America's Foundation speaker's bureau page along with his photo. Take a look. Yes, THAT Mark Levin. On the page it states that "Rush Limbaugh appointed Mr. Levin head of his “legal division.” Limbaugh continues to be the butt of drug jokes on late night TV. No wonder the defense team is throwing up these smokescreens to keep the attention of the media elsewhere. Roy Black, Limbaugh, and evidently the TV news producers who brief the Hannity's, Today Show hosts, Joe Scarborough and others, can't add. 'Somebody hand them a calculator, quick! It's the numbers of pills, stupid, and where they came from that have been left out of the formula that's being skillfully portrayed to and in the media. The "Doctor Shopping" pill figures are quoted by Black in a recent story on CNN -- "Black also disputed prosecution claims that Limbaugh received more than 2,000 pills in about 180 days. Black said the records in question show Limbaugh received about 1,800 pills over a period of 210 days, which averages out to eight 1/2 pills per day." That's a difference of about 2 1/2 pills a day. Big deal. Whatever happened to "take two aspirin and call me in the morning?" But ... and here comes the big but. BUT, you've been distracted and programmed to just think of just those figures, the "doctor shopping" charge and all that legal paper flying around from letters between Limbaugh's attorneys and the Florida legal authorities, and the attorney general that are just part of the smokescreen. A month from now, you may have forgotten about the flurry of legal filings. Rush Limbaugh's America might read some facts and figures that could possibly stun them. Those 2000 pills might just be the tip of the iceberg. There could be a mountain of pills that you've forgotten about or have never heard about, thanks to the bait and switch operation that's going on. What Black and Limbaugh's minions never seem to include in the mathematical equation are the thousands and thousands of pills that were allegedly illegally purchased by Limbaugh from his maid and, perhaps, other sources in New York or elsewhere. Do you recall that reference to a FEDEX delivery of pills? Do you remember the maid's tales of exchanges of cash for pills in Cuban cigar boxes in the Denny's parking lot that the maid? Now it's coming back to you, isn't it? Remember the quotes about the pills from the original story in October in the National Enquirer that forced Limbaugh to hightail it out of Florida to the drug treatment center in October? I'll refresh your memory. Here are a few numbers you'd seen before but that you didn't check out. According to The National Enquirer, the maid, Wilma Cline kept a ledger. She claimed that Limbaugh bought more than 30,000 pills from her from July 2001 to June 2002 (The math says that's 83.33 pills a day for one year). That's one year of the 5 years that she worked for him, so there may have been more illegal pills purchases. At one time, according to her statements, he owed her $80,000 for pill purchases. She further said that a lawyer paid her $100,000 (a $20,000 bonus) to cover the debt. Then, four months later, she claims that the attorney presented her with a check in the amount of $100,000 to get her to hand over her computer which may have contained e-mails from Limbaugh. And there is a statement in the Enquirer story that Limbaugh may have purchased and received illegal drugs which were sent to his mansion from other suppliers via FedEx delivery. The National Enquirer articles produce information about the authorities who, at the time, were hoping to find out the originating address of the FedEx pills delivered to Palm Beach. Those missing 83.33 pills per day (PPD?) are in addition to the 8 1/2 pills a day that Roy Black claims that Limbaugh was consuming and are included in the "doctor shopping" charges. Do the math. There's a big difference between 8.5 and 83.33 pills a day. If prosecutors are considering charging Limbaugh over those allegedly illegal 83.33 per day illegal (PPD) pill purchases, he might have second thoughts about having passed up that plea bargain deal supposedly offered in December for just "doctor shopping" the 8.5 pills per day. Has Roy Black ever been asked by the media about these 30,000 illegal pills that were allegedly purchased by Limbaugh from July 2001 to June 2002? If so, I've not seen or heard any reports. It appears that only three local newspapers and an AP reporter are closely covering this story. The Palm Beach Post's John Pacenti, Palm Beach Daily News' Michele Dargan, South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Peter Franceschina and AP's Jill Barton. Remember those names and newspapers. You may be calling on them for background information soon. If the Florida prosecutors ever file charges against Rush Limbaugh and some of these figures and allegations are included, it could be devastating to Limbaugh, the radio stations who depend on the millions of dollars that his show produces for them and to the reputations of the lazy or inattentive media and non-media elites who didn't seem to think that there was a "story" there. There you go, elite and non-elite media. That's your math lesson for today. You're embarrassed, aren't you? These facts and figures have been right under your nose, but you were lost in the brilliant defensive smokescreen that's been put up between you and the facts of this story. If you need more questions, just scroll down this page. There are plenty of questions, quotes and quotients to keep you busy for a few days. Now you can ask Roy Black, Rush Limbaugh and the Florida legal authorities about the missing 83.33 pills per day and just what the real figures and real facts are. But, you'd better take a calculator and a fact checker with you. These guys aren't good at math. William Wesley Wimbish January 23 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. William Wesley Wimbish January 21, 2004 Come alive! You're in the Banshee Generation! Don’t read this if you are over 46 and a member of the media’s Metamucil generation. These next few words are for you younger people who are working in elections, among the local, statewide and national Democratic, Republican and other major parties’ candidates. You are the next greatest generation all dressed up in blue jeans and earrings, navel rings and Old Navy brand T-shirts. My generation has lost its guts, its direction and its determination to make this country a better place, it seems to me. It’s up to you to fight the fights and right some wrongs, and set this country on a straight course again. My message to you is for you to embrace, learn and use at every opportunity that Howard Dean "Banshee Scream" as your own personal battle cry. Use it publicly, privately and in political circumstances. Don't be embarrassed by it. Wear it proudly like a victory ribbon. You’ll need all the war cries you can muster to get through this election process. Some of you young people who are Howard Dean supporters may be disappointed at the outcome of his Iowa margins. But, believe me, it’s just the first of fifty fights. Don’t be discouraged. You’re living to fight again. That is what Howard Dean was telling you in Iowa at the end of the evening. Did you think it was going to be easy? Tough fights are always dirty, nasty and bloody you up. Expect that next week and during all the next weeks until November. Being a member of the most recent generation that grew up just before yours, I can recall having many times heard and summoned up the courage to exhale my own similar Banshee screams during the past 20 to 30 years. But, now that I have become a bit cynical and over 46, I find it hard to muster both the air and ecstasy to shout it at the top of my lungs. Oh, how I loved those Banshee screams of mine! I hear a younger version of it nowadays sometimes in the checkout line at the grocery store when a newborn baby or 4-year-old screams at the top of his lungs in protest. How I envy those kids the freedoms of expression that they have. I wish I had my Banshee protest scream back. But, my coat and tie, and receding hairline preclude my using similar freedoms of expression. You’ll find that to be true among many and most of the media crowd nowadays. They are very jealous of the Banshee screamers like you. They have no new ideas, no new passions and no futures to embrace. They’ve done life. They’re lazy now. Their once terrific enthusiasm and bright ideas are as shriveled up as the prunes they eat to handle their advancing irregularity. They are resting on their laurels, waiting for their Social Security checks to arrive in ten years or so. They don’t pick up and hold high any political placards nowadays for candidates. The only card carrying they are doing nowadays is the carrying of their AARP card. Technology spawned satellites and digital cable channels, and the Republican and Democratic National Committees have seen fit to fill the news channel’s seats with talent that is bloated, boosted and fed by its own egos. They are the leftover flab of the exciting 60’s, 70’s and 80’s generations. Don’t become one of them. It seems to me that the so-called experts, the Limbaughs, Hannitys, Colmes, Schultzes, O’Reilly’s, Van Susterens, Norvilles, Scarboroughs, Kings and other so-called gods of talk and interview shows ought to have "thought bubbles" hanging above their chairs, when they sit down at the microphone or in front of the TV cameras to enrich your life, that self-proclaim and read, "I am something special." They really do think they are something special. Actually, they’re used-to-be's who are trying to suck the freedom from your mind and implant their own ideas in your fertile mind. Don’t let them succeed. Fight them. Some of these guys and gals were out in the streets when they were your age and, yes, they were screaming like Banshees, too, just like Howard Dean did the other night. 99% of the media and journalists called that scream bizarre, maniacal or even primal. Let me tell you why they did. They squirmed nervously because that scream scared the Hell out of them. It shook them to their cores. They first and last heard it on the streets of Chicago in 1968. They remember it from the green fields of the campus of Kent State. They were once Banshee screamers, too. They may have worn the green jungle fatigues of Viet Nam but they traded them in for three piece suits, pants suits and long term fat contracts. These media people are becoming the same kind of arrogant and "I know what’s best for you" people who my generation fought to topple and did. Now they and we have become them. They are now the establishment. These people really believe that they possess the wisdom of the ages and can move mountains, nations and earth. Trust me. They don’t, won’t and can’t. But, you do, will and should. How do you start? You can begin with that Banshee battle cry that you heard the other night. The media will be tee-heeing and snickering at it for days and weeks to come, so you’ll see and hear it often on TV and the radio. Practice it, learn and use it well. And don’t forget, like this current generation of pompous asses (myself included), that pagan scream and the relief, exhilaration and ecstasy it can bring to pure, young and enthusiastic hearts like yours. Just once – or maybe more often – I’d love to hear you break into that Banshee scream when you’re at a candidate’s political rally. Scream it loud and scream it proud! Get in front of a TV camera or get next to a radio microphone and make your presence known. We've got a cowboy in the White House who ought to be yelling a daily "Yee-Hah!" down Pennsylvania Avenue. We've got candidates on the campaign trail whose supporters would love to hear some enthusiastic "Wah-Hoos" come bursting forth from their lips instead of the memorized, tired and worn campaign slogans. I’d like to hear a soldier in Iraq or Afghanistan cut loose with a hair lifting Banshee scream. God knows the military grunts have enough frustrations in their own hearts. If they're ever going to come home, it may be because of a nation filled with Banshee screams. Your spirited and loud Banshee screams will let this old warrior know that this country is going to be in good hands with you young people in charge, no matter which candidate you support in this year's election. You are now christened as a member of the Banshee Generation. So, let’s see what you can do with the responsibility. Your country is counting on you. "Yeeeeeeeearrrrrrhhhhh!" William Wesley Wimbish
December 25 Nice try, Rush, but no Cuban cigar! When you can’t tell the whole truth or admit the facts, you argue the law. That’s what you’ve done for two days, Tuesday and Wednesday, on your radio program. It's the blame game that you're playing, blaming your problems on everyone else. Why not just take responsibility for what you've done and bring this episode in your life to a decent close? You've let down a lot of people by your actions. You've let down the "Limbaugh Legions" who'd stick with you through thick and thin. You've let down all those radio stations and people whose financial futures depend, in part, on the income from your radio show. You're setting a very poor example. When are you going to come clean? You most likely know that your problems are not entirely just about your medical records being reviewed by legal authorities. The really big problems that you may be facing are with regard to allegedly obstructing an investigation by attempting to destroy evidence -- your former maid’s computer hard drive that contained all those e-mails that you sent to her -- as well as the potentially damaging voice mail messages you left on her recorder when you were supposedly using her as your personal drug mule, as she has claimed. It is amazing that the media is taking your bait and dealing with the "doctor shopping" allegations. You call them "elite media" -- and they sure aren’t acting like "brilliant elite media," it seems. You've been moaning and whining that there have been leaks from anonymous sources? But, a quick review of the majority of reports shows that you've been reading quotes and facts sourced to your legal team, your syndicator's spokesperson and the state of Florida's legal authorities who are just confirming what already is known to be fact -- that you ARE under investigation. Rush, no matter how much you try to duck and run, and talk about Hillary, Howard Dean and other topics on your show, you know that what you probably really want to do is fess up, confess and get these problems behind you. Your EIB empire is unraveling around you. You've got to move to stop the erosion. None of your friends and associates, other than your lawyers and those minions of yours who are on your payroll or profit from your show, are coming forth publicly to defend you. Where are the members of Congress when you need them to go before the microphones and speak on your behalf? When is the president going to issue a statement or have his press secretary, Scott McClelland answer a question about your problem during the daily press conference at the White House? You blame your woes on the left, liberals and what you call, "Payback." In other words, it's okay for you to slam those who differ with you, but not for them to criticize you? Well, "DUHHH-UHHHH!" What did you expect? It may be that you have been coddled so long by the "Rushie Groupies" that you forget that not everyone agrees with you about every whiff of wisdom that wafts from your lips. You may need to surround yourself with a few people who will have the guts to tell you what you may not want to hear once in awhile. Grow up! Here's an idea. Instead of your letting those second-stringer talk show subs go on the air and fill up those hours of your radio show during your vacation between now and January 5, why not let your ex-maid have a few of those hours to tell her side of the story? And while you're at it, if you did buy drugs illegally and have them shipped to you via FEDEX, why not allow the drug dealers you bought them from to go on the air and tell their story? There's nothing to be afraid of if you let your accusers speak. Why, when you get back on the air, you can tell your side of the story of what really happened and most likely prevail. Your legions of fans, admirers and hangers-on will support you whether or not you are convicted of the alleged crime of "doctor shopping." It’s gnawing at you, isn’t it? Well, that gnawing feeling you have in the pit of your stomach could be the truth, begging to be spoken. But, what they may not forgive you for, if you are guilty of it, is lying. So, just come clean. You’ve already said that you were addicted to the pain killing drugs. You’ve half-admitted that you bought massive quantities of them illegally. Just answer these questions and it’ll be a lot easier on you:
There you are. The questions above are just the beginning. Anything else that you want to get off your chest would be helpful. After all, you promised that you were going to reveal the truth when you returned from your drug treatment. You’ve been back for weeks and the world is still waiting. So when are you going to reveal the truth, the whole truth and the real truth? Or, is your next step and defense going to be to say, "It depends on what you mean by the word, ‘when.’" William Wesley Wimbish December 23 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!" (Yeah, that's the ticket!) 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? El Rushblow does have some explaining to do. But, you probably won’t hear it on his coast to coast and around the world radio show. He’s in the "duck and run" mode, hoping that the hush of the Christmas holidays will let the story die down. It won’t. Roy Black and his team say that they will appeal the judge’s ruling. That’s another move that will give Limbaugh some "cover" and something to hide behind as he cowers in the "Rush Hole" behind his gated $24 Million mansion in Palm Beach. Even the earthquake in California and Michael Jackson’s problems aren’t enough to fill up all the news minutes and space. And, unless Osama bin Laden is captured, there is still room on and in the news for Limbaugh’s drug problem to be reported, dissected and debated. Limbaugh’s promise to tell the truth that he made at the end of his last show in October -- before he hid in his Saddam Hussein-like "Rush Hole" for five weeks while undergoing drug treatment -- hasn’t been fulfilled. For a man who does a lot of talking, he’s been awfully quiet, cute and coy. He may have been spending time cleaning out his underwear after all he’s been through lately. Maybe now, with some "meat on the bone" supplied by the transcripts of the hearing in the courtroom yesterday and the ruling today (Monday and Tuesday December 22 and 23), the cable news shows will begin the discussion and dissection (are you listening Greta, Hannity and Colmes, O’Reilly and the rest?). Bring on the "experts" and dig into this story. Interview the maid, Wilma Cline, question the drug and banking experts, get David Limbaugh before the cameras and in print – give this story the space and time that it deserves. William Wesley Wimbish December 8 "We have met the wimps -- and they may be us!" 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. The statement of Roy Black, Limbaugh’s attorney, which Limbaugh read on the air on Thursday, offered no new information or clues to substantiate Limbaugh’s guilt or innocence in the current charges. Nor have we been told of any future charges that could be filed by officials in both the states of Florida and New York. Black’s appearance on Friday’s NBC Today Show offered little more than what he has already said. Neither Limbaugh nor Black have specifically mentioned (or been questioned about) the charges by his maid and others involved in allegedly providing him with illegally obtained drugs. The only thing we have heard from Limbaugh and Black is that he (1) is the victim of a fishing expedition and (2) that Limbaugh became addicted to pain killers. Limbaugh admitted his addiction to pain killer drugs almost two months ago. The first thing an attorney does is to try to demean and diminish the intergrity of those making the charges. That’s not news. However, could it be that federal and state officials may be investigating very quietly some instances that Limbaugh may have broken federal drug and banking laws in which his maid and others were involved? We don’t know. We’re waiting to read and hear the answers from a reluctant-to-ask-questions media. Have we seen any current or former drug enforcement officials, experts on banking regulations and money laundering methods being interviewed on Fox News, CNN or MSNBC regarding the allegations against Limbaugh? I must have missed them if they have been interviewed. But, armed with this lack of information and most likely by blind faith, there’s been a call to arms to defend Limbaugh – this time by the right wing political brigades -- not seen since the Minute Men rushed to the bridge at the Battle of Lexington. Up to now, the majority of those who have been invited to discuss the Limbaugh matters on the hard news cable channels are other talk show hosts. None are doctors, none have any background in law enforcement and not one has ever arrested anybody for illegally buying or acquiring drugs. Many of the talk show hosts who have appeared simply ignore that the fact that he is being accused of having obtained drugs illegally. Their comments seem confined to congratulating him for going to a drug rehabilitation center and wishing him well for a speedy recovery to the addiction that he’s already confessed to. Rush Limbaugh seems to think that he isn't being treated with nearly enough respect by the legal authorities. His attitude appears to be one of "Go away, you bother me. How could you believe that anything I do would be dishonest?" This pampered, patriotic, political pulp fiction hero -- the pudgy, purveyor and provider of political plasma for the right -- seems to have replaced Commander-in-Chief George W. Bush recently as the man to be protected against criticism of any kind. Why, it’s enough to send Sean Hannity rushing to his Roget’s Thesaurus to find a new term to replace his overused word, "shrill," to describe the anticipated onslaught of stories and talk about his mentor. Is Rush Limbaugh beyond reproach? Is Rush Limbaugh really just a wealthy, coddled "OxyContin Whore" not too much unlike those high-heeled crack whores who haunt the drug-infested, dark side streets and alleys of the night? If the allegations are true, this is not a victimless crime by Limbaugh. The thousands of dollars (or hundreds of thousands of dollars) that he may have spent for illegally bought painkillers had to go into someone’s bank accounts or cigar boxes. There are no victims when someone buys thousands of illegally obtained drugs from drug dealers? Tell that to the wives of legal authorities who are killed in the line of duty by drug dealers and their gun toting thugs. Ask the friends and relatives of those who have ruined their lives and are in prison because they became addicted to pharmaceutical drugs then lied, cheated, robbed and stole money to feed their habits. Is Rush Limbaugh really that important and is he being held up to too high a standard of conduct? Will he now become a champion of those of lesser means and recommend the same defense for every individual who might be the target of an investigation for matters related to drugs and money laundering – that they are the victims of a "fishing expeditions" by legal authorities. Is the media doing its job? Is the media just plain lazy? Is the media so now accustomed to being spoon-fed the news at news conferences and via news releases or statements from attorneys that they lack the wisdom, will or the guts to go out and dig up facts, investigate allegations and interview witnesses and potential witnesses in the Limbaugh matter? Is there an unconscious or conscious conspiracy of silence among talk show hosts that sounds like "If we don’t talk about it, it’ll go away?" Has the media been reluctant to contact witnesses and potential witnesses or individuals who might shed some light on the dark side of Rush Limbaugh’s painkiller drug addiction? The only quotes from alleged witnesses, accomplices and associates seem to have come from the National Enquirer. Where’s the follow up by other media organizations and individual reporters? Now that legal authorities have searched and seized records from four of Limbaugh’s doctors, it appears that the National Enquirer might have broken a real story. If other media had held their noses and not covered the story because it appeared first in the National Enquirer, the speedy exit of Limbaugh from the airwaves and his five weeks spent hiding in a drug rehabilitation center have given new legs to the story. Florida legal authorities have begun an investigation. That legitimizes these serious matters in the life of Rush Limbaugh. It is no longer a rumor. There’s real substance here. There are hard facts to be investigated by the media. Have any other media tried to contact his maid or Limbaugh’s attorney who allegedly offered her $100,000 for her computer hard drive and $100,000 for her silence? Has Limbaugh’s attorney been contacted by legal authorities about the $100,000 accusations or has the attorney’s offices been searched for evidence? Wilma Cline, his maid, supposedly taped the conversations she had with him during her two last drug deliveries. Has anyone in the media attempted to get copies of those tapes from Wilma Cline? Has anyone tried to get copies of the e-mails that Limbaugh supposedly sent to her? David Limbaugh has spoken with his brother on numerous occasions before, during and after Limbaugh’s drug treatment. He’d be a likely candidate for an interview. Unless I’ve missed reading it somewhere, there hasn’t even been a sentence in any article stating that he declined to be interviewed other than on Limbaugh’s radio show. Roger Ailes, who now heads Fox News, was the person who recommended to a syndicator that Rush Limbaugh’s radio show be moved to television -- and he became the executive producer of that show. Has the media contacted Ailes for a quote or to see where he stands on Limbaugh’s guilt or innocence? Has word come down from Ailes to the Fox News producers and on air personalities to keep the Limbaugh reporting to a minimum? We don’t know because the media doesn’t seem to have asked him. Media used to only include print and radio-TV journalists. That’s the old definition. The Internet, cable and Satellite radio and TV technologies have given rise to the new media and a new definition. If a person reports or comments on news stories of the day, they are of the media and with the media by today’s definition. One must now define as "media" all print and radio-TV journalists and the new media outlets and personalities who perform and report on CNN, MSNBC, Fox News and CNBC in addition to all syndicated and local talk radio shows (Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Alan Colmes, Neal Boortz, Ken Hamblin, Chuck Morse, Laura Ingraham, Jim Hightower, Paul Harvey, Phil Hendrie) and Web-based media like the Drudge Report, Radio and Records, Radio Ink, Inside Radio, RadioDailyNews.com, Billboard Magazine and hundreds of other news and information sources and distribution points online. The three hard news cable channels, Fox News, CNN and MSNBC, seem to have evolved into nothing more than gossip-gouging machines, focusing on one or two stories at a time. Every topic of discussion on the cable news channels seems to need a political slant, a pro or con to it nowadays. It is difficult to tell fact from fiction, real news from commentary and opinionated gossip on these hard news channels. Twenty-four hours a day the viewers and listeners are offered experts and gossipmongers who discuss, debate and denounce Michael Jackson and Scott Peterson. (Gary Condit’s old news now) …They are interrupted by the occasional speech or news conference by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfield or President Bush and a three-minute summary of other news at the top and bottom of each hour. Unless there is a breaking news story from Iraq or a car chase on the LA freeways, it’s all Michael Jackson all the time. Neal Cavuto and Lou Dobbs have even crossed over the line and are no longer just financial news show hosts. The boundaries between real journalism and commentary are gone forever. In the "old days" journalists and distinguished men and women of substance used to write books and appear on talk shows to discuss the books or be written about in print articles. No more. The only books we hear about now seem to be those written by talk show hosts, most of who just rehash and reprint what they’ve already said on the airwaves. But, what may surprise many is the lack of comments about Rush Limbaugh from publicly elected and appointed officials who, unlike many of the right wing talk show hosts, have not rallied to his defense. It seems odd that those who have gained the most from his daily conservative offerings are staying away from the microphones and TV cameras. This is a matter that is now within the jurisdiction of the State of Florida. So, why haven’t we heard from Florida Governor Jeb Bush who pleaded for leniency for his own daughter who tried to buy drugs illegally and was so quick to intervene in a legal dispute about whether a woman who has been in a coma since 1990 should be taken off life support, and ordered that her feeding tube be reinstated? Will President H.W. Bush, who invited Limbaugh to spend the night in the Lincoln Bedroom in 1992, step forward to publicly denounce what Limbaugh and his attorney say is a "fishing expedition" by state authorities in Florida? Will former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and members of Congress stand on the Capitol steps, chant in perfect pitch some Limbaugh dittos and publicly proclaim Limbaugh to be innocent of real and imagined charges? After all, it was the Republican class of the ’94 elections who gave him credit for their victories and named Limbaugh an honorary member. He even spoke to the members during a public meeting and victory celebration shortly after the elections. It was former President Ronald Reagan who wrote a letter to Rush Limbaugh in 1992 calling him the "number one voice for conservatism in America" and saying that the "liberals call him the most dangerous man in America." Is the silence of the Bush family and members of Congress an indication that they perceive Limbaugh to not be as innocent as he claims to be? Why haven’t we seen any quotes in the media from any Bush family members or members of Congress? Do they know something that we don’t? Is anyone in the media really asking questions? If they are, we’re not hearing the questions and certainly haven’t heard any answers. If you are asking these questions and you’re getting answers, please share them with everyone. There is a vacuum of facts about these matters regarding Rush Limbaugh. It is almost as if the majority of those in the media are afraid to ask questions because they fear the answers to those questions might be construed as a condemnation of Limbaugh. Many in the media seem to have circled their wagons and, by their silence, are trying to diffuse the story. Limbaugh is an internationally known public figure who signed a contract worth over a quarter of a billion dollars (reported to be $285 Million) for his services as a talk show host. That’s more money than was made by many of the corporate chairmen and CEO’s who are now awaiting trial or being investigated by authorities for fraud and deception. Where’s the media in all of this? They've seemed to be absent from the stage. Where's the coverage on the cable news channels? Where's the stake out at the $24 Million mansion and the EIB WABC studios in Manhattan? Will Limbaugh be handcuffed, fingerprinted and booked for any crimes that he may have committed? Will he have to do the "perp walk" like so many prominent public officials, business and entertainment personalities have recently been subjected to? It is up to the media to let us know, whether or not they are members of the "media elite" that Limbaugh so much despises but, in today’s definition, has become a member of. We’re waiting for you to ask the questions and provide the answers. William Wesley Wimbish November 20 "Sweepin’ with the Oldies?" "Sweepin’ with the Oldies?" With the recent additions of 60’s radio icons like Scotty Brink, Larry Lujack, Ron Britain, Tommy Edwards and Jerry G. Bishop at Real Oldies 1690 in Chicago and the KROQ 80’s radio jocks Freddie Snakeskin, Richard Blade and Swedish Egil on Sirius Satellite radio’s First Wave, there’s a definite pattern developing here – and it may be worth keeping an eye on. This reviewer thinks that John Gehron has a winner in Chicago. Will XM Satellite turn to other radio pros from the distant and near distant past? Will some of the bottom feeder stations in Los Angeles, Dallas-Fort Worth, Atlanta and Denver bring back to the airwaves those radio big guys from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s to boost ratings? If it works, there could be a lot of talent -- now just sitting out there unused -- that will be put to good use around the country! The audiences of today may be getting a little tired of morning shows on which most of the conversation centers around the guy hosts making fun of the gal host’s breast size and sex life. I, for one, don’t like naked breasts with my morning coffee and drive-thru Breakfast Jack. Maybe it's just me. If Limbaugh saved AM for the talk show seekers, these ready-to-go-to-work, "Sweepin’ with the Oldies" bunches of talent might just be the answer to save FM for the entertainment seekers. Is there a 3 hour a day shift in the future at radio stations owned by Clear Channel, Cumulus, Susquehanna or Infinity for on-air radio talent of the 60's, 70's and 80's like Gary Allyn, Jimmy Rabbitt, Jack Gale, Ron Riley, Jeff Davis, Ron Jacobs and countless others? Think voice tracking. Think no relocation. Think 3 and 4 hour shifts. These folks helped create radio's greatest numbers in their decades. The radio programmers of today - some who never read a trend they couldn't use as an excuse for poor numbers - might look to yesteryear for talent for tomorrowland. "Bring 'em on!" November 19 "Follow the money ... " From Watergate to Rushgate. That's always been the rule when investigators are on the trail and looking into illegalities. Mr. Limbaugh, what kind of trail did you leave? If the Tuesday November 18th ABC World News Tonight story (click here) is true and Rush Limbaugh did indeed participate in a money laundering scheme or other attempt to avoid reporting transactions in New York and Florida, his triumphant return to the airwaves after five weeks in a drug rehabilitation center could be a short lived celebration. According to the ABC report, " ... Limbaugh's lawyers confirm that as part of US Trust's service, a bank employee personally delivered cash to Limbaugh at his New York studio in amounts of $9,900 or so ... " The ABC report further states that, "Limbaugh's lawyers say it was US Trust that suggested the arrangement. In July 2001 the bank paid a $10 million fine because of the Limbaugh transactions and many others like it." The deeper authorities look into his allegedly purchasing drugs illegally through his maid, home staff and others, the more they are uncovering. This may only be the beginning of his legal troubles. Another thing is troubling -- Limbaugh's admitted drug use and his $285 Million contract. He must have been on the drugs when he was on the air and under the drug's influence. Does Clear Channel/Premiere Talk have a written policy that does not permit or condone the use of drugs while an employee or contracted program performer is on the air or off the air? That's a question for Premiere Talk or Clear Channel to answer. Bring on the lawyers! Unleash the investigate reporters. Park the news vans with the satellite dishes outside his ABC New York studios and across the street from his Palm Beach mansion. This is raw meat for Fox News, MSNBC and CNN. I smell book deals in the air! If the legal authorities file charges, will Limbaugh have to do a "perp walk?" If a case goes to trial and he loses, would he appeal it all the way to the Supreme Court? If it were appealed all the way to the Supreme Court, would Justice Clarence Thomas recuse himself? After all, Thomas did marry Limbaugh and his current wife, Marta. More questions for Mr. Limbaugh that need to be asked and answered are: 1) Certainly you are rich and the rich really do need a lot of cash. But, how many of these alleged $9,900 cash deliveries did you order -- and how much of the cash was used to buy drugs to feed your habit? The total sum of these cash deliveries might be a staggering figure to the average Joe and Jenny living in "flyover land." 2) If you are a stay-at-home loner as you've stated many times and the allegations are true, why in the world would you need that much cash? That cash would pay for a lot of home-delivered pizza! 3) Did you just get careless? Did you think that you could get away with those $9,900 cash delive |
