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Rush Limbaugh’s Hate And Ignorance Didn’t Die Either

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I’ll be honest. I thought Rush Limbaugh might die. There wasn’t an emotion attached to it – I didn’t jump up and down, excited or upset. But the journalist in me realized there was a need for an obituary. So I wrote one. Then I put it away when we learned he was fine. In good taste, I couldn’t publish an attack on a sick man.

I’m glad Rush is in good health.

But I cannot accept his ludicrous and, of course, harmful judgment that the American healthcare system is perfectly fine.

So, two things. One, about healthcare. The second, about the man who continues to do damage to this country. Yes, a reminder about the hateful things Rush says about gays.

Here’s Rush on his healthcare experience:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=d4kmtuptzuE%26hl%3Den_US%26fs%3D1%26hd%3D1%26border%3D1

Limbaugh claims that he received excellent treatment, the same as anyone else who would have called 911.

Anyone else with the name Rush Limbaugh. He bypassed two other hospitals to go to one selected to attend to the multi-millionaire.

Rush received great healthcare in part, because of who he is, because he could afford it, and because the state of Hawaii mandates certain levels of care, including that the healthcare professionals, like nurses, are unionized, and that employers offer healthcare to their employees.

But remember, the healthcare debate isn’t only about quality of care, but effectiveness and cost. Mr. Limbaugh’s personal experience doesn’t place him in a position to critique the quality of healthcare in this country. His financial status doesn’t place him a position to understand the impact of healthcare costs to the average person in this country.

Here’s what I wrote last Thursday when we learned Limbaugh was ill:

Extreme right-wing conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh was taken to the hospital from his ninth floor room at the Kahala Hotel and Resort late Thursday night. A CNN reporter said at about 11:40 PM EST, via Twitter,

“Limbaugh complained of chest pains. Sources say he told medical crews he was taking medication for a back problem. Still serious condition.”

Another CNN reporter, Ed Henry, said, also via Twitter, that Limbaugh was taken to Queens Medical Center in Honolulu.

Twitter exploded with the news of Limbaugh’s possible heart attack, with hundreds of tweets posted every minute for hours.

I’ve followed Rush’s attacks on gays and the gay community over the past year. And just as I was honest when Oral Roberts passed a few weeks ago, I will be equally honest now. Here’s what I said about Roberts:

“While I believe in having respect for the dead, I also believe in speaking the truth. And I also believe that we dig our own graves. Roberts leaves a legacy of hatred and homophobia that scarred millions in this country. Many will condemn me for saying that, but I believe he would be proud of my condemnation.”

And I say exactly the same about Limbaugh. Limbaugh spoke ill of many people. He excoriated homosexuals, and repeatedly condemned us. I thought I’d share with you some of Limbaugh’s hate speech:

“Bend over grab your ankles” regarding President Obama.

On the Iowa Supreme Court decision that a ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional, this rant:

“This is why an electoral majority needs to happen in order to defeat these people, and even after they’re defeated, they try to go around it in other ways, getting judges, like unanimous decision in Iowa today, with the Supreme Court, unanimous, that a ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional.  Now, I guarantee you, if we could go dig up James Madison and say, “Mr. Madison, did you intend for the Constitution to say people of the same sex could get married?”  And I guarantee you he would have the reaction, “What are you talking about?  Are you sure you’re asking me about the Constitution?””

And from my March 5th post:

“…five of Rush Limbaugh’s most offensive, anti-gay, homophobic, bigoted comments:

  1. Aired a song about Senator Barney Frank called “Banking Queen“.
  2. Democrats will “bend over, grab the ankles, and say, ‘Have your way with me’” to African American and gay voters.
  3. On the Mark Foley scandal: “In their hearts and minds and their crotches, they don’t have any problem with what Foley did. They’ve defended it over the — over the years.“
  4. Openly gay students are “trumpeting” their sexuality, “inviting dissent”.
  5. “When a gay person turns his back on you, it is anything but an insult; it’s an invitation”

Lastly, there’s this one, which I have yet to figure out how many sensibilities it offends:

“…let’s say we discover the gene that says the kid’s gonna be gay. How many parents, if they knew before the kid was gonna be born, [that he] was gonna be gay, they would take the pregnancy to term? Well, you don’t know but let’s say half of them said, “Oh, no, I don’t wanna do that to a kid.” [Then the] gay community finds out about this. The gay community would do the fastest 180 and become pro-life faster than anybody you’ve ever seen. … They’d be so against abortion if it was discovered that you could abort what you knew were gonna be gay babies.””

So, Mr. Limbaugh, glad you’re OK. I’m not glad you’re still a bigot, you’re still a hateful liar, and you’re still on the air. America deserves better.

Visit the Rush Limbaugh Archives here at The New Civil Rights Movement.

If you like this, please take a moment to look around. Maybe read, “I Do Not Deserve Your Tolerance,” listen to people like Julian Bond talking about same-sex marriage and civil rights, or read, “Does The U.S. Constitution Already Make Gay Marriage Legal?”

And please, subscribe to my RSS feed or via email!

Thank you!

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News

Fox News Host Suggests Trump ‘Force’ Court to Throw Him in Jail – by Quoting Him

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3 hours ago

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April 19, 2024

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The Fox News host who targeted a juror serving on Donald Trump’s criminal New York trial is now suggesting the ex-president should violate his gag order and “force” the court to throw him in jail, by quoting the Fox News host.

Jesse Watters came under fire earlier this week for profiling juror number two, sharing possibly identifying information published by a myriad of reporters but then using that information to pass judgment on her ability to serve.

“I’m not so sure about juror number two,” Watters concluded on Fox News.

Jurors, at the judge’s direction, were to remain anonymous, for their protection and the protection of the trial.

The judge excused her, after she said she felt she was not able to be impartial because friends and family were calling her asking if she had been chosen to serve on the Trump trial, after the media blitz.

New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan admonished the press for reporting the information, but some news outlets appeared to ignore his warning.

Watters on Wednesday “did a segment with a jury consultant, revealing details about people who had been seated on the jury and questioning whether some were ‘stealth liberals’ who would be out to convict Trump,” the Associated Press reported.

READ MORE: Gaetz: ‘Corrupt’ Republicans Could ‘Take a Bribe’ and Throw House to Dems, Blocking Trump Run

Trump later posted Watters’ quote on his Truth Social platform, leading some, including New York prosecutors, to ask the judge to cite him for allegedly breaking his gag order.

Judge Merchan ordered Trump to not mention witnesses, jurors, prosecutors, court staff, or the family members of prosecutors and court staff, CNN has reported.

New York prosecutors told Juge Merchan Trump has violated the gag order at least ten times.

“Prosecutor Christopher Conroy described the ‘most disturbing’ example as a social media message Trump posted on Wednesday evening quoting a Fox News host as saying, ‘They are catching undercover Liberal Activists lying to the Judge in order to get on the Trump Jury,'” Politico reports.

That host was Jesse Watters.

RELATED: ‘Afraid and Intimidated’: Trump Trial Juror Targeted by Fox News Dismissed

Friday afternoon, Watters appeared to egg Trump on, urging the ex-president to violate the gag order.

“I would make them put me in jail,” Watters said on Fox News. “I would have a tweet about something perhaps I said on ‘The Five’ or ‘Jesse Watters Primetime,’ and I would force them to throw me in jail.”

Watch Watters’ remark below or at this link.

 

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News

Gaetz: ‘Corrupt’ Republicans Could ‘Take a Bribe’ and Throw House to Dems, Blocking Trump Run

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5 hours ago

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April 19, 2024

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U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) says some of his fellow House Republicans would “take a bribe” to throw the razor-thin GOP majority to the Democrats if a far-right faction calls up a motion to oust Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, allowing Democrats to hand the gavel to the Minority Leader, Hakeem Jeffries. he warned if that happens, Democrats would immediately declare Trump ineligible to be President, pack the U.S. Supreme Court, and pass numerous laws like the American Rescue Plan.

“I do believe in a one seat majority there could be one or two or three of my colleagues who would take a bribe in one form or another in order to deprive the Republicans of a majority at all,” Gaetz said Friday on his podcast (video below.)

He added, “the risk that one or two of my corrupt Republican colleagues might take a bribe, take a walk, feign an ailment and flip this thing to the Democrats is a risk that is too high for me at this time.”

Gaetz’s fellow far-right Florida Republican member of Congress, Anna Paulina Luna, told listeners, “I heard that when, if and when the motion vacate is introduced, that there will be immediate resignations of a couple of more moderate members of Congress. And in the event that that happens, that ultimately means it does go to a Democrat speaker.”

RELATED: Jeffries Vows Democrats Will Ensure Ukraine Aid Passes as Johnson Defectors Grow

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) last month filed a “motion to vacate,” which she can use at any time to force a vote to oust the GOP Speaker, Mike Johnson. U.S. Rep. Tim Massie (R-KY) and just today, U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) has signed on as co-sponsors.

Congressman Gaetz told listeners if Democrats do take the House through a force vote to remove Johnson, Democrats would “be declaring Donald Trump an insurrectionist and setting up a barrier to him being able to become the president United States.”

“That’ll be their leadoff hitter, and then the chaser to that shot will be a massive spending package that looks a lot more like the American Rescue Plan. They will blow past every concept of every cap ever imagined. You’ll be looking at Universal Basic Income, you could be looking at packing the Supreme Court.”

Watch a short clip of Gaetz’s remarks below or at this link.

READ MORE: ‘Stop Bringing Up Nazis and Hitler’: Marjorie Taylor Greene Smacked Down by Democrats

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Jeffries Vows Democrats Will Ensure Ukraine Aid Passes as Johnson Defectors Grow

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8 hours ago

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April 19, 2024

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Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries vowed Friday the majority of Democrats will support Republicans’ Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, and Gaza foreign aid legislation as Republican Speaker Mike Johnson lost support of another member of his conference to a faction determined to oust him.

“Democrats will provide a majority of our majority as it relates to funding Israel, humanitarian assistance, Ukraine, and our allies in the Indo Pacific,” Minority Leader Jeffries said. “It remains to be seen what Republicans will do in terms of meeting the national security needs of the American people, but it was important for House Democrats to ensure that the national security bills are going to be considered.”

Despite Republicans having a one-vote majority, more Democrats on Friday voted to move the critical and long-awaited foreign aid bills forward than did Republicans.

READ MORE: ‘Stop Bringing Up Nazis and Hitler’: Marjorie Taylor Greene Smacked Down by Democrats

The 316-94 vote included 165 Democrats and 151 Republicans voting yes, and 55 Republicans and 39 Democrats voting no.

Axios’ Juliegrace Brufke posted the list of Republicans voting against their party’s legislation.

Calling it a “rare” moment in modern congressional history to have to rely on opposition party votes to pass legislation, BBC News reports Speaker Johnson’s “hold on power is tenuous, and the legislators who oppose him – and his bid to provide aid to Ukraine – occupy some key positions within the House’s power structure.”

Amid the procedural vote to move the foreign aid funding bills forward, U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar, a far-right Republican of Arizona, announced he is joining Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), and Congressman Tim Massie (R-KY) in formally announcing their will vote to oust Speaker Johnson.

Gosar, like Greene, is reportedly a Christian nationalist. In 2022 CNN reported his “lengthy ties to White nationalists, [a] pro-Nazi blogger and far-right fringe received little pushback for years.”

RELATED: ‘Repercussions’: Democrats and Republicans Stand Against ‘Pro-Putin’ House GOP Faction

“We’ve been very honest in our assessment of the situation from the beginning,” Jeffries on Friday also declared. “At the appropriate time as House Democrats, we will have a conversation about how to deal with any hypothetical motion to vacate.”

“Moscow Marjorie Taylor Greene, Massie, and Gosar are quite a group. But central to our conversation is to make sure that the national security legislation in totality is passed by the House of Representatives.”

Watch the videos above or at this link.

 

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