Rush Limbaugh Now Under Investigation

[Caligastia]

Originally posted by Sava
The whole black comment was stupid and he should not have a job at ESPN if he's going to make stupid comments like that. He should leave his stupid racist opinions to his radio show.

I just don't see anything racist about his comment. Care to enlighten me?

[Jac de Molay]

It's quite simple. You're allowed to talk about race when it comes to management/coaches , but players are strictly off-limits.

[Caligastia]

Neal Boortz did a pretty good breakdown of Rush's comments.

Do you need any further clarification of what Limbaugh said? Do I have to break it down for you? OK ... step-by-step:

1. Donovan McNabb hasn't been a very good quarterback from the beginning.

Anything racist there? If there is, I can't find it. Do we now find ourselves at the point where you cannot criticize a black athlete without being called a racist?

2. The National Football League has some social concerns.

Translation, there's a bit of political correctness in the NFL front office. I don't know if that's true or not. You tell me! Is there anything inherently wrong with bringing up the possibility?

3. Some sportswriters want to see a black quarterback do well.

Well now isn't that a shocking statement! Can you imagine that! A few weeks ago a female place kicker actually kicked a field goal in a Division 1A college football game. Do you think that it is at all possible that there were some sportswriters out there, maybe even some female sportswriters, who wanted to see that kick go through the uprights? Would that make these sportswriters sexist? So we find it perfectly reasonable to understand why a female sportswriter might want to see that gal kick that football, but you just can't imagine a black sportswriter wanting to see a black quarterback succeed? Come on, admit it. You went to government schools, didn't you?

4. Donovan McNabb has been getting more credit for the team's success than perhaps he deserves.

Maybe so, maybe not! I'm certainly not knowledgeable enough to comment on that. I couldn't name any Eagles player other than McNabb .. and if it weren't for this story I wouldn't even be able to name him. I'm just not that much of a fan. But can't a question like this be addressed to literally hundreds of players in each of the four major sports?

So .. there you go. Rush's statement broken down into four easily understandable statements, none of which is the slightest bit racially insensitive, let alone racist.

[Ned]

Originally posted by Sava
I really didn't mind Limbaugh on ESPN as long as he made football commentary. If he thought McNabb overrated (as I think Mike Vick) then he should say so. The whole black comment was stupid and he should not have a job at ESPN if he's going to make stupid comments like that. He should leave his stupid racist opinions to his radio show.

I didn't like Limbaugh's hiring in the first place, because I know how he is. But I said to myself, "If he can just stick to football commentary, I won't have a problem with it."

Well he opened his stupid mouth, and now suffers the consequences. These new drug allegations don't surprise me. I don't look down on him for being addicted to pain killers. That is a problem that many people suffer from. I am dismayed at the illegal means with which he acquired his drugs.

The comment was not stupid because he was pointing out a sports media bias. This bias does exist and is obvious. The question of bias in the media should always be the subject of comment.

The reaction of liberals here to demand that Limbaugh be fired only indicates that Limbaugh was right. Conservative blacks have defended Rush.

[Ned]

There is a story that abuse of painkillers can cause deafness. Rush went deaf.

Is there any basis for the statement that painkillers can cause deafness.

[Ned]

Rush just said he wanted to go on Sunday and take it from Tom Jackson and Irvin. Apparently, many of their friends had castigated them for not coming down hard on Rush's comments. However, he was told that Jackson and Irvin would feel uncomfortable with that. As a result, Rush decided to resign to protect Jackson and Irvin.

[Q Classic]

yeah, but see, here's where the problem lies... and i think it was really kinda a brain fart for him.

his audience on radio, which wouldn't've reacted this way to what he said, is primarily conservative.

his audience on tv, which is considerably more mixed, had a different reaction.

i don't think he was being racist, but rather that he forgot how controversial some things he says are--and which audience he was talking to.

a brain fart, that's all it was.

[Ned]

Originally posted by Q Cubed
yeah, but see, here's where the problem lies... and i think it was really kinda a brain fart for him.

his audience on radio, which wouldn't've reacted this way to what he said, is primarily conservative.

his audience on tv, which is considerably more mixed, had a different reaction.

i don't think he was being racist, but rather that he forgot how controversial some things he says are--and which audience he was talking to.

a brain fart, that's all it was.

Bull! The most entertaining sports broadcaster of all time was Howard Cosell. His trademark was controversial and even political remarks.

I was a great Cosell fan. I'll never forget the first time I heard him. He had a morning broadcast that went on radio just before 8. The first broadcast that I heard was just prior to the 1964 World Series. Cosell was saying the Yankees were not as good as the media made them out to be. He thought they could be beaten by St. Louis.

(It is remarkable how similar his comment then was to Limbaugh's comment. Cosell was challenging the group think of the media as was Limbaugh. Cosell turned out to be right. The Yankees lost the world series to St. Louis.)

But what me a real fan is that I had never heard anything thoughtful or controversial from a sports broadcaster before. Cosell went on to make Ali a star by, among other things, challenging the media bias against Ali. He was never shy about discussing the hard or controversial issues.

Limbaugh would have been a refreshing breath of fresh air in sports. It is too bad we will not hear from him again or from anyone like him.

[MrFun]

Originally posted by Caligastia


I just don't see anything racist about his comment. Care to enlighten me?

You never surprise us with anything you say, Cal.

[Q Classic]

the key difference here, ned, though, is that he didn't link the yankees not being as good to race, which is what limbaugh did.

bringing up race in america is literally throwing yourself in the line of fire.

that's what i mean by brain fart. i don't mind controversial. that's fine. i don't really even mind this comment, because i don't know anything about american football. but limbaugh's bright enough to know that bringing up the spectre of race--anywhere outside of his key demographic--is tantamount to suicide.

[Ned]

Originally posted by Q Cubed
the key difference here, ned, though, is that he didn't link the yankees not being as good to race, which is what limbaugh did.

bringing up race in america is literally throwing yourself in the line of fire.

that's what i mean by brain fart. i don't mind controversial. that's fine. i don't really even mind this comment, because i don't know anything about american football. but limbaugh's bright enough to know that bringing up the spectre of race--anywhere outside of his key demographic--is tantamount to suicide.

Racist comments have always been an issue and have been a cause for firing. Bringing up race per se, has not been. Cosell often brought up race. But, he was challenging the racism of the NFL, the media and society. He was a leader in social change in the United States. So don't give me the bull that race is off limits. It is only off limits to conservatives. And that is an issue.

[Ned]

Prescription Painkillers Linked to Hearing Loss

The LA Times is reporting that prolonged use of high dosages of Vicodin and similar prescription painkillers has been linked to hearing loss in at least 48 cases. Doctors at the House Ear Institute (HEI) and other medical centers have verified that exceptionally high dosages of these medications for several months have caused sudden hearing loss.

One of the most commonly prescribed painkillers, Vicodin is effective against many different kinds of pains. Unfortunately, it is an addictive synthetic opiate, which can result in long-term, high-dosage abuse after the medicinal reason for taking the drug has disappeared. Some people believe that doctors are too willing to prescribe these potent narcotic painkillers, and a government study seems to confirm this. The study found that 1.6 million Americans began taking painkillers like Vicodin for nonmedical reasons in 1998!

HEI doctors now believe that they saw their first case of Vicodin-induced hearing loss in 1993, although they didn't identify the cause at that time. They first reported Vicodin-related hearing loss incidents to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1999, and again last month.

Knoll Pharmaceutical Co., the makers of Vicodin, added a hearing loss warning to the drug's label in 2000, but it seems to have gone largely unnoticed. The FDA worked with the manufacturer on the wording of the warning. They plan no additional action, because hearing loss seems to be a very rare side effect that occurs only when the drug is used inappropriately.

Some doctors think the problem may be much more common that is currently believed. Because determining the cause of a person's hearing loss is often difficult or impossible, doctors may not be making the connection between hearing loss and Vicodin. This situation is compounded by the fact that patients may be unwilling to reveal the extent of their painkiller use.

Doctors report that sudden and rapid hearing loss is normally the result of either autoimmune disease or medications like antibiotics or diuretics. Steroids are often effective in stopping or reversing hearing loss related to autoimmune disease; terminating the offending medication is often similarly effective. Cases that don't fit either of these classic patterns should be examined for a possible Vicodin connection.

Vicodin is a combination of acetaminophen and hydrocodone and is also sold under the brand names Lorcet, Lortab and Hydrocet. It is the combination of acetaminophen and hydrocodone that seems to cause hearing loss, though scientists don't yet know how.

http://www.hearinglossweb.com/Medical/Causes/vic.htm

Lorcet is the painkiller that Rush alegedly took.

[Q Classic]

thought it was oxycontin that he was buying...? ah well.

as for bringing up race, it's only a problem because of hypersensitive individuals. i'm not arguing that he should have resigned, i'm just saying that what he said was probably not the best thing to say on tv in front of a mixed audience, half of which probably already doesn't like him anyway.

and the point still remains: did cosell link the overrated yankees to the incindenary subject of race?

[Japher]

This thread is for Rush and Painkillers, right? Not Rush and Racisim... there's another thread for that.

Anyway, I wouldn't say that most of Rush's listeners are conservatives... many, many, liberals listen to rat on him.

[MrFun]

Limbaugh is a slobbering, unstable idiot.

I think that is the conclusion of this thread?