In the aftermath of Rush Limbaugh's controversial comments about Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke, several companies pulled their advertising from his radio program. On March 3rd, Rush did something I don't believe he's ever done when faced with backlash from any of the outrageous statements he's made... he offered an apology. At least it's the closest he could come to one.
Posted on Rush's website is his "apology":
"For over 20 years, I have illustrated the absurd with absurdity,
three hours a day, five days a week. In this instance, I chose the
wrong words in my analogy of the situation. I did not mean a personal
attack on Ms. Fluke.
I think it is absolutely absurd that during these very serious
political times, we are discussing personal sexual recreational
activities before members of Congress. I personally do not agree that
American citizens should pay for these social activities. What happened
to personal responsibility and accountability? Where do we draw the
line? If this is accepted as the norm, what will follow? Will we be
debating if taxpayers should pay for new sneakers for all students that
are interested in running to keep fit?In my monologue, I posited that it
is not our business whatsoever to know what is going on in anyone's
bedroom nor do I think it is a topic that should reach a Presidential
level.
My choice of words was not the best, and in the attempt to be
humorous, I created a national stir. I sincerely apologize to Ms. Fluke
for the insulting word choices."Rush's apology rings false because after his initial Wednesday February 29th attack against Ms. Fluke, he hurled additional verbal bombs at her on Thursday and Friday. It was only after a number of advertisers started to abandon ship that he saw the error of his ways. Apparently, his "apology" hasn't stopped the bleeding because another advertiser, Carbonite, pulled their ads from his show. After dropping Limbaugh's program, Carbonite CEO David Friend said the following: "No one with daughters the age of Sandra Fluke, and I have two, could
possibly abide the insult and abuse heaped upon this courageous and
well-intentioned young lady. Mr. Limbaugh, with his highly personal
attacks on Miss Fluke, overstepped any reasonable bounds of decency.
Even though Mr. Limbaugh has now issued an apology, we have nonetheless
decided to withdraw our advertising from his show. We hope that our
action, along with the other advertisers who have already withdrawn
their ads, will ultimately contribute to a more civilized public
discourse."While writing this post, I learned that
another company (Pro Flowers) yanked their ads from Limbaugh's show on
March 4th. Props to all the companies who have finally had enough of
Limbaugh's "entertainment". If you'd like to let the companies still advertising on Rush's program know that you don't approve of his misogyny, below is one of the sites where you can make your voice heard. CREDO actionLet me close by saying that the Limbaugh/Fluke controversy isn't a left vs. right issue to me. Even if one disagrees with Ms. Fluke's stance that health insurance plans should cover the cost of birth control, I don't see how they can defend Rush's despicable attacks against her. As always, I like to hear from people with opposing viewpoints. I'd especially like to hear from any female conservatives who read this post.
Sandra Fluke's testimony:
