Hour 3: Limbaugh paranoia: "No coincidence" that DHS report on right-wing extremism released right before tea parties
This
hour of the Limbaugh Wire brought to you by the squirrels of Spokane
By Simon Maloy
One more hour to go, and Rush started by saying he didn't blame the North Koreans for reportedly expelling IAEA inspectors from the country after the U.N. Security Council's "limp-wristed" response to their missile test. Rush and Snerdley speculated that this might be the "test" for Obama that Biden worried about, coming so soon after Obama's "brilliant high seas maneuver" in wiping out "three teenagers on a life raft."
After taking a cue from Drudge and reading from a Reuters story on how "the 2009 U.S. tax season promises to see a large uptick in first-time delinquent income taxpayers" due to job losses, Rush indulged in one of his favorite hobbies -- attacking small automobiles. Rush read from an AP report on crash test data that "found that drivers of 2009 versions of the Smart 'fortwo,' Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris could face significant leg and head injuries in severe front-end crashes with larger, mid-size vehicles."
After the break, Rush read from an AP report out of Nairobi on how, despite threats of retaliation from the pirates, the "most likely outcome" of the U.S. naval attacks will "business as usual for the bandits." Rush claimed that this was a "puff piece" for the pirates, largely because it reported: "The pirates' primary concerns, however, are economic, and they have no interest in escalating violence." Rush demanded to know how the AP knew that. We suspect they got that from this quote they included from an official with a British risk-management firm that trains ship security officers: "The pirates don't want to escalate violence because it's not in their interests to keep raising the stakes and it also isn't in the interests of other countries out there." Anyway, Rush continued in this vein, claiming the AP made it sound as though being hijacked by pirates is something of a tourist attraction.
Then it was on to thumbing his nose at the "animal rights" crowd by reading a story out of Spokane, Washington, about how explosives will be used to kill ground squirrels that have "overrun" a local arboretum. Before continuing with the story, Rush said he had never seen the word "arboretum" before, and asked "what the hell does it mean?" Well, if Rush would just catch up on old episodes of The Simpsons instead of watching 24 all the time, he'd know the answer.
Rush then took a call from a woman who agreed with the DHS report on right-wing extremism because the people like her who want to go back to the Constitution and love freedom "pose an enormous threat to the government." She added: "We're the people buying guns and storing ammunition and preparing for the time where we have to fight the government off." Rush responded: "Wait a minute, though. I understand the point you're trying to make, but that's not extremism."
Rush moved on to another caller, this one claiming to be a customs employee who was shocked when he received the DHS report. Rush said the report cited just one example of extremism, the man in Pittsburgh who shot three police officers because he thought Jews controlled the government. According to Rush, that's what Obama and Napolitano think a mainstream conservative is. It's worth pointing out at this point, as others have, that the word "conservative" doesn't even appear in the report. It deals exclusively with violent militias and white supremacists. Nonetheless, Rush felt this was a "teachable moment" for people out there who think Obama is all about unity, when in fact he's just a normal politician trying to wipe out his political enemies. Rush once again said it's "no coincidence" that this report came out right before the Tax Day tea parties.
Speaking of tea parties, Rush's next caller was very excited to go to her local Earl Grey throwdown, but was quite upset that Newt Gingrich, that "inside-the-Beltway elitist" had attached himself to the tea party movement. Rush said she shouldn't be upset, it's a popular movement and that's what any politician would do.
After the break Rush gave a quick shout-out to John Ziegler's Media Malpractice: How Obama Got Elected and Palin Was Targeted. All we have to say is that John Ziegler is a very serious person with some very well-thought out ideas who deserves respect and admiration from the people.
Rush took one more call to close out the day, this one from a self-described "right-wing activist" who felt that conservatives, in throwing these tea parties, are like a minor league team going up against the major leaguers. He thought the tea parties will be both a success and a failure because they'll get coverage, but the left's elite infiltration squads (which we certainly do not belong to and you can't make us say otherwise) will crash them with their racist signs and ruin everything. Rush defended the "value" of the tea parties because they're being organized by real people (if that's the case, then we're not sure how Glenn Beck fits in there).
That's it for us for today. We have big plans for the evening -- we're going to plant a few trees with Jack Bauer, and then he's going to break our kneecaps with the leg of a grand piano, at which point we'll probably tell him where the bombs are. Please join us again tomorrow for another three hours of Limbaugh Wiring, and be sure to check out Media Matters' comprehensive Limbaugh coverage.
Highlights from Hour 3
Outrageous comments
CALLER: We're the people that want to go back to the Constitution, that, you know, really love our freedom and understand that it's being taken away, and therefore, we pose an enormous threat to the government. We're the people buying guns and storing ammunition and preparing for the time where we have to fight the government off.
LIMBAUGH: Wait a minute, though. I understand the point you're trying to make, but that's not extremism.
CALLER: Well, to them it is --
LIMBAUGH: But it's not. They don't get to define the terms. We are not extremists. Those of us who want to protect the founding of this nation and preserve it as we were born and grew up, we are not extremists. They are the extremists. They're not right about this.
Since when is hoarding ammo something an extremist would do?
Since they added this angle:
"and preparing for the time where we have to fight the government off."
People who think the government is going to launch a national armed assault on the population are paranoid lunatics. Those who go further and are making preparations to fight back are extremists. They are also a major threat. I don't support taking guns away generally, but if somebody is crazy enough to believe this kind of nutty idea, I don't think they should be considered sane enough to be trusted with a gun.
These nuts are everywhere now. Who knows when some talk show host will set them all off? They are surely more of a threat than Muslims are.
I agree. Hope you didn't take my post seriously.
We'll never be taken over by any other country but we could be destroyed by right wing zealots and the rest of the bedwetters.
Look at some of the signs these teabaggers carry or the signs from the Palin rallies. We've got plenty of scary people right here.
How exactly will this be accomplished? Daryl and Daryl with a 12 guage pump against the National Guard with a BFV?
I don't know who's more delusional...the right wing zanies or the left wing nuts.
"These nuts are everywhere now. Who knows when some talk show host will set them all off? They are surely more of a threat than Muslims are."
oh, do tell creeksneakers, what is the death toll directly of "these nuts?"
now compare that to the muslim terrorist death toll.
so tell me which one is more of a threat?
There are frequent terror attacks from right wing sources. The Southern Poverty Law Center has documented 60 attacks since 9/11/01. So since 9/11, right wing terrorists have killed more.
http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelreport/article.jsp?aid=549
http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelreport/article.jsp?aid=1027
Focus on the word "threat." Threat does not refer to what happened in the past. The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, but one would not say the Japanese are a threat to Pearl Harbor. Threats are harms that could happen now or in the future. Since the right wing is active now, and one of them just killed 3 police officers in Pittsburgh, and there are 900 right wing groups out there that the Southern Poverty Law Center finds threatening, I'd say the right wing is more of a threat.
Or maybe when the lovable band of loony tunes, our beloved elected officials thought of the funny idea of putting numbers on every round. I'm not kidding, it was mentioned.
"They don't get to define the terms"
Just like you dont get to define what patriotism is and is not.
Ya know, Hitler was a "conservative", too. The Nazi Party in Germany came to power the exact same way. The current Nazi Party in Germany campaigns using the same rhetoric as the "conservative" movement in the US is using now.
Just saying...
ah, the legitimate concern is paranoia now. an effective and predictable tactic, the man who yells "fire" is called paraoid for noticing the flames licking at his heels.
And if the government really wanted to attack you, do you think your little rifles would stand up to bombs and missiles?
Your "legitimate concern" is not only pathological paranoia, it is sociopathic obsession and delusion taken to a frightening degree.
he took a call from a truck driver--a fan of his, mind you--who was making some point or another, and while doing so was stuttering (sounding a bit like the President--and there is nothing wrong with that). Rush must have forgotten for a brief second that his mic was on, because he actually MOCKED the guy's speech pattern with a quick little "buh-buh-buh-buh".
He treats his loyal followers like this...
I think that was just Rush's normal speech pattern, "duh-duh-duh-duh".
i wanted to go to the tea party in san antonio, but was offered a ticket to see john cleese, or go to the spurs. well, i love the spurs, but the sound level is so high, as it is in all the basketall games, so i opted for cleese.
Maulkin just called it the DHS hit report on conservatives. There ya have it, the right just admitted they are rightwing terrorists.
The report warns about "right-wing terrorists." I thought we weren't using the term "terrorism" any more... What happened to "man-caused disaster?" So when describing right-wing Americans, it's OK to demonstrate the "politics of fear?"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZxe6xrCYEs
Yet another wingnut. They say they're not using "war on terror." (I don't think that's true, just another right-wing lie) You, however, should be very afraid if anyone ever starts using the pgrase "war on idiocy."
phrase, not pgrase.
Once again you show your ignorance. Less time in the echo chamber...more time boning up on current events:
Team Obama drops term War on Terror
And who' the biggest,loudest, RIGHT WING EXTREEMEST out there? Why, it's you, RUSH.
Bill O'Reilley and Rush (hoghead) Limbaugh are doing exactly what they're paid to do by the Murdoch hate machine. Anyone with an IQ of an onion knows that journalism is all about sensationalism and these two excel at it. This filth has made them both multi millionares. Murdoch also knows that you can only feed this garbage to the uneducated and the ignorant. Rush Limbaugh needs a drug test every single day; anyone that would follow this junkie has to be mentally challenged.
As far as this Tea Party Hate movement is concerned…… The most dangerous element of “any” society are those that promote patriotism through hatred and separatism; there’s no difference between them and the “Third Reich” (the Nazis). This group feeds the hate groups through lies and distortions simply because of their inability to “think” for themselves. How in the name of God anyone can fault the present administration for this mess we’re in is beyond me. These are the same “flag waving” segment that wrapped themselves in the American flag and declared their total allegiance to George Bush and the most corrupt administration in the history of this country. T
They are also fully aware that he and his cronies created this entire near bankruptcy in our economy today. If he had not granted executive fiat to his wealthy (tax evading friends- his base) and given the Oil Comapnies the massive tax breaks that he fought so hard for, much of this mess wouldn't exist. Now they blame Barack Obama who is doing a magnificient job handling this rape of our economy and restoring our credibility in the world. It simply goes to show that anyone who would listen to and follow a dope fiend such as Rush “Hoghead” Limbaugh are obviously retarded and mentally deficient. These people are and always will be very dangerous. They need to monitored daily by Homeland Security daily; they are capable of doing “anything”.