"Could you imagine a world without the Bush's or Limbaugh's? "

Yes and life looks good :p

"Could you imagine a world without the Bush's or Limbaugh's? "

Yes and life looks good :p

Do I hear the conservatives saying we should be compassionate and turn the other cheek?

Ahem....

In a year he could be a convicted felon. We'll talk about your opinion of the man then....

Grandpa-

I knew darn well you would defend Rush with all of the hate and vitriol he spews forth from his radio throne.

Skywalker-

Did you have to quote my spelling error?



My memory tells me it was from the movie 'Makin the Grade' with Judd Nelson and Dice Clay...I could be wrong.

Email me if yer headed to the Op and I'll put you in an empty seat, best I can do on a prize.

Well, I have not, and will not, read the body of this thread (so pardon if this already came up). But I did read the initial post - so I will pose a question:

If a parent is a smoker (tobacco addict) should he avoid discouraging his kids from smoking for fear of being labeled a "hypocrite"?

Aunty, doggone it, you and I are agreeing more and more. It seems like the dug in diehards of the right and left seem to be more interested in having their side declared correct on all issues. If there is a question whether that is true, go to attack mode and try to drag the other side down. I guess we should expect that when trash talking passes for casual conversation. It sure makes it tough to have honest, civil, and complete debates on issues of real importance.

Slabquest, since your scenario applies to me directly, I will reply. The answer is no, the tobacco addict can discourage his or her kids from smoking. That is not hypocritical, it would only be hypocritical (and germane to this thread) if I said every smoker should be thrown in jail (except me of course).

I pulled the definition of Hypocrisy from an on-line dictionary;

1. The practice of professing beliefs, feelings, or virtues that one does not hold or possess; falseness. 2. An act or instance of such falseness.

So if Mr. Limbaugh truly professes beliefs and virtues against drug abusers, then he is guilty of Hypocrisy. We all are in one way or another.

He got busted, he should take his lumps and get his act together.

What we need to address here is who on this board is worthy to cast the first stone. You won't see me throwing one any time soon. And if I do, I'll have to throw it straight up in the air so I can stand under it.

Eddie,

I think it would be idiodic for a smoker/parent to NOT discourage his kids from smoking.

But, technically, it would also be hypocritical.

The legality of the act doesn't apply to the question.

I would think that most addicts (of any substance) are disgusted by their addition and would preach against the use of that substance by anyone.

Slabquest, I think you are right in this sense. I, as a tobacco addict, am saying to my kids, "Do As I Say, Not As I do". That is most likely hypocritical under the classic definition and the way most are using it here. Now where Rush is even in more hypocritical waters is that he obviously tried to hide his addiction while preaching abstinence and prison time for abusers. I'm not sure if there is more to say here. Obviously, this is a very fluid situation where there will be more revelations prior to conclusions.

Slabquest, thanks for making me think. I appreciate it - now, if you can just get a rope around Grandpa!!!

The truth is it's a sad thing when anyone gets addicted. I was eager to make fun of him because his views are so far from mine. And I wondered if he would have shown compassion for his enemies. Would he have expressed compassion, had this happened to Clinton or Kennedy? Not bloody likely. But we should try to be better than those we excoriate. Upon reflection, I do feel sorry for him. Maybe he did have talent on loan from God. But now he is in deep trouble. I hope he makes it through this and that it makes him a bit more tolerant of other’s shortcomings.

Surecatch - The way you went for grandpa2's throat makes me feel sorry for you.

Mike C., my applause and regards to you.

Plunker:

I have no shame about going for grandpa's throat. Accusing someone of incest with their daughter is waaaay over the line by any civilized standard that i know off. Do you approve of that?

surecatch...As SURE as you are about yourself and your opinions,let me asSURE you that incest had nothing to do with what I said. I was trying to make a point about the role model your hero, Bill, must be to his daughter...I made a bad analogy for SURE but not anything like you thought for SURE you read.

Jerry Springer visits Arkansas?

Grandpa: Please tell us all what you meant by your analogy? I and, from judging from their comments several others, thought you were discussing sexual acts. If your comments were so innocuous why did you say they were over the line and pull them? If you are so proud of what you said, do you have the nerve to post it again and see what sort of response they get again?

Allow me to clear up a misconception from my original post.

People that take a hard stance against drug addicts have alot to learn. Mr. Limbaugh is headed down that path and for that I am grateful. Not for whatever harm he may suffer through this but for the opportunity it presents to Americans to reexamine their stance on legal and illegal drugs, our own hypocrisy as a collective in regards to those drugs and perhaps soften stances, such as Rush's original and OBVIOUSLY erroneous position on the matter.

For example, cigarette smokers are drug addicts, no better or worse for having an addiction than heroin users. In the case of both drugs the dependency is physical and once gained, retained for life. In fact, heroin and nicotine affect the exact same serotonin receptors in the brain and are therefore equally insidious addictions to overcome, ironic that the proscribed treatment for each is more of the drug they are hooked on....

It is for that very reason, that ANYONE can become addicted to drugs EASILY and LEGALLY that people ought to consider redefining what is socially acceptable and what isn't. The Rush Limbaugh stance, the 'send them all up the river', is proven here to be moronic and wrongheaded. That was the point of the original post, not to gloat over his misfortune, I'll save that for his felony conviction.

Now, in response to Aunty...

Yes, I have herniated discs in my back and at a very young age, I've been dealing with chronic back pain for 15 years. Anyone that's been through it knows there are few things more painful one can endure...In a way, its probably a blessing that I am allergic to opiate derivative drugs, not even so much as codeine for me...

So, if you want to get into a pain measuring, who's been through more type of conversation I'm sure we'll push. Perhaps even as much as your husband I understand what its like to endure chronic pain. Top that off with passing my allergy on to my son and watching him go through rodding surgery (twice)...yeah, I'm familiar with high levels of pain.

A rich, white American admits he's an addict and his constituency lets out a collective 'Awww, the poor guy'...I doubt they have the same reaction as they pass by the heroin addicts in the international district or fish next to the crankster gangsters on the Kalama, but I am here to tell you that there is absolutely no difference in terms of their addiction, except that to use, a subset of them have to get their drugs illegally, while the alcoholic can get his fix at a STATE SPONSORED ENABLING FACILITY, otherwise known around these parts as a liquor store.

I don't feel sorry for Rush, he's hoed his own row and now he will reap what he has sown.

I do feel compassion for his pain and suffering, to whatever extent there has been. No one would jump onto the Rush bandwagon faster than I if the man would admit that he was wrong...

Pretty sure that's not going to happen....

Dammit!
Late to the party, again!
With regard to the quotes referenced above, Kudos to Slabquest and Eddie for intelligent and insightful questions.
With regard to Billybob (Love that avatar!) Those among us with a nationally syndicated radio show that pervert facts and perspective in an effort to increase listenership and ratings with a net result of increasing their personal wealth are the only ones NOT qualified to cast the first stone.
Rush has set himself up as the biggest target throughout his career.
Would the same people defend Jim Bakker on his infidelity after being such a religious zealot?
If an IRS agent was found cheating on their taxes, would the outcry be sympathy and understanding?
Rush has profited immensly using his HOLIER THAN THOU status and is the perfect example of why not to take the far right or far left too seriously.

Maintain some perspective.

surecatch, I read the same analogy that you read, with the same response. Must be a Liberal spin that is getting us in trouble. Kind of Rush like..............

Amen!