“Take that bone out of your nose and call me back.”
–Rush Limbaugh
Conservatives like to say they’re opposed on principle to government funding for public radio. Last year, for example, the GOP-led Congress voted to stop federal funding to NPR and the CPB.
If they really care about taxpayers dollars going to radio that can stand on its own two feet, perhaps it’s time for the Department of Defense to join more than 140 advertisers that have stopped advertising on Rush Limbaugh’s show and drop the show from Armed Forces Network. Why? It’s disrespectful to the women and people of color who serve in the armed forces. As VoteVets states,
Rush Limbaugh has a freedom of speech and can say what he wants, but in light of his horribly misogynistic comments, American Forces Radio should no longer give him a platform. Our entire military depends on troops respecting each other – women and men. There simply can be no place on military airwaves for sentiments that would undermine that respect. When many of our female troops use birth control, for Limbaugh to say they are “sluts” and “prostitutes” is beyond the pale. It isn’t just disrespectful to our women serving our country, but it’s language that goes against everything that makes our military work. Again, we swore to uphold our Constitution, including the freedom of speech, and would not take that away from anyone – even Limbaugh. But that does not mean AFN should broadcast him.
It’s perfectly fine to air programming that reflects a variety of opinions. It’s not okay to air Rush’s sexist, racist rants. Our armed forces deserve better. Rush’s neanderthal sexism has resulted in his losing advertisers, but he’s also got an extensive record of racism. Dog-whistling is usually too subtle for him. If you need to refresh your memory, here are a couple of his greatest hits:
“Have you ever noticed how all composite pictures of wanted criminals resemble Jesse Jackson?”
“Look, let me put it to you this way: the NFL all too often looks like a game between the Bloods and the Crips without any weapons. There, I said it.”
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