Stars and Stripes letters: Get Limbaugh off Armed Forces Radio

[lebkuchen]

http://www.stripesonline.com/article.asp?section=125&article=18916

Take Limbaugh off AFN

Rush Limbaugh is a drug addict, and a rich one at that. He should be treated just like our young troops – get caught once and you’re out. Limbaugh is some role model for our armed forces. He should be taken off AFN. That’s what we call zero tolerance. Limbaugh should take his own advice and go to jail.

Alexander J. Fiore
Camp Darby, Italy


http://www.stripesonline.com/article.asp?section=125&article=18915


Will Limbaugh change?

I hope Rush Limbaugh will be able to overcome his drug addiction. Anyone hooked on OxyContin deserves all of our support and compassion. Speaking of compassion, how will this difficult experience change Limbaugh? Will he stop calling certain liberals “drug-infested maggots”?

It’s a darned good thing that Limbaugh is a wealthy, powerful, middle-aged white guy. Imagine what nasty little jail cell he’d be sitting in if he were a young servicemember or a member of a minority group.

On his Web site a few weeks ago, Limbaugh questioned the patriotism of retired Gen. Wesley Clark. Will Limbaugh apologize to him? Surely Gen. Clark deserves better. He was seriously wounded as a combat infantry leader in Vietnam and awarded the Silver Star and Bronze Star for valor. Maybe if Limbaugh had answered the call to serve, he’d understand this.

But hey, that’s ancient history, and this is Limbaugh’s chance to switch to a kinder, gentler message. Over the past 20 years, Limbaugh has done a superb job of telling Americans how to hate and who to hate. Imagine how much better the world would be if Limbaugh shared with Americans a message of love and understanding. I’m sure the “flush Rush” crowd doubts that Limbaugh can be a changed man. How about proving them wrong?

John McDowell
Sembach, Germany

Remove Limbaugh show

This letter isn’t about radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh, who recently said that all drug addicts should be put in the same jail cells as drug pushers. This is about AFN’s decision to continue broadcasting Limbaugh’s show. This show has no place on AFN. It provides no service to our servicemembers. It’s just political propaganda at its worst. The entire show is nothing more than continuous, vicious attacks against one of America’s prominent political parties.

How could the Department of Defense approve this show for AFN? Is the DOD championing one political party over another for its servicemembers? Will unit voting assistance officers start pushing the same political party that AFN pushes with the Limbaugh show? The Defense Media Center, which oversees AFN, claims it’s just giving the public what it wants.

The Limbaugh show may be fine in the U.S., where the public can choose between hundreds of English language news programs. That’s freedom of choice. But for servicemembers in different parts of the world, AFN may be all they get. That makes the Limbaugh show forced political propaganda sanctioned by the DOD.

Here’s an example: A soldier pulls 15 hours of combat duty and maybe gets five hours of sleep. He decides to listen to AFN news. Then he hears someone telling him how stupid he is for belonging to a particular political party. Anyone who’s heard the Limbaugh program can’t deny that this is the type of abuse he inflicts on anyone who doesn’t agree with his political views. At least the so-called left-leaning National Public Radio and right-leaning Fox News provide a wide range of daily new coverage of world events.

The Limbaugh show is nonstop political brainwashing. How can we ask our soldiers to put their lives on the line and teach others the benefits of free elections, removed from the coercion of powerful militaries, when our military is using a show like Limbaugh’s to coerce its own people? With an election year coming up, let’s hope our leaders set the correct example and remove this show.

James Carrethers
Heidelberg, Germany

[jonoboy]

1. it's an utter disgrace he is allowed to continue

I DON'T think the hypocrite should be forgiven..zero tollerance. Get this drug addicted buffoon off the air.

[The Zanti Regent]

7. Yeah, why is a Draft Dodger given a pass by the Military brass?

I'm very curious about that!

Are they lying about ol' Anal Cyst Rush the same way they lie about Bush being a decorated fighter pilot and Gore deserting? Those are the lies the upper military tells my nephews and nieces serving for Haliburton!

[opihimoimoi]

2. This is incredible. I never knew the turd was on the Mil radio

Damn, How in the world this brain washing of the troops got started and why continue??

[Art_from_Ark]

9. I have mentioned several times on DU

that I had heard Dimbulb's hate show on AFRTS, but maybe it got lost in the din:shrug:

[teryang]

3. It is terrible

...that forces serving overseas should have this propaganda force fed on them. Limbaugh and his ilk are fascist demagouges. I'd be ashamed to be serving my country overseas and have to listen to that embarassing garbarge.

It isn't like the foreign audience doesn't know what it is. That fat hateful slob is a poor ambassador for our nation. But he is exactly what this fascist administration stands for.

[Ilsa]

4. This is the best news I've heard all day.

Quote: "Here’s an example: A soldier pulls 15 hours of combat duty and maybe gets five hours of sleep. He decides to listen to AFN news. Then he hears someone telling him how stupid he is for belonging to a particular political party."

I'm surprised a soldier hasn't shot the radio or tv in their fatigued and hypervigilant state upon listening to Rush.

[bvar22]

5. Isn't this illegal?

One of the letter writers stated that sometimes AFN (Armed Forces Network?) is all they can get. Rush prefixes his shows with a statement that his show is politically extreme right wing! Can it be legal for the powers that be to force feed a self-admittedly politically extreme show to our servicemen? At least Fox claims to be Fair & Balanced!. Rush makes no such claims!

[Lydia Leftcoast]

6. It certainly should be illegal

I've noticed Rush in the FEN (Far Eastern Network) listings for several past visits to Japan, but I'm not sure when he was put on the schedule. Perhaps during Poppy's administration?

When I lived in Japan in the 1970s, FEN was all Top 40 and country music in the mornings. Now there are two hours per day of Rush Limbaugh. It really does look as if someone is trying to propagandize the troops.

[Art_from_Ark]

8. First time I heard him on the Far East Network (Tokyo)

was '93 or '94, but he might have been on longer than that