In an effort to begin my research on sponsors of Limbaugh’s show, I went to Limbaugh’s web site. To my amazement they featured a transcript of his show yesterday. He was responding to the shock and outrage of a variety of people who had taken offense at his attack on Sandra Fluke from the previous day, when he called her a “slut” and a “prostitute.” Limbaugh’s reaction to the “left” expressing outrage over his personal attack on this third-year law-student, was not to apologize, or even to suggest that he got a little carried away.
We know the Limbaugh generates listeners by saying outrageous things. However, when he does get out of control, and has time to reflect on what he has said, there is no excuse for this wanton disregard of civility. After 24 hours he had the opportunity to apologize or to at least act like he was sorry. He laughed. His lack of remorse, or at least creating the appearance of remorse indicates he deserves to feel the wrath of his sponsors, his station, and the public.
Having watched this articulate woman giving her testimony before Congress, I am even more outraged by Limbaugh’s remarks. Ms. Fluke, the past President of the LSRJ (Law Students for Reproductive Justice) was speaking on behalf of all female law students at Georgetown. She was not speaking about personal matters of sexual encounters or personal finances. She gave an example of a law student who had a need for birth control pills not for prevention of pregnancy, but as a treatment to prevent the growth of tumors on her ovaries. That student had polycystic ovarian syndrome. When she was unable to get her necessary birth control medicine, the student developed a tennis-ball sized ovarian tumor that required surgery and removal of her ovary. At age 32, this surgery was devastating, as it occurred during final exams, and she may be unable to have children.
This specific example of the hardship experienced by a Georgetown student was not a personal example, and not an example of a woman asking for health care coverage for birth control pills so she could have sex. She was in need of the coverage to prevent an ovarian tumor, to prevent surgery, and to prevent infertility. Ms. Fluke wasn’t testifying about her personal hardship, but that of many other women at Georgetown Law School. For Mr. Limbaugh to lodge such a personal attack at Ms. Fluke is unforgivable. In posts to come I will set forth ways we can all make our voices heard about the need to silence this pathetic example of a human being.
President Obama place a phone call to Sandra Fluke today to convey his appreciation to Ms. Fluke for her courage in offering her testimony before Congress. He made a point of mentioning to Ms. Fluke that her parents would be very proud of her. This was especially important to her, since Limbaugh mentioned in a second show howembarrassed her parents should be. The amazing thing is that Limbaugh heard about the President's call, and again repeated his feelings that Ms. Fluke's parents should be embarrassed. Rush Limbaugh is not sorry for his remarks. He is not embarrassed by his lack of understanding of how birth control pills work. He is not apologizing for calling Ms. Fluke a "slut" and a "prostitute." He is only repeating his remarks, and making them more hurtful. I hope Ms. Fluke does sue him for slander!
Huffington Post reports this am that "Sleep Train" one of the companies that advertises on Limbaugh's show has pulled any commercials, and will no longer be advertising on the show. Pro Flowers is receiving a deluge of Twitter comments, and is contemplating pulling their ads too. I'm working on a list of all the companies who advertise, and will update this information. Please join the conversation with Pro Flowers to get them to pull their ads.
