Transterrestrial Musings

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When they lie, they speak in their native tongue.

Posted by Gunga at October 3, 2007 02:01 PM

It's McCarthyism, all right. Te original Joe McCarthy frequently said that he was the real victim. He lied about himself all the time to turn the tables on his accusers.

So it goes with Rush Limbaugh. It's not that he was taken out of context, it's that it's taken in context. Harry Reid and the others are correct that Limbaugh smeared soldiers who oppose the war.

Limbaugh first labels a caller a liar when he knows nothing about him other than (a) he's against the war, and (b) he claims that he is a Republican who was in the military. The he takes a caller who says, "No, it's not, and what's really funny is, they never talk to real soldiers. They like to pull these soldiers that come up out of the blue and talk to the media." Limbaugh responds, "The phony soldiers."

The message is perfectly clear. "They", the opponents of the Iraq war, never talk to real soldiers, only phony soldiers. "Never" means never; it means that no anti-war soldiers who have appeared in the "drive-by" media (as Limbaugh calls it) are real. For instance, there were the seven soldiers who opposed the war in the New York Times. Two of them were later killed in Iraq. But since they "never" talk to real soldiers, these must be among the phony soldiers. Just like the first caller. Limbaugh "knew" he was lying about his military record just because he opposed the war.

http://mediamatters.org/items/200709270010

Just like Joe McCarthy, no one is taking Rush Limbaugh's candy away for this. No one is "interfering with his livelihood" in any way. All the Congressional resolutions would do is rightfully condemn his unpatriotic remarks. Just like McCarthy, Limbaugh cannot tolerate truthful criticism.

Posted by Jim Harris at October 3, 2007 04:21 PM

All the Congressional resolutions would do is rightfully condemn his unpatriotic remarks.

So much for that Free Speech thing, then.

Posted by Brian at October 3, 2007 06:27 PM

So much for that Free Speech thing, then.

You're free to speak and others are free to criticize your words. It's that simple.

Posted by Jim Harris at October 3, 2007 06:41 PM

"It's not that he was taken out of context, it's that it's taken in context. Harry Reid and the others are correct that Limbaugh smeared soldiers who oppose the war."

Once I had read that far Jim, I knew with total certitude you were the real lying POS.

I was listening to Limbaugh a week ago when he said whad he said. I know exactly what I heard, I know you have no honor or shame and I know you hold us in such low esteem that you would defend such an easily refutable falshood in the presence of more honorable citizens.

Jim, you yourself know you are lying and we know you are deliberately spreading falsehood. But, like your hero Goebbels, you have to keep repeating your big lie often because the ends always justify the means. When one is lacking in core ethics such as yourself, I understand such behavior is accepted.

Don't piss down our back and try and tell us its raining Jim. This isn't DU, we aren't retarded or brain damaged like your nugget mining brethern. We don't believe you. Me thinks you doest protest too much. The evidence does not support your obvious lie and the intelligent posters on this board see thru you like a paine of glass.

If you wish to be known forever as Jim Harris, lying bastard, it is your reputation you are shiting on by falsely impuning the character of Mr. Limbaugh, not his.

Posted by Mike Puckett at October 3, 2007 07:02 PM

Linking to media matters? LOL!

That is going straight to the sewer for your references.

Posted by Mike Puckett at October 3, 2007 07:03 PM

Linking to media matters?

Look, Mike, either the transcript and MP3 on that web page are the truth, or they aren't. The transcript matches the MP3, so if you think that it's wrong, you're saying that the audio MP3 is a fabrication. It sure doesn't sound like a fabrication. If that MP3 is the truth, then it doesn't matter which web page has it. On that MP3, Limbaugh slanders troops as phony if they criticize the Iraq war.

Posted by Jim Harris at October 3, 2007 07:15 PM

"On that MP3, Limbaugh slanders troops as phony if they criticize the Iraq war."

Then it is phoney or re-edited to be deceptive. I was listening live at the time. I don't need Soros sock puppets at media matters telling me what I heard.

However, Limbaughs audio and explanations are avialable at his and other websites. Available at places far more reputiable and authoratative than the gutter snipes at media matters.

Like NRO for example:

http://article.nationalreview.com/print/?q=NzQzZGJkM2E1NWI5NmNjMTAzNTQ4YTk1ZDRhZTMyNWY

Posted by Mike Puckett at October 3, 2007 07:31 PM

No, Mike, Limbaugh was the one who doctored the playback. Media Matters covered that too. First there was the caller who Limbaugh accused of lying about his military record, just because the caller said it was time to pull the troops out of Iraq. Limbaugh left that caller out of what he called "the entire transcript". Then Limbaugh played the part where the second caller offered the general principle that anti-war groups "never" enlist real soldiers, only (in Limbaugh's words) phony soldiers. Then Limbaugh cut out a minute and a half of his own recording to bring the Jesse MacBeth story next to the "phony soldiers" quote.

Since Limbaugh said that this was "the entire transcript", he just wasn't telling the truth. The Jesse MacBeth story was not next to the "phony soldiers" quote and it was not what Media Matters fingered. When Limbaugh accused the previous caller of being a fake soldier just because he wants the US out of Iraq, that was part of the context, but Limbaugh left it out. In fact that's as damning as the "phony soldier" sentence, because that first caller even said that he was a fan of the show and that Rush is right on a lot of things --- but that just wasn't good enough for Big Bad Rush Limbaugh.

http://mediamatters.org/items/200709280009

Your source Byron York played along with Limbaugh's revisionism. He said that the discussion with the first caller was "testy". He did not admit that Limbaugh accused that caller of being a fake soldier.

Posted by Jim Harris at October 3, 2007 08:13 PM

So much for that Free Speech thing, then.

You're free to speak and others are free to criticize your words. It's that simple.

The 'others' in this care are a branch of the government. That makes a huge difference.

Posted by Brian at October 3, 2007 08:41 PM

This is a good example of what the left is about. They have no principles, no integrity. They will slander, lie, deceive, and mislead to achieve their ends. This is about power, and the black-eye the democrat's got over the NYT "Betrayus" ad.

We all know what Limbaugh said was directed toward all the phony soldiers, like Jesse McBeth and others cropping up at these anti-war rallies. They were the darlings of the left-wing media until they were exposed.

Limbaugh should tell Harry Reid and people like Jim Harris to kiss his ass.

Posted by Don at October 3, 2007 09:19 PM

Ye shall know them by their fruits. Who is more popular with the military, Rush or his accusers? I have my disagreements with Mr Limbaugh, but making up lies to disparage him? That's almost as dishonorable as pretending to be an Iraq War veteran and lying about atrocities. If you want to talk issues, fine. If you want to talk about what Rush actually said, fine. Single-sourced propaganda will get you nowhere fast with people who do research, which defines many on this blog.

Posted by Stewart at October 3, 2007 11:12 PM

Yeah, politicians and lying. Ain't that something!

Yeah, politicians with courage - these days THAT would be something.

One great big bunch of congressional bananas, all bent, all yellow and they hang together!

Sorry guys; this extreme left/right crap has really pushed my cynicism button this morniong!

Posted by Andy Clark at October 4, 2007 04:41 AM

Jim Harris, you're an idiot. I too was listening when Rush uttered the "phony soldiers" line, and I knew immediately who he was referring to. It's not Rushs fault that you and Harry Reid are too dense to get it.

Ask the troops if they were insulted. Ask the troops to rate Rush, Reid, Harkin, Media Matters, Move On. Ask them who really insults and denigrates them.

Posted by Cecil Trotter at October 4, 2007 05:23 AM

I want Democrats to explain how Jesse Macbeth is a real soldier. I wonder why they cannot express outrage that a person would lie about serving in the military in an effort to steal money from veterans, and then also pretend that he and those veterans killed innocent civilians. That is the truly outrageous activity that is being ignored by Harry Reid and Jim Harris.

Posted by Leland at October 4, 2007 05:43 AM

"Your source Byron York played along with Limbaugh's revisionism"

You and the media matters robots are the revisionists. There were tens of millions who heard what was said live including myself and Cecil.

Posted by Mike Puckett at October 4, 2007 07:01 AM

"According to a Military Times survey taken in September 2004, active-duty military personnel preferred President Bush to Kerry by about 73 percent to 18 percent. Sixty percent describe themselves as Republican and less than 10 percent call themselves Democrat."

I wonder why that is?

Posted by Cecil Trotter at October 4, 2007 07:07 AM

Ask the troops if they were insulted.

I have to say, Rush Limbaugh's own audience puts up with a great deal of disrespect from the Great Rushbo. Right there on the transcript and audio, he yells at a caller and accuses him of lying. Limbaugh had no way to know whether "Mike from Chicago" was in the military. If he was, then Limbaugh was insulting one of the troops to his face. It would be interesting if Media Matters tracked down that guy.

And it's not just the callers who dare to disagree with the host who get treated badly. Limbaugh's general tone is to talk down to the audience, the "dittoheads". So it's not too surprising if listeners care more about making him look good than making themselves look good.

It also means that Limbaugh's show, just like O'Reilly's show, and maybe Jerry Springer and Judge Judy, are little schools of bullying. For that reason alone, common sense would ask you to turn the dial to NPR, where the hosts treat the audience a lot better.

Posted by Jim Harris at October 4, 2007 07:30 AM

There were tens of millions who heard what was said live including myself and Cecil.

And Media Matters, who took the trouble to record it. One has to wonder, if it was so obvious what Limbaugh meant, why did he tamper with his own playback to make his case?

Posted by Jim Harris at October 4, 2007 07:49 AM

Media Matters is to journalism what Art Bell is to science.

Posted by Alan K. Henderson at October 4, 2007 08:32 AM

I take that back - Bell has more principles.

Posted by Alan K. Henderson at October 4, 2007 08:33 AM

Mr. Harris, are you claiming that Media Matters is unbiased?

Please say you are, I need a good laugh.

Posted by Cecil Trotter at October 4, 2007 10:25 AM

Leland
I want Democrats to explain how Jesse Macbeth is a real soldier.

He was in the Army, for a little while at least.

Posted by Brian at October 4, 2007 12:42 PM

I don't believe he ever finished boot camp therefore he really isn't a soldier.

Posted by Cecil Trotter at October 4, 2007 05:15 PM

Brian,

He didn't complete BCT. 1 month 13 days does not make you a soldier. That's maybe 6 weeks, except for the fact that he was discharged for "Entry Level Performance and Conduct", which by Army Regulation 635-200, requires he be counseled. His training period would have been much less than 6 weeks.

Posted by Leland at October 5, 2007 07:11 AM

"Right there on the transcript and audio, he yells at a caller and accuses him of lying. Limbaugh had no way to know whether "Mike from Chicago" was in the military. If he was, then Limbaugh was insulting one of the troops to his face. It would be interesting if Media Matters tracked down that guy"

After 19 years, Rush can smell a seminar caller and know when he is being lied to. Hell, I said they guy was a seminar caller berfore Rush called him a liar. He fit the MO to a tee.

"And it's not just the callers who dare to disagree with the host who get treated badly. Limbaugh's general tone is to talk down to the audience, the "dittoheads". So it's not too surprising if listeners care more about making him look good than making themselves look good."

Spoken like a mind-numbed robot who is incapabile of critical thought. Instead of getting your talking points from media matters, why don't you listen for yourself?

" One has to wonder, if it was so obvious what Limbaugh meant, why did he tamper with his own playback to make his case?"

He explains why he edited out an unrelated portion, for brevity. He also has provided the whole thing.

Of course, if you would do your own thinking and your own research, you would know this. Instead, you consume whatever offal your masters at media matters deficates for your consumption.

Posted by Mike Puckett at October 5, 2007 07:37 AM

Leland,

Macbeth fits the textbook definition of a soldier; an enlisted man who serves in an army.

It does not make him a very _good_ soldier but there it is.

Posted by Brian at October 5, 2007 07:02 PM

Brian,
Brian,

You are not a soldier until you graduate basic any more than you are a cop until you graduate the academy. A Marine is also a recurit until they graduate boot camp. They are not called a Marine until they graduate.

You are not serving until you complete your instruction on how to serve.

MacBeth is/was not a soldier, he is a bolo, a no-go at this station.

Posted by Mike Puckett at October 5, 2007 08:21 PM

Macbeth fits the textbook definition of a soldier; an enlisted man who serves in an army.

Except that he didn't serve. He didn't pass Basic. Basic Training is not serving. If he truly served during that time, he would be awarded the National Defense Service Medal. His DD-214 shows he had no awards, because he failed to participate in Basic Training.

Brian, you seem to be pushing this phony notion that attending a few days at Basic makes one a soldier. It doesn't. Ask anyone who has gone through Basic or Boot Camp.

Posted by Leland at October 7, 2007 05:15 PM

Mike Puckett
A Marine is also a recurit until they graduate boot camp. They are not called a Marine until they graduate.

Actually right before the graduation, at least in 1985. That is the company assembled in the base movie theater, the battalion CO called us Marines, gave a little speech and then we did the graduation ceremony on the parade deck.

Leland
Brian, you seem to be pushing this phony notion that attending a few days at Basic makes one a soldier. It doesn't. Ask anyone who has gone through Basic or Boot Camp.

No, I'm being nitpicky about the definition.

Posted by Brian at October 13, 2007 02:49 PM

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