Lloyd Grotjan/University of Missouri Press/Columbia Daily Tribune
As Steve Benen so ably pointed out, despite all the outrage surrounding Rush Limbaugh and his offensive comments, the Missouri Legislature still wants to honor Mr. Limbaugh with a bronze bust in the rotunda of the state capitol building in Jefferson City, as part of the Hall of Great Missourians.
If this initiative succeeds, who will be there with him?
Well, for one, jazz genius Charlie Parker. And paradigm-altering entertainer Josephine Baker. And baseball legend Buck O'Neil. And ragtime colossus Scott Joplin. And many many other remarkable Americans who put placed their stamp on America by putting their art and their industry and their fellows before themselves.
So ask yourself, would Mark Twain or Harry Truman or Scott Joplin randomly call a woman exercising her First Amendment rights a slut and a prostitute just as a joke? As entertainment? To further his own agenda?
As someone born and raised in Jefferson City, I ask you: does Rush Limbaugh really deserve a spot in the same grand public space as these genuinely great Missourians?
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Of course. Rush embodies the deepest opinions of...some people.
The caption on the bust should read as follows.
Too funny.
Make his bust a tampon dispenser in the ladies room.
No. Put it in the legislators' cloak room, in a very dark corner.
I was about to say "target range", but that's way over the line. I'm a bad person for even thinking it. So, how about putting the bust in a pissoir instead? It would still give people something to aim at.
Limbaugh declared that his apology was sincere. This triggered my memory--of a piece H.L. Mencken wrote about William Jennings Bryan. I think parts of it certainly apply here.....
This talk of sincerity, I confess, fatigues me. If the fellow was sincere, then so was P.T. Barnum. The word is disgraced and degraded by such uses. He seemed only a poor clod like those around him, full of an almost pathological hatred of all learning, all human dignity, all beauty, all fine and noble things. Imagine a gentleman, and you have imagined everything that he was not. What animated him from end to end of his grotesque career was simply ambition--the ambition of a common man to get his hand upon the collar of his superiors, or, failing that, to get his thumb into their eye. He was born with a roaring voice, and it had the trick of inflaming half-wits against their betters, that he himself might shine.
His last battle will be grossly misunderstood if it is thought of as a mere exercise in fanaticism. What moved him, at bottom, was simply hatred of those who laughed at him so long.He lusted for revenge upon them. He yearned to lead his anthropoid rabble against them.
Thus he fought his last fight, thirsting savagely for blood. All sense departed him. He descended to demagogy so dreadful that his very asociates blushed. His one yearning was to keep his yokels heated up--to lead his forlorn mob of imbeciles against the foe.
So he was prepared for the final slaughter. He came into life a hero, a Galahad, in bright and shining armor. He was passing out a poor mountebank.
perfect!
The only spot Limpdick deserves is one six feet under, so he can join his fellow "good Republican" Andrew Breitbart in pushing up weeds.
Uncool and unnecessary comment.
No, Rush Limbaugh does NOT deserve a spot in the same grand public space as these genuinely great Missourians!!!
Instead: It is time for Rush to leave the stage. He has polluted the political conversation with his vulgar, despicable rhetoric far-to-long. His verbally abusive attack on a private citizen is beyond-the-pale and the silence and lukewarm response of most republicans is shameful.
I was browsing thru a book store this morning and I moved a book written by Limbaugh from the political section to the FICTION section as that is where his books, and 95% of his comments ought to be found! I can't imagine how the Misouri House Speaker is given the sole authority to select someone as unworthy as Limbaugh, with no confirmation by anyone?
At last people have tired of the way this man talks about his fellow humans beings.
I agree with all of this except the "his fellow" part.
Rush has made a career of critisizing other peoples ideas. Why would you want to put a bust of a person in your building when that person has spent his whole career being negative.
Why indeed
Maybe for the malicious joy of being able to melt it down afterwards.
MM,
Great plan.
If I may offer my own humble observations, Limbaugh understands EXACTLY what titillates the base. A calm, intelligent, rational discussion of the issues will not do. Or it will only due as a substitute until the main dish is served. This goes for the radio talk show host on the air, or the conservative politician at the townhall or being interviewed.
Why did Santorum say JFK's speech made him want to "throw-up"? Because "throw up" is the language of belligerence. Just like "slut." Like requesting the posting of sex videos. Like the judge with the e-mail about Obama's mother and a dog. These guys know what their brethren REALLY like to hear.
And then the back-tracking or apologies? You gotta be fuking kidding me.
That's as ridiculous as a 4 time married, ducker of Viet Nam by mickey-mouse medical exemption, oxycontin-narcotics addict rehabber, being the grand spokesman for the party of patriotism and family values.
Sure. Make the bust with an open mouth and use it as a urinal.
Rush and the GOP represent the "American Taliban".
Exactly!!!!
Is from Mo, and is very very Ashamed of this fact !
However, us Mo's are fighting back !!
https://secure3.convio.net/pn/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=2085
I signed that petition and put it on Facebook.
Well lets hope at least he's comfortably esconced between Bird and Baker, exactly the company he'd loathe being included in.
Mr Limbaugh ....
You've done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?
Steven Tilley is the Speaker of the House. I wrote to him on Facebook (he has a page and he responds to his messages). He believes that coming from Cape Girardeau and rising to be a well-known talk show host is a significant achievement and merits placement in the hall. In short, he won't change his mind, even if he recognizes it makes him look bad.
If you want to make a difference on this, go to his Facebook page, and send him a message. Tell him you're outraged and will work to get him defeated in the election this year. The more people who inundate him with criticism, the more likely he is to do something about it.
In short, his actions in putting Limbaugh in the Hall essentially tells the women of America that the State of Missouri agrees with Limbaugh's hate speech. As a Missouri resident and citizen of Jefferson CIty, I cannot stomach that!
People, people, people. Calm down. When they said "Bust" what they actually meant was that a bronze statue memorializing Limbaugh's BUST for using his domestic to illegally purchase Oxycontin without a prescription. It will be a glorious life-like rendition, all in bronze, of his 2009 arrest. Underneath it will be the quote from Rush Limbaugh from 1995:
Brilliant! Oh, I hope so!
Q: Does Rush Limbaugh really deserve a spot in the same grand public space as these genuinely great Missourians?
A: Of course not; but Missouri Republicans will see to it that the Angry Deaf Man makes it there anyway, because they want to make a “statement.”
Rush Limbaugh DOES NOT deserve, in any way, this honor.
It would be an embarrassment to the Great State of Missouri
if this were to come to pass. Many will come to see it and
laugh with derision. Rush is more than just a right-wing
dingbat, he is evil.
Perhaps, the best place for a likeness of Rush Limbaugh is as a urinal in the men's room.
Since he says he was just being humourous aka just likes to take the piss out of people.
That's an English expression meaning making a joke at another's expense.
Well, let's try and look at this objectively - shall we?
Rush Limbaugh is THE most popular radio talk-show host in this country - and has been for almost a quarter of a century. What has he garnered in terms of radio audience over the years - about 20 million daily listeners? This is astounding and worthy of merit.
Limbaugh gave conservative populism a voice - and did so entertainingly with wit and humor. He has covered innumerable stories that the mainstream media has avoided. He has a host of copycats in his industry. Both the left and right admit that he has had a profound influence in politics - especially in 1994 when the Republicans took the House of Representatives in 1994 for the first time in 40 years.
The TRUTH - and we'll see if liberals are interested in the truth - is that Limbaugh has had far more influence than any of the Missourians that you mentioned - Scott Joplin, Charlie Parker, Buck O' Neill and Josephine Baker. I can assure you that, overwhelmingly, most Americans - let alone Missourians - have never heard of any of these people.
That is reality.
Should the State of Missouri only honor people who aren't controversial?...or, more to the point, should Missouri only honor folks who are accepted by the left? That, of course IS the point of 'political incorrectness' - which is nothing but what the left finds offensive.
I became a big fan of Buck O'Neill after Ken Burn's baseball series hit the airwaves in 1994 (I met him a few years later and got my picture taken with him) - and of Scott Joplin after 'The Sting' came out in 1973. I'm not a Charlie Parker fan since I don't like jazz - and documentaries on Josephine Baker are played on our local St. Louis PBS station on occasion.
One of Josephine Baker's claims to fame is that she became famous for her erotic dancing on stage when she first went to Paris. She would appear topless and nearly nude in her performances.
Now I realize that this would not be a big deal to many Americans/Missourians - but it clearly would be a big deal to other Americans.
In light of these controversial actions, should Josephine Baker have a bust in the Missouri rotunda? Or, again, is it only what the left finds offensive that should be the criteria?
Because of his accomplishments, there is no reason why Rush Limbaugh shouldn't have a bust in the rotunda of the Missouri capitol.
Period.
johnlorican:
Limbaugh accomplished this through the miracles of television and radio advertising. He did not do this himself. Hitler had millions of people stepping to his tune, too, but to my knowledge there are no monuments commemorating this.
Rush Limbaugh has used his pulpit of hate and sarcasm to hoodwink millions of people, and has fabricated falsehoods to froth up the base. Most of his viewers are so poorly educated and informed that they actually believe what he says to be true. He has become the poster child for hate radio, though.
Scott Joplin, Charlie Parker, Buck O'Neill and Josephine Baker did not have the same advertising opportunities. Most Missourians HAVE heard of these individuals (at least the ones who know how to read). Josephine Baker did not trash the reputation of a 24-year-old young lady to gain market share. While these individuals were not perfect, they made significant strides toward equality of people of color. Limbaugh can't compete here.
Humor and political incorrectness go hand in hand. But to glorify a celebrity who mangles the truth, fabricates "facts" to illustrate his delusions, and deliberately tries to shame a highly-educated young woman because she chose to exercise her right of free speech before congress is inexcusable.
Seriously? He spews falsehoods and picks on little girls, for money. He should be shamed and sued for slander, not glorified with a statue.
You are missing the point. Putting him in the Hall for simply being a loudmouth who can command an audience of undereducated angry white people puts the imprimatur of the State of Missouri on Rush's hate speech. Scott Joplin became famous for his musical work without a radio show. Walter Cronkite, also in the Hall, became famous for reporting the news. To millions he WAS the news.
There should be no political litmus test for admission to the Hall of Famous Missourians. But neither should there be a place for a man who has made his entire career about fostering not reasoned dialog with respect, but rather, the exact opposite: polarized right wing propaganda the chews up the truth and spits out injury to the civility that has always marked political debate in this country. If you want to see why the Republicans are losing the fight in the public eye, look no further than Limbaugh. That Missouri Republicans want to stand with someone who has an almost sociopathic hatred for women suggests they think they are untouchable. Thank God for term limits.
I was just wishing that someone like Mae West would have been born in Missouri as well, so that they could place his bust behind hers (ideally, with a microphone that plays some her most salacious quotes).
Sure, put him in. And I also think they should include some other "famous" Missourians at the same time. "Pretty Boy" Floyd, and Frank and Jesse James,for instance. . .
DAY, ironically, there is a mural of Jesse James IN the state capitol. Incidentally, I'm a lifelong Missourian.
Just because you're famous doesn't mean you deserve a place of honor. Rush has said and implied some horrible things over the years and has propagated hatred and fear using his public platform.
I'm hoping this is the time people wake up and show the courage to oust this bully from the public forum and let him go the way of Glenn Beck and other internet trolls to fade away in to obscurity.
I just read an article about a new advertiser on Rush Limbaugh’s radio show. Is said that one company has flocked to the conservative commentator. The online dating website SeekingArrangement.com, whose mission is to match subscribers with wealthy "Sugar Daddies," said Tuesday that it has made a new ad buy specifically during Limbaugh's program. Brandon Wade, the founder and CEO of Seeking Arrangement.com also added, “Limbaugh's show appeals to the largest Sugar Daddy demographic.” This is obviously a ‘thinly veiled’ prostitution site. So, when Mr. Limbaugh accepts money from them and runs the ads on his show, does that make Mr. Limbaugh a Pimp and a wh0re-monger?
Well, they could put his bust in the nearest broom closet or maybe in the mens' room.
Rush could be listed as a Science Statement, I E, proof of DARK MATTER....