he spectacle of some hypocritical celebrity going down in flames as a direct result of their hypocrisy is always good for a laugh. When it's a pompous windbag like Rush Limbaugh, a man who has made a career out of vilifying others for exactly the sort of drug abuse he has (allegedly) been engaging in... well it's almost too sweet for words.

The following blog excerpts proceed in order from first to last.

December 5, 2003

The cops are digging deeper into Rush Limbaugh's pill popping issues, treating a celebrity like the criminal he's admitted to being, and while we've not heard any more about his drug trafficking or money laundering evasion lately, today there's some new news about his doctor shopping.

Investigators who searched Rush Limbaugh's doctors' offices said in warrants released today that the conservative radio commentator engaged in illegal drug abuse and "doctor shopping" for prescription painkillers.

The warrants show investigators were looking for Limbaugh's medical records, medical questionnaires, cash receipts, sections of the appointment book for Limbaugh, canceled checks, medical insurance forms, computerized records related to the ordering of narcotics, prescription forms and prescription records.

"Mr. Limbaugh's actions violate the letter, and spirit" of the law that relates to "doctor shopping," stated one of warrants, signed by Asim Brown, a law enforcement agent assigned to an anti-money laundering task force at the State Attorney's Office.

Limbaugh denied any wrongdoing to listeners on his radio show earlier in the day and accused prosecutors in Palm Beach County of going on a "fishing expedition."

"What these records show is that Mr. Limbaugh suffered extreme pain and had legitimate reasons for taking pain medication. Unfortunately, because of Mr. Limbaugh's prominence and well-known political opinions, he is being subjected to an invasion of privacy no citizen of this republic should endure," Limbaugh attorney Roy Black said in a statement, which Limbaugh read.

October 3, 2003

And in further amusing news, word has gotten out that Rush Limbaugh is being investigated for illegal drug use.  Apparently he's addicted to OxyContin, some sort of pain killer, and has been buying thousands (literally)of the prescription pills to feed his habit. "Allegedly," of course. I actually saw some mention of this yesterday when I was checking links for the black quarterback thing I wrote about Rush, but since the pill popper story was sourced through the Drudge Report to an investigation by the National Enquirer, I pretty well wrote it off as tabloid bullshit at a glance.

It's a real story though, and apparently Rush has been forcing his housekeeper to score the drugs for years, and after four years of it she got tired of the whole racket or worried about being busted and wore a recording device during the last two deliveries to Rush, before going to a lawyer about the whole thing.

Wilma Cline, 42, says Limbaugh was hooked on the potent prescription drugs OxyContin, Lorcet and hydrocodone - and went through detox twice.

"There were times when I worried," Cline told the National Enquirer, which broke the story in an edition being published today. "All these pills are enough to kill an elephant - never mind a man."

What sort of stuff was he popping?

The drugs Rush Limbaugh is accused of abusing are legal only with a doctor's prescription. All are habit-forming.

Hydrocodone: Anti-cough agent and painkiller similar to morphine. Side effects include anxiety, poor mental performance, emotional dependence, drowsiness, mood changes, difficulty breathing and itchiness.

Lorcet: Brand name for the combination of Tylenol and hydrocodone, prescribed for moderate to severe pain. Side effects include dry mouth, nausea, vomiting, decreased appetite, dizziness, tiredness, muscle twitches, sweating and itching.

OxyContin: Potent time-release medication for relief of moderate to severe pain, known as hillbilly heroin because of black-market popularity in some rural areas. Side effects include drowsiness, dizziness, sweating, muscle twitches and decreased sex drive. A large dose can be fatal.

The humor in this is that Rush is about the most pompous, judgmental ass alive, and has continually bashed and insulted drug addicts of every type, heaping derision on anyone who used drugs for any reason, as part of the whole "personal responsibility" theme right wingers are so fond of applying to everyone who doesn't agree with them politically. For example:

We have alcoholics and drug addicts in our society, don't we? And what do we say about them? Well, they can't help it. Why, it's genetic. Why, they have a disease. Why, put one thimbleful of scotch in front of them and they can die.'

We totally exempt them from any control over their lives, do we not? Some athlete will spend two years snorting lines of coke. He can't help it.' You know, it's--it's just--it's not--it's--it's genetic. These people--they're predisposed to having this addictive syndrome. They--they can't help--yeah, like that line of cocaine just happened to march into the hotel, go up to the athlete's room and put itself right there in front of him on his blotter.

You can see a ton of other amusing quotes of Rush lambasting other people, primarily minorities, for their weakness in taking drugs in the posts today on Atrios's blog. (Just scroll down.)  I'm sure he'll be taking personal responsibility for the weaknesses that lead to his chemical dependencies and asking to be punished to the fullest extent of the law for his illegal actions... right?

October 11, 2003

In the news, with media attention building, Rush Limbaugh has moved to try and defuse the controversy by admitting to his pill addiction, and claiming that he's going into rehab again. Coming from a man who has made a regular habit of saying that drug treatment is stupid and that abusers should be locked up, it's impossibly hypocritical, but it's not like anyone seriously expected him to ask to be incarcerated for his criminal activity.

The part I found most interesting relates to his famous karma-smack/hearing loss:

OxyContin is a narcotic painkiller that is widely prescribed for victims of moderate to severe chronic pain resulting from such problems as arthritis, back trouble and cancer.

Limbaugh reported two years ago that he had lost most of his hearing because of an autoimmune inner-ear disease. He had surgery to have an electronic device placed in his skull to restore his hearing.

Research has found that abuse of opiate-based painkillers like OxyContin can lead to profound hearing loss caused by damage to the inner ear, said Dr. Gail Ishiyama, an assistant professor at the UCLA department of neurology. She could not confirm that was Limbaugh's case without access to his medical history.

October 14, 2003

Newsweek has a big cover story on poor downtrodden Rush Limbaugh this week, by Evan Thomas.  The article is sympathetic and sensitive and understanding, all traits that Rush himself never showed towards any other person in his current situation. Some bloggers aren't real happy about the tone of Newsweek's big wet kiss, and this one in particular is an enjoyable read, as they parse the wording and tone of the article into a sort of Rush-speak.  I'll quote a few of the entries.

Evan Thomas of Newsweek says:		UggaBugga responds:
Her motive remained murky ...		Bullshit. 100% top-grade bullshit. She was worried about taking the rap should Limbaugh get caught. That was in the news reports, Evan.
Journalists who have spent time with Limbaugh have been struck by the contrast between Rush the Radio Know-It-All and the private, ill-at-ease Limbaugh.		Yep, we should all reach out and comfort a multi-millionaire who complains when moms on welfare have "luxuries" like a microwave oven. (We vividly remember that rant from a while back.)
Limbaugh’s dependence on painkillers began after an unsuccessful back surgery in the late ’90s.		Prove it.

In other Rush the Junkie news, there's a damn funny editorial in a St. Louis paper that channels Rush, as he would have talked if Bill Clinton had been the one to come out with a pill popping addiction. I haven't listened to that much Rush in my life, but it sounds pretty dead on to me.  The whole nasty innuendo and insinuation without really coming out and saying something is a vintage Rush smear tactic.

"I know what liberals are going to say: 'This is a time for compassion.' Let me be very clear about this, folks. I have compassion. But my compassion is for all the people who believed in the guy. He was their shining star. He could do no wrong. But you know something? I probably don't have to worry. Because his followers are going to still believe in him. That's the thing about liberals! You can't convince them! You can show them the facts. You can say, 'Look, here is what he really said, and here is what he really did,' but they don't want to know the truth. That's the big difference between them and us. Liberals are afraid of the truth."

November 21, 2003

Though he was given a free pass on multiple felonies for his massive pill addiction, Rush might go down yet for money laundering.  He was clearly trying hard to avoid legal attention, and If the prosecutors can prove that he helped his pusher avoid paying taxes on the illegal sales of drugs, he might actually do some hard time, though you have to expect that being a rich white male, he'll just get probation and a fine.

Law enforcement sources in Palm Beach County, where Limbaugh owns a $24 million oceanfront mansion, previously confirmed that a criminal investigation into a prescription drug ring involved the conservative radio commentator. His former maid, Wilma Cline, reported supplying him with OxyContin and other painkillers.

Authorities learned two years ago during an investigation of U.S. Trust bank in New York that Limbaugh withdrew cash 30 to 40 times from his account at amounts just under the $10,000 bank reporting requirement, ABC News reported Tuesday. A bank employee was reported to have delivered some cash to Limbaugh.

It can be a federal crime to structure financial transactions below the $10,000 limit to avoid the reporting requirement.

In the past, Limbaugh has decried drug use and abuse on his show, mocking then-President Clinton for saying he had not inhaled when he tried marijuana and often making the case that drug crimes deserve punishment.

You know if any Hollywood celebrity or Democratic politician had done 1/100th what Rush has, Rush would be on the air for three hours every day ranting and raving about it and how they needed to be arrested and shunned.  He reported the death of Jerry Garcia by saying, "Another dead junkie." So really, I don't see that anything anyone else does or says about him is undeserved. And I eagerly await news of his relapse.

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