DITTO!

I knew I shouldn’t have mentioned Rush Limbaugh on Facebook. And I should have known I’d get sucked into the black hole of Dittoheadism. 

Is Rush  an entertainer? Is he a comedian? Is he providing commentary on modern politics? Is he actually giving his opinion? Is he voicing the frustrations of his followers?  

Is he simply being sarcastic? According to dictionary.com sarcasm means: ". . . ridicule or mockery used harshly, often crudely and contemptuously, for destructive purposes." No doubt, Limbaugh was using sarcasm when he described Sandra Fluke as a slut and a prostitute: harsh, crude, contemptuous, and for destructive purposes. 

Was Rush being absurd in order to point out the absurdity of Fluke discussing “personal sexual recreational activities” before Congress as he states in his website apology to her? His commentary was definitely absurd. Absurd because it had nothing whatsoever to do with her testimony. 

The subject of her testimony was the requirement that insurance companies make available coverage for women’s birth control. The required coverage was not a cost to any taxpayer. Nor did the requirement for coverage force  any institution religiously opposed to birth control to pay for the birth control. It was only about making coverage available. Watch the video. Her testimony runs from the 15:20 to the 26:00 mark. Or read the transcript.

You should also read Rush’s transcript. He didn’t start the bullshit of equating Fluke’s birth-control-coverage-access testimony to “having so much sex” it’s hard to pay for contraception. Craig Bannister on CNSnews.com did in “Sex Crazed Coeds . . . ”. --- Side note to Bannister and Limbaugh: Birth control pills are taken one a day, regardless of how many times a woman “does it” or doesn’t “do it.” It’s erectile dysfunction pills that must be taken every time a man with ED wants to “get it up” so he can “do it.”

Rush took that article and blasted off. The result was screaming people all over the blog universe and radio and TV. Everybody’s thinking the other guy’s an idiot.

Both Bannister and Limbaugh emphasize that women need to take personal responsibility for their actions and the consequences of those actions. Women use birth control because they take personal responsibility for their actions.

Craig Bannister and Rush Limbaugh: You are each personally responsible for your words. When you lie about what was said, when you stir up a tempest in a teapot by implying women sell sex or by actually calling them sluts and prostitutes because they stand up for themselves, you contribute to an atmosphere in our society that is so poisonous that we as a people find it difficult to come together to make important decisions that affect us all.

I’m tired of it. 

I’m saying something about it.