Limbaugh Makes A Non-Apology

(Above picture is by pxmolina on Sodahead.)

Evidently the number of advertisers withdrawing their support for his show has scared the perverse and bigoted Rush Limbaugh, because he has issued on his website a statement that he hopes will pass for an apology. But it's not a real apology. It's the standard GOP non-apology apology. Here's why I say that:

* An apology should not contain lies, but his does. He says Ms. Fluke (the person he defamed) was talking about "recreational activities". She was not! She was trying to explain how contraceptives were important medically for a friend of hers (in a context that had nothing to do with sexual or "recreational" activity).

* He once again tells the lie that he and other like him would be forced to pay for the sexual activities of others. Again, that is not true. The insurance companies will cover the costs of contraceptives. And they will do it because it is cheaper for them to do that than to pay for either a pregnancy or an abortion.

* He tries to claim he was just making an "absurd" analogy and made a bad choice of words. That's nonsense. Calling a woman a "slut" and "prostitute" on nationwide radio is not an attempt at humor. It is nothing less than a defamation of the young woman's character. I can assure you that I would not consider it humorous if he called any woman in my family those terms (and essentially, that is what he did). His attack on Ms. Fluke was an attack on all women.

* In his "apology", he compared providing contraceptives to all women with providing sneakers to all students. That comparison is nothing less than a new attack on women.

Limbaugh's repeated attacks over a period of several days was sick and perverted, and this feeble attempt at an apology is not nearly sufficient to make up for it. In my mind, he has still not apologized and I doubt he ever will.

And the reaction (or non-action) of leading Republicans just adds to the damage Limbaugh has done. Why won't they speak up and take him to task for his horrible comments? And Mitt Romney is one of the worst. His company Bain Capital (where he still owns a ton of stock and gets most of his income from) is the owner of Clear Channel Communications -- the company that puts Limbaugh on the air. He could demand a real apology if he wanted to, but he does nothing.

Here is Limbaugh's non-apology:

For over 20 years, I have illustrated the absurd with absurdity, three hours a day, five days a week.  In this instance, I chose the wrong words in my analogy of the situation. I did not mean a personal attack on Ms. Fluke.

I think it is absolutely absurd that during these very serious political times, we are discussing personal sexual recreational activities before members of Congress. I personally do not agree that American citizens should pay for these social activities. What happened to personal responsibility and accountability? Where do we draw the line? If this is accepted as the norm, what will follow? Will we be debating if taxpayers should pay for new sneakers for all students that are interested in running to keep fit?In my monologue, I posited that it is not our business whatsoever to know what is going on in anyone's bedroom nor do I think it is a topic that should reach a Presidential level.

My choice of words was not the best, and in the attempt to be humorous, I created a national stir. I sincerely apologize to Ms. Fluke for the insulting word choices.