Newsweek's "Bitter Medicine"

Articles

Michael John McCrae

Newsweek's "Bitter Medicine"
Oct 16, 2003

After reading "In the Grip of a Deeper Pain" I am convinced Mr. Jerry Adler is a horrible and very dispicable individual. He wrote: "The problem with painkillers is they also work on existential pain, the kind that originates in the mind - such as might be experienced by a right-wing radio host who doesn't have Bill Clinton to torture anymore."

What a terrible, space wasting, cheap-piece-of- trash comment posing as serious commentary on a problem suffered by hundreds of thousands of people! I am sure old Jerry meant every implication.

Old John Alter wasn't very understanding either. In his "Newsweek" piece "Rush, to Judgement" (his rush to judge Mr. Limbaugh) with subtext: "It's been a bad year for bully-boy conservatives. Time for them to taste their own bitter medicine." He begins with these largely derogatory implications. Rush is a junkie; a criminal with no respect for the law; willing to allow others to take the fall for his illegal actions. Rush is a coward with values stuck in the '60's and is unforgivable for his faults.

Mr. Alter is so evil in his contentions he has blinded himself to the fact that he could have actually been talking about his senior demic-rat hero, Willie Jeff. The only problem with the comparison is that when Mr. Alter writes: "You have a guy who finally stops spinning and fesses up for his actions." Clinton never did that. When Mr. Atler writes: "He says he won't play the victim." Clinton never did that. When Alter writes: "He's off to rehab." Clinton never did that for his chronic sexaholism. And finally, when Mr. Alter pens: "But what he and his apologists want you to forget is that he broke the law - yes, the L-A-W." I can heartily agree that yes - Clinton's apologists were exactly that way and actually set the standard for non- discussion of law breaking by the nation's Liar- to-Grand-Juries-in-Chief. So what is the difference? Where was your "respect" for the "L-A- W" when Willie Jeff was busting it all to blazes? Yeah, I thought so.

Mr. Alter asks why have Mr. Limbaugh's friends come forward to defend him. Well, could it be because of the many sad and sorry comments from left-wingers such as those who write for "Newsweek", that lack any compassion needed by someone trapped in a terrible addiction?

Mr. Alter was way too busy jumping for joy over the possibility of Rush's downfall. Yet, "Newsweek" and other liberal rags like it were just as quick to defend fellow wayward lefties, keeping silent on the Chappaquiddicks, the Tawana Brawleys and the Juanita Broaddricks. Alter asks: "why will both conservatives and liberals show him the compassion he routinely denies to other people?" typically, citing no examples of this. I would ask Alter, when did Mr. Limbaugh deny compassion to anyone truly deserving? Are we talking about Mr.(former member of the KKK recruiter staff) Byrd, or Mr. (obstructionist) Daschle, whose wife is a major lobbiest on the Hill, or Mr. (let's never go to war to protect America) Dean? You will have to cite some very specific examples to get away with your generalization Mr. Alter.

I can tell "Newsweek" did not do its homework. The anti-Limbaugh bandwagon was cranked up immediately, placing an individual's personal problem as something that could have a major impact on the 2004 elections. Alter stated a weak- based assumption that: " you can drive almost anywhere in the United States on any weekday and get a three-hour, undiluted, unrebutted, and often persuasive advertisement for President Bush and the Republican Party." Well, it might be three hours and it might be undiluted, but Alter's ignorance shows as Rush, often allows those who "rebut" his views to air their grievances first; and lately, Rush has had more than one bone to pick against the "New Tone" of G.W. Bush and his miserable compromises with Kennedy and other leftist policy wonks.

Demic-rats deserve being stigmatized". Alter surmises: the success of Rush and others like him, as well as the Fox News Channel is "not because of some right-wing conspiracy in network- executive suites but because their "production values" are simply superior to those of liberals." Now, if that equates to the fact that conservatives are "simply superior" at telling the truth? I agree. Conservatives "Know how to grab and hold an audience" by telling the truth, not spinning the truth into fantasy. Ever read "Bias" Mr. Alter?

Alter also discussed the demic-rat's hope to compete against the truth. If Al Frankin and Al Gore are the best hope for the demic-rats, I think it is time for the demic-rats to get back to praying to the God they abandoned in their efforts to pander to abortionists and gay activists. Alter has his "fighting back" scenario butt-backwards.

Finally, Alter writes that Rush would do everyone a favor upon his return by minimizing the "vitriol". Again, I could do with some examples. If he means by "vitriol" that Rush has always been able to display liberal absurdity by being absurd, or liberal sarcasim by being sarcastic, or liberal lies and hypocracy by telling the truth, O.K. I will give that to Alter. But, none of that type of "vitriol" holds a floodlamp to that of "Newsweek" cover story and Mr. Alter's assumption-fest.

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About the Author: Independent, Conservative, Christian. Married 29 years this month with five children raised and one grandson being raised. 30 year Army Veteran and published poet with www.poetry.com for the past 3 years. Email Michael John McCrae: michael.mccrae@us.army.mil

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