Tuesday, March 06, 2012

Limbaugh, the bust, and how this honor informs pending anti-birth control legislation in Missouri…


Let’s jump right on in, y’all!

Yesterday the fantabulous Sean Nicholson of Progress Missouri broke the story that leaders in the Missouri House were set to honor Rush Limbaugh by adding him via an expensive bust to the Hall of Famous Missourians.

As the story sped across the internets I had several reactions.

Shark-Fu’s 1st reaction to Limbaugh getting a bust-based honor…

Isn’t there some process this kind of think should go through?  Oh, don’t get me wrong – I’m not naïve enough to think that the current majority in the Missouri House wouldn’t vote Rush Ruler of the Known Universe if given the opportunity. 

I’m just uncomfortable with this kind of honoring being a power held by one man - Speaker Tilley's, to be specific...who has defended his decision to honor Rush but who also has recently demonstrated that he has a higher tolerance and empathy for bigot-based behavior than most folk (remember his call to flood Cairo?).

Now I know that you know that I know that Speaker Tilley has claimed that he decided to honor Rush months ago

…just like I know that you know that I know that Limbaugh has been launching racist and/or anti-woman attacks for years, so he wasn’t any more worthy a few months ago than he is today.

Cough.

Shark-Fu’s 2nd reaction to Limbaugh getting a bust-based honor…

I call bullshit on all the posturing, whining, and keening the GOP is participating in under the dome regarding moral objections to health care and religious-based blah, blah, blah.

These oh so religious and moral conservatives are planning to honor a man who gleefully, loudly, and clearly demanded sex tapes from a woman in exchange for access to birth control.

Mayhap these representatives should exchange their concern over women having access to contraception for some disgust over the ease of Limbaugh’s attempt at coercion.

***shudders***

Shark-Fu’s reaction when pondering this Limbaugh bust mess this morning…

I’m disgusted.

I can’t believe my hard earned tax dollars are about to be spent honoring a man who makes Magic Negro jokes, enjoys taunting women, and who uses his radio show to solicit sex tapes in exchange for access to birth control.

I can’t believe that the current Speaker of the Missouri House doesn’t understand why honoring Limbaugh brings dishonor upon every other person honored in the Hall and to our state.

And I really can’t believe we’re still fighting to defeat birth control refusal legislation here in Missouri...legislation that Limbaugh's rants demonstrate is less about "religious liberty" than about appeasing those who see women discussing birth control as sluts, women demanding access to birth control as prostitutes, and women who seek to do so before Congress as fair game for the solicitation of sex tapes.

Good Gawd, I can just see the Missouri tourism billboard now…

Visit Missouri, y'all – Where Sexist, Egotistical, Lying Hypocritical Bigots Are Honored and Birth Control is Slut Candy!

Blink.

12 comments:

Rileysdtr said...

Okay I find Limbaugh moderately to highly repugnant (although he has a surprising sharp self-parody streak... his turns on "Family Guy" are funny) but - truth - Rush is a famous Missourian. Whether one places an (in) prior to the word or not is a matter of one's beliefs. He is one of the most well-known people EVER to come from the State. Don't like him, no sir, but that's irrelevant to the issue at hand.

Hattie said...

I'm organizing a group to pressure our local radio station to take that creep Limbaugh off the air.

Shark-Fu said...

Limbaugh is infamous.

And if his life and work set the standard of "fame" we're using for the Hall then Missouri is in more trouble than I previously thought.

Illinois is starting to look sexy as hell...

Courtney said...

I emailed Speaker Tilly - with 3 some of Mr. Limbaugh's most... "colorful" quotes included as well as my way too nice and calm analysis of why this is complete and utter bullshit. Still haven't gotten a response and I'm pretty sure it will do nothing. I love my hometown of St. Louis but I hate my state.

Anonymous said...

Don't feel bad. I live in Virginia, home of Pat Robertson, Eric Cantor, and former home of Jerry Falwell. We can all hang our heads in shame together *lol*.

SimplyStated said...

In regards to Rileysdtr's comments:
" He is one of the most well-known people EVER to come from the State. Don't like him, no sir, but that's irrelevant to the issue at hand."

We follow that logic we might as well start erecting statues to Ted Bundy, The Oklahoma City Bomber and Charles Manson in their home towns.Hey their famous right?

Whatever happened to common sense and basic decency?

charmngbilly said...

when i first heard of this, i thought Dr. Maddow was being funny. *sigh*

now, i expect MS will hate to be outdone and we'll end up with a statue in the rotunda of the capitol honouring Fred Phelps.

Rileysdtr said...

Hiya Simply Stated - nice hipcheck but very few people believe Manson, Bundy et al. have valid points/ideas/positions; whereas millions listen to Rush every day on the radio. I am not one of them but again, immaterial. Does MLK not deserve his memorials due to a (regretably still) significant percentage of the population considering him a communist, a fraud, a philanderer and an uppity negro?

Anonymous said...

Wait, so if people think your politic is valid you should have a statue. Jeeze I am sorry, but I have to Godwin here even if it hurts me. You are saying that a statue of for example Hitler in Germany would be just dandy because there still are scores of people who think he was great? Really?

Anonymous said...

I wonder how much the spit guard will cost? Maybe Missouri women should organize a "spit-in" when this POS is installed.

Rileysdtr said...

*sigh* let's keep it reasonably focused here. Are you really comparing Limbaugh to Hitler? Seriously? Tokyo Rose I'd accept but... really?

I do like the idea of the spit guard, though.... although I was thinking more along the lines of spray paint and a nice "bra-and-garterbelt" motif.

Shark-Fu said...

We're going to have to agree to disagree on this one, Rileysdtr.

For me, being honored in MO is a privilege not a right bestowed on any Missourian who reaches a certain fame threshold.

The sad thing is that MO is only just now honoring Dred Scott in the same Hall...and it'll happen alongside Rush Limbaugh, who made the case on his radio show that some people are just born to be slaves and then later sang Barack the Magic Negro in honor of the first president of color.

This is just wrong...but truth is it is just another wrong thing to happen under the dome.

And people wonder why I get sick when I pay state taxes...

The Gumdrop Stage of Grief ...

So many of you have shared condolences and support after the death of my beloved brother Bill from COVID-19. I wish I could thank you indiv...