Remove Rush Limbaugh from Armed Forces Radio

David Brock of Media Matters has written a letter to Donald Rumsfeld, calling for the Secretary to remove Rush Limbaugh from the American Forces Radio and Television Service (formerly "armed Forces Radio.") stating:

"Both you and President Bush have rightly denounced the acts that took place at Abu Ghraib - but American service men and women abroad are getting the wrong message when the Department of Defense simultaneously broadcasts Mr. Limbaugh's condoning of what you have called 'fundamentally un-American' acts.

As you know, Mr. Limbaugh's commentary is broadcast on American Forces Radio to nearly 1 million U.S. troops, stationed in more than 1,000 outlets, in more than 175 countries and U.S territories, including Iraq. According to a May 26 article on Salon.com, the radio network was established "to improve troop morale by giving service members a 'touch of home' with American programs overseas." It is abhorrent that the American taxpayer is paying to broadcast what is in effect pro-torture propaganda to American troops. I ask you to consider removing Mr. Limbaugh from the radio network to protect our troops from these reckless and dangerous messages."

Many of Mr. Limbaugh's comments are here, and some posted below:

Rush Limbaugh, April 26: "Some of these babes, I'm telling you, like the sexual harassment crowd. They're out there protesting what they actually wish would happen to them sometimes."

Rush Limbaugh, May 4: "This is no different than what happens at the Skull and Bones initiation...I'm talking about people having a good time. These people - you ever heard of emotional release? You ever heard of needing to blow some steam off?"

Rush Limbaugh, May 6: Limbaugh called the abuse a "brilliant maneuver," and compared the photographs to "good old American pornography."

Rush Limbaugh, May 21: "The media ought to start making money off these pictures and videos, not just publishing them free. We need some prison torture, you know, bubble gum cards...you know, like I say, we got baseball cards and bubble gum. Now lets have terror cards - only let's show our prison abuse photors instead of the terrorists and who they are and what they do. We could go coins. We could go medallions."

Brock goes on to say:

"As we approach Memorial Day, and as Americans honor our soldiers, the men and women of our military deserve better than to be subjected to a radio host who excuses the worst among their ranks rather than celebrating the best, and who continually uses prejudiced rhetoric that divides rather than unites Americans. I look forward to your response and hope the Department of Defense will send a clear signal to our troops that it does not sanction Mr. Limbaugh's remarks."

TAKE ACTION - sign the petition to have Rush Limbaugh removed from the air.

Comments

[Bruce Maasbyll]

I'm shocked that this criminal drug addict is still on the airwaves. After having someone steal drugs for him, paying them off and addicting himself to narcotics, how does this guy even have any credibility to be on the radio?? What a hypcrite! If I did it I'd be in jail and lose my job. God forbid if I was black and did it. This man is a pathetic slob of an affront to this country. It's approriate, however, that he's the propaganda mouthpiece of this administration and the radical right, as they all represent the worst that this country has to offer. I hear that Bill Bennett is betting that Rush will recover from his addiction.