Rippin' Rick Moran A New One

Okay, I have to do this tactfully, as I've probably been a little hard on Rick Moran in the past. But I find this to be annoying as hell.

LIMBAUGH IS STILL A GOOSE

I see where some on the right disagree with my take on Limbaugh’s comment. Some suggested I watch the video where Rush explains his meaning in the context of bringing up phony soldier Jesse Macbeth.

I watched the video and am more convinced than ever that Limbaugh knew he had goofed when he said “phony soldiers” (plural) and in the context of the moment the comment was made, Limbaugh was clearly referencing and agreeing with the caller’s sentiment that all soldiers who come forward and make known their opposition to the war are not “real soldiers” (caller’s words).

We can parse this thing from here to doomsday and not agree because at bottom, we are arguing about Limbaugh’s intent – an admittedly doomed excursion into the realm of mind reading.

A "goose"? Geesh, Rick, if you want to take a namby pamby position, you could at least spice up the language a bit so you don't come off so bad. A "goose"? Are you writing a blog, teaching Sunday school, or trying to do both? If you think he's a blow hard that jumped the shark on this one, say so. I'd argue you're wrong, but I'd at least respect the sentiment.

You don't need to read Rush's mind to know his intent, not if you've ever listened to him, that is. Yeah, it may have been some loose language in and around the bit, even that's arguable, but Limbaugh has never done anything to malign anyone in uniform, so far as I can tell.

Limbaugh is an entertainer. So, an entertainer does a bit and because you can construct a scenario wherein some potential less than carefully chosen language might suggest he attacked some troops, you feel compelled to denounce him? Where's the conservatism, or libertarianism in that? Because frankly it looks as though you're doing something you do quite often, taking a contrary position to most of us on the Right to somehow set yourself apart.

There's an easier way to do that, Rick. Stop pretending you're "Right wing" as your blog name implies and admit you are angling to be some rather mundane voice of reason that turns all political discourse into more of the same old boring crap one can regularly access in the mainstream media.

Limbaugh isn't an elected official, or running for office - he's independent media on the Right-side of the spectrum and this whole thing was a trumped up hit by the usual suspects on the Left starting with Media Matters. If you're going to feed into that type of garbage, it's extremely difficult to see you as a quality voice on the Right with any serious dedication to fighting the good fight when it comes to media bias. And whatever alleged principles you latched onto to make your argument don't appear to be grounded in anything I can characterize as conservative, or libertarian thought.

We don't need nannies on the Right, we've enough work to do keeping the nanny statists on the Left in check, dude. But if you must continue doing this type of stuff, consider changing your blog's name to Right Wing Nanny's House instead. That would seem to be a little closer to the mark, particuarly as regards the post in question.

Comments

[Fred Beloit]

I hate to inadvertently menace someone's rice bowl, but I don't feel Moran adds much to PJM, in fact he is a liability in my opinion. Yet, after some very weak blogging he is still prominently featured. Is he one of the founders or something?

Also feel he is glaringly wrong about Limbaugh's comment; it is quite clear in context. And even if Limbaugh meant what the media says he meant (that would be a first), why is it wrong to criticize someone just because he is wearing a uniform?

[ajacksonian]

To be able to understand this thing known as 'context' one needs to actually retain some memory of a preceding sentence and, perhaps, a bit on what is being said as a topic of conversation. What Mr. Moran wants is a non-contextual reading, to denounce a sentence, and even the limited bit he gives demonstrates that context.

I do just shake my head reading Mr. Moran, lately... did he stop taking his meds earlier this year?

[Worst President Ever]

Pick the REAL phony:

Rush Limbaugh, did not serve (4-F with a 'pilonidal cyst' (A pilonidal cyst (from Latin meaning 'hair nest') is a blanket term for any type of skin infection near the tailbone.)

Representative Jack Murtha (D-PA) - distinguished 37-year career in the U.S. Marine Corps, Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts, retired from the Marine Corps Reserve as a colonel in 1990.

Senator John Kerry, Lt., U.S. Navy 1966-70; Silver Star, Bronze Star with Combat V, and three awards of the Purple Heart for his service in combat

Former Senator Max Cleland, Captain, U.S. Army 1965-68; Silver Star & Bronze Star, Vietnam

[Fred Beloit]

I see WCE. Here's how it SHOULD HAVE have gone down, huh? He is called by the draft board to get his physical. He goes down there and takes his pants down like all the rest of the guys. The Doc says, "You have a pilonidal cyst. That means you are unfit for military service." He says, "No I don't doc it's just a boil." The doc (first one in military history), says " Well, if you say so, I'll mark you report for duty." Is that it, WCE?

Or was it like this? "Doc, I know my a-s is clean as a whistle, but hell no, I don't want to go. Please put me under the pilonidal cyst regulation. Someday I'll be a big radio star and say good things about you on the air." Doc says' "Gee that's great, I'll mark you unfit for duty because the pilonidal cyst you don't have is on the unfit list. Go on home son."

Is this the way you see it?

Read all about it: http://www.pilonidal.org/whatitis.htm

[Fred Beloit]

It seems the story is a lot more complicated than either scenario above. Here is a good version: http://www.snopes.com/military/limbaugh.asp

It appears we'll have to put Rush down with Bill Clinton under "killed in the snows by nobody knows".

[Worst President Ever]

I see a guy who never served call decorated veterans like Murtha phony because he doesn't like their politics. If you're in the service and risking your life in combat, you're not a phony, no matter what your politics.

[Coffee260]

Riehlworldview-I totally, 100%, absolutely agree with you on this one. I read Ricks musings I believe on Michelle Malkin's blog and was perplexed. I guess because the many blogs I read, who I count on to point out liberal bias in the media, are always asking rhetorical questions like: Do you think the MSM will report on that news? Or Did (Insert conservative name) go too far with their rhetoric? or my favorite one is, Does (Insert conservative name) do more harm to conservatives by using that type of language? So you can see how I thought Rick was just getting his "token admission of shame" (similar to white guilt) for being a conservative before grudgingly backing up Limbaugh.

[Fred Beloit]

I see a guy who never served call decorated veterans like Murtha phony because he doesn't like their politics.

Can't let you get away with that, WCE. If he called Murtha "phoney", and I'm taking your word for that, it was because Mr. I-won't-take-that-bribe-at-this-time called some marines who now seem to be innocent "cold-blooded murderers". Now what about it?

[Fred Beloit]

"If you're in the service and risking your life in combat, you're not a phony, no matter what your politics."

But, if you are over there in combat and you write lies about war crimes that never happened, you are still a liar.

[Fred Beloit]

More proof Media Matters lies, Can you dig it WCE?:

http://homepage.mac.com/mkoldys/iblog/C168863457/E20070928194023/index.html

[GawainsGhost]

Rick Moran is an ass. There's no nice way to put it. I stopped reading anything he writes last year.

[templar knight]

"...you write lies about war crimes that never happened, you are still a liar."

Yes, a liar, Fred, but still a hero to the Left, because, even if Beauchamp did lie, he was still being accurate. You know, fake but accurate. Now where have I heard that before?

[Fred Beloit]

Don't know where you heard it last, Temp, but I recall where I heard it first, Rigoberta Menchu. Recall her? We'll have to call upon The Hero of the Stupid to defend her.

http://www.boundless.org/1999/departments/isms/a0000074.html

[Worst President Ever]

Always good to hear conservatives supporting a draft-dodging, drug-abusing, troop-attacking member of the MSM.

Did Rush finally get off that hillbilly heroin?

[steve poling]

if you WANT to be confused, sure, talk about draft-dodging, etc. Maybe you can even find a letter to a draft board saying he "loathes the military." Oh, that was someone else. But I can find a fake-but-accurate memo from Bill Burkett to that effect...

Mr. Limbaugh's remarks make much more sense in the context of what Michelle Malkin has written about as "Winter Soldier Syndrome" where induhviduals like Scott Thomas Beauchamp are selectively put forward by the left (like John Kerry a generation before) where they denounce the war effort (can you say Jengis Khan) with testimony that proves false under closer inspection. But since it fits the template of the MSM, there is no closer inspection.

Narrowly, we have phony soldiers like Jesse MacBeth and Scott Thomas Beauchamp who are either been proven or admitted phonies. More broadly, there are phony Senators like Mr. Kerry whose "patriotism" slandered his brothers-in-arms and gave aid and comfort to the North Vietnamese. Even more broadly there are the soldiers who wrote the letter to the New York Times. Though I'll gladly call the first two categories phony, I won't say anything critical of the third. Mr. Limbaugh has publicly stated that he was NOT calling the third group phony.

I think that if you're in the middle trying to decide where the truth lies and where the spin distorts, I think you should look at the players' rhetoric from a few months ago and interpret the competing narratives in that context. Has Mr. Limbaugh consistently maligned Mr. Kerry? Has he greeted the success of "the surge" with gratitude or skepticism? Given that context, I disbelieve the Media Matters press release.

[Worst President Ever]

I'm not confused. Ask anyone that grew up then and had to worry about getting drafted. Rush, President Bush, Cheney, Wolfowitz - the whole Iraq War crew - did everything they could to avoid Viet Nam. Lot's of people did similar stuff. It's just the hypocrisy when Rush then slander men doing what he avoided - go to war - as "phonies" because he doesn't like their political stance.

Forget about Media Matters - just read the damn exchange. It's pretty clear and unambiguous. Here it is:

CALLER: No, it's not. And what's really funny is they never talk to real soldiers. They pull these soldiers that come up out of the blue and spout to the media.

RUSH: The phony soldiers.

CALLER: Phony soldiers. If you talk to any real soldier and they're proud to serve, they want to be over in Iraq, they understand their sacrifice and they're willing to sacrifice for the country.

The caller clearly understood that Rush was agreeing with him that anyone that isn't gung-ho Iraq War is a phony soldier. The caller also obviously doesn't believe the soldiers that wrote the NY Times op-ed are "real soldiers", even though two of them have since been killed in Iraq.

And Rush agrees, no qualifications, no ifs, no bugs. Just "The phony soldiers".

Imagine if a Liberal had said "phony soldiers" in ANY context - conservatives on this board would be apoplectic. Instead, they're looking for ways to prove Rush really meant something else because he's one of "their" guys.

[TheSpartan]

"but Limbaugh has never done anything to malign anyone in uniform, so far as I can tell."

Doesn't draft dodging malign those in uniform?

[LOL]

aww poor wingnuts, being forced to carry water for the man who admits to his viewers that in the past he "carried water" for the Republican party. i.e. He admits he made-up some bullshit to you, his listeners. Pretty sad when you guys don't even have the dignity to call Rush on his bullshit and unncessary partisanness.

[Cindi]

Yeah, Rush bullshits and makes somethings up to piss off some folks, that's a given for anyone who does listen. Kind of, well not quite like a president who bold face lies to the American public. You know the routine. But of course "no one died," hey.

Rush is funny because he does piss off the loosers.

[GawainsGhost]

When read in the context as a response to the caller's statement, "They never talk to real soldiers"--which is true, by the way, since those the caller was referring to have been exposed as complete and total frauds--Rush's term, "the phony soldiers," is accurate. It's called reading comprehension. The hysteria created by this incident is fascinating, as all the loons on the left and retards on the right come rushing out to hurl their invectives at everyone around them.

This only proves Marcus Aurelius's dictum: 5% think, 10% think they think, 85% don't think.

[seekeronos]

I could forgive a "draft dodger" who grew up in an age where there was no option for serving or not serving, a young man who simply might not have the courage to go the battle for his nation. Not everyone is cut out for the battlefield.

The Army of a few generations ago made very little distinctions between folks who "wanted" to serve in a combat capacity or not. "Every man a rifleman" was pretty much the rule of the day.

Today however... there is nobody on the battlefield who did not VOLUNTEER to be there.

Not. One. Single. Soul.

For the slow, mentally deficient excuse-making leftists, once again:

TODAY, ALL SOLDIERS = VOLUNTEERS. (Sorry for the caps!)

Ergo: I have far, far less respect for folks who volunteered and then decide to turn around and turn their backs on the morale of their brothers and sisters at arms by accusing them of spurious and fictious "war crimes", or worse.

As for Kerry and Murtha and the other "Winter Soldiers" of the draft days... these guys may have had exemplary records, but they've gone and put selfish, power-seeking politics ahead of principle and morals (i.e. not dogging the morale of our soldiers by opening their filthy, treason-filled pie-holes to utter all sorts of discouraging words).

Sorry about that "Leftenant" Kerry and Col. Murtha... but you went and undone your otherwise heroic actions through your wretched words and atrocious actions that have brought dishonour to the Fleet and to the Corps, and grave damage to the spirits and morale of our sailors, soldiers, airmen, and Marines.

The only fitting atonement they could come close to making would be for them to apologize to the troops for their words and deeds, and then to resign their public offices and retire from public service.

[BobInStamford]

Who's the 'looser' Cindi? Now it's off to Walmart for you to sell Chinese goods at low prices and thank any veterans that you meet And remember to put your teeth in. Surge on!

[Fred Beloit]

"Who's the 'looser' Cindi?", asks the terse but not pithy Bridgeportian. I can't speak for cindi, but losers are those who kept telling us and keep telling us that the wars in the Middle East were lost and/or are being lost, ergo, losers. Claro?

[Cindi]

Thank you Fred. Yes and as the "loosers" during the vietnam era are now defined, so will the loosers of this war will be described in history. Defeatist, having never stood or fought for anything in life, only concerned for self.

[Fred Beloit]

More, but slightly different take on phony soldiers. After VN, you could meet them, or rather hear them, in most bars.

http://influencepeddler.blogspot.com/2007/09/limbaugh-on-solid-ground-on-phony.html

[Worst President Ever]

Rush's criteria for being a "phony soldier" is simply and obviously being against the war. Rush can say whatever he wants, but tarring soldiers you don't agree with as "phony" is unAmerican. Period.

[Random Numbers]

It doesn't matter what he actually said. I am a mind reader and will interpret what he means for you. Don't read or listen to the whole segment, it is immaterial to the snippet I want to focus on. Reality doesn't matter! With enough twisting, you can make anything fit the narrative, which is the REAL TRUTH!

/WCE

[jj]

We know who has shown support for the military during this time in Iraq, and we know who hasn't. I don't care how you spin it, the Left and liberals hate the military, that is obvious. For you people to somehow say the Left supports the troops is just lies. Those of you on the Left should be ashamed, if you had any shame, which you don't.

[Laddy]

I notice that Mr. Moran disabled comments on his blog. It's his blog and his perogative of course, but it sends a message. I guess that's another reason to just ignore him now, if he isn't willing to listen or respond to those who see things differently. I think he let his obvious dislike for Limbaugh to cloud his thinking in this case. He's really turned into a nonrightwinger the past two years for whatever reason.

[Fred Beloit]

templar knight writes: "Yes, a liar, Fred, but still a hero to the Left,..."

Did Temp call me a liar and a hero to the Left? No. But the nutroots might think that because they pay no attention, it seems, to context.