Salon (subscription or day pass required) reports that Armed Forces Radio, broadcast to a million soldiers around the world, airs Rush Limbaugh every day (subscription or day pass required). And what does the government program to balance out Rush's barrage of extreme partisan nutballiosity?
[cricket sound]
That's right, nothing.
Your tax dollars are going towards broadcasting someone who compares the torture at Abu Ghraib to a fraternity prank to all of our soldiers. What does Armed Forces Radio have to say about it?
[cricket sound]
Just kidding. They did say something. They said that they only air Rush because he's popular, and they base their programming on what's popular, not on the content.
Quoth the spokesman:
[Director Melvin] Russell says that if Franken, or any other syndicated liberal talk show host, can draw big enough ratings, then American Forces Radio would try to find a spot for that person on the schedule. "I'm hoping, if Air America takes off and someone on that show reaches the same level of audience Rush does, we could look to add them to the service. But there's nobody on the liberal side that compares to his ratings."
Hmm. Well, okay, if they base it only on ratings and all, that's at least a non-partisan measuring stick and there really isn't anyone on the other side who's that popul -- HOWARD STERN!!
What about Stern, who has been on a serious tear against the Bush administration lately?
Spokesguy?
Then..
Yes, these are all quotes from the same person.
So Stern's sexual humor isn't appropriate, but Rush's hate filled tirades about how Democrats hate America and women deserve to be harassed and it's really not such a big deal that American soldiers tortured and possibly killed prisoners, that's appropriate. Oh, and he's a pill popper.
It makes me ill to think I'm paying to have this jerkweed's hate-filled rants broadcast to our troops all over the world. Ill I tells ya!
