This goes way beyond a simple "put a sock in it Rush Limbaugh"! What transpired on radio industry turf last week goes far past the disgusting O&A indignation, wherein those two imbeciles broadcast a play-by-play of sex in a church.

What happened, in the name of "entertainment" using radio, needs to have an immediate response from those who control the radio industry - predominately old white men. And it needs to be in terms so strong that no person who's on the air gets to use their microphone in the way this Republican mouthpiece bullies females who have beliefs different than his.

"Bob Pittman and John Hogan, I believe you both have children ... what would your reaction be if they were the object of this attack?"

Rush Limbaugh, from now on referred to as the Addict-idiot because he doesn't deserve mention by name, not only degraded women with his multiple remarks; he shifted everyone working in radio to new levels of low. There should be outrage from everyone in the radio industry. The President of Premiere Radio Networks should order an immediate suspension of Rush Limbaugh's contract. If not, then if he/she has a son and that son has sex with any woman taking birth control pills, he should be forced to provide a video of it online. Male sperm is, after all, the reason why these young women are being forced to consider this option.

As for the others, those making large paychecks from the Addict-idiot, the general managers of each radio station clearing the air for his repeatedly vile tirades, each of them should come out with a firm condemnation against using the power of the microphone in such an abhorrent manner. Bob Pittman and John Hogan, I believe you both have children. Considering you run Clear Channel, which has as a subsidiary Premiere Radio Networks, which employs this person, what would your reaction be if they were the object of this attack?

If we do not hear a unified rage and vow to not let anything like this happen again, then radio's involvement in degrading women in general, and this Georgetown University law student Sandra Fluke in particular, should be marked as the lowest point in all of your careers - and in the history of this industry.

At what point will broadcasters say enough is enough, that this is unacceptable? A line was crossed by a person whose head has swollen far beyond anything physiologically possible, and public airwaves are now being used as a bully pulpit (with support from the upper echelons of the radio industry). It is unconscionable.

What if that was your daughter who was the subject of this attack? How about if it was your son being the one who was dating - or married to - a woman whom the Addict-idiot referred?

Has it gotten to the point where anything goes, where we allow bullying by an industry which simply doesn't care what type of "entertainment" it lets on the air? For the record, again, people controlling radio are mostly old white men who - in a parlance matching the Addict-idiot - would salivate over watching videos made in a request demand by a sickening old man in a radio glass tower.

No, Mr. Addict-idiot, not even your pseudo apology is good enough. It was made only after you realized just how far over the line you pushed this, and sponsors started leaving. From my perspective, this is no apology. It is only a defense containing the words "I sincerely apologize to Ms. Fluke for the insulting word choices" in the last sentence. "Insulting words choices..."? He called her a "slut," a "prostitute," and claimed she was "having so much sex, it’s amazing she can still walk."

As our nation chastises students for bullying, we are witnesses to a far greater example of this action against people who do not have equal access to broadcast airwaves. I am tired of it.

Taking him off the air is the only recourse. Not for a temporary time, either. Make it at least as long as Don Imus was forced off the air for his insulting comment, which came nowhere close to being this revolting.

This is an offense that would have gotten any other jock fired. Do we need to be reminded of what happened to that "what's-his-name" in Florida - the one who simply castrated a pig? What about the more recent firing of an ESPN staffer for writing a headline using the word "chink," and which remained posted online for (approximately) 30 minutes? My God! KFI-AM afternoon talkers John and Ken were suspended and required to take sensitivity training for calling Whitney Houston a "Crack Hoe."

The radio industry has suffered a tremendous embarrassment with what occurred last week, and we're not seeing radio trade publications acknowledge this. Instead, it appears they are rallying to soften the event. None have condemded this. All have repeated the headline "Rush Apologizes..."

In a classic case of trickle-down crisis control, industry trade Inside Radio, owned by Clear Channel (which also owns Premiere Radio Networks), ran the headline "[Addict-idiot] Issues Apology." This is nothing more than a convenient way to spread a positive message, force feeding it to Clear Channel employees by means of company-wide subscriptions.

Read this "apology.": It consists of 10 sentences. 7, of which, are spent defending his position. 1 contains the words "I did not mean a personal attack on Ms. Fluke." If this wasn't a personal attack, you'll have to explain why her full name was repeatedly used over the course of three days. (Curiously, only her last name was used in this "apology.")

As for Republicans, all of them need to come out in droves with condemnation - the person who started this is your mouthpiece, a God in your party. If you let his words stand, all that is proven is you have no leaders, only Rush Limbaugh minions. (I'm still waiting for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to blast this with the same fury he provides when speaking against, say, health care issues.)

It's a further embarrassment that House Speaker Boehner attempted to rectify this by calling their Addict-idiot's words "inappropriate." If ever there was a time to break into tears, Mr. Speaker, it is now. Just imagine if this was your daughter in the crosshairs to start wiping your eyes.

To have any man or woman in the executive suites of radio remain silent on what happened last week shows how backbones dissolved with the quality of radio programming.

The only explanation (and I offer this not as "an explanation") is that somehow this important (impotent?) person realized the only way he's going to see sex is by bullying it from a woman, and getting to view it online.

Rush Limbaugh should be fired!





Publisher's Note: Yes, I am angry. Over decades, tens-of-thousands of decent people have worked extremely hard to build respect for the radio industry. Now we have to watch people with no sense of decency, or programming skills, decimate it.

Radio trade publications have all but tried to soften this latest example of bad taste. It's time for one to grow courage, and call this what it truly is: a radio industry that's no longer serving the public interest, but existing to shock and awe with bullying techniques a high school student would be expelled for.

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