Unofficial Summary of the Rush Limbaugh Show for Tuesday, October 18, 1994 by John Switzer This unofficial summary is copyright (c) 1994 by John Switzer. All Rights Reserved. These summaries are distributed on CompuServe and the Internet, and archived on CompuServe (DL9 of the ISSUES forum) and Internet (cathouse.org and grind.isca.uiowa.edu). The /pub/jrs directory at ftp.netcom.com contains the summaries for the past 30 days. Distribution to other electronic forums and bulletin boards is highly encouraged. Spelling and other corrections gratefully received. Please read the standard disclaimer which was included with the first summary for this month. In particular, please note that this summary is not approved or sanctioned by Rush Limbaugh or the EIB network, nor do I have any connection with them other than as a daily listener. ************************************************************* October 18, 1994 BRIEF SUMMARY OF TOPICS: U.S. to spend $216 million to aid Haiti; words to "Sensitive 90s Guy"; Chicago Sun-Times endorses Dan Rostenkowski because while he's sleazy, "he can get things done"; Rush warns that November elections aren't yet over; Chrissie Hind is not pleased that her song "My City Is Gone" is Rush's theme song; words to Jim Campbell's campaign ad against Tony Knowles; Ann Richards calls George W. Bush a "jerk"; NY Times again complains that Democrats and Clinton aren't getting a lift from the rising economy; Times is mystified as to why Senator Jim Sasser (D-TN) is having so many campaign problems from a surgeon who's a political neophyte; Rush asks why Senator Sasser is not proudly making a campaign issue about how he got Clinton's economic plan passed; Rush thinks that the fact that Dr. Bill Frist is willing to give up a thriving medical practice to get involved in politics speaks highly of him; caller, noting Mike Maimone's suspension for tampering with a PSA, asks about Rush's "editorial comments" on an ozone PSA; Tim Russert to air a "well-balanced" show on why Clinton isn't getting any credit; Leslie Stahl thinks Clinton's "whining" about the media is accurate because the President no longer has a monopoly of the people's attention; mainstream media seems to be jealous that it is no longer has a monopoly on the news; Gallup poll shows charitable contributions are down; caller says the book "The Growing Constitution" shows how the courts have constitutionalized law by skirting the Constitutional process; Clinton to cancel dozens of campaign events so he can go to the Middle East; Pentagon official who was testifying to Congress about the Haiti operation calls it "Operation Just Because"; Mikhail Gorbachev calls for stricter controls on nukes and a Ten Commandments for the environment, as well as adopting Native American philosophies toward the Earth; Colin Powell reportedly praises Mikhail Gorbachev as being responsible for the downfall of Communism and the break-up of the Soviet Union, ignoring both Ronald Reagan and the U.S. armed forces; Powell also reportedly thinks Yasser Arafat is his new friend and deserves the Nobel Peace Prize; Margaret Thatcher has said that the fall of the Soviet Union can be traced to Reagan, his Strategic Defense Initiative, and Gorbachev's attempt to keep Communism while slowly parcelling out freedom; Chanel is introducing clothes for the woman who wants to "dress to seduce"; Oliver North was right when he said that the U.S. couldn't fight two wars at once, so Algore owes him an apology for attacking North's patriotism; U.S. News and World Report reveals that the U.S. is acting like "super-cop" but with smaller defense budgets; Defense Secretary William Perry tells the Chinese that the U.S. cannot fight two major wars at once because of a shortage of air and sealift capabilities, as well as a shortage of guided munitions; UC Berkeley allows students to create their own courses, including one on homelessness; caller and Rush agree that the Joe Montana/John Ellway game was a fabulous game, a down-to-the-wire cliffhanger; caller thinks UCB homeless class is a prudent move, as it teaches graduates "useful job skills" for what they'll be qualified to do when they graduate; caller suspects that the media thinks the rejection of Clinton and the Democrats are attacks against them, too; Crossfire discusses whether the people are at fault for Congress's problems; Hillary campaigns for Dianne Feinstein and Kathleen Brown; for talk radio to be responsible for half of America not approving of Bill Clinton, 125 million Americans would have to be listening to it; liberals don't seem to understand that the public is rejecting liberalism; caller thinks that the 70,000 people protesting for benefits for illegal aliens demonstrate why charitable contributions are down: people think they are already being "forced" into being charitable via taxes; why didn't the INS pick up some of the illegal aliens who demonstrated in Los angeles over the weekend?; Americans are tired of shelling out money for social programs that never have any payback; Rush's radio show gets sabotaged by liberal voice-over, just as happened with his TV show. LIMBAUGH WATCH October 18, 1994 - It's now day 637 (day 656 for the rich and the dead, and 21 days until the November elections) of "America Held Hostage" (aka the "Raw Deal" which has 825 days left) and 700 days after Bill Clinton's election, but Rush is still on the air with 659 radio affiliates (with more than 20 million listeners weekly world-wide), 250 TV affiliates (with a national rating of 3.7), and a newsletter with nearly 500,000 subscribers. His first book was on the NY Times hardback non-fiction best- seller list for 54 consecutive weeks, with 2.6 million copies sold, but fell off the list after Simon and Schuster stopped printing it. The paperback version of "The Way Things Ought To Be" was on the NY Times paperback non-fiction best-seller list for 28 weeks. Rush's second book, "See, I Told You So," was on the NY Times best-seller list for 16 weeks and has sold over 2.45 million copies. NEWS o According to J. Brain Atwood of the U.S. Agency for International Development, the United States is planning a $216 million package of economic and humanitarian aid to help the government of Jean-Bertrand Aristide. At least $5 million will be used for job training programs to prepare members of the Haiti military for civilian work such as street cleaning, road repair, and environmental restoration; also in the package is $32 million to create new local police forces, $42 million to feed the Haitian people and provide health services, $45 million for fuel subsidies, $25 million to clear Haiti's outstanding and overdue debts, and nearly $19 million for parliamentary, election, and justice system reforms. LEST WE FORGET The following are from the Rush Limbaugh show on Tuesday, October 20, 1992: o Rush repeatedly asked a simple question throughout the show - "if character is not an issue in these things, then why isn't Ted Kennedy President?" o The big news was the third and final Presidential debate. ABC Radio News reported that Perot was not happy with how the press covered the debate; he lashed out at the media afterward, telling reporters "you can dish it out, but you can't take it. You can't take nothing! They were whining after the show tonight. I enjoyed it! You guys have less respect in this country than Congress." Perot also accused the media of failing to report the enthusiastic shows of support shown at his rallies, claiming "you guys hate the fact I'm in the race, you hate the fact the American people have put me on the ballot." Another interesting part of the debate was when Clinton was asked if he had to do it all over again, would he wear the uniform of his country. Clinton's amazingly slick answer was that he would change his answer. Jim Barnes, a friend of Rush's in Sacramento, sent Rush a fax about the debate analysis done by his 5-day old baby, Jennifer: "When Clinton was speaking, the young child cried. When Perot was speaking, the young child pooped and was in need of a diaper change. When Bush was speaking, the baby was being breast-fed with contentment." However, another voter who surveyed his animals found that they showed the least irritation when Clinton was speaking. Kay from Dallas, TX was surprised that the media didn't say much about Clinton's comment that he would not raise taxes on the middle class to pay for his programs. Rush was not surprised by this slick answer, and noted that the November issue of the Limbaugh Letter listed some amazing facts about Arkansas: - Those making more than $25,000 a year paid the top tax rate. Thus the "rich" were "twenty-five thousandaires, not millionaires." - Annual taxes were paid on personal property - cars, furniture, TVs, appliances, etc. Sales and local taxes were paid on everything, including food. - During Clinton's stewardship crime rose 28%, the largest growth of all 50 states. - The Arkansas economy ranked 47th in per capita income, 48th in people living in poverty, 49th in child death rates, 47th in violent teen deaths, 45th in births to unmarried teens, and 50th in youth unemployment and job safety. It also had the fifth-highest percentage of adult illiteracy in the country. o Scientists had calculated that in the year 2126 the comet Swift-Tuttle might hit the Earth; although the chances for this were small, such an impact could doom much of life on Earth. Rush was glad that there would be at least 134 more years of gloom- and-doom philosophy. o The political opponent to Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI) pulled a campaign ad stating that Inouye fondled a hairdresser 17 years earlier. The hairdresser thus went public with her charges, telling reporters that Inouye assaulted her when she went to his Waikiki apartment in 1975 to do his hair. This wasn't rape, but Inouye reportedly reached up the woman's dress while she was shampooing his hair. Liberals rushed to defend Inouye, saying that these charges were 17 years old and therefore not valid. Rush therefore had to wonder about Anita Hill's 10-year-old charges against Clarence Thomas, who was never once accused of actually touching or physically assaulting Hill. o The city of New York was about to lose one of its largest businesses, Morgan-Stanley, to Connecticut, with the loss of about 4,000 jobs. To stop this, Mayor David Dinkins and Governor Mario Cuomo decided to freeze corporate taxes for the company for the next four years, which when taking into account inflation and economic growth, amounted to a tax cut of over $39 million over ten years. o Jerry from Lawrence, KS went into the local campus bookstore and asked the "long-haired FM types" working as clerks if they had Rush's book. The clerks, who were very nice and accommodating, apologized and said it was sold out. Jerry then went to an off-campus bookstore and eventually found Rush's book in a "cubbyhole." However, when he took the book up to the front of the store, where books by both Perot and Clinton were prominently displayed, the woman at the counter became so disgusted that she walked away into the backroom and sent up another clerk to ring up the sale. o Ben Wattenberg's column in the NY Post was titled "One Nervous Vote for Clinton" and he wrote the following: "An intelligent case can be made that our society is still reeling from runaway liberalism. Taxes (read Big Government) may be a part of that issue but only a part. The other part concerns social issues. Are we heading toward a society in which proportionalism rules, not merit? Are our cities turning into free-fire zones? Is welfare not only wasteful, but counter- productive? Are our schools so lacking in discipline that we can't teach our children? Have we lost our moral compass, giving out condoms and pushing out ethics, moving perhaps beyond gay rights to gay glorification? "The case could be made arguably that all these problems and more stem from the ideology of post-60s liberalism. It can be extended to show that much of our economic difficulties stem from these values-related situations. How do you get world-class education or a world-class economy from a value-free school system?" o Broadcast engineer Tony Lo Bianco was evidently in the Christmas spirit because he started playing some Mannheim Steamroller Christmas music. Rush looked at his calendar and wondered why he was hearing Christmas music two months in advance; however, he didn't mind because it was already getting colder in New York. In fact, he was so invigorated by it the previous night that he threw open his apartment's windows and played his electronic fireplace videotape. o Pam from Chicago, IL noted that 8 years earlier, Treasury bills were paying more than 8%; since then they had gone down to less than 4%. In her opinion, this 4% in interest that the federal government no longer had to pay on the money it borrowed should have gone to repay the national debt. It didn't, however, because Congress kept on spending money. o During the World Series in Atlanta, the Marine Colors Guard flew the Canadian flag up-side down, which bent many Canadians out of shape. Rush mused on how the mere flying of a flag could upset people if issues of character really didn't matter. o A poll by the Alan Guttmacher Institute, a wing of Planned Parenthood, showed that 61% of teenage girls who had abortions did so with at least one parent's knowledge, either before or after the fact; 49% had at least one parent's consent before the abortion. o Four out of every five cadets at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO claimed that they daily heard sexist or demeaning remarks about women; 45 to 60% of the men in each class agreed. The Academy had 3,787 men and 508 women. o The American Association of University Women attacked Mattel because one of the 200 phrases that were randomly distributed among Talking Barbie dolls was "math class is tough." Each doll said only four things, though, so not one of the 20 dolls that EIB bought said "math class is tough." Rush therefore wondered why this was such a big deal and why it was a crime to be honest about the fact that math was a tough subject. o Rush played a new song - "Sensitive 90s Guy" by Laslo and Gary, an updated version of Christine Lavin's 80s hit "Sensitive New-Age Guy." <> Thank you. Here's your change. <> Hey, Ralph. She gave me a dollar too much in change. <> It's your lucky day, Scooter! <> But, Ralph, I have to give it back! <> Keep it, it's only a buck. <> How insensitive can you be? It may be just a buck to you, but that poor cashier, think about her feelings! <> Finders keepers! <> That's not very nice - it may be the dollar she needs to call her mom long distance. I have to . . . <> Keep the dollar! What kind of wimp are you? <> I'm not a wimp! I'm in touch - I'm a sensitive 90s guy. <> Right! <> I like to talk about my feelings, I'm a sensitive 90s guy. I'm into crystals and psychic healing, I'm a sensitive 90s guy. I clean my house my house and do the windows, I'm a sensitive 90s guy. I'm into Oprah Winfrey, Rush Limbaugh, and Geraldo, I'm a sensitive 90s guy. I like to cry at weddings, I think that Rambo is upsetting, I tape "Thirty Something" on my VCR, I got a `child on board' sticker on my car. My last name is hyphenated, I'm a sensitive 90s guy. I loved "Three Men and a Baby," a film my wife hated, I'm a sensitive 90s guy. My consciousness is always raising, I'm a sensitive 90s guy. My macho friends think I am crazy, I'm a sensitive 90s guy. I think red meat is disgusting, I'm into UFOs, channeling, and dusting. I don't allow swearing in my home, I don't even know who plays in the Seattle Kingdome. <> <> So I don't know who plays in the Seattle Kingdome - I'm not into brutal, violent contact sports. What is it with those guys who sit around watching football, drinking beer, and belching? Okay, okay - I do know that the Dodgers play in Dodgers Stadium and the Wrigleys play at Wrigley Field! <> I like music that's repetitious, I'm a sensitive 90s guy. I like music that's repetitious, I'm a sensitive 90s guy. I ride in bikeathons for clean air, I use organic shampoo in my hair. When she says jump, I'll ask "how high?" - that's what it takes to be a sensitive 90s guy. <> <> Okay, I get the message - how insensitive could I have been? How out of touch am I with others' feelings? You're right, Scooter, let's give the dollar back. <> Well, naah! Come on, with this dollar I'll buy you a mineral water. <> Thanks for sharing, dude! <> Right! o Linda from Cincinnati, OH reported that her son came home from the 8th grade to announce that he saw no reason to continue on with high school or college; his science teacher had calculated that the ozone hole was growing so rapidly that everyone would be dead from ultraviolet radiation by the year 2007. Thus, Linda's son didn't see why he should waste his time in school. Linda visited the teacher who stated that the information in her book showed that everyone would die in 15 years. The teacher, in fact, was upset that Linda would even question her calculations, conclusions, and authority since the teacher was a "certified teacher." Linda agreed that the teacher was certainly certifiable. ******** MORNING UPDATE The saga of Rep. Dan Rostenkowski, "the prince of pork," indicted on 17 corruption charges and running for re-election, continues. Rostenkowski's lawyers recently argued in court that federal charges against their client should be dismissed because only Congress could decide whether he was guilty of using $500,000 in campaign funds for personal use; in effect, they were arguing that Rostenkowski had a license to steal. The court rejected this argument, so the indictment against him still stands, but Rostenkowski is still confident about his re- election chances. However, he's running a low-profile campaign - he's not running any TV or radio ads, and is avoiding any opportunities for the press or anyone else to ask him any embarrassing questions. The Chicago Sun-Times, though, has given him a ringing endorsement, saying that although Rostenkowski might be sleazy, so is his opponent, and Rosty is still a guy who "knows how to get things done." Besides, his opponent is "wrong on the issues" such as abortion and gun control. Rush recalls, though, that another famous Chicagoan, Al Capone, was able to "get things done," so would the paper endorse him if he were running for office? Rush, though, decides not to pursue that question too much because this is, after all, Chicago, where the dead still vote. FIRST HOUR Items o People are begging Rush to make some predictions for the November elections, but he's reluctant to do so because he thinks it's too soon to start counting Republican chickens yet. Just as Rush told people not to think health care is dead, he would remind people "it ain't over until it's over." o Rush replays his opening theme song, "My City Is Gone," by Chrissie Hind and the Pretenders. This song is basically a lament about how when Hind came back to Ohio after living in England for a while, she discovered that a shopping center had replaced her hometown. Thus, this song is an anti-development protest. Rush chose this song as his theme music, though, because he likes it, although he admits there is a touch of irony in his use of it. He was told, though, that when the Pretenders recently played this song during a concert in Florida, the college crowd erupted, shouting "Limbaugh, Limbaugh, Limbaugh!" After the song was over, Hind denounced Rush and his show, insisting that while they don't want anything to do with him, they can't stop him from using their song on the air. Rush enjoyed hearing this story, and comments that a college survey done by Link magazine, a free publication sent to 1 million college students, asked who their favorite radio personality is; the number one answer was Rush. o Rush welcomes back broadcast engineer Mike Maimone, suspended for two days for "PSA tampering." o Rush yesterday talked about the radio ads being aired by Jim Campbell, the challenger to Governor Tony Knowles (D-AK). Campbell's physique is at best described as "Ted Kennedyesque" and balding, but Knowles is fit, athletic, and in his mid 40s. Campbell has run a clever ad about this, and Rush plays a copy of it: "I was watching the news last night and I noticed something. President Bill Clinton is tall, has a shy smile, good hair - some women tell me he's really good looking. And then I noticed Tony Knowles - tall, shy smile, good hair, same thing with the women. But it doesn't stop there. "Bill Clinton wants more environmental restrictions on Alaska - wetlands, timber. Tony Knowles says he thinks we need more environmental restrictions on Alaska. Really, that's what he said. "With Bill Clinton as President, we have the highest taxes ever. When Tony Knowles was mayor of Anchorage, taxes skyrocketed. Coincidence, or is this always the way it is when a guy is handsome and has good hair? "Jim Campbell doesn't have good hair, but he says Tony Knowles is wrong. We don't need more environmental restrictions. We need a governor who will fight for our rights to responsibly develop our state and our economy, and Jim Campbell knows our problem is not revenue, it's spending. And he knows how to cut spending. "This election is important, so pay attention. Our economic lives, communities, futures are at stake - we need Jim Campbell, governor. Paid for by Campbell for Governor, 800 F Street, Anchorage, AK 99501." The Knowles campaign responded to this ad by insisting that the Campbell campaign was accusing Knowles of being a philanderer, a word never mentioned in the ad. Obviously, though, this must be what Knowles thinks of Clinton. o Rush aired a videoclip on his TV show last night of Governor Ann Richards (D-TX) calling her opponent George W. Bush a jerk. Her attitude seems common among liberal today, and it seems that liberals are unhappy they are having to work for re- election; this is obviously putting a strain on them, given how hysterical they are acting. Rush yesterday talked about how the media is determined to blame the public and voters for everything going wrong in America. Crossfire last night reportedly picked up this topic, agreeing that the voters are the ones who are screwed up. The front page of today's NY Times has a big story that has much the same theme, and it convinces Rush that in the next three weeks the mainstream press will make a herculean attempt to revive the political fortunes of Bill Clinton and the Democratic party. The network news stories will try to scare the public by telling horror stories of what will happen should Republicans win a majority in Congress, screaming "danger, danger" so much that they'll be sounding like the robot in "Lost in Space." The NY Times is doing exactly this with its story today headlined "Democrats Getting No Lift From Rising Economy"; this is another whine-piece about how it's unfair Clinton and the Democrats aren't being given their proper credit. The story also complains that Senator Jim Sasser (D-TN) is not being helped by a thriving economy from the state's economy; the media used to concentrate only on how President Clinton wasn't getting any credit for the improving economy, but now they are adding in "Clinton's Democratic colleagues." The Times reports that Sasser's lack of popularity among his constituents is peculiar, given that the Tennessee economy is strong, with 80,000 new jobs having been created in the last year, with an unemployment rate of 4.7% in August. Yet two-thirds of Tennesseans don't approve of Clinton's performance in August, even though Clinton and Algore carried the state in 1992. Rush is almost embarrassed by the press's blatant and near hysterical attempts to resuscitate Clinton and the Democrats, and he admits how he's focused so much attention on the press lately, especially since he could be accused of generalizing about the press. Yet Rush has never seen the mainstream press so united in their support for the losing side as they are now, and he finds it an amazing thing. The Times also reports that Senator Jim Sasser (D-TN), "who as chairman of the Senate Budget Committee was instrumental in getting the Clinton budget program enacted last year, is running about even with a Republican challenger who has never before run for public office." Yet, this is exactly the point - the people are tired of professional politicians. The Times, though, misses all this, instead warning that Sasser's opponent, Republican Dr. Bill Frist, 42, a lung surgeon and transplant specialist, "first registered to vote six years ago." The Times seems to imply that this fact is a negative on Frist's record, but Rush disagrees, as he'll explain after the break. *BREAK* Other journalists are coming to defend Clinton and whine about why he's not getting credit: Leslie Stahl did so on CNBC last night, as did Cokie Roberts on "This Week With David Brinkley" Sunday. Rush will talk more about them in a bit, but first notes that nearly everyone else understands that the President's character and credibility problems are what are hampering him. Those inside the Beltway, though, react in horror when they hear this. Another point, though, that should be made is that if the economy is so great, then why isn't Jim Sasser singing its praises? Rush's TV show has in the past featured clips of Sasser praising both the 1990 and 1993 budget deals, so if Clinton's budget deal was so great and is responsible for the great economy, why is Sasser, who was instrumental in getting Clinton's budget passed, trying to hide not only from it, but from his being a Democrat? Why is Sasser instead trying to do everything he can to avoid being seen as a Clinton-supporting Democrat? Why are his allies ignoring his record and instead attacking his opponent as someone who's unqualified and "only first registered to vote six years ago." This shows how desperate Sasser is, and Rush, for one, thinks that Frist's decision to get involved in politics is something in his favor. If someone thinks running for politics is so important that he's willing to put aside a very successful professional medical practice, then isn't that a positive thing? Doesn't it mean something that Dr. Frist is so worried about where his government is going that he's willing to sacrifice a million-dollar practice to do something about it? If Frist were a Democrat, of course, the Democrats and press would be praising him for his sacrifice, which only goes to show that there is still a major double standard in the press. Phone Jack from Kennewick, WA Jack refers to Rush's suspension of Mike Maimone for interfering with a PSA, but Jack has heard EIB air a PSA from the Dermatology Clinic about the "ozone hole," and it features Rush's comments being inserted over the ad. Jack is thus curious whether this is tampering, along the lines of Mike Maimone's sin. Rush denies there is any similarity between what he did and what Maimone was guilty of; Maimone's additions were put in as if they were part of the PSA, while Rush's additions were really commentary about the PSA, not intended to deceive but to illuminate. Jack says he's not trying to accuse Rush of anything untoward, but is interested in why Rush's comments are okay, but Maimone's aren't. Rush asks if Jack is suggesting that Rush suspend himself for this, but Jack says no, even though this is what Bo suggested that Jack tell Rush. Rush finds that interesting, but says his voice-overs were simply instructive commentary on a deceptive PSA. In contrast, though, Maimone was trying to deceive the listeners into thinking his blood-curdling screams and other noises were part of the original panic disorder PSA. That's why Rush gave him his well-deserved two-day suspension. Jack is glad that Rush has cleared this up, and Rush thanks him for calling. *BREAK* Tim Russert is going to air a show on CNBC next Monday to examine why President Clinton is not getting any credit from the recovering economy. The show will include Sam Donaldson, George Stephanopoulos, Bob Woodward, Kathleen Hall Jamison, and Robert Novak (aka the "Prince of Darkness"). Thus, there is one solid conservative (Novak), a solid Clinton guy (Stephanopoulos), a solid liberal (Donaldson), a left-leaning liberal who nevertheless calls the truth when he sees it (Woodward), a loose cannon on deck (Jamison), and Russert himself, who's "purely objective, no doubt about it, right down the middle." This five-to-one ratio sets new standards for what constitutes balance on a Russert show, Rush observes. Speaking of Russert, on his show last night Leslie Stahl of CBS News and 60 Minutes stated the following: "Poor Bill Clinton - this White House whines about this constantly, but I must say they have a point. It isn't just that there's CNN - now they have all kinds of talk shows like this one, and radio talk shows, and cable. Such a proliferation of news sources that they can't get anybody's attention anymore. When Carter was President, and Reagan, and they knew the three networks had the total audience, they could say `I'm going on TV, I want to talk to the country,' and they would. And the whole country was wired into them. If the President spoke, you couldn't see anything else on TV. Today if Clinton wants to speak to the nation, you don't have to hear him. You can watch ESPN, you can watch a movie, you can watch a cartoon. You do not have to watch him and a lot of people don't. He whines about it, but he's right." Rush points out that Stahl is obviously jealous about how she and her network no longer have a monopoly on the news. The networks no longer can force their post-press conference dribble and analysis down people's throats. Now, thanks to an explosion of freedom due to federal deregulation of the broadcast industry, the people have more choices, and the increased competition is the market proving how dissatisfied the people were with the big three networks' monopoly. Thus, Rush senses some sour grapes among the press's criticisms about how the President just can't get his "due credit." This, though, is the market speaking, and what's driving it is the public's insistence on diversity from their news. The people got tired of the three networks doing the same sorts of analysis and coverage; when the people got a chance to listen and watch different views and opinions, they jumped at it. The marketplace is working, but those in the mainstream media don't like how they're being shunted aside for the other choices that now exist. However, the big three networks have no right to be the sole purveyors of the news, and if they want to keep their audience, they had better start realizing that the people are intelligent customers who should be properly serviced by acknowledging there are viewpoints other than those presented by the networks. The dominant media seems stuck in the mire, believing that it's the Holy Grail of the news game, with everyone else being nothing but a pretender. If the mainstream media doesn't catch on to this, though, they'll become living dinosaurs. Phone Kiran from Seville, OH Kiran says he just heard that a Gallup poll has found that charitable contributions are down, and a local news guy speculated that this is because this is because people are earning left. Kiran, though, thinks that people are not feeling as good about themselves as they did during the Reagan administration, plus maybe they think that since liberals are in government now, government will take care of things. Rush adds that people had more money in the 80s, thanks to Reagan's tax cuts. Charitable contributions went through the roof in the 80s, simply because people had more disposable income; the government wasn't taking as much. Of course, the 80s are portrayed as the decade of greed and selfishness, yet now that the left is running the country, charitable contributions are down. People not only have less to give anymore, but they're getting "compassion burnout," having been tapped out by how every day they're told how they should feel more and more sorry for more and more people. Nevertheless, Rush decides that since the 90s have already been named the decade of fraud and deceit in honor of Bill Clinton, this latest poll means the 90s have to be the decade of greed, too. "You people are greedy swine," Rush sighs, but quickly admits that saying this is no more accurate now then it was during the 80s. He thanks Kiran for calling. *BREAK* Phone Dick from Edmund, WA Dick says he and Rush tend to agree on Ross Perot, but Rush is putting too much emphasis on the "cowboy" and not the "horse" that voted for him. Perot told the people that they should take back their government, and Dick has to agree with that. Rush agrees that this is only common sense, but Perot wanted to do a number of unconstitutional things, such as an electronic town hall. However, Rush agrees with Perot that America is great because of its people, not because of its government programs. However, Rush found it a bit specious how Perot told the electorate "you own the country"; Dick thinks Perot was right in saying this, since it's the people who do things. Rush says this is true, but the people don't own the country in the sense that Perot implied, with the people being able to do whatever they want. Dick says this is right, but this doesn't change the opportunity that exists out there to change America. For example, an electronic town hall can't work now, but the Constitution could still be changed to allow a national referendum; 49 out of the 50 states require a referendum on changes to their constitutions, but the U.S. Constitution does not. The book "The Growing Constitution" by Jethro Lieberman describes how the Constitution has basically been bypassed by the courts; for example, the courts have made interpretations that have essentially put the Equal Rights Amendment into law, although that amendment failed to get three-quarters of the votes of the states. The courts think they can constitutionalize laws by fiat, bypassing the process established by the Constitution. Rush asks when the courts institutionalized the ERA, and Dick can't give Rush the exact specifics, but the book he referenced does list these rulings. Rush suspects that the courts decided certain cases as if the ERA had passed, but even if this is true, the big problem with the ERA was that it was not specific, and therefore would have resulted in everyone going to court to settle the disputes. Rush thus thinks these court cases would have happened regardless of whether the ERA was ratified, but he doesn't see how this ties into Ross Perot. *BREAK* Andrea Mitchell on NBC Nightly News last night referred to President Clinton's plans to attend the signing of the Israel/Jordan peace agreement, and possibly visit U.S. troops in Kuwait, by saying "well, all this will mean cancelling dozens of campaign events, but success abroad could be the best political boost Bill Clinton could get." Thus, the Clinton campaign seems to be basing its hopes on foreign policy, even though this was the man who disparaged foreign policy during the 1992 campaign. And now the President has a convenient reason to cancel dozens of campaign events where he probably was not really wanted or welcome anyway. "Hmmm," Rush muses. *BREAK* SECOND HOUR Items o The Washington Times is reporting today that two congressional sources disclosed that a high-ranking Pentagon military official, testifying behind closed doors about Haiti, referred to the Haiti operation as "Operation Just Because." Rush loves this because this name was given to the Haiti operation by a caller to his show. o Rush has said many times that liberals are funny when they're out of power; that's when they get hysterical and really wacko. However, when liberals get in power, they're dangerous because they work quietly for their goals. Rush also often said that the militant environmentalist movement was the new home of Communism and socialism, and though he was criticized for it, he still thinks this is true; the military environmentalists prove this every day. The Communists haven't given up just because the U.S.S.R. collapsed; they are lurking, ready for any chances they can get to reclaim their power. With that having been said, Rush illustrates what he means by going to a Gorbasm. Update Gorbasm ("Theme from the Empire Strikes Back") Rush remarks that he came up with the term Gorbasm back in December, 7, 1987, when Mikhail Gorbachev arrived at Andrews Air Force Base, outside of Washington, DC. The assembled multitudes breathlessly waited for "him" - Gorbachev, the savior of the world, the bringer of world peace, who saved everyone from nuclear destruction and Ronald Reagan - to show up. And when Gorbachev appeared in the door of his Aleutian 62 jetliner, a collective gasp went out from the crowd, who enjoyed the first Gorbasm in the free world. A Gorbasm is the feeling of euphoria that's fake; it's a feeling of bliss and uncontrollable enjoyment that's based on phoniness and misplaced idealism. No matter what people think of Gorbachev, he is now and has ever been an unrepentant Communist, someone who tried his best to keep the Soviet Union Communist. Today's Gorbasm is about how Gorbachev is now claiming the world faces a greater danger than ever from nuclear weapons. Speaking at the Environmental (Rush stresses the word "environmental") Media Awards in Los Angeles, Gorbachev called for immediate international programs to rid the world of nuclear weapons, saying "the nuclear genie is still at large." Gorbachev, by the way, is also president of Green Cross International, a world-wide environmental group; Rush again stresses the word "environmental." Gorbachev also attacked Boris Yeltsin's government, saying that lax controls in Russia have made the world even more dangerous. He then condemned both the U.S.S.R. and the U.S. for pursuing the arms race, saying "while we were thinking how to multiply the weapons of nuclear overkill, we acted like barbarians digging a common grave." Rush dissents with that statement - it was Gorbachev and his countrymen who were the barbarians; the U.S. was responding to their threats. However, Gorbachev also said the following: "There must be a kind of Ten Commandments for the environment. Something that no one would be allowed to violate. The time has come for mankind to adopt the wise philosophy of Native Americans: we do not inherit this planet from our fathers, we are borrowing it from our children." Of course, Gorbachev hasn't written these Ten Commandments for the environment, and his comments about Native Americans echo the myth written by the multiculturalists that Native Americans are the most perfect people ever to trod the Earth. If anything proves Rush's insistence that militant environmentalism is the new home of socialism, it's this Gorbasm. *BREAK* Phone Terry from Fresno, CA Terry remarks that General Colin Powell gave Mikhail Gorbachev some strokes this weekend at the Bakersfield Business Conference. Powell stated the following: "It was the expansive and progressive vision of my good friend Gorbachev that brought down Communism and brought about the break-up of the Soviet empire." "Holy, Toledo," Rush exclaims, and Terry adds that Powell not only failed to mention Ronald Reagan, but also all the men and women who served in the U.S. armed forces which so successfully kept Soviet power in check. About 12,500 people showed up to hear Powell speak, but neither Reagan nor Bush showed up this year to speak, although they will show up next year. Terry adds that Powell also talked about a meeting he and James Baker had with Gorbachev, in which Gorbachev was pounding the table, insisting how sincere he was in his efforts to bring democracy to the Soviet Union. When Powell said he wasn't convinced, Gorbachev insisted that the Cold War was ended. Powell told the Bakersfield audience that when he heard this he thought "No, not now! I've only got two years before I retire! What am I going to do with these two years?" Rush thinks this had to be a laugh line, but Terry said nobody laughed because Powell had already stunned them by saying all sorts of things that liberals would be proud of. For example, in addition to the above, Powell remarked that when he retired he realized that previously he had been the leader of the greatest army in the world, but afterwards was "just a spouse," in which Terry thinks is a statement in homage of the feminists. Rush holds Terry over the break, so as to analyze these comments. *BREAK* Phone Terry from Fresno, CA (continued) Rush remarks that when he spoke at the Bakersfield Business Conference, the crowd was only 5,000 people. Terry says the crowds are getting bigger and bigger every year; this year the crowd covered three football fields. Powell also said he thought the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize "to my new friend Yasser Arafat" was a good sign, too. Terry found it funny that Powell thinks Gorbachev and Arafat are his "good friends," and it seems Powell has tipped his hat towards his political leanings. Rush says he hasn't heard anything about Powell's speech, so he can't confirm Terry's report, but it's flat-out untrue that Gorbachev ended the Cold War. Rush has had the honor of attending two dinners where Margaret Thatcher spoke and was being honored. At the first dinner, Thatcher noted that "consensus is the negation of leadership," and it was there that a woman asked her to explain what the major primary reasons for the decline and defeat of the Soviet Union were. Lady Thatcher replied that both she and President Reagan had agreed that it was the Strategic Defense Initiative which was the beginning of the end for the Soviet Union. The Soviets knew that they couldn't keep up with this, and this pushed them to conciliatory moves. Thatcher also noted that Gorbachev made a serious miscalculation - he tried to keep the Soviet Union Communist while slowly parcelling out freedoms bit by bit. He thought he could placate his people's demands for more freedom, while still reforming the Soviet Union as a socialist state. Freedom, though, is an all or nothing proposition, and Gorbachev's attempts to keep his country socialist failed. At the second dinner which Rush attended with Lady Thatcher, Rush was asked to give a toast to her, which he did. Later on, Lady Thatcher took questions from the audience, but she got only one question. Rush thus raised his hand to ask a question, and after the hostess tried to find someone else to ask a question, she allowed Rush to ask his. Rush thus asked Lady Thatcher to again explain the reasons for the decline of the Soviet Union, which caused a great gnashing of the teeth among the liberal half of the audience. And when Thatcher gave her answer about Reagan and SDI, the liberals were beside themselves. Terry adds that when Powell was introduced, everyone stood up, waving American flags as the "Stars and Stripes Forever" march was played. But Powell then gave a speech that made it clear that he was running for President and who he thought his allies are. Rush, though, won't believe Powell is running for President until he formally announces it, and it will be his statements on domestic policy that give his true political leanings. Terry, though, says the people around him were surprised that Powell didn't even mention Reagan or the soldiers who have served in America's armed forces while he was praising Gorbachev. Terry thought Powell's omissions were offensive. Rush says the polls all show that Powell has a lot of good will among the American people, but Rush has had to wonder just why people are feeling this way. People obviously think Powell did a great job in prosecuting the Gulf War, but the polls really don't matter until he starts taking some positions on the issues of the day. No matter what positions he takes on those issues, he's going to alienate and disappoint some of his supporters, and his poll numbers will shrink. Meanwhile, Powell is being examined as to his political intentions, but Powell has been very silent about such things. Rush has heard a lot of theories about what Powell will do - he'll run as an independent, he'll run within a mainstream party, etc. but until Powell makes his move, nobody knows. As to Powell's comment about waking up one day and realizing he's "just a spouse," Rush is certain that came from what George Bush had to say after he left office. Shortly after leaving the White House, Bush remarked that for the past 12 years in general, and the last 4 in particular, he lived each day as one of the most important men on Earth. The world listened to every word he said, and his decisions affected millions of people. After leaving office, though, he woke up to find himself helping his wife do the dishes, shopping at the WalMart, and driving her around in the station wagon. Bush remarked about how tough an adjustment this was, and Rush has to agree; thus, if this is what Powell meant, Rush can understand his comment totally. Plus, Powell has a book about to come out, and he's been making the lecture circuit rounds for a while. So it could be that Powell's remarks might be an attempt to generate some interest in his book. Powell could very well believe everything that Terry has reported he said, but if so, it means there's a big disparity between who he is and what people think he is. Rush thanks Terry for calling. *BREAK* There's "shocking news" in the fashion world, which will not please the feminists. Rush would never have believed that he would be discussing fashion matters on his show, but Chanel is introducing a new line of clothing titled "Dress to Seduce." Today's NY Times reports that the designer is asking "instead of dressing for success, shouldn't we dress for romance," given that for women "sex is power." Why fight it, he wondered. Thus, the fashion world might have come full circle now, and Rush hopes to talk about this a bit later. Phone Leo from Palm City, FL Leo says that the Republicans have described how the military is being downsized far too much; Oliver North, for example, stated that the U.S. doesn't have enough troops to fight two wars at one time. Algore, though, claims this isn't true because America's high-tech weapons will take up the slack. The October 24th issue of U.S. News and World Report, though, says that America is the world's "super-cop" now, but it's trying to do this job with huge cuts in its budget, especially in manpower and training. Rush agrees that the U.S. is being used for purposes other than its main objective, and thanks to Clinton's budgets, it's having to do those missions with over $100 billion in cuts. Speaking of North and Algore, Rush remarks that Algore had a cow when North dissented with Clinton's foreign policy and use of military. Algore accused North of being unpatriotic, but Rush thinks the Vice President owes North a bit of apology. It was, after all, Dick Gephardt who threatened to withhold funding from U.S. troops during the Desert Shield build-up. And after the Gulf War was over, Algore himself claimed that Bush was responsible for starting the war. Thus, it's hypocritical to claim that someone on the right is unpatriotic because they criticized a military mission, given that the Democrats wrote the book on criticizing how Republicans have used the military. Rush has no doubts that several Democrats who hate the use of force are glad when the military fails, so Algore's complaint is specious at best, and it indicates he's a bit panicked at the dissent that's coming towards the Clinton administration. *BREAK* Phone James from Toledo, OH James just heard on CNN that Defense Secretary William Perry, who's in China right now, gave a speech to hundreds of Chinese generals in which he said that the United States could not handle two "major conflicts" at one time because of inadequate air and sea lift, along with insufficient guided bombs. Rush says this is the first he's heard about this comment, but if it's true then major heads are going to roll - "Nukes may be deployed in the Pentagon," Rush theorizes. *BREAK* THIRD HOUR Rush notes that the previous caller got it exactly right - Defense Secretary William Perry told China's National Defense University that the United States was not prepared to fight two major wars at the same time. According to Perry, the U.S. military is suffering from strategic sea and air lift capabilities, as well as shortages in guided weapons, but he insisted the Pentagon is hard at work correcting these deficiencies. Perry also doesn't think these problems are critical because he doesn't think the U.S. will have to fight two major wars at the same time. Rush wonders if anyone will be comforted by Perry's words, given that America can't afford to base its defense on what it "thinks" will happen, but on the worst case scenarios. For example, the arms race between the U.S. and Soviet Union was all about deterring the Soviet Union, which was the aggressor. The Phil Donahue crowd complained that "we have enough nukes to blow up the world 40,000 times," not understanding that you had to have more nukes then the other side so as to maintain an effective deterrent. The U.S. had to withstand a first strike and be able to retaliate - the point was not to survive the first strike, but to retaliate, so that the Soviets knew any such attack would mean their doom, too. Rush thinks Algore owes Oliver North an apology now more than ever, given that North's criticisms of Clinton's defense policies were dead right. North specifically criticized Clinton's defense cuts for making it impossible for the U.S. to fight two wars simultaneously, and now the Secretary of Defense has proven him right. Thus since Algore had a fit, challenging North's patriotism, Algore owes him a major apology. Rush adds that Perry is in China right now to brief them on the U.S. defense strategy, giving them a "surprisingly detailed" run-down on the U.S.'s capabilities and views. The administration says it wants to do this so that the Chinese know the U.S. poses them no threat. The Chinese reportedly gave a similarly detailed report to Perry. Rush bets the administration will issue a "clarification" about Perry's remarks pretty soon, given that the administration has insisted its defense policies and cutbacks haven't hurt the U.S.'s response to any threat. Update Homeless (Clarence "Frogman" Henry, "Ain't Got No Home") The University of California at Berkeley has a program that allows students to create their own courses, and some students have been studying subjects like Generation X, Northern Ireland, organic gardening, and female gardening, in addition to eroticism, musical performances, cultural changes in the 90s, and homelessness. Rush is amazed at this "Classes R Us" approach, with the inmates literally running the asylum. The director of this independent studies unit, himself a graduate student in education, insists that the courses are needed to keep students current and to fill in gaps in the mainstream curriculum. This program began in 1980, with one professor deciding to make education "a little more democratic" by allowing students more control and participation in decision-making. Rush wonders what the point is in allowing the uneducated to pick their own curriculum; the purpose of college is to learn what you don't know from those who do. The courses are offered, not surprisingly, on a pass/no pass basis, and the homelessness class is taught by a Near Eastern studies grad student who was once homeless himself. The class requires students to eat at a soup kitchen, try to find shelter for the night, fill out applications for disability benefits, and stand in line at welfare offices. They also volunteer at various homeless agencies and advocacy groups. One student called the class a "rewarding experience." Rush marvels at how "higher education" is now defined as standing in line at a soup kitchen, and he recalls how you used to do homework at school; now you do "homeless-work." This is like Martin Sheen sleeping on a sewer grate for one night with Tony Coelho to make a statement about homelessness, or eating beans and rice with a bunch of other celebrities to "raise consciousness" about hunger. There is nothing in any of this to solve the problem, but just a way that people can expunge whatever guilt they might feel about living in America. And these kids' parents are paying big bucks for this privilege, which is truly ironic. After all, the kids can do this homeless stuff on their own time, without any money. *BREAK* Phone Roger from Burbank, CA Roger didn't get to listen to the first couple of hours of today's show, but he's hoping Rush will talk about the "greatest football game" in modern times - last night's game between Joe Montana vs. John Ellway. Rush admits this was a fabulous game, although the referees came close to being in grave danger when they nearly took the game away from Denver. However, Rush's wife, Marta, loves the Broncos and is the nation's biggest Ellway fan, so was not a pleasant night in their house last night as they watched the game come to its conclusion. Marta is such a fan that she even has a Broncos helmet autographed by Ellway, but she decided not to wear it during the game last night; however, she's not totally depressed, given that Ellway, in spite of his team's loss, still had a good game personally. Roger thinks last night's exciting, down-to-the-wire game was great for the NFL and sport of football. Rush adds that nobody complained about how this game was three and a half hours long, because they loved watching these great players make great plays. Roger comments that a lot of people have been predicting that Montana's career was over, but that obviously was only wishful thinking. Rush notes that Marcus Allen also had a great game, in spite of the accusations made about him in the new book about the O.J. Simpson case. Denver, of course, suffered a crushing defeat, and many undoubtedly are thinking that the team's chances for the playoffs are over. The final drive in last night's game is one of those things that makes one wonder why anyone ever uses the "prevent" defense, which lets the opposition run down the field without opposition until the end. Rush was going to open the program talking about that game, but he decided to move to other topics instead. Fortunately, though, Roger's call brought the game to the show, so Rush thanks him for that. Since baseball is gone, hockey is on hold, and basketball hasn't started yet, it's especially great to see football games like this being played. Phone Lee from Tyler, TX Lee hates to say it, but he thinks Rush missed the point with his most recent Homeless Update. After all, this UCB class is really "job training" - the professor is preparing his students for the jobs they'll be qualified to do when they finally graduate from a school like Berkeley. Rush admits he hadn't thought about this, but Lee has a point - plus, there are two more years of the Clinton economic program, so by then this training might become invaluable to new graduates. This class is, after all, training people how to survive in Bill Clinton's America, and undoubtedly they'll also show that classic video, "Dumpster Dining." Phone Wayne from Ft. Madison, IA Wayne thinks the dominant media is attacking the public for rejecting the Democrats and Bill Clinton is because the press knows these rejections are a slap against them, too, given that they backed Clinton in 1992. The press is thus angry that the public is not just repudiating the President but also the press that helped him get elected. Rush agrees - the press has to be taking Clinton's problems personally because they backed him and because he's one of their own. *BREAK* Phone Dale from Portland, OR Dale says that the Democrats are coming up with a lot of reasons for why they're falling behind in the polls and facing a rout in this November's elections: Rush, special interests, stupid voters, etc. Every time the Democrats say such things, though, they're really insulting the public. For example, Warren Rudman last night on Crossfire said that the American voters do have valid reasons for being mad at Congress, "but they have to look in the mirror." Michael Kinsley then remarked "we have an obligation to know what's going on." Rush says he talked about this on his show yesterday, and undoubtedly Crossfire was discussing the two NY Times and Washington Post stories Rush mentioned. Dale adds that CSPAN lately has had a lot of shows full of apologists for the President, trying to come up with excuses for why the President is doing so poorly in the polls. Rush observes that Hillary was campaigning for Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Democrat Kathleen Brown recently; when Hillary left California, their polls went down, so the Clintons foolishly started thinking they are a positive force for Democrats. Yet the Clintons actually drive the negatives of the people they're supporting up, doing them more harm then good. Rush thanks Dale for calling, and notes that the Democrats lately have not only accused the public of being stupid but of being mindless robots who do nothing but follow talk radio svengalis. Rush, though, points out that at least 50% of Americans are saying now they are dissatisfied with President Clinton, which means that about 125 million Americans are unhappy with Clinton. However, EIB has only 20 million "mind-numbed robots" show up for class each week, which while a large number for a radio audience, still leaves 105 million unaccounted for. Just why are these 105 million disapproving of Clinton's performance on the job, if they aren't listening to Rush? Perhaps the answer is that maybe it's something Clinton has done or hasn't done. Even if all talk radio is at fault, are there really 125 million Americans listening to talk radio? And most radio talk show hosts are liberal anyway, so just how can talk radio be at fault in this? Maybe the answer is that Clinton is at fault. The mainstream journalists are whining about how Clinton is not getting any credit, but he's not the only one falling apart. The NAACP is falling apart, with at least one, maybe two, heads who have allegedly stolen from the group. Is Rush responsible for this? Are his listeners? The National Organization for Women is having more and more problems raising money, and their membership is dropping. This is also the case with many liberal groups, so perhaps it could be said that the party is over for liberalism. The American people aren't total dolts; they are observant and they do see how for the past 30 years the left has been making promises without delivering on them; they've seen the left create divisiveness and shift the blame constantly, and this sort of thing has gone about as far as it can go. Liberalism doesn't work and hasn't worked, and the bill seems to finally be coming due. There have been 30 years of Great Society programs, but they haven't worked, so the American people are starting to wonder why anyone would claim the fix is to do more of the same. Isn't it possible that the American people are rendering a verdict on liberalism and its approach to life's problems? Even if 100 million Americans listened to talk radio, it's telling to think that liberals think all of these people are thoughtless and mind-numbed. Yet the left was praising the people back when they supported liberalism; now that the people are disagreeing with the left, however, the people have become "brainless" virtually overnight. Doesn't this therefore mean that the left thinks the people are brainless all the time and that only liberals are qualified to run government and society? In the past four years, the liberals are acting as if talk show hosts have given mass lobotomies to all of America; yet to the liberals, the American public has been idiots all along - the left is just finally admitting to how they feel about the public. *BREAK* Phone Jeff from Denver, CO Jeff is a sales representative who has been listening to two months and agrees with some of what Rush has to say. He heard Rush yesterday mention the 70,000 people who demonstrated against California's Proposition 187 over the weekend, and he thinks this demonstration explains one reason why charitable contributions are down. As a hard-working taxpayer, he already thinks is being "charitable enough," especially when he's not seeing any benefits accrue from all the taxes that are being spent. He's 29 and works an average of 12 hours a day, and he's seeing a lot of his money go for nothing. Rush welcomes Jeff to the club, and recalls that he figured this stuff out when he was about 29, too. Jeff adds that he enjoys Rush's show, both for the information Rush gives and for the entertainment. Since he spends a lot of time on the road, he appreciates having something like it to listen to. Jeff admits, though, it's discouraging to see the direction the country is going in, and he has to wonder why the Immigration Service wasn't picking up all the illegal aliens who must have been among the 70,000 who were protesting in Los Angeles. Jeff asks if he's out of line with these statements. Rush says that to some people, Jeff is indeed racist and bigoted for opposing those who think illegal aliens should be given free access to health care and education in California. These 70,000 protestors were basically demanding benefits from the government for those who are in the country illegally; they are not concerned about the fiscal irresponsibility of such payments, but think any opposition to such benefits is based solely on race. The federal government is mandating that the people of California pay for these services to illegal aliens, at a cost of $3 billion a year, and many of these taxpaying Californians don't have access to the services which illegal immigrants do. Yet those who protest this spending are not only called greedy and selfish, but bigoted and racist. If anyone is greedy and selfish, though, it's not those who are earning their own way through life, but the 70,000 protestors who had their hands out, demanding "gimmie, gimmie, gimmie." It is thus not surprising that charitable contributions are down, given that working Americans are being taxed into more and more "forced charitable contributions," without seeing any benefit come from that spending. Jeff also thinks that the issue of responsibility is being ignored, and Rush agrees - those 70,000 protesting Proposition 187 not only don't want people to be exempted from the responsibility of taking care of themselves, but also exempted from the responsibility to obey the law. Rush is encouraged to hear Jeff's views on this, though, because conservatives have to be confident about what they believe, and they can't be intimidated any longer by specious charges of being racist. The American people have been taxed for Great Society programs for 30 years, without it doing anything to lessen the nation's poverty figures; in fact, the latest figures that came out last week were up, not down. Conservatives are accused of not having any compassion, but in reality they are the most compassionate because they believe compassion is measured not by how many people get government benefits, but by how many people no longer need those benefits. It is true compassion to get people to the point where they are self-sufficient and independent; however, to liberals compassion means getting more and more people more and more dependent on the government's largess. *BREAK* Phone Jody from Medina, MN Jody says that EIB's Minneapolis affiliate runs a "Best of Rush" show over the weekend, and they replayed the call Rush got last week from someone who reported that when Rush's TV show did its retrospective on the Reagan years, a female voice came on to say "unlearned" when Rush was praising Reagan. As this segment was being replayed last weekend, though, a female voice came on over the radio to say "squealer." Rush has to laugh at how both his radio and TV shows are now evidently marked for sabotage by liberals, although he has to wonder about the business sense of those affiliates that allow such things to happen. However, this really is an encouraging sign because it means that Rush and conservatism are really getting to the left, who seem besides themselves anymore.