There have been so many things out there to write about lately that I’ve gotten writers block in reverse—a sort of constipation of the brain where everything wants to come out at the same time, but instead it all gets compacted in my head and nothing comes out…until the continuing saga of Rush Limbaugh’s verbal attach on Georgetown Law School’s Sandra Fluke. And suddenly, like mental Dulcolax, my brain gave way and a rant on Rush’s big ole pile of poop came steaming out.
Now, I have to admit, I don’t really pay much attention to Rush. Many adjectives come to mind to describe his show and the things he says on it, and not one of them is complimentary. I gave up being offended by him long ago and wrote him off to that distant corner of my world with all the other crazy people. He strikes me as the kind of person who merely exists to stir the pot—someone who just says things to say them, whether he believes them or not, and then basks in his astonishment that someone could be offended by his “soothsaying,” and then immediately dismisses anything contradictory that you could possibly say about him or his comments.
But this one, this really gets under my skin. As I’ve mentioned before, I am somewhat of an “armchair feminist.” Generally speaking, I don’t believe that men are out to get us or that they are evil, and I don’t want to turn men into women, or whatever other bologna Rush and those like him believe feminists are up to. However, in this instance, I DO believe that the effort to control female reproduction is tied to a fundamental belief by some that men should not only be allowed to, but entitled to, control women and their bodies. It’s great how men who can control their own fertility by purchasing a condom at any grocery store, convenience store or gas station get to call women “sluts” and “prostitutes” because we want access to the same reproductive rights.
Some have tried to say that this argument is not about contraception at all but about religious freedom and the right of religious based medical facilities to not have their spiritual beliefs overrun by being mandated to provide birth control or allow insurance to cover it. But Rush goes against this very premise when he calls Ms. Fluke a slut for support the right to availability of birth control. His direct quote was:
“What does that make her? It makes her a slut, right? It makes her a prostitute… She wants to be paid to have sex. She’s having so much sex she can’t afford the contraception.”
Sooo, it’s not about the right to have access to birth control IF you support denying said access based on religious principles, but if you support it’s availability THEN it’s clearly solely due to your desire to prostitute yourself? Okay.
His statement doesn’t even make sense. “She’s having so much sex (as a prostitute) she can’t afford the contraception.” If you are making money as a prostitute, wouldn’t you have money for contraception? Does she want to be paid in contraceptives to have sex? What does that even mean?!
He goes on to insult Ms. Fluke further by insinuating that she has brought shame to her family through her testimony:
“Can you imagine if you’re her parents how proud of Sandra Fluke you would be?” he said. “Your daughter goes up to a congressional hearing conducted by the Botox-filled Nancy Pelosi and testifies she’s having so much sex she can’t afford her own birth control pills and she agrees that Obama should provide them, or the Pope.” (nice pot shot at Nancy, here, btw)
Quite frankly, I would be incredibly proud of my child for standing up for what he/she believes to be right, particularly in such a public way. What a good job I would have done as a parent, to have taught my child to have the courage of his or her convictions!
Additionally, Rush dismisses Ms. Fluke’s claim that birth control can be used for other medical purposes besides contraception, thus making affordable birth control in some cases, a medical necessity. Nope. All those girls are just out there procreating at every possible moment.
As a woman who’s been on birth control since she was 18 years old due to a medically diagnosed hormone imbalance, I am in a unique position to clearly point out how little Rush knows of what he speaks. Not only were birth control pills used to regulate my otherwise nonexistent cycle, my OB/GYN recently informed me that at 40, she wanted to keep me on the pill for a few more years because she was concerned that my low estrogen levels during my youth had hindered my bone density which develops (with the help of estrogen) during a woman’s 20s and 30s.
I can also speak to the expense of the pill, since when I moved back to the East Coast, I did not have health insurance and had to pay out of pocket for my annual exam (required to get the prescription for the pill) as well as the pill itself, which at that time had no generic equivalent and cost over $25 per month. Needless to say that due to the expense, I did not rush off to the OB/GYN or the pharmacy. I was well overdue for my annual by the time I was able to afford to visit the doctor.
Over the past few days, Rush has issued not one, but two “apologies” on this topic. I use the word apologies in quotes, because even when he is apologizing (whether heartfelt or not), he cannot help but take a pot shot:
“I descended to [the left’s] level when I used those two words to describe Sandra Fluke,” Limbaugh said.
(because clearly his poor word choice is the liberals’ fault)
“…those two words were inappropriate… They distracted from the point that I was actually trying to make… My choice of words was not the best, and in the attempt to be humorous, I created a national stir.”
(in an attempt to be humorous? ‘You are a slut and a prostitute whose parents should be ashamed of you and your slutty ways.’ Wow, you’re right, that is frickin’ hysterical!!)
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/cutline/limbaugh-not-think-sandra-fluke-slut-prostitute-181711551.html
He claims that his apology has nothing to do with the advertisers who have left, as he “reject[s} millions of dollars of advertising a year, much to the chagrin of my ad sales team” and will be able to easily replace the lost revenue. I hope he’s started calling around, as I think he’s down about 10 companies as of this writing.
In His brilliant way, I’m sure Rush would simply dismiss me as some bitter little femi-nazi who just needs to “get some” (because if you’re not a prostitute, you are obviously a shrew who is not “getting any”). Of course, once I do, I’ll need some more birth control. And then I’ll be a slut. And it all comes full circle once again.
PostModernMommy 