The Rush Limbaugh Show receives notification of pending lawsuit

There are a few philosophies that I live by and which has served me well.  One of the main one is the adage “give a person enough rope, they either become a cowboy or hang themselves.”  A cowboy in the sense of the Old West where he/she rides in to save the day and rides off into the sunset as a hero.  Hanging themselves in the typical sense of not knowing when to cease and desist from an action which reflects poorly on the person committing the action but also the collective country as a whole.  Being a single father, I try to instill these in my kids, hoping that these philosophies will also serve them just as well.

When I read the article about Mr. Limbaugh implication that African-American households teach their children to hate America, this was the bridge too far for me.  According to reporting from Media Matters, Mr. Limbaugh was conducting Open Mic Friday and discussing the issue some felt the Grand Ole Party (GOP) had with the Hispanic community.  In the segment, Limbaugh was recorded as saying “institutionalized hatred of America was not taught in Hispanics households” hinting that because of slavery, it was being taught in African-American households.  This is not acceptable to me and many more should be just as offended as I but no one wishes to challenge Mr. Limbaugh or the Premiere Radio Network which gives him the platform to reach 600 markets.  I accepted that challenge.

One could only wonder where Mr. Limbaugh and others get their information from.  They speak about these things in a fashion of having real knowledge that they happen.  I’ve seen pictures of Mr. Limbaugh and can’t help but wonder just how long he has been African-American or how many African-American families has he lived with to gain this insight and wisdom on the intricate details of African–American household living.  I do not know whether he has been endowed with the gift of being able to discern the intimate details of a people just by observation.  All I know is that he is viewed as an opinion maker in politics and have a loyal following of people willing to believe anything and everything he say.  With that power comes great responsibility and one of the first is to insure that the information you deliver is factual and not created or slanted to distort the truth.

Because no one really knows who follows his every lead, we really do not know how deep his tentacles reach.  What I do know is being born an African-American is tough enough without a prominent radio or TV personality spreading more and more lies about any community which will eventually be stacked upon those members’ shoulders to disprove.  It is hard to say where the “Ditto heads” reside but I have met quite a few in the most surprising and common places.  I have seen them at the head of the classroom, sitting on the bench, standing behind any type of badge, behind the cash registers at the check-out counter, behind the desk during a job interview, in local, state and federal governmental offices and even in the doctors’ offices.

As a former U.S. Marine who was wiling to make the ultimate sacrifice for this nation, I find it difficult to hate this nation and therefore have not nor will ever teach my kids to hate it.  What I do warn them about is the “Ditto heads” scattered out among the regular folks and how to distinguish between them.  My children do not leave my home with hate for anyone or anything in their hearts but they do leave with the mindset that not everyone will like or support you, that not everyone will be willing to listen to your opinions, hopes and desires and with that they leave knowing that the full measure of a person is not based on how others see or accept you.  It’s based on how you see or accept yourself.

For those out there who asks why sue, riddle me this Batman.  If Mr. Limbaugh and the others who spew this venom do not really believe it then are they doing it strictly to pad their bank accounts?  Does it really make sense to say you love a country, yet continue to destroy it from within?  How many times must you be warned about the way you are using your rope before you find yourself all tied up in it?  How many opportunities must you have to change your ways, if not for yourself then for a nation you say you hold dear?  If the actions of one cause an equal and opposite reaction from another, which of those actions are just?  This is a question that I have asked myself, will my actions stop Mr. Limbaugh from doing more damage to the fabric of this nation?  The only real answer I have been able to come up with is I’m not sure but if nothing else may be my action will spur others into action and slowly but surely we as a whole will be able to minimize this plague that is sickening this world.