I've long thought Rush Limbaugh had some sort of intelligence and had figured out a way to make an incredible living by being a right-wing huckster and playing down to the 'under-educated'. With his latest 'question' on Harambe, the gorilla who was killed to protect a 4 year old who had fallen in it's pen, that illusion was shattered once and for all.
Rush Limbaugh is a dunce.
On his show, a very public forum, he actually posed what he and the Tea Party thought to be a provocative question:
"… A lot of people think that all of us used to be apes. Don’t doubt me on this. A lot of people think that all of us used to be gorillas. And they’re looking for the missing link out there. The evolution crowd. They think we were originally apes. I’ve always — if we were the original apes, then how come Harambe is still an ape, and how come he didn’t become one of us?"
It only takes a 4th or 5th grade school education to answer this question. We didn't 'come from apes. We evolved from a shared ancestor. Evolution also takes hundreds of years to play out and aren't most gorillas on the endangered species list?
The shear idiocy of his comments would make me embarrassed for him if he had the self awareness to appreciate such a gesture. Did he not attend grade school? Has he never opened a book?
Rush Limbaugh is a knuckle-dragger.
As usual with no chance of a caller challenging him the 'Teapublicans' think he's said something profound.
Not content with this stunning display of ignorance, Limbaugh created a strawman to blame it all on.
Limbaugh then said those on the Left, you know, leeberawls', believe , “humans are the cause of everything going wrong on earth,” from climate change to animal suffering."
His strawman was stuffed together to show that those Lefties are people who value apes more than humans.
Nobody thinks that.
Everybody understands why regrettably a gorilla had to be killed to save a human life BUT it was HUMAN FAILURE that allowed the situation to happen.
The designer of the enclosure, the people who approved it, the people who passed by it for years not noticing the problem, the parents who allowed their 4 year old to get in the enclosure, hell, the 4 year-old who thought it would be a good idea and the zoo keepers who didn't have a contingency plan short of a fatal shooting are all HUMANS and are all accountable.
The reason there is sympathy for Harambe, the gorilla who was shot, is because he was totally innocent. He even seemed to be trying to protect the child. But being a 400 plus pound gorilla of incredible strength he could have easily killed the child by accident.
The flood of comments under the Tea Party's triumphant Facebook entry proclaiming, “Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh just blew the lid off of what's really going on with all of the controversy surrounding the shooting of the gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo, and it might surprise you...” have been hilarious, btw.
A friend of mine posted, "Why is Rush Limbaugh still an ape?"
https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=rush%20limbaugh%20gorilla
It Wasn't Always Like This
The airwaves weren't always crammed with 'pundits' like Limbaugh, spewing hate filled nonsense, unchallenged. When the Fairness Doctrine was still in effect there was a clause that controversial matters had to be presented with diverse editorial views. This applied to the news editorials but most talk show hosts took their cue from that and would allow and encourage dissenting opinions either on their panels or by the callers. The point being to create a better informed citizenry.
The repeal of the Fairness Doctrine allowed broadcasters to slap a muzzle on anyone who doesn't share their opinions.
Limbaugh has often said that the delegislation of the Fairness Doctrine was what created the almost totalitarian right-wing talk show environment that dominates the airwaves. He puts forth that it was a triumph of free speech. As usual his logic is deeply flawed. Limbaugh tolerates no dissenting opinion because he knows ANYONE with any modicum of intelligence can poke holes in his hate-filled rhetoric. Now that there's no Fairness Doctrine he can screen those calls out or shout them down. He basks in the conformity of his 'dittoheads'.
Rush Limbaugh is a hot house rose.
He couldn't survive in the wilds of an environment where free speech was encouraged.
Fairness Doctrine Facts:
The Fairness Doctrine, was implemented in 1949 and set sound guidelines for honest, equitable and balanced presentation of broadcast news and editorial. Citing that the purpose of news media should be to create a better informed citizenry.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairness_Doctrine
It was the law of the land for 38 years.
It was upheld as constitutional in 1969 by the Supreme Court of the United States, Red Lion Broadcasting Co. vs. FCC.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Lion_Broadcasting_Co._v._FCC
The Fairness Doctrine allowed a great deal of freedom for the broadcasters to conform with the guidelines so there wouldn't be a chilling effect on their presentation and practices of news/editorial broadcasting.
It gave journalists an ethical and legislative support for advocating the coverage of news stories that may not be popular with some in the power elite but were in the best interests of the American public.
It was deregulated by Ronald Reagan, against great public outcry not to do so, in 1987.
Congress passed a bill to make the Fairness Doctrine law shortly afterward. That bill was vetoed by President Reagan. The advent of cable news networks providing diverse newscasting options being cited as the reason.
With multiple newscast networks now being owned by a virtual oligopoly of a handful of 6 (six) corporations it is necessary to ensure that all issues are presented truthfully, in a fair and even light and that opposing views on complex issues have a chance to be represented.
Recent studies have shown a marked lack of trust in the truth and accuracy of all corporate news media.
Recent studies have also shown that that lack of trust is well founded with none of the major corporate news media outlets scoring high in 'truthfulness'.
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2015/jan/29/punditfact-checks-cable-news-channels/
The American people's interest in and reliance on corporate news media is at an unprecedented low.
There have been congressional efforts to revive the 'Fairness Doctrine'. What they need is a demonstration from the American people that they will not stop until the Fairness Doctrine is reinstated and the news media providers are held accountable for their responsibility to the American people.
GO TO: 'Bring Back the Fairness Doctrine' on Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/BringBackTheFairnessDoctrine/
SIGN AND SHARE the PETITION to BRING BACK THE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE!!!
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/2/23/1366410/-Petition-Re-institute-the-Fairness-Doctrine-and-Require-Fairness-and-Accuracy-in-Broadcasting