Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Limbaugh, Fox and Parkinsons

Pardon me for a moment as I do something that I despise and that's get political, (sort of), but I just can't ignore this without saying something publicly:

Reading the internet and my local papers today, I see where Rush-Limbo publicly came out yesterday on his radio show to say that Michael J. Fox was "either acting or off his meds," when he spoke out for a democratic candidate for congress who happened to support stem-cell research, (which is crucial for developing a cure for diseases like Parkinsons and Alzheimers), because the ticks and radical uncontrollable movements associated with the disease were present for all to see.

It appears the pot is calling the kettle black here and Rush is the one who must be off his ("illegal") meds, for making such an incredibly uninformed and desperate attempt to stain the reputation of a man who is the face of the cause of finding a cure for Parkinson's disease in this country. But, oh yeah...his politics differ from Rush's so it's okay to totally distort the true about him!

If you know Mr. Fox's story at all, you are familiar with his history with this disease, how it has affected all facets of his life, (marriage, career etc...) and how he has valiantly persevered and used his celebrity status to make Americans and our government more aware of the effects of diseases like Parkinsons and the degree to which they are prevelent our society.

If you've seen Mr. Fox at all in his public presentations to groups around the country, including the Congress (which I'm sure someone as professional as Rush would do...ya'know do research before stating his opinion on a subject)...you'd know that he is not acting....this is the degree to which this disease is affecting him. Conditions such as Parkinsons and Alzheimers, can cause such vivid symptoms and that they cause people to totally withdrawal from public life, due to their inability to control them and their embarrassment because of it. Ask the Reagans how this affected their father,(our former president), Rush!

The skeptic might say..."but I've seen Mr. Fox in a movie or TV role over the past few years, he didn't have those kind of movements and ticks then!" Having heard Mr. Fox address this subject previously, it's because for him to do even a cameo role requires extreme amounts of medication, dedication and discipline...even for 30 seconds of "non-ticky camera time". He can pull it off, but it is completely exhausting and mentally dehabilitating for him after it is completed.

Rush is good theatre. He is an actor playing a part, no more or less than Mr. Fox has been in movies or TV. But where Parkinson and how Stem Cell research is related to it is concerned, that's where the acting ends and real life begins for Mr. Fox. He will in all likelihood die from this disease, so his speaking out on this issue, is partly out of trying to save his own life, where Rush's opinion, (like all of his opinions), is simply part of his act as a right-wing shill because agreeing with Mr. Fox and his cause, could hurt a republican's chance for election to the congress...and of course never let it be said that Rush lets the truth get in the way of politics!

It continues to amaze me how millions of people in our country take every word or opinion that comes out of his mouth as the gospel truth. My father taught me as a socially-politically developing teen, "Always beware of someone who is absolutly sure he is always correct, because the chances are, they are either misinformed, myopic, or just plain ignorant of all sides of an issue."

Remember people, this is the same man who came out and said publicly that our government and justice system is too lenient on recreational drug users, but then when he is caught massively abusing illegally obtained pain pills, rather than just "walk his talk" and facing up to his addiction, (or the PC term, his disease), like Mr. Fox has publically done with his disease, Rush hid behind the skirts of his high-priced legal team did everything he could to avoid facing up to his crime and paying his debt to society... (just like those he so elegantly criticized for doing so in the past). It was the ultimate chance for him to show the world his strength of his character and how much he truly believes the opinions he states empirically on his show...and he failed this listener on both counts.

Michael J. Fox is ten times the man that Rush can ever hope to be and I salute him for his courage!

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