Hell hath no fury…
The social media firestorm over Limbaugh’s oinkiness shows no signs of slowing down. So far, twelve advertisers have either suspended or canceled their advertisements during Limbaugh’s show.
And now, two radio stations have decided to stop airing his show; one in Hawaii (which is totally a state by the way, and not — I repeat — not a foreign country) and one in Pittsfield, Massachussetts:
Following the nationwide uproar over Rush Limbaugh‘s controversial comments about Georgetown University law student Sandra Fluke, Hilo, Hawaii’s KPUA-AM 670 has decided to drop his program.
“It may be the first radio station nationally to cancel airings of the program,” the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s Erika Engle reports. “Regardless of the political views being discussed, New West Broadcasting Corp. President and General Manger Chris Leonard felt the initially degrading comments about Georgetown University student Sandra Fluke, and the escalating comments that followed, were ‘egregious,’ and that ‘decency and responsibility’ dictated the show’s cancellation.”
“I spent a good part of the weekend deliberating this issue,” Leonard said. “Had this been one of my disc jockeys that had made this comment, they would have been terminated.”
Damn straight. Here is Leonard’s press release from KPUA-670:
“We have always encouraged spirited discussion about national and local issues on KPUA and from time to time those discussions may be deemed by some to be objectionable. We are strong believers in the first amendment and have recognized Mr. Limbaugh’s right to express opinions that often times differ from our own, but it has never been our goal to allow our station to be used for personal attacks and intolerance. The most recent incident has crossed a line of decency and a standard that we expect of programming on KPUA whether it is locally produced or a syndicated program like the Rush Limbaugh show.
While much of the national debate regarding this issue is now being framed in political terms, the decision for us is one of decency and responsibility. Regardless of one’s political views on the issue being discussed, we feel the delivery was degrading and the continued comments over several days to be egregious. As a result, we are discontinuing the Rush Limbaugh program on KPUA effective immediately.”
Yes!
And here’s the statement from 96.9 WBEC FM in Pittsfield, MA:
WBEC’s General Manager Peter Barry says his station hadn’t yet lost any advertisers as a result of Rush’s comments, and no more than a handful of callers had voiced complaints. But he says over the years he and station staff have grown increasingly uncomfortable with Limbaugh’s rhetoric.
“The nature of Rush’s programming has always presented challenges for us and he’s always pushed the envelope. But this time he’s taken it too far.”
And here’s the statement from David Friend, CEO of Carbonite, one of the companies that dropped Liimbaugh over the weekend:
No one with daughters the age of Sandra Fluke, and I have two, could possibly abide the insult and abuse heaped upon this courageous and well-intentioned young lady. Mr. Limbaugh, with his highly personal attacks on Miss Fluke, overstepped any reasonable bounds of decency. Even though Mr. Limbaugh has now issued an apology, we have nonetheless decided to withdraw our advertising from his show. We hope that our action, along with the other advertisers who have already withdrawn their ads, will ultimately contribute to a more civilized public discourse.
Right on.
When the Stop Rush campaign began, I was skeptical that anything would come of it. Limbaugh has been spouting hate for a quarter century, and I can only recall one instance that resulted in some sort of apology from Limbaugh (when he made racist claims about Donovan McNabb.) And, in retrospect, I can’t recall if he actually apologized, or if he just resigned.
In any event, Limbaugh is a man without remorse. He is a man incapable of remorse and incapable of decency. The only reason that he issued his half-assed written apology is because he’s getting hit in the pocketbook.
The Stop Rush campaign is gaining momentum, Limbaugh is becoming more and more unhinged and fearful that he might finally have to suffer the consequences of his hate speech, advertisers are dropping him like a hot potato, and I’m loving it like McDonald’s.
You know the old saying? Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned? Well, hell hath no fury like thousands of women scorned. You picked the wrong time to fuck with us, Rush.
Expect us.
[via Think Progress; Balloon Juice; Mediaite]
*** To keep track of the current Stop Rush efforts, read this: The #StopRush Limbaugh Campaign: Current Project Tracker (by Shoq)
That Rush drawing is all kinds of win.
I like the way you think, angry black lady. keep up the publicity for the Silence Rush movement. We could use your help.
I like the way your think, Angry Black Lady. Keep up the publicity for the Silcence Rush movement. We could use all the help we can get. Take care.
If I had one ounce of hope that he could become a decent person, I’d think otherwise, but I hope he has just enough money somewhere to leave the country quietly and live the rest of his days in lonely, isolated, obscurity and poverty with no one beneath him in the local caste.
Banished. He pooped in the well of human kindness and decency. He has been aural poison for too long. The only decent thing left for him to do is remove himself to face his self and leave his ditto-heads blinking.
I’ve already complained to my local station- But I’m not optimistic because I live in flyover territory, in the belly of the beast. Still, I’m going to make myself listen to his nauseating tirades for a few days and make a list of the local sponsors, and give them a healthy piece of my mind.
If anybody was hoping against hope that Rush Limbaugh would have one SHRED of decency, you all have been severely disappointed.