A Whore Is Busted
by William Stone, III
[email protected]

Exclusive to TLE

Anyone regular reader of this column knows that I'm no great fan of Rush Limbaugh. At one time, I was a fan — back when I was transitioning away from being a communist actor. He was the guiding light in my journey from communist to conservative. Indeed, I would not be a Zero Aggression Principle philosopher today had he not shown himself to be nothing more than an intellectual whore for the Republican Party.

Now, it seems that the leading Republican whore has been busted.

Limbaugh (in the midst of an ESPN resignation for an utterly trivial [albeit stupid] comment that was in no way racist) has been revealed to be under investigation for illegally obtaining OxyContin, Hydrocodone and Lorcet: artificial Opiate painkillers only available with a doctor's prescription.

I'm very familiar with Hydrocodone. As a longtime sufferer of chronic sinusitis, Hydrocodone-based painkillers and cough suppressants are the only thing that's ever brought me real relief from intense sinus pain. It does, however, have a documented side-effect of "a euphoric sense of well-being." I can personally attest to this side-effect, and there is no question that hydrocodone is potentially addictive. I've never had the other drugs Limbaugh is accused of obtaining, but research tells me that they have similar effects.

At the current time, it's unclear what the truth is in Limbaugh's case. I suspect that it may, in fact, be true that he has a drug problem. Here's my thinking:

Firstly, Limbaugh has not denied anything. His Web site at www.rushlimbaugh.com contains a transcript of an on-air statement, but it was clearly written by an attorney. Limbaugh isn't commenting — at all.

This is suspicious in and of itself. If Limbaugh had no drug problem, it would be a simple matter to say, "I have no idea what the legal case is about and I'll tell you all as soon as I know. But I can categorically state that I have no drug problem. Whatever else may be going on, you can be sure of that."

Secondly — and again, remembering that I'm no fan — I can imagine that it would be easy for a person in Limbaugh's situation to become addicted to drugs that make you feel really good. Here is a man who is under constant, unceasing attack from literally everyone. His colleagues in the media would love to see him utterly destroyed, the Democratic Party correctly blames him for every defeat they've suffered since 1994, and even utterly innocuous statements that are nothing more than personal opinion about football are enough to get him fired.

And then there's increasing criticism from Limbaugh's fan base, who are beginning to realize that he is, in fact, just a Republican whore with no true commitment to limiting government. Add to it the legitimate criticism from individuals like myself, who point out that he's just another right-wing socialist.

Certainly Limbaugh has become fantastically wealthy as a result of his success. To be honest, however, you couldn't pay me enough to live Limbaugh's life. It must be a truly miserable existence. If I were forced to endure what he has, I might turn to Opiates for relief.

The only thing that makes me wonder if the drug abuse story might be false is that it would be uncharacteristically stupid of Limbaugh. The drugs in question are immorally and Unconstitutionally controlled by the Federal Government, to be sure. However, they're available simply by obtaining a prescription from a doctor. A man with Limbaugh's connections and wealth should have absolutely no difficulty obtaining such prescriptions, in any strength and quantity that he might like. For him to resort to the black market to purchase them smacks of utterly monumental stupidity.

Regardless, a true freedom-lover wouldn't find this case particularly troubling.

If one strips away the immoral, Unconstitutional laws that prevent Hydrocodone and other narcotics from being sold over-the-counter (as they were a century ago), one discovers something very interesting:

If Limbaugh is in fact addicted to these painkillers, the only individual harmed by this condition is Limbaugh himself. Consider the Zero Aggression Principle:

"No human being has the right — under ANY circumstances — to initiate force against another human being, nor to threaten or delegate its initiation."

Being addicted to any drug — including artificial Opiates — harms no one but the addict. Hydrocodone in particular is (as drugs go) fairly harmless. It does not impair one's ability to function, it does not cause erratic behavior, and it makes you feel good — very, very good. If you take them for too long, your body acclimates and you need more of them to get the same effect. Causing one's own body to become addicted to narcotics does not initiate force against anyone else.

Buying potentially addictive narcotics is no more harmful to anyone than purchasing a box of tenpenny nails. In this case, as Limbaugh's drugs are lawfully manufactured by reputable companies all over the world, the Statists can't even claim that trafficking in them is harmful.

In Limbaugh's particular case, one can't even suggest that he'll go out of control and eventually have to mug people for his drug money. Limbaugh is an extremely wealthy individual who could spend whole fortunes on his drug habit, were he so inclined.

Clearly, Limbaugh is harming no one but himself with such a drug habit. Like it or not, if Limbaugh isn't initiating force against anyone else, no one has the right to lift a finger to make him to stop. To do so would be an initiation of force in and of itself. His family, friends, and fans may suggest that he stop, point out why it's in his interest to do so, threaten to stop listening to his daily radio program if he won't, and other such actions. To force him to stop an activity that harms no one but himself is simply immoral.

There's certainly an issue of hypocricy if Limbaugh has a drug problem — and this is where his real problems lie in terms of his future success. If he is an addict, it truly proves Limbaugh's lack of real convictions. As he's proved time and again, he's nothing more than a whore for the Republicans. He is a man who, on a daily basis, will proudly proclaim that he's in favor of immoral, Unconstitutional efforts by the Federal, State, and local governments to interdict drugs. Yet in his own personal life, he has nothing against illegaly obtaining such drugs himself.

Again, I'm no fan of Limbaugh's. He's a whore for the Republicans, plain and simple. He claims to be in favor of limited government, yet cheers on every Unconstitutional expansion of government power — as long as it's the Republicans who expand it.

In a free society in which individuals self-govern guided by the Zero Aggression Principle, Limbaugh's self-destructive habits will be tragic, but not scandalous. It's only when you factor in Limbaugh's beloved Unconstitutional FDA, DEA, and other alphabet-soup agencies that his behavior become criminal.

There's a popular Biblical quotation: "He who lives by the sword shall die by the sword." Limbaugh has lived by the sword of big-government, tax-and-spend Republican socialism. That socialism includes the very laws that have made his drug habit an illegal scandal rather than a private tragedy.

The whore will have only himself to blame if his backing of socialist policies eventually destroys him.

William Stone, III is a South Dakota-based computer nerd (RHCE, CCNP), security consultant (CISSP), and Executive Director of the Zero Aggression Institute (http://www.0ap.org). He seeks the Libertarian Party's nomination in 2004 for United States Senate.

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