Tom Kunich said:"Rush's problem was that he set himself up as better than those people,
then when his problem came up he was forced into "Do as I say, not as I
did""
Got to tell you Bill, when I listened to Rush every once in awhile
(he's on during working hours around here) I never heard him say that
he was any better. I heard him offer fairly STAID criticism of people
and not even all of them were political enemies. Perhaps that
constitutes "holier than though" in your book but not in mine.
And it doesn't matter that Bennett did whatever it is he did (I don't
even know what that is).
"I just don't think that wealthy, doctor shopping, prescription drug
addicts should be treated any better than a college kid with a couple
of joints, and 9 times out of ten the kid gets nailed and the soccer
mom walks."
I don't know what courts you've been in but even in Berkeley what's
good for the goose is (generally) good for the gander and they don't
even bother with kids using dope unless it's out of control. In San
Francisco you can see cops driving past guys standing on the street
corner snorting some sort of meth! One cop told me that he was told not
to do anything about it because the DA wouldn't prosecute anyone and
the department would look bad.
Tom if you are going to make the argument that Berkely and SF are
anywhere near normal or average then you've been there too long. They
are pretty similar to here and Cambridge though, but the rest of the
country doesn't see it that way. This is a problem I run into all the
time is that people in either hardcore Red or Blue areas believe that
their way is the only way and have little to no tolerance for even
discussing the opposing views.
Since we've lived in Ma., Nh, Vt, Fl., Tx., Ms., Wa.,Ga., and Mo. here
in the states and we've always made it a point to learn about and blend
into the local culture so I think we've got a pretty good experience of
different areas. The only places I've been that ignore minor drug stuff
is south Fla., the city of Orlando was variable but outside the city in
Bubba heaven it was a whole different world, the N.E. states and Wa.
are variable, but rural Tx., Ms., Ga., and Mo. had little to no
tolerance.
Here's a bit of info, but there are tons of conflicting
interpretations of the numbers:
http://www.mpp.org/arrests/fas61699.html
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/dope/interviews/schlosser.html
I know it would kill you to admit it but Tom P. is making really solid
points.
As for Rush I listen pretty regularly, and I'm not sure where you
don't hear him arguing that he and conservative christians are morally
superior in all ways. Of course Rachel Maddow and friends are just as
far off the deep end on their side. Both sides are busy demonizing
those they don't agree with and setting themselves up as shining
examples. The only dfference is that the Air America types admit, and
celebrate their unconventional lives including drug use as a good thing
in many cases. They are willing to admit and be open about their
activities, so people large portions of the country don't get all
shocked when one of them gets tagged for something.
The Moral Majority types including Limbaugh, and Bennett spent years
claiming to be paragons of virtue and telling everyone how to live.
It's a lot longer fall from that position than from the Air America
position.
IMO anybody who is a dittohead to either side isn't thinking for
themselves and is an idiot, but that's just my sorry ass opinion.
Bill C
