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| President Rush addressing the land of the free |
I first "met" Rush Limbaugh in 1988. I was in Minot ND driving on "South Hill" and I turned on KRRZ 1390 AM to hear some old time rock n' roll. Instead I heard a man speaking loudly, complaining about the latest idiocy that came out of Washington DC. I don't remember the subject of his rant, but I do remember thinking that this guy was "just another loudmouth out of New York City", and I turned to a different station. It wasn't Rush's first show after being syndicated, but it was close to the first.
Something he said sat with me, so the next day I turned the radio on and there he was again. He mentioned "The Limbaugh Challenge" which was to listen to his show for two weeks before coming to judgement.
This time I listened, and as he spoke I learned. I learned that it was ok to feel the way I feel, it was ok to disagree with the leftist intelligencia, it was ok to analyze issues with my conservative values, it was ok to voice my concerns using my my God given intelligence, and it was ok to address my detractors when done with truth and love.
Love for a detractor? Yes, love for America, and love for another child of God. Many folks don't realize it, but "El Rushbo" was a devout Christian. He rarely hinted about it on his show because his show was political, not theological. He didn't want to be a Christian apologist, he was something even rarer: a USA apologist.
I was on active duty in the United States Air Force, serving in the Strategic Air Command when Rush hit the airwaves and I have no idea how big of a hit he was in the civilian world, but in the enlisted ranks he was a gift from God. Finally! Here was a civilian who thought as we did, a man who got it: laws are laws for a reason, rules are to be followed, ignorant, cruel, selfish ungodly politicians are not to be followed, regardless of the party.
