Pubdate: Tue, 14 Oct 2003 Source: Maneater, The (Columbia, MO Edu) Copyright: 2003 The Maneater Contact: http://www.themaneater.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1283 Author: Anthony Johnson Focus Alert: http://www.mapinc.org/alert/0279.html NO SYMPATHY FOR LIMBAUGH THE JUNKIE Rush Limbaugh's drug use proves the war on drugs is a miserable failure. Even though I dislike Limbaugh's politics and am angered by his hypocrisy, I don't think Rush should be punished criminally. My only hope is that Rush's followers realize the error of the war on drugs and show compassion for all nonviolent drug users, not just Rush Limbaugh and members of the Bush family. Of course, Rush will never see the inside of a jail simply because he is very wealthy. Even supporters of the failed war on drugs realize the ridiculous double standard here - if a poor person were found to have illegally possessed a fraction of the drugs Rush did, he or she would be facing 20 years to life. Is the American dream of equality really alive when rich people get treatment and compassion while poor people suffer incarceration for the exact same offense? Conservative heavyweights like Sean Hannity and Michael Savage have stated Rush does indeed deserve compassion and sympathy, but they have never given the same treatment to cancer patients who use medical marijuana to alleviate their nausea and increase their appetite. Rush has exposed not only his own hypocrisy, but also the hypocrisy of every supporter of the war on drugs who doesn't feel Limbaugh deserves jail time. We can only hope this exposure results in real drug law reform instead of more empty rhetoric and harmful hypocrisy. Anthony Johnson president, School of Law ACLU - --- MAP posted-by: Josh