Compassion and Rush Limbaugh

One of my conservative friends questioned why some of us liberals are nearly gleeful at Rush Limbaugh's downfall. "Where's the compassion?", I've been asked.

You know, I really struggled with this issue, whether to feel more compassion for Rush. Truth be told, addiction is a horrible thing - I've lost friends to it, and I know they were good people before a chemical took control of their lives. And I even felt a little bit of sorrow for the fact that it is difficult to lead a life so far afield from your professed values. I suspect he has lived through the hell of self-hatred, and that he despises himself for being weak. Clearly, Rush has been a tortured soul for many years. I'm tempted to feel sorry for him.

But then I think about how he has built a career of mocking liberals for their compassion, and how our compassion makes us weak and unable to stand up for principles. And I think about how he has called upon government to step up enforcement against people who may be struggling from addiction. And I think about all the hatred he spews on a daily basis.

As the pro-death penalty crowd is quick to point out, some people don't deserve mercy or compassion. I think Rush falls into that category.

Fuck him.