Monday, October 13, 2003

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.

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