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Rush Limbaugh Rushed to Hospital: Possible Heart Attack

Posted on: December 31, 2009 1:14 PM, by Greg Laden

Am I a bad person for having uncharitable thoughts?

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Comments

Am I a bad person for wondering what his tox screen said?

Posted by: qbsmd | December 31, 2009 1:13 PM

I'm stealing this from facebook. It was a comment made on my brother's page.
Upon hearing that rush limbaugh was taken to a hawaiian hospital with chest pains yesterday- "I don't wish ill on anybody, but I wonder, If Rush dies tonight, will
his followers accept a Hawaiian death certificate?" ---- Max Sparber

Posted by: Gabby | December 31, 2009 1:17 PM

Greg, have you become religious in your old age? You need to be careful with that imprecatory prayer, you might miss your target. But then Rush is a big target to hit.

http://wnymedia.net/tag/misdirected-imprecatory-prayer/

Posted by: daedalus2u | December 31, 2009 1:19 PM

He was probably getting ready to go to the back to the Dominican Republic for some underage hooker sex and dropped some cialis so he'd be ready when the mood and deal on price was struck. The heart attack is probably a cover story so he won't have to talk about the painfull priapism.

Posted by: rpsms | December 31, 2009 1:20 PM

No, Greg, I'm pretty sure we were all thinking the same thing: "dammit, he's still alive!"

Posted by: WMDKitty | December 31, 2009 1:26 PM

I subscribe to the Threefold Rule, that what you put out to the world will come back to you threefold. Therefore I hope that this incident causes Rush to develop a conscience, and thereafter he lives a very long time.

Posted by: Albatross | December 31, 2009 1:31 PM

Nah, WMDKitty, I was thinking, "Dammit! Why wasn't there an underage male hooker involved?!? Or was there? You know, Viagra shouldn't be used by anyone with a weak ticker...."

Posted by: Stephanie Z | December 31, 2009 1:31 PM

Might as be even more uncharitable and take this poll, which asks: "Who deserves an imposed New Year's resolution?"

Right now it's a close race between Michael Steele and Joe Lieberman:

http://bit.ly/llPZg

(just for fun)

Posted by: bondwooley | December 31, 2009 1:33 PM

Am I a bad person for having uncharitable thoughts?

Yes you are, and so am I and probably 90% of my friends. When he finally slips on that cosmic banana peel (oh wait, that's Comfort's fate) I hope he's found in some really salacious activity.

Posted by: george.w | December 31, 2009 1:50 PM

@#1 qbsmd

Am I a bad person for wondering what his tox screen said?

Exactly what I was thinking when I heard the news. ...and Greg, you are not a bad person for thinking that. You're thinking of the well being of the world.

Posted by: mxh | December 31, 2009 2:46 PM

Rush does have a history of tropical islands and little blue pills. Perhaps he didn't heed medical advice regarding the 4 hour rule?

I, for one, thinks Rush is a far better candidate to reflect the motives and ideology of the far right than anybody else who may try to fill the large black hole left in the wake of such a stellar collapse. After all, Rachel and Keith get a lot of mileage from this character and his absence will surely be missed.

Posted by: gb | December 31, 2009 2:51 PM

Im sorry, this might be a bit dense but. I thought one would have to have a heart in order to have a heart attack, am I missing something?

Posted by: Lorax | December 31, 2009 3:33 PM

We are all bad people, but at least we have a lot of company here.

Posted by: John McKay | December 31, 2009 3:40 PM

"Am I a bad person for having uncharitable thoughts?"

Why do you care? Is someone looking over your shoulder to decide your fate?

My first thought upon hearing about it was: "Why is he in Hawaii at the same time as Obama? Does the secret service know?"

My second thought was "shit, he is still alive."

Posted by: NewEnglandBob | December 31, 2009 4:12 PM

Here's what's on my mind:

I hope he croaks, and every other militantly uneducated idiot in the United States needs to croak too.

Posted by: Katharine | December 31, 2009 4:37 PM

Go, Rush, go! Rush towards the light! :) Sadly there'll be a few hundred bigoted morons standing in line to take his place, but I'll still be glad to see him gone.

Posted by: MadScientist | December 31, 2009 4:37 PM

I think it would be a good time to write a parody song about this. While he is still alive, just to find out how rotten and uncaring us liberals are.

When he dies, Glenn Beck will just get higher ratings.

Posted by: Frank Cornish | December 31, 2009 4:41 PM

I first heard of his ills from a rather ambiguous tweet from Rachel Maddow, wishing him the best to pull through. While I appreciate the sentiment of wanting the best for our fellow humans, I am of a different mind. I feel no reason to desire his continued presence. More specifically, I have no human connection to him, nor have I been given any evidence that he contributes positively to the human condition and therefore I have no concern whether or not he pulls through.

It also occurs to me that if he does not pull through, at least I won't have to hear his radio show on my boss' radio every damn day.

Posted by: Evan | December 31, 2009 5:16 PM

Some people really are consciously evil. But given a choice of you or Rush to see who it might be, Rush is the clear winner.

Rush Limbaugh is pure human poison. He hurts people every day, and the people he hurts the worst are the ones who listen to him, love him, believe him.

He's a venomous spider, a blood-sucking parasite, a disfiguring disease visited on our entire society.

When he dies, it will be cause for celebration.

(When Glenn Beck dies, on the other hand, the heavens will open and the Sweet Baby Jesus will dance in spontaneous joy.)

Posted by: Hank Fox | December 31, 2009 7:09 PM

Well, considering it IS Rush, and his brain died a long time ago...perhaps we could consider removing him from extraordinary life support systems - like oxygen. Radical Rectaloscopy surgery to remove his head from his rectum might be helpful also.

Posted by: J-Dog | December 31, 2009 8:13 PM

Best quote I've see is "Hate clogs arteries."
He can reap what he sowed.

Posted by: Adela | December 31, 2009 8:26 PM

Sigh. Flipping channels between network evening news shows and I see that "Limbaugh Rushed to hospital" is one of the top stories on both ABC and NBC. (Don't know yet about CBS.) The story was in the first half of the 30 minute slot. Well, at least they didn't lead with it.

Posted by: Gerry L | December 31, 2009 8:45 PM

Do I wish him dead? Its a tricky one - like the Adolph Hitler / Time Travel / Assassination paradigm. At some level, Limbaugh, Hannity, Beck and friends do more for progressives than Olbermann and Maddow could ever do. In any case, there's no shortage of lunatics waiting to step up and take his place

Posted by: Caldy | December 31, 2009 9:02 PM

Hate does clog arteries. Hate lowers the basal NO level and a lowered basal NO level causes many of the degenerative diseases including arteriolosclerosis and also erectile dysfunction. A low basal NO level (as an adult) tends to cause a more conservative mindset, more of a “fight or flight” mindset. A high basal NO level tends to produce the opposite effect.

NO is known to be what activates erectile tissue. Who was the spokesman for ED? Bob Dole. Who was the poster boy for the opposite of ED? Bill Clinton.

Two individuals that I think of when I think of the extremes of a basal NO level are Dick Cheney and the Dalai Lama. Meditation increases basal NO levels.

Posted by: daedalus2u | December 31, 2009 9:08 PM

Can you even GET NO in Hawaii?

Posted by: Greg Laden | December 31, 2009 9:20 PM

@Gerry L:

Well one of the main stories all day (least in the UK) was "The year is ending today!!!!!1111" I thought it would be news if the year didn't end yesterday (today for you USians).

@Greg:

This is fairly relevant to your question:

http://bleedingheartshow.wordpress.com/2009/12/31/the-rap-fans-guide-to-political-blogging/

But yeah, it's fine in my opinion to wish someone were dead, but every death is still a tragedy. Tragic because they were a good person, or tragic because you wish they could've been a better person so you didn't have to have thought this way about them.

Posted by: Alex | December 31, 2009 10:15 PM

Actually, using Viagra reduces your NO level. Viagra inhibits the enzyme that cleaves cGMP, so there is more cGMP hanging around to relax those smooth muscles. That extra cGMP inhibits the production of NO, so you get less NO (but still plenty of smooth muscle relaxation (at least in tissues that use the PDE5 that Viagra inhibits). But there are plenty of pathways that involve NO that do not use cGMP. Those don’t get enough NO when the feedback loop is screwed up by using PDE5 inhibitors. That is why Viagra makes obstructive sleep apnea worse (I bet Limbaugh has bad OSA).

Another factor might be the plane flight to Hawaii. That would be at high altitude, where there is less O2 partial pressure. The usual response to low O2 is to generate superoxide to lower NO still more to disinhibit cytochrome c oxidase so O2 can be consumed to a lower partial pressure and more O2 can diffuse down the (now increased) concentration gradient.

He lives in Florida, the shortest plane trip I could find was one stop with a duration of a little over 12 hours. Stress lowers NO levels too. So do certain drugs, especially stimulants. Alcohol increases it, but then there is compensatory rebound (which is part of what gives you the hangover).

A sudden heart attack after a long flight reminds me of Tim Russert. He died from a heart attack after flying back from Italy.

Posted by: daedalus2u | January 1, 2010 12:21 AM

Well, it's less ironic than a brain tumor would be.

Posted by: Azkyroth | January 1, 2010 1:34 PM

You're not a bad person for thinking like that.

Really, I was waiting for hours for news on his death...when it didn't happen I thought I was going to cry. But I see this as a good omen. This is a sign that karma has reached him. What goes around, comes around. He's an addict who preaches prejudice, hateful, radical right ideals.
If this isn't karma, what it?

Posted by: Amanda | January 1, 2010 2:55 PM

Why is everyone so up in arms about his prescription drug problem from the past? Doesn't my hard earned tax money go to support bleeding heart liberal charity cases everyday who strung out on drugs and NOT productive members of society?

At least Rush wasn't leaching off the system even when he did have a problem.

So much hate... wishing ill will on anyone, especially death, is just a good indicator of your inherent character. (err, lack there of lol)

Posted by: Mrs. Alex P. Keaton | January 1, 2010 4:05 PM

Sorry Mrs Keaton... you need this.

http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/200908280017

Posted by: mk | January 1, 2010 4:20 PM

What on earth did that prove?

In addition, Rush is not a politician holding public office.

Did you forget that Ted Kennedy left a woman at the bottom of a lake after a night of drunk driving?

Thanks for the attempt at an education, but I'll pass.

Posted by: Mrs. Alex P. Keaton | January 1, 2010 5:08 PM

I do not wish Mr. Limbaugh dead.

I do, however, expect to read his obituary with approval.

Posted by: NJ | January 1, 2010 5:09 PM

It is not as bad as what Glen Beck did.

Posted by: omar | January 1, 2010 5:32 PM

Well, I for one hope Rush pulls through.

After all, manatees are an endangered species...

Posted by: Azkyroth | January 2, 2010 12:10 AM

Your...concern...is noted.

Posted by: Azkyroth | January 2, 2010 12:12 AM

Sorry to hear the news about Limbaugh. The daisies could have used some pushing.

For those who can read German (or can live with translations), it is instructive to compare Limbaugh transcripts with old copies of Der Stürmer. Instructive and chilling.

Posted by: Peter Lund (Denmark) | January 2, 2010 1:02 AM

On the plus side, there IS a precedent for people who tell lies in public that get lots and lots of innocent people killed being executed for it.

Posted by: Azkyroth | January 2, 2010 1:10 AM

Huh. They hanged that guy.

Posted by: Greg Laden | January 2, 2010 1:15 AM

I agree ...it is a pity the evil hate mongering bastard lived...

He needs to neutered while he is hospitalized so he can't reproduce....

Posted by: Kal | January 2, 2010 12:28 PM