A New Definition of Chutzpah

  

According to every third-rate Borscht Belt comedian who ever took a pratfall, the definition of chutzpah goes like this:

  "Chutzpah is a youngster killing his parents and then throwing himself on the mercy of the court because he's an orphan . . ."  (drum roll please)

   After untold decades, there's now a new, far longer definition:

   "Chutzpah is "Dr." Rush Limbaugh and "Dr." Glenn Beck overriding the best available medical advice and informing their listening audience that the H1N1 vaccine -- the one being used to combat Swine Flu -- is dangerous, causes autism, and therefore must be avoided at all costs.  Moreover, according to Drs. Limbaugh and Beck, the whole "Pig Flu" (their term) scare is a nothing but a malevolent conspiracy whose sole purpose is to subject unsuspecting, innocent 'real Americans' to a deadly toxin."

    Now, I am as big a defender and proponent of the First Amendment right to free speech as anyone who ever paid dues to the ACLU. I firmly believe, in the words of the late Abbie Hoffman, that "Free Speech is the unfettered right of people to yell theater at a crowded fire."  However, what the aforementioned medical mal-practitioners don't seem to get is that freedom is not free; it requires both intelligent and responsible action.  Repeatedly announcing to their listening audience that they will never "subject" themselves to a "dangerous, unproven vaccine" against a "non-existent illness" is the height of idiotic irresponsibility.  Oh yes, they can say whatever they want; that's the essence of free speech. However, when what they have to say is heard by tens of millions of people who -- for better or for worse -- believe that what these guys say is as infallible as the law from Mt. Sinai -- then there's a huge problem.  Because as sure as Carter made Little Liver Pills, there are going to be folks who refuse to let themselves -- or worse, their children -- be vaccinated against Swine Flu because both Rush and Glenn said so.  And herein lies both the crux of the problem and the new definition of chutzpah.  For if just one person is needlessly afflicted with Swine Flu; if, heaven forbid, just one child or at-risk adult needlessly dies because they preferred heeding the "medical advice" of a radio/TV talk show host/entertainer over that of:

• Dr. Regina Benjamin, M.D., Surgeon General of the United States, 
• Dr. Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the National Institutes of Health  or
• Kathleen Sebelius, M.P.A., Secretary of Health and Human Services,  
  

  That will be one person too many.

  Just yesterday, October 8, Rush Limbaugh went on the following rant against Secretary Sebelius and Dr. Nancy Snyderman, chief medical editor for NBC News:

   "When did medicine get hijacked by politics? Have you heard of the people you vote for Dr. Snyderman?  The Democrat Party!  No, in her warped world view, I, El Rushbo, your devoted host, have hijacked medicine. By politicizing my announced refusal to follow the 'command' of the Health and Human Services Secretary, Kathleen Sebelius . . . that you 'must take' the Pig Flu vaccine . . . you must take it.  SCREW YOU MISS SEBELIUS; I am not going to take it precisely because you're now telling me I must."

  Limbaugh then continued his rant, somehow tying the H1N1 vaccine and the government's strong recommendation -- NOT mandate -- for at-risk people to be inoculated, with that which he persists in calling "Obama Care."  Talk about the dangerous misuse of free speech; Talk about chutzpah! 

  If the Limbaughs of the world wish to forgo being inoculated against the Swine Flu, fine; that is their right.  However, when they argue with seeming certainty that both the ailment and its counter-agent are nothing more than fraudulent chips in a game of political tiddlywinks, they run the very real risk that people will believe them and follow their lead. 

  Tell me what's more important Dr. Limbaugh: human life or Arbitron ratings? If you   want to continue railing against ACORN, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid Barney Frank, the "Democrat" Party and President Obama, fine.  If you want to criticize the president for going to Copenhagen, great.  If you want to get on your knees and pray for the Obama Administration to fail, make our day. That's show business.

   But in the name of all that's holy, stop endangering the lives of your listeners.  That's not show business; that's chutzpah.

   You're nuttier than a fruitcake Rush; but so too were lots of folks on the Borscht Belt Circuit. . .

©2009 Kurt F. Stone

 

Note: As this piece was being written, word came that President Obama has won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. I'm sure most of our readers will agree that this is a stunning achievement.  Predictably, the boys and girls at Fox News have a different take: that the sole reason he won is precisely why Al Gore won . . . neither one is George W. Bush. How's that for logic? 

Comments

[M.K.B.]

Limbaugh falls into the category of least vulnerable people to swine flu! So it's easy for him to say! Have seen statistics on the number of parents who are planning to opt out of getting their kids immunized. Scary stuff!

Beck made an appearance in Mt. Vernon, WA a couple of weeks ago, at the invitation of the city mayor. Said since he graduated from Mt. Vernon high school, and has become quite successful, it was appropriate that he be invited to the largest hall in the town to give a speech and then be presented with keys to the city and the day declared Glenn Beck Day. You can imagine how happy Progressives were about this news and there were lots of protests, articles in the Seattle Times, letters to the editor etc. but the mayor stood firm, Beck came, he spoke, the hall was packed. (Doubt the mayor will be re-elected.) And, turns out Beck was born somewhere else!

I didn't even know who he was when the brouhaha started so I asked my 98-year-old mother; she told me that he's worse than O'Reilly but not as bad as Limbaugh.

[Alan Weiss]

Thank you for that.