Poor Mr Limbaugh

[Sixpence]

He is crying because his medical records were not sealed from the prosecution. I find this funny because if it wasn't him he would say that the porsecution should have medical files and that if the person had nothing to hide he shouldn't have to worry. It is funny when things come full circle.

http://www.boston.com/dailynews/357/nation/Judge_orders_Limbaugh_s_medica:.shtml

Is there a bigger hypocrite?

[midnight Target]

I wonder if this ruling will help Kobe get his accusers records unsealed.

[Sixpence]

Apples to oranges

You have to make the argument that it is relevant to the case. They are trying to prove he was doctor shopping. What Kobe's defense is trying to do is discredit his accuser by her medical records, which have nothing to do with being raped.

[Yeager]

As long as his constitutional rights are not violated who cares?

[rpm]

Originally posted by Sixpence

Is there a bigger hypocrite?

NO...in more ways than one.

[Sabre]

Originally posted by Sixpence
He is crying because his medical records were not sealed from the prosecution. I find this funny because if it wasn't him he would say that the porsecution should have medical files and that if the person had nothing to hide he shouldn't have to worry. It is funny when things come full circle.

http://www.boston.com/dailynews/357/nation/Judge_orders_Limbaugh_s_medica:.shtml

Is there a bigger hypocrite?

Actually Sixpence, this statement by you shows how little you know about Mr. Limbaugh's beliefs.  He has consistantly been in opposition to government intrusion into our private lives, in all it's forms.  His case here is that there was insufficient evidence presented by the DA to warrent this invasion of privacy.  I of course couldn't say, as I've not seen the evidence presented to get the court order to unseal those records.  It's possible they had just cause; it's just as plausible that it's politically motivated, and that Rush is simply standing up for what he believes is right.  Time will tell.  Innocent until proven guilty, whether you're O.J., M.J., or R.L.

[rpm]

Originally posted by Sabre
Actually Sixpence, this statement by you shows how little you know about Mr. Limbaugh's beliefs.  He has consistantly been in opposition to government intrusion into our private lives, in all it's forms.  

Yeah, I remember how he stood so defiantly against all the intrusion into Clinton's private life.

[Nakhui]

Originally posted by Sixpence
He is crying because his medical records were not sealed from the prosecution. I find this funny because if it wasn't him he would say that the porsecution should have medical files and that if the person had nothing to hide he shouldn't have to worry. It is funny when things come full circle.

I suspect Rush fears prosecutors or staff (mostly likely staff) who have access to the information will leak confidential information intentionally or not to the press, which happens so often enough it can make anyone worry.

And thus the stern warning given by the judge to the prosecutors not to leak this information.

Apparently there's enough reasonable evidence ... Allegations from a former maid, Rush's admits to being addicted, admits to checking into drug rehab...if he didn't get the drugs from the maid, then he might have gotten them from his doctor... or doctors.

Reasonable proof to search his records to find out. If he only has one doctor and the doctor prescibed enough pills to feed his habbit... then Rush may get away with being a victim of mal practice.

On the other hand... large cash withdrawls... multiple doctors prescribing the controlled drugs... he's a stand up guy... time to face the music.

[LePaul]

Celeb or not, you better have more than a theory if you are going to rub your nose into someone's medical history.  At the rate the media leaks things, who knows what they'll opt to leak....chicken pox at 9 or some STD at 21.  

Either way, he has a right to be protective of his personal medical files.

Its too bad some people can't see beyond politics and realize we all deserve some privacy in terms of our medical histories.

[Capt. Pork]

Limbaugh and Michael Moore are actually one person, playing both sides of the market niche.

[Sixpence]

Originally posted by LePaul
Its too bad some people can't see beyond politics and realize we all deserve some privacy in terms of our medical histories.

My point is he would cry foul if a "criminal" were trying to hide his medical records. He would want to know why he is trying to hide something. If it were Bill Clinton trying to seal his records, Rush would be all over it, would he not?

[Sabre]

Below is what Rush had to say about it.  His case here is that the prosecutors didn't follow procedures laid out by the state legislature for this type of invasion of privacy.

RPM371, you may want to go back and check the record on your assertions here.  The investigation into Clinton was handled according to the laws of the land (the independent prosecutor system was voted into law by a Democratically controlled Congress).  A challenge you to back up your statement.  Limbaugh was consitent in reminding people that the investigation into President Clinton had to do with possible financial misdealings (financial records are not protected to the same degree as medical records), and for lying to a grand jury under oath...not for having sex with an intern.  He never asserted that Clinton's rights should be trampled.

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT 1:06 PM EST
 
 
 
All right, ladies and gentlemen. You know, it's been real frustrating here for the past - what has this been? - past three months. It has been very frustrating to sit here and see what gets released and then reported in the media and to have to remain silent about it for a number of reasons. The occasion for silence is now ended because of the medical records hearing that occurred yesterday here in Palm Beach County Circuit Court. Now, the judge ruled against me on the privacy of my medical records despite the fact that we claim that the prosecution in this case did not follow the law as written by the Florida legislature in securing those medical records.

Where have we heard this before? "That authorities in Florida did not follow the law as established by the Florida legislature." We've heard this in the Gore-Bush recount, when the Florida Supreme Court decided to change election law in the middle of the process, in order to keep counting counties that had been counted over and over again. All these chads, all these magnifying glasses. So what has happened now, we've issued a press release, a statement, if you will, that just went out, and it's already been reported by some places. I want to read this to you and then have just a few comments about this, and then we will move on.

The headline of our statement - it's not really a press release; we just issued a statement in response - "My Lawyers to File for Stay, Appeal Judge's Ruling Denying Motion to Quash Search Warrant on Seizure of Medical Records." Here's the statement. Now, this is odd for me because it's got my name in it and I don't like reading about myself, but there's some quotes in here. So even though I never talk in this third-person business, please permit me in this case because it's a written statement that I'm going to read.

"Judge Jeffrey Winikoff today denied a request by Rush Limbaugh's attorneys (my attorneys) to quash the search warrants issued for the seizure of my confidential medical records. Roy Black, my attorney, said, quote, "We respectfully disagree with the court's decision and will be filing an appeal today. These records will show that there was no doctor shopping. But the larger issue is that the seizure of Mr. Limbaugh's private medical records without going through the process outlined by the state legislature is clearly an invasion of Mr. Limbaugh's constitutional right to privacy. Mr. Limbaugh was not Dr. Shopping.

"He should not have to sacrifice his privacy to prove his innocence. The burden is on the prosecutor's office, not only to prove otherwise, but also to go through the appropriate legal process that protects an individual's right to privacy. We are confident we will prevail on appeal," said Roy Black. In his order, the judge wrote, 'the state is hereby prohibited from disclosure of any of the seized medical records to all third parties absent further order of this court.'" Now, why would the judge say that? Why would the judge put in his order that the state is hereby prohibited from disclosure of any of the seized medical records to all third parties?

I'll tell you why, because the state has been leaking information to the press throughout this investigation. They have been planting information that is not established, throughout this investigation. Of course you've got an eager media lapping it all up. More on that in just a moment. "The judge's order directs Mr. Limbaugh's attorneys to file any motions or pleadings he deems appropriate." So we did; we filed for a stay today. We want to appeal this. If we have to go to a Circuit Court of Appeals, a U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, we will do so. This doesn't stop the state from opening the records. They can do it. But we'll just see how much the state respects our desire to follow the legal process all the way out on this.

Continued...

[Sabre]

Now, let me take you back to the beginning of this. Do you recall how you first heard of this story, ladies and gentlemen? It was in a tabloid newspaper. Nothing from law enforcement. You first heard about this in a tabloid newspaper, and everything in that tabloid newspaper article was accepted as gospel. The media ran with it. It was The Truth. Then, we heard stories that I was involved in a drug ring investigation. This was leaked by "anonymous sources," "high-placed government sources close to the investigation." Next, we heard that I was being investigated for drug trafficking - again leaked by anonymous sources, high-place government sources, close to the investigation.

With each of these leaks the media did solemn reports on the possible severe penalties, and the investigation continues, and then they would casually whisper "No charges have been filed." Next, we heard that I was being investigated for money laundering, again leaked by anonymous sources, high-government sources, quote, unquote, close to the investigation. Now, ladies and gentlemen, what happened to all that? Hmm? What happened to all those things? What happened to the drug ring investigation? What happened to the drug trafficking investigation? What happened to the money laundering investigation? Have you heard of them since they were leaked? No. I wonder why? Why haven't we heard about these investigations?

Now maybe we can answer the question. Now, these same high-place government sources have gotten permission to see my medical records. Why do they need my medical records? I mean, if they've got a drug ring investigation going and they've leaked all this to the press, and if they've got drug traffic investigation going and they've leaked all this to the press, and they've got a money laundering investigation, why do they need to invade my privacy to see my medical records? The answer is, because they need my medical records to discover, to learn whether I have committed a crime called doctor shopping.

Drug ring, drug trafficking, money laundering. Now they need my medical records, my private medical records to find out if I've committed a crime called doctor shopping? You mean with all these previous leaks, they now have to invade my privacy to learn whether I have broken the law? Why, I thought based on the leaks I've broken the law all these times! How many of you did? How many of you thought, "Gee, whiz, this is really getting bad." Doctor shopping? Doctor shopping. And they need to invade my privacy to even find out about that. These medical records, by the way, will prove legitimate medical conditions requiring treatment. In fact it was...

Well, I don't want to get [into that.] I'm so tempted to just tell you, but I'm just not going to make their job any easier. But the question is this: Why would any of us want such records made public, even if they prove our innocence? It's not up to me to prove my innocence by giving up my right to privacy. I have to give up my right to privacy now in order for the state who is, in effect, just casting a line out there, hoping to net something. They've got to invade my privacy to do this. We still haven't seen Bill Clinton's medical records, have we? Has anybody? We haven't seen Howard Dean's records as governor for 11 years in Vermont.

But we can cast a wide fishing net, we can stand out there after all these leaks, and we can throw a fishing line out there and we can, "Ooh, let's maybe, maybe we'll find something in Limbaugh's medical records." Now, as you all know, I have admitted that I was addicted to prescription painkillers. I have been to five weeks of treatment. After failing twice to get off of these things myself, I sought professional help, did so, and I continue to be in treatment now. Now, I don't know, and this is...I run the risk here. I'm not whining about it. I'm just genuinely curious. How many such people are being pursued by the authorities?

I could give you some names of actors and actresses and sports figures, and not one of them have been pursued in this circumstance. Let me read to you from the New York Times today just to establish this leak business - and there's more than you even know about this. "During Mr. Black's presentation yesterday at the medical records hearing, the most detailed defense of Mr. Limbaugh since the investigation became public in October, the lawyer called the prosecution of his client 'a witch hunt built on leaks tailored to smear my reputation.' In court yesterday, Roy Black accused the state attorney's office in Palm Beach County of orchestrating leaks to several organizations, and details were given."

There was a court reporter there. Have you, in all the stories of this hearing yesterday, have you seen very many detailed references to what my lawyer said about the leaks in this case? Well, it's all there, if anybody cares to go get the court transcript, and you'll find out exactly what was said by my lawyer regarding this. My friends, it is, and has been, obvious to me for the longest time that all these leaks were an attempt to try me in the court of public opinion. The Democrats in this country still cannot defeat me in the arena of political ideas, and so now they are trying to do so in the court of public opinion and the legal system. I guess it's payback time. And since I'm not running for office, can't get to me that way. They're going to seek the occasion of this event in my life to see, to find out if they can do any damage. And that's as much as I want to say... No, that's not as much as I want to say; that's as much as I'm going to say about it at the moment.

[10Bears]

"You know how you can tell when someone is guilty of a crime? When they hire Roy Black as their attorney..."
--Rush Limbaugh 1991 Kennedy Smith rape trial.

[midnight Target]

Hey 10bears, who is defending Rush?