Rush Limbaugh "Crying Indian" Controversy, Global Warming

ANOTHER STAB

Smear Crowd Tries Again, Do They Have A Prayer?







Not content to give up in the face of previous defeat, the Media Matters- led smear crowd is once again looking to bring down Rush Limbaugh. And this time, the situation is very different, since there's no dispute over what the talk titan said.

In fact, this is really more of a political debate over global warming, though the Soros- funded machine would have its followers believe otherwise.

From yesterday's program transcript, let's let Rush explain his position:

RUSH: I have a story here from the Anchorage Daily News. "'Talk Radio's Limbaugh Bashes St. Michael Teen's Testimony -- Radio host criticized for saying Yup'ik youth was exploited.' Charlee Lockwood has never heard of Rush Limbaugh or listened to his radio program, and perhaps it's just as well. Monday, the talk radio king told listeners that Democrats were exploiting the 18-year-old Yup'ik Eskimo, and that her emotional testimony earlier in the day in front of a U.S. House committee on global warming made him 'really want to puke. I just want to throw up.'" I did say this. "'It's the Democrats exploiting a young child, ladies and gentlemen,'" they quote me accurately saying, "'for the advancement of a political issue that will grow the size of government and increase their control over everyone.' Lockwood didn't let Limbaugh's comments faze her. Her upbringing in the community of St. Michael included learning 'about respect and treating people the way you want to be treated,' Lockwood said, during a brief interview," just before she flew home. "'For Rush Limbaugh to make fun of young people coming in and trying to be a part of the political process, it really shows a disdain for political discourse and for the role of young people in that political discourse,' said Eben Burnham-Snyder, a spokesman for the chairman of the committee, U.S. Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass."

Do you think we could be so fortunate as to get another letter? (laughing) First off, typically, the left-wing blogs are all over it again, "Limbaugh making fun of defenseless child." "Limbaugh mocking child's crying voice," and so forth. Ladies and gentlemen, before we get to some facts here, let me explain something to all of you liberals and all of you Democrats. The days where you get to bring aboard to your committee hearings or in your television commercials so-called innocent little victims -- either of diseases, or of age, or of gender -- and expect them not to be criticized when they enter the political arena, those days are over, Democrats. I don't care what you say about me, and I don't care how you mischaracterize what I do. You people have gotten away with misleading the American people and exploiting sick people, and exploiting children, and exploiting the elderly for way too long. If you're going to bring average citizens into the political process, which you have just admitted to here, and expect them to be immune from criticism, you've got another thing coming, at least on this program.

I am not going to sit here and stand aside. When I started talking about this yesterday Snerdley was waving at me, "Don't do it! Don't do it!" Dawn was echoing the sentiments, "Don't do it." I did it, and I am going to keep doing it. I am not going to sit here and let a bunch of liberals mislead and lie to the American people about a hoax issue that they are advancing for political purposes. Now, if you're just joining us and you didn't hear yesterday's program, let's go back to the audio sound bites. I am serious about this. They can trot out whoever they want. If they're going to put them in the political process and expect that they are not going to get criticized, that they are immune from criticism, that we're just going to have to sit back and believe what they say, unh-uh. It's not happening here, folks. Here is Cheryl "Charlee" Lockwood testifying before Ed Markey's committee yesterday morning. This is the House Select Committee for Energy Independence and Global Warming hearing.

LOCKWOOD: (crying) Just in my lifetime I've seen so many... changes in our community that it just hurts to (sniffle) not be able to have our... (voice trembling) It's really scary to lose our tradition, our culture, and we've been living here for thousands of years (sob) and it's not just that we're losing our food, it's losing our homes, and -- because we are spiritually connected, and emotionally, and (sniffle) physically connected to our homes, and (sob) there are so many -- so many -- communities that are in trouble.

RUSH: All right, so I did a little research. That's the 18-year-old Cheryl "Charlee" Lockwood testifying before Ed Markey's committee yesterday in the House with all the Democrats expecting she's going to get a pass and therefore they are going to get a pass. Now, she's from the West Coast of Alaska. It's a little town called St. Michael. Before she testified, I wonder if anybody bothered to tell her that it has not warmed up in Alaska in her lifetime. She's 18. It has warmed in Alaska, but, in fact, it has not warmed in the last 30 years. I have a great chart here from climate.gi.Alaska.edu. Let me show this chart on the Dittocam. The blue is cooling. The red is warming. It averages itself out. But there is a reason for when it has warmed in Alaska, why it is warming up, and I'm going to tell you about that. I wonder if anybody told Ms. Lockwood that the warming that has occurred in Alaska is a natural event. It's called the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. That's the PDO, and it changed phase in the late 1970s, which has caused Alaska and the arctic region to be warm ever since.

If you note from the chart on this website, it is also the likely reason why it was so warm in the arctic in the 1930s, which is what Bob from Sedona was calling about yesterday. The chart goes from 1949 through 2005, and what it is is the mean annual temperature departure for Alaska. It has not warmed. Overall, Alaska is not warming up. The mean temperature is pretty much compensating. It goes down, it goes up, it goes down, and the reason for the fluctuation, once again, is called the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. It is a natural event. It's like a sine curve wave on an oscillation machine. That's exactly what it is. So to say that what's happening up there is global warming is simply not true. That's why I say the 18-year-old little girl is being misled and thus exploited. Look how it's affecting her. She shows up and starts crying over this. There is nothing we can do about the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, nothing we can do. It changes phases naturally.

Rather than debate Rush on his facts, the Media Matters crowd is focused on how Limbaugh might have hurt Lockwood's feelings:

Limbaugh: Teenager's testimony about global warming "reminded" him of 1970s ad of "Crying Indian"

During the November 5 edition of his nationally syndicated radio show, after airing an audio clip of part of the testimony of Cheryl Charlee Lockwood, who said that she is a recent high school graduate and works in the Alaska Youth for Environmental Action program, before the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, Rush Limbaugh stated: "So, once again, it's the Democrats exploiting a young child, ladies and gentleman, for the advancement of a political issue that will grow the size of government and increase their control over -- I really want to puke. I just want to throw up." On November 5, Lockwood went before Congress to talk about the impact of global warming on her community. Later in the broadcast, Limbaugh said of Lockwood's testimony -- during which she said, "I've seen so many changes in our community that it just hurts to not be able to have our -- it's really scary to ... lose our tradition, our culture ... and it's not just that we're losing our food, it's losing our homes" -- that "I'm just reminded here" of the 1970s public service announcement featuring a representation of a Native American.

And working in tandem with Media Matters is the local press in Alaska, where area newspapers and television stations have been having a field day with the story. Via the AP, here's coverage from KTUU-2 in Anchorage:

Limbaugh said Yup'ik teen's testimony made him 'want to puke'


ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Talk radio host Rush Limbaugh criticized the testimony of a Yup'ik Eskimo teen who spoke to Congress this week about the vagaries of global warming.

Limbaugh told listeners that the testimony from Charlee Lockwood, 18, was a case of exploitation by Democrats.

He said her emotional testimony in front of a U.S. House committee on global warming made him "really want to puke. I just want to throw up."

"It's the Democrats exploiting a young child, ladies and gentlemen, for the advancement of a political issue that will grow the size of government and increase their control over everyone," Limbaugh told listeners.

Lockwood was among 5,000 teens and young adults who lobbied lawmakers this week on energy and climate issues. Ten other young people from Alaska attended the event, through Alaska Youth for Environmental Action.

Lockwood told lawmakers about the effects of global warming on her village, including fewer fish each year at the family's summer fish camp and less fruit at their favorite berry-picking spots.

Critics of Limbaugh's comments said the conservative talk show host should have refrained from attacking a young person who has embraced public activism.

And from KTVA-11:

Controversial radio talk show host making huge waves in Alaska

A controversial radio talk show host is making huge waves in Alaska. Rush Limbaugh is attacking an Alaska Native who testified in front of Congress about global warming.

It was tearful testimony from Yup'ik Eskimo teen, Cheryl Charlee Lockwood, that sparked the outrage. Limbaugh later said her words made him want to "puke" and called Lockwood's testimony a ploy by Democrats.

Lockwood testified in front of Congress on how global warming is affecting her village and their livelihoods.

For Rush's Soros- backed enemies, the problem is that Lockwood's testimony really does come across as incredibly misguided. And her tone is remarkably similar to that of a whining UC- Santa Cruz brat, diminishing the potential impact of the message.

While it's great to see young people such as Lockwood get involved in the political process, it's clear she's been used by the left for their own partisan purposes. Too bad her energy can't be redirected toward a useful cause.

Another hard lesson for Lockwood is that politics is a rough sport, where criticism comes with the territory. Better to learn that now than down the road. It's best to toughen up.

Beyond that, we haven't seen any of Limbaugh's foes counter with factual information that disputes his. Instead, the "progressive" cause is once again revealed to be little more than emotions and unhinged anger.

Because Soros expects results to justify his huge contributions, don't expect Media Matters & Friends to give up anytime soon.


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