by Linda Burleson

Created on: June 14, 2008

The fact that Ms. Pelosi and Ms. Clinton want so desperately to rid the airwaves of Rush Limbaugh paints a vivid picture of his effectiveness as a radio commentator. When stating facts, Rush tells the truth and backs it up. If what he is saying is his opinion, he says that it is. He is effective as a conservative, but he is also entertaining.

He speaks with bravado and arrogance, but it is tongue in cheek - a tool to entertain and draw his audience in to hear his subject matter. It always surprises me when I hear from people who think that his bragadoccio is real.

My husband was the first in the family to discover Rush, but it wasn't long before he got me hooked as well. The show gives me fodder for educated discussion on issues and politicos. Every day someone says something to me about the news of the day or the coming election and the candidates' stances that I am able to confirm or refute because of what I've learned on the Rush Limbaugh show.

Don't get me wrong; there is no one with whom I agree on every issue, but Rush comes pretty close. I don't get to listen to the entire three hours, but I do take my lunch to work or pick up take out so that I can listen for an hour in my car. I look forward to the show each and every day.

People ask him all the time why he doesn't run for office. He always replies that he is better off doing what he does, and that it helps the cause of conservatives more than he ever could in political office. I quite agree with him and am personally glad that this is his choice, but I'm not certain he will always have that choice. There are persons out there who want to silence any opposition to their own opinions. Little by little we are losing our freedom, and conservative talk radio is on the endangered species list.

Al Franken and others have tried to duplicate this format on their own stations such as National Public Broadcasting. The shows all went off the air due to lack of listeners, but no one tried to take them off the air because of their opinions or their politics.

Rush Limbaugh is a voice that needs to be heard. He is a voice of reason, and one of the things that I like most about him is that if he does take call ins, which he only occasionally does, he lets them talk. So many hosts and commentators love to hear the sound of their own voices so much that the caller never gets to complete a thought. He can add an element of humor to almost any of today's issues if it is appropriate, but if it is not - if he is dealing with a tragedy of some sort, perhaps an injured veteran or a person who has met with some other personal tragedy, he is properly respectful and concerned.

Goodness knows, his detractors have tried everything they can to destroy him, but he is a strong person, and I believe that he believes he is providing a necessary service to the country in providing the conservative point of view in easy to understand language. I look forward to the show every weekday. I've never called in - but I sure may someday, if only to tell him that I respect his message and the way he presents it.

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