Another Nevada Democrat, Free Speech and a Twist

It was October 10, 2007 when Nevada Senator Harry Reid took to the senate floor and assailed Rush Limbaugh over comments he made regarding phony soldiers. Reid had his facts wrong saying Limbaugh had called members of the military “phony soldiers.”

What Limbaugh actually said was in response to a caller, who stated: “And what’s really funny is they never talk to real soldiers. They pull these soldiers that come up out of the blue and spout to the media.”

Limbaugh: “The phony soldiers.”

The talk show host was speaking of a man who had identified himself as a soldier while speaking on camera to reporters, and was later found to have never served in the U.S. Armed Forces. Thus, a phony soldier.

Reid when so far as to write a letter of complaint on Senate stationery, signed by 40 other Democratic senators including Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, to Clear Channel’s Mark Mays, urging him to condemn Limbaugh’s remark. Mays refused and gave the letter to Limbaugh.

Limbaugh, then put the letter up for sale on eBay and gave all the proceeds to the Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation, which provides scholarships to children of slain Marines and police. In the end Limbaugh wasn’t intimidated and he raised $2.1 million for a good cause.

Now comes Nevada’s U.S. Congresswoman Shelley Berkley whose launching a petition to pull the Rush Limbaugh show off the air. Her action comes after he called Georgetown University law  student Sandra Fluke a “slut” and a “prostitute” on his radio show.

The petition on the Shelley Berkley for Senate website calls on Clear Channel’s CEO Bob Pittman to stop giving Limbaugh “a national megaphone” for what she calls “hateful attacks against women.”  The congresswoman also accuses her Nevada Senate race opponent, Republican Senator Dean Heller, of being Limbaugh’s water boy, after Heller declined to sign her petition.

Of course this sort of nasty political rhetoric isn’t all that strange — that is until you add that certain Nevada twist to it.

“He said some bad things about prostitutes which we’re not happy with,” said Moonlite Bunny Ranch Owner, Dennis Hof, speaking to KRNV-TV’s Brooke Boone.

Nevada is the only U.S. state to allow legal prostitution, in the form of regulated brothels. The Moonlite is located in Lyon County, some six miles from Nevada’s capital of Carson City.

Hof adds, “We’re going to let him redeem himself by being nice to legal prostitutes,” saying he’s willing to spend $1 million on advertisements.

“Now is his chance to fix things. We think if he comes out now and supports the Bunny Ranch and real prostitutes, legal prostitution, it might make him look good,” commented Hof.

And now, some are asking Berkley why she does not denounce comedian Bill Maher as well.  Maher has made his comedic bones out of attacking conservative women.

Will she continue her fight to defend women if it means going up against one of her political allies or is this just election-year hypocrisy? Shelley Berkley, where do you stand on Bill Maher?” asks David Gallagher, Executive Director of the Nevada Republican Party.

Again he was speaking to Brooke Boone of KRNV-TV in Reno.

But Maher is working to undercut that line of questioning by those in the GOP. In a Tweet, Maher says, “Hate to defend #Rush Limbaugh but he apologized, liberals looking bad not accepting. Also hate intimidation by sponsor pullout.”

Given the subject — I can’t help but laugh — Maher twittered “pullout…”