OCTOBER 3, 2003 - Like we said, this is about choices.

MSNBC chose a little while back to hire talk radio host Michael Savage Weiner for their TV Station.  Despite being told he was racist, gay-bashing, sexist - in general, pathetic - scum, they hired him because they thought he would help their ratings.

And, as any useful person predicted, it didn't last long at all.  He was canned hard and fast, as we reported here, for saying gay people should just go die of AIDS.

That was a choice MSNBC made, to associate with scum.

Vice President Dick Cheney likes to go on Rush Limbaugh's talk show on AM radio.  President George W. Bush is a big fan.  NBC uses him as a news analyst during elections.  Last year ABC considered adding him to Monday Night Football's team.  And a month ago, ESPN hired him as a pre-Sunday football commentator.

Now, we at The Moderate Independent knew.  You knew.  People told them.

Rush is a racist, a sexist, a liar, a disinformationist, a political propagandist, a vicious, disgusting man.

And ESPN knew this as well.  All you have to do is listen to his show for five minutes.

But, like with this new breed of Bush/Limbaugh Republican that takes its namesake from Rush, ESPN put what they wanted above what was right.  They put aside morals and decency for the sake of getting higher ratings.  And they did.  Right away, their ratings went up.

And right away, Rush showed himself to be the hateful bigot that he is.

What is amazing is not that these Savage Weiners and Limbaughs die so quickly when put in the public eye.  What is amazing is that they have been spewing such hate and racism for 4 hours a day each for years now - and even after being fired from TV they each got to go back to doing that - and get away with it.  Even more, they get the support and praise of the President, Vice President, and, indeed, the Republican Party.

So tell me, if what these men are is so disgusting and hateful they can't last in the public eye for more than a couple of episodes on TV, how is it our President and Vice President are given a free ride for condoning and befriending these people.  Even if people were unaware or unsure before, now we know.  So it is time to get Bush and Cheney to end their association with Rush or call them what they are:  racist, gay-bashing, disinformationist praisers.

No, it is time for the rest of the press to stop giving AM radio hosts a free ride just because they are under the radar.  They are not under ours.  We nail them regularly.

In fact, let's take a look here:  we reported Arnold's exploits while the rest of the press sat on it; we bash Rush and Savage and Elder et. al while the rest of the press ignores their logic destroying, hate mongering daily assault.

No, the rest of the press doesn't need to change.  People just need to change where they turn for their news.

If you want papers that will hold off on reporting important information, like that the man you are about to elect is scum, keep reading the other guys.  If you want people who let trash like Rush and Weiner inspire a new breed of Republican with lies, distortions, and endless hate, keep reading the other guys.

But if you want a news source that reports what should be reported and doesn't let anybody fly under the radar of truth and decency, welcome to The Moderate Independent.

As we said with Arnold, yes, of course, there is still more.

Mr. Pretend To Be Righteous Limbaugh has been a long-time drug abuser and is under investigation by Florida authorities for illegal drug purchases.  Even better, there is reportedly a tape of him trying to get drugs through his housekeeper that will be released today.

People wonder how we at The Moderate Independent can claim to be moderate and independent yet still attack Bush/Limbaughians so often.  And now you see clearly, it is all about choices.

This new breed of Republican chooses to back Arnold because they only care about getting that office in their hands.  This new breed of Republican cozies up with Rush because his tactics help get them followers and votes.  This new breed of Republican chooses to attack Iraq alone and based on lies and continues to choose not to seek out world support so as not to have to share the supposedly coming oil revenues.  This new breed of Republican chooses to exact revenge on anyone who speaks against them, even stooping to breaking laws and putting America-serving CIA agents in danger.

This new breed of Republican likes to blame.  As Arnold blamed Gray Davis for what he suffered today, these Bush/Limbaughians blame the press, the Democrats, other countries, anyone but themselves for all the bad that occurs on their watch.

Even more, they like to do all of this while at the same time claiming to be righteous, while claiming they will "do what Jesus would do," while claiming they will "usher in a new era of responsibility."

Many people chose to believe this.  And now, the cat is out of the bag.  President Bush's approval numbers are in freefall.  And so too are the fates of one Bush Republican after another.

Life is about choices.  The Bush Republicans are finding that out.

But this is true for you as well.  You have choices in life.  For example, you can continue to be infuriated and caught off guard because the news sources you read don't give the full picture or report things accurately.  Or, you can make The Moderate Independent your regular news source.

The Bushies are starting to get theirs, and make no mistake, this is not simply coincidence.  No, with us breaking stories on Arnold and taking Bush/Limbaughians to task, giving voice to reporting that doesn't exist elsewhere, we are making a difference.  Our quotes on Arnold were circulated within Democrat circles, by newspapers who were reluctant to report such things, and in the end, at least made sure everyone had the full information to base their decision upon.  And if Arnold is defeated on Tuesday, the victory is in part yours, our loyal readers, who helped to spread word about M/I and our articles.

The days of being frustrated and feeling trapped in right-wing media hell are over.  And soon, so will the Bush/Limbaughian hold on power.

Thank you for reading The Moderate Independent, America's true voice.