Bizarre indeed: Rush Limbaugh's unholy alliance with animal 'rights' extremists

By Rob Sexton

Longtime readers of Superman comics will recall "Bizarro World", a place where right is wrong, up is down, and everything is basically the opposite of the way things normally occur. Seinfeld fans will recall an entire episode devoted to Bizarro World. It seems like sportsmen are living in Bizarro World, given the unholy alliance between the nation's top animal rights group and America's most conservative talk radio host.

Hunters, anglers and trappers were stunned to learn on April 24th that Rush Limbaugh had produced two ads supporting the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). Sportsmen contend that many people donate to HSUS believing the group operates or assists local dog and cat shelters. Instead the group uses contributions to ban and restrict hunting rights. How is it possible that a man who used to rail against "environmentalist wackos" would be collaborating with an organization whose president has openly admitted he'd like to see all hunting banned?

Unfortunately, Rush's support for HSUS did not end with the ads. It appears he has become a full-time spokesperson for the organization. His website contains a link straight to the hsus.org website. Recently the site contained a story on HSUS's legal attempts to force the trustees of the late Leona Helmsley's multi-million dollar estate into donating to their organization.

Rush's ads have already been airing on XM radio's Rick and Bubba show, which is a "country comedy" show popular in the South.

He now quotes Matthew Scully, who was the most conservative supporter of an animal rights group prior to Rush's "coming out" in support of HSUS. Sportsmen are still fuming about Scully's opinions lambasting a meeting between former President Bush and national sportsmen organizations.

Scully wrote, "For starters, there were representatives of groups like Ducks Unlimited, Quail Unlimited and Pheasants Forever...Far from demonstrating those timeless "rural values" that "urbanites" simply can't understand, these organizations reflect some of the worst traits of modern society..."

Scully continued, "And then maybe we can apply a little compassionate conservatism to those "gentlemen's shooting clubs," to bow hunting, baiting, competitive trophy hunting, and all the other ruthless and cowardly practices so common today – following the general principle that if a man is going to hunt, then let him at least hunt like a man."

As if that were not proof enough that sportsmen are living in Bizarro World, then consider this: when sportsmen criticized Rush for helping to sanitize the image of HSUS, his collaboration was defended in print by the Daily Kos, perhaps the most liberal blog in the world!

Meanwhile perhaps the most liberal president ever elected, Barack Obama has earned the ire of animal rights extremists all over the country for a particularly heinous offense. He and the First Lady had the audacity to buy the dog their daughters wanted from a breeder.

What's next in Bizarro World? Fidel Castro singing the Star Spangled Banner while throwing out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium? After the past couple of weeks I would not be surprised.

Rob Sexton, an avid hunter and shooter, is vice president for government affairs with the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance. For more information on why Rush is wrong, go to www.ussportsmen.org/rush.

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