My response to Rush

[oldtime dfl_er]

I am a small businesswoman who owns a few internet shops under the name
Scarebaby Design. When President Obama asked people to tweet what $40 means
to them, I replied with a tweet that said "$40 means I can pay my internet
bill and keep my tiny small business going." To my surprise, the White House
retweeted my tweet, to its nearly 3 million followers.

What happened after that was quite bewildering. Rush Limbaugh, the
conservative radio talk show host, took to the airwaves to call my tweet "BS",
"a White House-generated response" and "ignorant". (1)

After I protested on Twitter and in Democratic Underground that, in fact, I am
a real person with a real business, Mr. Limbaugh called me "an idiot" and
tried to imply that the name of my business, Scarebaby, had something to do
with "terrorizing babies in the womb." (2)

A few clicks of the mouse would have revealed that I am a real person, my
business is real, and the name Scarebaby has nothing to do with pregnancy, but
rather is a fond reference to the movie "It's a Wonderful Life".

Meanwhile, some of his listeners began tweeting that I was a liar, a fraud,
stupid, and other choice hate comments. They posted personal information,
including my real name, address, phone number, political donations, etc on
conservative forums in a threatening manner. They called me "a target" on
Twitter.

It would be great if I could make anti-Limbaugh tshirts. It would be great if
I could sue him for slander, for spreading malicious lies, and for inciting
others to acts of hate.

But I am bound by the law of the land. I'm not allowed to use his name or
image for profit. I'm not allowed to sue for defamation, slander or libel,
because he considers himself an 'entertainer'.

I am also bound by something alien to Mr. Limbaugh: the law of common decency.

All I can do is demand an apology and a correction from him.

If you agree that Rush Limbaugh owes me an apology, and needs to stop his
campaign of spreading hate through lies, then please repost and link to this
piece wherever you can.

Thank you.

Holly Hertzel
Scarebaby Design

ps-- It's my understanding that the self employed DO
get the payroll tax cut as a reduction in our self employment tax aka FICA.
The self employed pay both the employer and employee shares, and get a 2%
discount on the employee share.


Links:

(1) "...it's BS. Nobody actually sent that. That's a White House-generated
response. And do you know how I know? You may not know how I know. But this is
the level of ignorance that we have that is associated with this. Mr.
ScareBaby cannot possibly have a small business and get this payroll tax cut.
The self-employed don't get it....
"...So Mr. ScareBaby, this is obviously not a real person. This is somebody in
the White House getting this Tweet ball rolling."

(http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2012/02/14/distressing_day_in_obamaville_gop_caves_on_payroll_tax_bam_brags_about_40_bucks)

(2) "ScareBaby, you're an idiot. You're self-employed! You don't qualify for
the payroll tax cut." No self-employed person gets the payroll tax cut. You
gotta be an employee. If you're a small business owner -- a "very" small
business owner, a "tiny" small business owner -- you're not an employee. Well,
guess what? ScareBaby posted on the Democrat Underground that she's upset
because I'm "sliming" her. It turns out Mr. ScareBaby is a woman and says, "I
got slimed by Rush today on his show. Need your help." So somebody from the
White House is feeling that I'm sliming them. ScareBaby.

"RUSH: Hey, ScareBaby? I understand you're trying to find tape of me saying
what I said about you. I'll say some more about you. You are the Democrat
mascot: ScareBaby! The Democrat Party's entire political agenda depends on
fear of pregnancy. Stop and think about that. Not to mention literally
terrorizing babies in the womb. Fear of pregnancy. Stop and think what the
Democrats are putting out there."

(http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2012/02/14/distressing_day_in_obamaville_gop_caves_on_payroll_tax_bam_brags_about_40_bucks)

(3) Daily Kos

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/02/14/1064895/-Condemned-as-Not-a-Real-Person-By-Rush-Limbaugh-a-Small-Businesswoman-Speaks-Out?via=siderec

(4) Politico

http://www.politico.com/politico44/2012/02/wh-dollars-project-draws-conservative-backlash-114488.html

[Rosco T.]

1. This is my response to Rush, for anything he spews

[byronius]

25. That. Is. COOL.

I'm stealin' it.

[ejpoeta]

2. i'm sorry they are doing that to you. THis kind of thing ought to be

against the law and a criminal act. They are threatening you at the same time they screed about freedom of speech. I worry about this country with people like this out there.

[RKP5637]

4. It's become a very bizarre place, I seriously wonder about its future too.

[oldtime dfl_er]

32. I worry too

I've talked with a lawyer about this, and have not decided yet if I'm going to pursue any action. There are big problems with defamation lawsuits, it seems ridiculous but most lawyers don't have any interest in this kind of suit, because they are notoriously hard to win and the damages tend to be small.

What I really want is an apology and correction, and of course it would be nice if he ended going the way of Pat Buchanan, but that's too much to ask, I'm sure.

In the meantime, just a quick thank you to everyone here for the supportive comments and the emails I've gotten privately. They give me hope!

Holly

[FarLeftFist]

3. Rush Limbaugh is the muck at the bottom of the barrel we call society.

[truebrit71]

23. Nah, he's that dried up piece of dog shit that gets stuck in the tread of society's shoes...

...just causes a lingering foul smell that no-one can quite get rid of..

[Phlem]

5. And

The face of the republican party. I wish that could be connected because they all behave the same way. This is totally going on my face book page.

-p

[spanone]

6. bravo!

I am a small businesswoman who owns a few internet shops under the name
Scarebaby Design. When President Obama asked people to tweet what $40 means
to them, I replied with a tweet that said "$40 means I can pay my internet
bill and keep my tiny small business going." To my surprise, the White House
retweeted my tweet, to its nearly 3 million followers.

What happened after that was quite bewildering. Rush Limbaugh, the
conservative radio talk show host, took to the airwaves to call my tweet "BS",
"a White House-generated response" and "ignorant". (1)

After I protested on Twitter and in Democratic Underground that, in fact, I am
a real person with a real business, Mr. Limbaugh called me "an idiot" and
tried to imply that the name of my business, Scarebaby, had something to do
with "terrorizing babies in the womb." (2)

A few clicks of the mouse would have revealed that I am a real person, my
business is real, and the name Scarebaby has nothing to do with pregnancy, but
rather is a fond reference to the movie "It's a Wonderful Life".

Meanwhile, some of his listeners began tweeting that I was a liar, a fraud,
stupid, and other choice hate comments. They posted personal information,
including my real name, address, phone number, political donations, etc on
conservative forums in a threatening manner. They called me "a target" on
Twitter.

It would be great if I could make anti-Limbaugh tshirts. It would be great if
I could sue him for slander, for spreading malicious lies, and for inciting
others to acts of hate.

But I am bound by the law of the land. I'm not allowed to use his name or
image for profit. I'm not allowed to sue for defamation, slander or libel,
because he considers himself an 'entertainer'.

I am also bound by something alien to Mr. Limbaugh: the law of common decency.

All I can do is demand an apology and a correction from him.

If you agree that Rush Limbaugh owes me an apology, and needs to stop his
campaign of spreading hate through lies, then please repost and link to this
piece wherever you can.

Thank you.

Holly Hertzel
Scarebaby Design

ps-- It's my understanding that the self employed DO
get the payroll tax cut as a reduction in our self employment tax aka FICA.
The self employed pay both the employer and employee shares, and get a 2%
discount on the employee share.

[WhoIsNumberNone]

7. What a complete shitbag he is. No other word to describe him

And he'll never apologize. NEVER. Not if one of his listeners went over to Ms Hertzel's house and killed her in front of her kids wearing a Rush Limbaugh T-shirt and with a copy of See I Told You So in his back pocket. He would feel not one iota of responsibility.

[CoffeeCat]

8. That's right...

Rush is nothing without his microphone and total control of the conversation.

The microphone is Rush's pacifier. He's really just a thin-skinned, insecure
jerk with no sense of remorse or morals.

He's a lie spewer--proven by this incident with Scarebaby. He's
not strong enough to admit that he's wrong or to apologize.

We're dealing with someone who has no conscience and no sense of decency.

[The Doctor.]

12. He's a gigantic child.

It amazes me that so many people eagerly slurp up the shit he constantly spews.

[steve2470]

9. k&r nt

[Phlem]

10. Damn Proud of You Holly

you kick ass!!

I got yer back!



-p

[The Doctor.]

11. My God, how can people be such fucking low-lifes?

Seriously, what sort of massive mental defects must someone have to be such lunatic douchebags?

(Actually, I happen to know exactly what that defect is. Shame that part of it is the choice to be ignorant)

[Jester Messiah]

24. I wouldn't go so far as to call Limbaugh a person.

He's an insect, a parasite. A disease in need of curing.

[Grantuspeace]

13. Be strong. I to am a small business owner.

Limbaugh never let the facts get in the way of a sensationalized story. I own a one man electrical contracting business. If the Republicans really believed in small business, ALL of their focus wouldn't be on huge corporations.

[Kablooie]

14. I hope the publicity increases your sales.

Then you can actually thank the fat pig for advertising your business.

[onlyadream]

15. Good for you!

MSM should get a hold of your story and bring to light the ridiculousness of the crazy right.

And you're correct about the payroll taxcut. I also have a small business and I just did my taxes, so I was just looking into this.

Edited to add that I just checked out your site and love your unabashed, progressive stance!

[SemperEadem]

16. She is not a public figure

therefore, she can sue him for actual malice.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_figure

Public figure is a legal term applied in the context of defamation actions (libel and slander) as well as invasion of privacy. A public figure (such as a politician, celebrity, or business leader) cannot base a lawsuit on incorrect harmful statements unless there is proof that the writer or publisher acted with actual malice (knowledge of falsity or reckless disregard for the truth[1] ). The burden of proof in defamation actions is higher in the case of a public figure.

Posting in public forums or using social media does not confer the legal recognition of "public figure" onto you. She is still a private citizen. Limpfuck chose to not only lie, but he doubled down on that lie when he was corrected. That is the textbook definition of malicious. What he considers himself to be is non sequitur here: what matters is who you are, not him. He invaded YOUR privacy, lied about you, when corrected, compounded the lie with more slander and then gave the nod to his myrmidons to invade your privacy and threaten you.

She needs a good attorney to advise her as to what her rights are. Besides limpfuck, there are a bunch of criminals who listen to him who need a bit of legal reckoning.

[Darth_Kitten]

18. I'd be one of the first ones to contribute to your legal fund, Holly.

Last edited Thu Feb 16, 2012, 07:14 PM - Edit history (1)

I'm serious, that disgusting excuse for a man and what he does to good people needs to be held responsible.

But it's up to you.

[COLGATE4]

20. You might be right

but do you have any idea how much launching a civil suit against Limpballs would cost? He has the money and backing to get the best of the best attorneys and tie the suit up for years. In the meantime, the clock is ticking and the litigant is spending, spending and spending. It's fun to imagine but realistically it's highly improbably.

[SemperEadem]

27. have you ever heard of the latin term "pro bono"?

enough with the pearl clutching already.

[COLGATE4]

33. Having practiced law for

over 25 years I understand the term 'pro bono' a great deal better than you probably do. Once again, your response shows you have absolutely no understanding of how much time, effort and costs go into beginning and maintaining any lawsuit, much less a modern suit for libel or slander. Good luck finding any attorney that would even touch this on a contingency basis, much less pro bono. Get real.

[Darth_Kitten]

17. What about the dangerous dittolouses who posted your personal info?

My God, how low can right-wing losers sink? Thing is, those misogynists get off in being the way they are.
Rush is a coward, plain and simple. He's as ugly on the outside as he is on the inside, that's a given.

Nobody has the right to put you in a possibly dangerous situation.

[kemah]

19. The tea party/rushes of the world are just bullies and cowards.

They can not argue with facts but resort to name calling and empty threats. They are cowards, look at rush, cheney, hannity, the whole lot of them avoid the viet nam war and yet they want some else to fight their unnecessary and unfunded wars. Ted Nugent also another crazy anal eating to avoid the viet nam war but know is is pro war. Send your kids but we just cheer on the sidelines and then deny the vets any services to cut spending.

[RockaFowler]

21. That's it right there

They are nothing but cowards. The whole lot of the Republican Party are cowards. They just try to force you to believe the way they believe and belittle your ideas -as if their ideas are any better or worse than yours.

Or as my Dad always says - Opinions are like Assholes - everyone has one!!

[GoCubsGo]

22. You should tell Rush's children how their father feels about their mother.

Oh, wait...

[Uncle Joe]

26. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, oldtime dfl_er.

[infidel dog]

28. God, what a creep that organism is. You're fighting the good fight, dlf'er.

[maxrandb]

29. Great Response!

I would never make the assumption that my advice is welcome or correct, but I urge you to take action against this Ass-pickle!

It always seems to go like this...

- Right wing gasbag slanders and defames an innocent American
- Innocent American is tolds "well, he's just a coward and a bully and not worth the time"
- Right wing gasbag is enabled to slander and defame without opposition

While it is correct that Rush is a coward and a bully, he has gotten away with this crap because of that old proverb; "All that is required for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing".

Rush should have been forcefully confronted and crushed 25 years ago, but "good men (and women) did nothing".

Isn't it time that changed?

I'd be the first to donate to a legal fund!

[Quake1983]

30. i know right

Rush is a poopy head. ignore him.

[MrScorpio]

31. Sing it, Sista! nt