RUSH: Cory in Waterville, Ohio, welcome, Open Line Friday. Great to have you here with us.
CALLER: Hi. Thanks for taking my call. I just wanted to see if I could get your opinion. There’s a Supreme Court case that’s gonna be pulled up on Tuesday. It’s called Schwarzenegger vs. The Entertainment Merchants Association, and essentially what it’s saying is the government will now have the ability to regulate video games, and they are not protected under the First Amendment because they’re deemed to have no artistic, literary, or any kind of value to any type of demographic so they don’t apply under the First Amendment. Do you think that this is even a relevant thing that the Supreme Court should ever be even considering?
RUSH: Well, they are considering it. You know what I would say to you? I don’t mean to be a smart aleck here. I really, really don’t, but I want to tell you something. You’re 21 years old it says here; is that right?
CALLER: Yes.
RUSH: All right. Now, I’m 59. As long as I’ve been an adult, since I was 21, I have been concerned about the infringements on free speech that come from Democrat regimes and courts because I’m in the free speech business.
CALLER: Mmm-hmm.
RUSH: I’ve been concerned about the reimposition of the Fairness Doctrine. I am glad this is happening. If it takes an impingement on free speech in something you’re interested in, video games, to alert you to what’s happening throughout society then I’m glad it’s happening, because I’m sure you oppose this.
CALLER: Yes.
RUSH: Your video game is your video game and you don’t think the government should have any role whatsoever in applying any artistic sanction to it or any stamp of approval — you can say that but you can’t say that — because that’s not permitted. The market should determine this, correct?
CALLER: Yes.
RUSH: If you want to buy something raunchy in a video game, you should be allowed to, and if it’s too raunchy the market won’t support it? Fine, it dies. If the market likes it, then we got a cultural problem to deal with, but the government ought to have nothing to do with it. Right? You agree?
CALLER: Yes.
RUSH: Okay, then. Join me any time the government tries to impinge on anybody’s speech. Join me when the government tries to tell you can’t eat trans fat. Join me when the government gets involved in all these other behavioral and speech things that they try to tell you and control us we can’t do: What kind of car we have to drive, whether or not we’re responsible for global warming, the kind of lightbulb we have to have, where our thermostats are. Get on board, my buddy. If it’s taken a video game to get you interested and have the light go off, to have you see what liberalism is all about, I’m glad to have you on our side, ’cause I agree with you. Leave your game alone. The people that put together these video games are artists in their own right. If you’re gonna start saying that video games are raunchy, then how the hell do you leave cable television alone?
CALLER: Ha! That’s one of the things that the Entertainment Merchants Association and all sort like the RIAA and the MPAA say. They’re all saying the exact same thing.
RUSH: Exactly right. How the hell do you leave…? If you’re gonna tell people they can’t watch a raunchy video game then how do you allow 90% of what’s on HBO or Showtime in terms of their original programming? So, welcome to conservatism.
CALLER: Oh, I’m no… I’ve been a conservative, as far as I know, for my whole life. I’ve been raised like that.
RUSH: Well, awesome. Then tell your friends that this is where the battle is — and you’re familiar with the Constitution, make sure they are.
CALLER: Great.
RUSH: Thanks for the call.