TODD: Let’s talk now to Katie in Maine. Katie, you’re on the Rush Limbaugh program with Todd Herman filling in. I’m glad you called, Katie. Hi.
CALLER: How you doing, Todd? I was calling because what I wanted to share with everybody was what Rush did for me personally. I grew up Christian — you know, typical conservative values — but I didn’t have a true love of country until I started listening to Rush. I’ll never tell my husband that, but I credit him with turning me on to Rush because I never listened.
TODD: (laughing)
CALLER: Yeah. No, really — and, God, probably he’s listening now anyway. So, yeah, Honey, love you, but don’t you dare rub it in my face. But, for me, listening to Rush, I actually began to understand the political world. How they work, what they did, and why they did it, and especially, I want to say in the past five years, it is really…
He brought home to me just how truly fragile our freedom was. I literally grew up taking that for granted. I wanted to take the opportunity to say “thank you” to Kathryn. I know she’s not on anymore, but a true thank-you because this past year you know that she was sacrificing her time with Rush to support him and be there for him so that he could still be there for us; he could still encourage us.
And he truly went out with his boots on, fighting for freedom until the last very minute. And so that’s what I wanted to call to share. And also, you know, to any other moms out there, I don’t think the fight is over. I still feel we have a country to fight for, and I’m working hard to educate my children, not just basic history.
Of course, they are reading the Rush Revere books; they’re very awesome. But I’m trying to teach them just how our politicized system moves and how our daily choices — even from small to where we shop — affects our political system and affects our freedom and how we need to work every day towards keeping that freedom.
TODD: It’s beautifully said, Katie. I appreciate the phone call, and I’m sure this… We’ll keep this secret since your husband, he doesn’t need to know. We’ll just make sure the show is blocked from his workplace. Thank you for calling Rush’ show. Very inspiring.
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TODD: Alan, the owner of Allentown, Pennsylvania, you’re on the Rush Limbaugh program. It’s Todd Herman filling in. Hi, Alan.
CALLER: How you doing? I made the owner, huh?
TODD: Well, you’re Alan; it’s Allentown. I’ve given you a day of honor. You own the town.
CALLER: All right. Appreciate it. What I was calling about was I’ve been trying to get through for years. I’m a Vietnam vet and retired military, and 2015 between September and October, I hired a PI to help me look for my children. I was walking to different universities, as many as I could find from my hotel, and I stopped, ’cause there was a policeman and I was confused where I was at, and he says to me —
TODD: This was in…? Pardon me, this was in Tokyo, correct?
CALLER: Yep. Yep. And he says to me, “I listen to Rush Limbaugh every day.”
TODD: (laughing).
CALLER: That was a Tokyo policeman.
TODD: That was his way of connecting with you as an American, right?
CALLER: Yes! He asked me like, “Are you conservative?” or something like that, and he goes, “I love Rush Limbaugh.”
TODD: (laughing) Did you…? So I guess that crossed the cultural barrier. You guys just had this instant moment of connection?
CALLER: Yes. It was great.
TODD: Yeah. Yeah. That’s terrific. What did it mean for you to hear Rush’s support for our veterans?
CALLER: Oh, I listened all the time. I was listening to him every chance I got and tried to tell my subordinates to listen to them.
TODD: I appreciate that. Welcome Alan, welcome home, brother.
CALLER: Yeah. I love it because it’s maybe more relaxing. It was like, yes, somebody knows what’s going on.
TODD: Yeah.
CALLER: Instead of all the lies.
TODD: Yeah. Well, I appreciate the phone call to Rush’s show, and it’s just a great moment to live. Thank you very much, Alan. Let’s try to get just one more call in real quick. Steve, we’re gonna be up against the clock, and so you have to be… Brevity is the soul of humor and clarity. So, Steve, go ahead. You’re on Rush’s show.
CALLER: Okay. Hey, hey, Todd, condolences to Kathryn and all the Limbaugh family. I just wanted to pick up where you talked about Rush illustrating absurdity by being absurd. I can remember trying to get my sister Susan to listen to Rush for the longest time, and finally she goes out and listened to him in the 1990s, and the first caller comes on — and this is back when the feminists were all pushing that all sex is rape and, you know, they were really off the charts. And Rush was doing his feminazi bit. And the first woman calls in and goes, “Oh, hi, Rush. This is Amy from Toledo.” And Rush goes, “And how many times have you been raped, Amy?” She goes, “Oh, three times. Two boys and girl.” My sister calls me back and goes, “What in the world do you have me listening to?”
TODD: Yeah.
CALLER: Of course, she stayed with it and finally became a huge fan. And, you know, I actually… We’re all from New York, and as soon as we started listening to Rush, all of our thoughts changed.
TODD: Yeah.
CALLER: All of our ideas — everything we believed — Rush articulated for us.
TODD: And there was Rush taking the very serious topic of rape, which Rush took very seriously, and pointing out that when you just use it for political moves you lose the seriousness of what should always be a serious, awful crime, to be imparted upon a woman. And the left just uses it for political ammo. And Rush illustrated that brilliantly out of respect for women.
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TODD: Pudge from Parkersburg, West Virginia. Pudge, welcome to Rush Limbaugh’s program. It’s Todd Herman filling in for our departed friend. Hi, Pudge.
CALLER: I’m happy to be talking with you. This is the home of Mark Steyn’s favorite Department of the Treasury, the Department of Public Debt.
TODD: (laughing)
CALLER: He said that one time while he was hosting the Rush Limbaugh Show. But I’ll get right to it. I just want… I’ve been really 12 years trying to thank Rush. I’m a 12-year non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma cancer survivor. And I wanted to try get on with Kathryn, but I missed that, but I used Rush’s technology and downloaded a redial app to get on today.
TODD: (laughing)
CALLER: So I’m sure he’d be proud of that. But I just wanted to thank Kathryn and him for the one-day telethons that he had all the time, and the hundreds and thousands and millions of dollars for the Lymphoma Society because 12 years ago, I went through chemo, radiation, the whole works.
But one of the things I did have, I had chemo eight hours and Rituxan therapy for four the next day. And Rituxan was really on the cutting edge of antibody combatant to cancer. I talked to the doctor, ’cause that’s just the way I am and it was really thought through the Lymphoma Society that Rituxan medicine was about, and I just… In between God and Rush, I wanted to thank — and Kathryn, all three of them, for the life that he’s given me.
And just real quick as a side note, when you’re getting ready for a vacation — a permanent vacation — like Rush and Kathryn was, it’s easy when where you know you’re going. When you’re talking about a funeral, if you know where you’re going and where you’re gonna end up, it’s easy to talk about. So thank the Lord Jesus Christ for his saving grace and saving Rush. That was one of my big concerns, where Rush was gonna spend eternity, and I know where he’s at.
TODD: Yeah. Yeah.
CALLER: And I can’t wait to get up there with him.
TODD: Ha! Ha!
CALLER: And I thank you for your witness.
TODD: Well, you delayed that trip a little bit. I hear you, you know, calling attention to I think it’s tens of millions, if I’m not mistaken, of dollars that Rush and Kathryn helped raise for research into leukemia and lymphoma. I hear you crediting him, but I also heard you say, you know, Rush and God.