The highest priced eBay item to ever go to charity  
Friday, October 19th, 2007

I will leave my opinion of Rush Limbaugh out of this, for the sake of the cause.

When Rush Limbaugh referred to Iraq war veterans that are critical of the war as "phony soldiers," he got a letter of complaint from 41 Democratic Senators.  Despite calling the letter a "glittering jewel of colossal ignorance," he put the letter up for charity on eBay, pledging to match the price dollar for dollar.

Among others, the letter was signed by Harry Reid, Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, Patrick Leahy, and Barack Obama.  It was addressed to Mr. Mark P. Mays, CEO of Clear Channel Communications.  Here's what the letter, dated October 2nd, said:

"Dear Mr. Mays,

At the time we sign this letter, 3,808 American soldiers have been killed in Iraq, and another 28,009 have been wounded.  160,000 others awoke this morning on foreign sand, far from home, to face the danger and uncertainty of another day at war.

Although Americans of goodwill debate the merits of this war, we can all agree that those who serve with such great courage deserve our deepest respect and gratitude.  That is why Rush Limbaugh's recent characterization of troops who oppose the war as 'phony soldiers' is such an outrage.

Our troops are fighting and dying to bring to others the freedoms that many take for granted.  It is unconscionable that Mr. Limbaugh would criticize them for exercising the fundamentally American right to free speech.  Mr. Limbaugh has made outrageous remarks before, but this affront to our soldiers is beyond the pale.

The military, like any community within the United States, includes members both for and against the war.  Senior generals, such as General John Batiste and Paul Eaton, have come out against the war while others have publicly supported it.  A December 2006 poll conducted by the Military Times found just 35 percent of service members approved of President Bush's handling of the war in Iraq, compared to 42 percent who disapproved.  From this figure alone, it is clear that Mr. Limbaugh's insult is directed at thousands of American service members.

Active and retired members of our armed forces have a unique perspective on the war and offer a valuable contribution to our national debate.  In August, seven soldiers wrote an op-ed expressing their concern with the current strategy in Iraq.  Tragically, since then, two of those seven soldiers have made the ultimate sacrifice in Iraq [despite their beliefs].

Thousands of active troops and veterans were subjected to Mr. Limbaugh's unpatriotic and indefensible comments on your broadcast.  We trust that you will agree that not a single one of our sons, daughters, neighbors and friends serving overseas is a 'phony soldier.'  We call on you to publicly repudiate these comments that call into question their service and sacrifice and to ask Mr. Limbaugh to apologize for his comments."

To the bitter end, Limbaugh defended his comments:  although he put the letter up for auction, the auction has a bitter tone to it, and reiterates that said "phony soldiers" falisified their service.

The eBay auction closed today, with the winning bid at $2.1 million dollars, the largest amount every paid for an item sold on eBay for the benefit of charity.  The money is going to the Marine Corps Law Enforcement Foundation Inc., a nonprofit New Jersey-based organzation that provides scholarships and income assistance to families of Marines and federal law enforcement officials who die or are wounded in the line of duty.

So let's consider this a win for charity, and then pledge never to listen to Limbaugh ever, ever again.  Oops, there goes my opinion.

Who Signed?
 

Harry Reid	Hillary Rodham Clinton	Blanche Lincoln
Richard Durbin	Kent Conrad	Bob Menendez
Charles Schumer	Christopher Dodd	Barbara Mikulski
Patty Murray	Byron Dorgan	Bill Nelson
Daniel Akaka	Dianne Feinstein	Barack Obama
Max Baucus	Tom Harkin	Jack Reed
Joseph Biden	Daniel Inouye	Jay Rockefeller
Barbara Boxer	Edward M. Kennedy	Ken Salazar
Sherrod Brown	John Kerry	Bernie Sanders
Robert Byrd	Amy Klobuchar	Debbie Stabenow
Benjamin Cardin	Mary Landrieu	Jon Tester
Tom Carper	Frank Lautenberg	Jim Webb
Bob Casey	Patrick Leahy	Sheldon Whitehouse
	Carl Levin	Ron Wyden

   

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