Bill Maher decries ‘false equivalency’: Limbaugh went after a civilian

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/03/15/bill-maher-decries-false-equivalency-limbaugh-went-after-a-civilian/



Comedian Bill Maher said Thursday it was ridiculous to equate offensive language he used to describe Sarah Palin with the offensive language Rush Limbaugh used to describe Georgetown University law student Sandra Fluke.

“He went after a civilian about very specific behavior, that was a lie, speaking for a party that has systematically gone after women’s rights all year, on the public airwaves,” he told ABC News’ Jake Tapper. “I used a rude word about a public figure who gives as good as she gets, who’s called people ‘terrorist’ and ‘unAmerican.’”

“The First Amendment was specifically designed for citizens to insult politicians,” Maher added. “Libel laws were written to protect law students speaking out on political issues from getting called whores by Oxycontin addicts.”

Limbaugh created a public backlash in early March after he called Fluke a slut and a prostitute because of her testimony to Congress about contraception. In her testimony, Fluke described how Georgetown’s insurance policy failed to cover hormonal contraceptives that are used to treat polycystic ovarian syndrome.