A petition is being distributed online by MoveOn.org member D. Washington to pressure Clear Channel to drop Rush Limbaugh radio show in response to his remarks about Sandra Fluke.
The petition reads: Sandra Fluke, a law student at Georgetown University who was advocating for health insurance plans to cover the cost of contraception, became the target of a series of attacks by Rush Limbaugh. Besides calling her a "slut," he also called her a "prostitute," said that he wanted her to make sex tapes and post them online, and speculated that she only had a problem paying for contraception because she was having "so much sex." We who support Ms. Fluke find that this is a serious offense committed by Mr. Limbaugh, and we ask that his radio show be terminated.
While the petition is not the work of MoveOn.org but of member D. Washington, it has been receiving a lot attention. Currently the petition has received 295,137 signatures but Washington is aiming for a goal of 300,000 signatures.
Among those who have signed the petition are Phyllis Schwab of Chesterfield, Missouri who noted, “Rush Limbaugh has shown his ignorance about contraception and it's importance to women's health, and he has to be stopped from spreading these false statements!”
Jack Hansen from Tigard, Oregon said, “We would urge you to cancel the Rush Limbaugh show. His nasty vitriolic speech has no place on the air. He is an embarrassment to the United States.”
Thomas F. Whalen from Pismo Beach, California said, “Please remove Rush from your airwaves. He is the reason my family and I are no longer Republicans. The joke that is Rush Limbaugh stopped being funny around 1991.”
The petition can be found here.
Limbaugh has been the focus of controversy after calling Fluke a “slut” on his radio show along with remarking that she posts sex tapes online. He made a public apology on March 3, 2012 but controversy has continued.
