One courthouse where the ACLU may never bring a lawsuit

The ranks of federal courthouses may soon number among them the Rush H. Limbaugh, Sr. United States Courhouse. The SE Missourian, of Cape Girardeau, MO reports:

A Senate bill has been introduced to name the new building after Rush H. Limbaugh Sr.

Naming the new Cape Girardeau federal courthouse after the late Rush H. Limbaugh Sr. is an idea that's been brewing for a few years, U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson said Friday. [....]

Discussions of whose name to put on the $50 million courthouse began about the time construction started in 2004, Emerson said. Rush Limbaugh Sr., who practiced law in Cape Girardeau for almost 80 years, is the most fitting symbol of both the legal profession and dedication to community service, she said.

"It was kind of a no—brainer," she said. "He was just a perfect person."

Limbaugh died in 1996 at age 104. He continued working as a lawyer almost to the end of his life. He has several children and grandchildren who are lawyers, including U.S. District Judge Stephen Limbaugh Sr. and Missouri Supreme Court Judge Stephen Limbaugh Jr.

Community leaders said the decision to put Limbaugh's name on the courthouse was made with little local input but added they have no objections to the choice.

"We did not suggest any names for the courthouse," said John Mehner, president and CEO of the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce. "I love the name they came up with but did not suggest any names."

The chamber honors Limbaugh by giving its top annual community service award in his name.

The sneering elitists of the left have made a fetish of pretending that Rush H. Limbaugh is not a brilliant man. They point to his truncated time in higher education, and look down upon Southeast Missouri State University, from which he didn't graduate.

The fact is that Rush Limbaugh comes from an extremely distinguished family, long rooted in the old river town of Cape Girardeau, a small city that was once, due to its position near the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, of greater economic and political significance than it is today. Blame the railways and later the highways, for bypassing this historic outpost. 

Love of their roots has kept most of the Limbaughs close to home, though by necessity Rush's broadcast career made him pick up and move several times in his career. Coastal regional prejudices dictate that old settlements in New England are regarded as "historic," while those in the Midwest and South are "backwaters." It is utter piffle, of course, but the media buy into it wholeheartedly.

The naming of a United States Courthouse after the senior Rush Limbaugh will be denounced, no doubt, as favoritism by Republicans to the talk show host. But the fact is that anyone with as distinguished a career as the Rush Limbaugh, Sr. well deserves the honor, and the position of the Limbaugh family in Southeast Missouri is not to be looked down upon by anyone. From the love of such public minded families is built the bedrock of the American traditions of community and public service.

Not everyone has the patience to endure a full four years of college, particularly if the person in question is smarter than his teachers. Rush has many times observed that he hated school, and had no desire to excel at it. His mind was elsewhere — on sports and on his beloved medium of radio. This indifference to academia is far from an indicator of a lack of intelligence.

I have known a number of brilliant people who were so far ahead of their teachers that they appeared to be mediocre students. I am one the opposite sort — the plodder who was good enough at school as to develop an attachment to it, and perhaps to stay too long.

Albert Einstein stands out as one example of those who were regarded as stupid and not likely to achieve. Bill Gates, notably, did not graduate from Harvard, a school to which he was able to gain admission thanks to his attending a highly elite Seattle prep school renowned for channeling students to selective colleges.

I hope that the Senate bill passes and a great man receives the recognition he has more than earned. 

The Limbaugh family continues to make great contributions to the United States. I am currently reading David Limbaugh's new book, Bankrupt, which I will soon review in these pages. We should all be thankful that such people thrive in the United States.

Thomas Lifson   9 09 06