Remembering America’s Truth Detector

HONORING AMERICA’S TRUTH DETECTOR AND DOCTOR OF DEMOCRACY

Chapter 9 (“The Truth Detector”) and Chapter 10 (“Freedom of Speech”) of The Great New Deal were originally written for my novella, The Brave New Year (published in October 2020), in appreciation of conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh.  At that time, Rush was still hosting his daily radio show (with the help of guest hosts when necessary).

Rush passed away on February 17, 2021 and I decided to adapt these two chapters to incorporate them within my new novel (published in April 2021), which supersedes the novella.  These two chapters are meant to honor the life and memory of Rush Limbaugh.

Sometimes, Rush would speak about growing up in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, his loving family and the lessons he learned (especially from his grandfather).  He told us about his youthful dream to be on the radio and his long, sometimes bumpy path from local radio disk jockey to The Rush Limbaugh Show. 

I imagined the fictional character of 12-year-old Rusty for Chapter 9, thinking about Rush at a similar age, growing up in the heartland of America.  Smart, inquisitive and loving his country and family.

For Chapter 10,  I thought of Rush being one of the masterminds behind the unstoppable USA1-FBCN podcasts and the mysterious unfindable broadcast facility.  Rush’s well-known radio voice and personality provided inspiration to me for the unidentified voice of the first podcast, depicted in Chapter 10.  Rush loved technology and excelled at exposing the foolishness and failings of the left.  I could easily imagine him leading a team to establish an advanced podcast platform, broadcasting truth to everyday people while vexing the people hell-bent on dismantling our great nation.  In many ways, USA1-FBCN would be the logical End Times successor to The Rush Limbaugh Show.

Rush re-invented talk radio with his incredibly-successful national daily radio show.  For three decades, Rush brought truth, encouragement and joy to millions of people, sharing generously of himself and his talents.  He used his sharp mind to assess political and cultural events and trends and to bring his views to the air.  His shows were entertaining, but also insightful.

Listeners felt like they knew Rush, because he talked with them, not at them.  He said what he thought and millions of people agreed with him.  Rush treated on-air callers respectfully and was especially kind and encouraging when speaking with kids.  His love of kids and America was evident in the “Rush Revere” history book series.

Rush also spoke with great love for his wife Kathryn and the team that supported him in the radio show and the many philanthropic and business activities.  Rush and Kathryn were enormously generous in their support of worthwhile charities and successfully encouraged others to join in this support.  During the 2020 “State of the Union” address, President Donald Trump presented Rush with the highest American civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.  It was a surprise to Rush that evening, but was very well-deserved.

He sometimes spoke about his battles with deafness and with cancer, but would not let these hardships define who he was.  Rush often shared his belief and confidence in Jesus Christ and now Rush is enjoying eternal life, hearing and speaking with his Lord and Savior.