Self-loathing can be terribly unattractive. It also may be unusually comical when the loather loathes himself without even knowing he’s doing it. As our nation’s bombastic, self-identified free marketers never tire of braying at us, the free market is the cure for everything. Who needs that reprehensible, inherently evil government? Sickness, disease, poverty, chaos, old age, discrimination, exploitation, abuse, inequality, squalor…crank up ye olde free market and thar she blows!

In something of a novelty in the annals of political agitation, right-wingers have chosen to “heighten the contradictions” with themselves. Political scientists aren’t sure what to make of this. Yet, the campaign to marshall dissatisfied consumers in order to leverage their economic power against the product Rush is foully selling has turned wingnuts into virtual Marxists, denouncing this exercise in the wielding of market power as fascist, unfair, dirty pool and politically incorrect. Oh, the humanity.

I include myself among those who would argue no one’s freedom of speech should be abrogated nor any point of view denied a right of expression. The usual accompaniment to this position is that the remedy for offensive or dishonest speech is that it should be duly countered or duly exposed. And indeed this is what is occurring now in response to Rush’s libelous diatribes against non-public figure Sandra Fluke.

As every single Republican on the planet seemingly has reminded us at one time or another Rush is a professional entertainer. The dissemination of his radio show through a network of for-profit radio stations is lucrative for all participating parties and a sublime example of the market in action. Indeed, Rush enjoys the same freedom of speech we all do. And fortunately for Rush, he has a job that allows his speech to be greatly amplified, certainly magnified in a manner speech from ordinary citizens rarely is. However access to radio microphones is a privilege, and not a right. Should the Great Limbaugher lose his privileged access he will retain his right to blog, email, write letters to the editor and phone in to ever popular talk radio just like everybody else.

So, blabbermouth Rush may sit in his studio on his lard ass denigrating anyone he pleases, including Sandra Fluke, while I or any others retain the free speech right to notify sponsors of the Limbaugh show I consider him an irredeemable scumbag whose advertisers I refuse to patronize.

I tell you, teaching capitalism to crypto-Trotskyite Republicans is a full time job.