Grampa

I don't usually post stuff about the "hot" topics going on the media. Usually it is because they are usually things that are of very little importance that are only there to serve the purpose of distracting the populace from the actual important issues going on in the world. Rush Limbaugh acting like a jerk is one of those moments of "so what else is new" and should generally be ignored. But the media usually falls right into his trap of changing the issue to something pointless, so he can do the GOP's bidding of getting everyone to stop talking about Iraq and the crappy economy.

And he has done it again with a sad display of ripping on Michael J. Fox and dismissing his disease. What's even worse than what Rush did, is some of the media's way of framing the issue, with the exception, once again, of Keith Olbermann, who hit it on the head. A number of media outlets have headlined the story with "Michael J. Fox causes a controversy," when the lead-in should have been "Rush Limbaugh acts like a jerk...again." And the mind-numbing Matt Lauer actually said "Didn't Rush Limbaugh just say what a lot of people were privately thinking?" Umm, no Matt, nobody sane was thinking that. And you are a tool. There is no debate or conversation to be had about this. Rush Limbaugh should be denounced by all decent people for bashing disabled people.

Generally, the big fat idiot is best ignored, and I usually do just that. But I have a reason for jumping on this one: my grandfather.

My grandfather, Vernon Dietz, was the kind of guy that Limbaugh pretends to speak for. A man who came of age during the depression, but struggled and got a job to take care of his family and never asked for help from Uncle Sam, except for my grandmother's odd fondness for the government cheese. He worked in the same meat packing plant from 1934, at the age of 18, until he retired in 1977. His wife never worked at any job other than homemaker and primary caregiver to their four children. He worked hard everyday, went to church every Sunday, paid his taxes without complaint (which, I suppose is not a position Rush would support), kept his lawn in impeccable condition, flew his U.S. flag every day (and he didn't just leave it up, he raised it during the day and took it down in the evening and didn't fly it in bad weather) and loved to fish and watch baseball on TV.

He also had Parkinson's disease.

One of the things that's been missing from the whole "debate" over the "faking it or not taking his meds" comment is a perspective from people who know. Michael J. Fox has done a great job explaining it, but it would be easy for the media to go find some random everyday people living with the disease to confirm that Fox is completely telling the truth and Rush is an idiot. I suppose settling the argument doesn't make for good "infotainment" though.

My grandfather was diagnosed in 1970, the same year I was born. So to compare where Michael J. Fox is in the progression of his illness to my "grampa's" timeline, all I have to do is think about what age I was at the time. This means that the summer I was 15 Grampa was at the same place that Fox is right now. And seeing him on TV reminds me so much of my grandfather around that time period. The shaking and the head and body movements are eerily just like looking at Grampa.

And Rush is right. Like Fox, Grampa wasn't always shaking. I remember being a teenager watching him clean his electric shaver using a little screwdriver, a little brush and a toothpick with no problems. But a few hours later at dinner he spilled his water and dropped food because his arms wouldn't stay steady. And it wasn't because he skipped his meds or took too many. Even if he entertained that thought, no way would my grandmother have put up with that. And he wasn't one for "acting" either. It was what it was, and he had no control over it.

I have great memories of my grandfather. He taught me several things. How to properly fold the flag, how to fish, shuck corn and mow grass. Granted, I don't actually have a use for any of these things. I find patriotism silly. Fishing is cruel, gross and boring all at the same time. My number one rule for a place to live is that there is no lawn care involved. But I do occasionally shuck corn when we see some nice looking ears during the summer.

Still, I'm glad he took the time to try to make me appreciate these things. Showing his grandkids how to do stuff made him happy. He was a simple man. Got married, raised a family, never got a traffic ticket, took naps during baseball games.

He died about two weeks shy of his 60th wedding anniversary, after living with Parkinson's for over 24 years.

Those last few years were hard on him. Not being able to start a sentence when he wanted to say something. Taking sometimes up to 5 minutes to take his first step when he tried to walk somewhere, and muttering "goddammit" to himself in his frustration. His mind being completely sound made it all the more frustrating that he couldn't get his body to do what he wanted. Seeing him go through that made getting Parkinson's my biggest health fear. It's a horrible thing to see.

That is what Michael J. Fox has to look forward to in a few years. And he knows it and takes it in such great stride. His interview on CBS was an example of grace, dignity and class. A great interview (see the full unedited version here), despite Katie Couric being the one conducting it. (Example of Couric's stupidity: She asked him if he would ever do a commercial for a Republican who supported stem-cell research, when he already did -- two years ago. Hey Katie, how about walking down the hall and introducing yourself to the CBS research department?)

Limbaugh defended himself with the same bullshit line used by Ann Coulter when she attacked the widows of the World Trade Center, that the left uses "infallible" people for their arguments so they can't be questioned. He claims he was just questioning and "analyzing" Fox's arguments. But that's not what he did, and he knows it. Instead of engaging in a conversation of ideas on the merits of his position, Limbaugh can only make fun of a person for showing the symptoms of their disease. And, with no reason whatsoever, call him a liar and a faker.

So on behalf of my grandfather, FUCK YOU, you OxyContin addicted, fat-ass, bald, Viagra-popping, brainless, bloviating jerk.