Rush Limbaugh on Japan: Mother Nature Put the Prius in Her Crosshairs
It takes a special person to laugh at Japanese refugees suffering from the triple disaster of earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown. But only radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh is extraordinary enough to claim that Mother Earth or "Gaia" hit Japan with an earthquake and ensuing tsunami because she was lashing out against the Prius.
Here's the excerpt, which Media Matters also provides in full along with a video. (Climate Progress also reported on the story, and clarified Limbaugh's reference to the Nissan Leaf.)
CALLER: If these are the people that invented the Prius, have mastered public transportation, recycling, why did mother earth, Gaia if you will, hit them with this disaster?LIMBAUGH: Well, that's an interesting question. Let's go back and grab Diane Sawyer. Audio sound bite number nine. This is her report on a shelter for refugees in Japan and how they are handling their waste management.
RUSH: My god, she sounds like she saw her husband for the first time in six months there. Oh, it's recycling, look, organized for -- these people are in the midst of earthquake devastation and the credit they're getting is for recycling and our caller Chris with a great question. The Japanese have done so much to save the planet. He's right. They've given us the Prius. Even now, refugees are still recycling their garbage, and yet Gaia levels them [laughs], just wipes them out. Wipes out their nuclear plants, all kinds of radiation. What kind of payback is this? That is an excellent question. They invented the Prius. In fact, where Gaia blew up is right where they make all these electric cars. That's where the tsunami hit. All those brand new electric cars sitting there on the lot. I like the way this guy was thinking. It's like -- it's like Gaia hit the Prius and the Leaf place. It's like they were in the crosshairs, if we can use that word, it does. What is Gaia trying to tell us here? What is the mother of environmentalism trying to say with this hit? Great observation out there, Chris.
Presumably Limbaugh could also explain why the same disaster appears to be on the verge of annihilating a large nuclear power plant. But that might be too much to ask the Empath of the Airwaves.
Photo from Flcikr user greyloch, CC 2.0
Related: