Rush and Sandra, together

On the L.A. Times op-ed page Sunday, Rush Limbaugh and Sandra Tsing Loh both expound on the radio decency issue. You'll know which is which:

So are we now going to popularize loony conspiracy theories from the left-wing fringe to defend Howard Stern? All that's missing here is that Stern discovered that Bush had an ancient relative who used to live on Mars and worked for Halliburton there before it destroyed that planet and arrived here on Earth to destroy Iraq by procuring oil for Dick Cheney's portfolio.

Let me try to restore some reason to this mess. First, Howard Stern was not censored by Clear Channel. He was fired. It happens all the time in radio for whatever reason evil management desires. Just ask me; I was once fired for using the word "therefore" too many times (management said it confused the audience).

And:

I imagine Ms. Midler herself might have enjoyed hearing my paean, but now she never will and nor will you because not only is it not archived on the KCRW website, there's no record there that my show ever existed. Not even a vaguely worded "Technical Difficulties/Away on Assignment/Cosmic Gone Fishing" sign. At KCRW.com, it's eerie how quickly the Internet hole has closed over "The Loh Life," its glassy surface scattered with a cheerful potpourri of fresh music picks. And I was on for six years! Isn't it a marvel what they can do with the touch of a computer button nowadays? Sometimes?

Except for my apologetic young engineer who sweetly signs himself "Mario — 2 kids, asleep at the wheel," no one has contacted me from KCRW to offer condolences or even a parting pledge tote. My only glimpse of the station are the quotes I read in the paper, like: "[General Manager Ruth] Seymour says Loh's firing was a precautionary measure to show the station has distanced itself from Loh in case the FCC investigates the matter."

As of Friday, the FCC had not called — perhaps because even the feds were sleeping in during my brand-new supposedly plum time slot of 7:25 Sunday morning. (It appears much of Los Angeles was sleeping as well, because two hours later, somehow, horribly, inexplicably, the little expletive that could got gaily aired a second time!)

Loh includes the text of her offending spot (with bleep) in the piece. Earlier: 'Loh Life' axed by KCRW