RUSH: Joe in Lavonia, Michigan, you’re next on Open Line Friday. Hello, sir.
CALLER: Yes, sir, Mr. Limbaugh.
RUSH: Yes?
CALLER: God bless you, sir.
RUSH: Thank you, sir.
CALLER: Me and my family thank you for what you do.
RUSH: Well, you’re very kind. I appreciate that. Thank you and your family for being out there.
CALLER: Yes, I am. Sorry I missed your first year of being on the radio, and I can remember where I was when I first heard you. It was at my new job, and a guy I was working with said, ‘You have to listen to this guy. He’s a card.’
RUSH: And you were probably hooked instantly.
CALLER: Instantly, yes, sir, and I haven’t missed a day. I still have a postcard of you that I got from your radio station, and it’s still hanging on my wall.
RUSH: Wow.
CALLER: But what I wanted to get to was like that, I watch the Weather Channel.
RUSH: Well, that could be a mistake, depending on what you’re watching there.
CALLER: Yeah. And the thing is, is that they have this little chart that says, ‘What are the primary pollutants?’
RUSH: Yes, yes, yes, yes.
CALLER: And the amazing thing is that I see the primary pollutant is ozone. Now, how can ozone be a pollutant?
RUSH: Well, it is a pollutant if it’s… It’s not really… (sigh) Like CO2, they keep calling that a pollutant, and it’s not, and they keep saying that carbon dioxide, CO2, the more molecules in the atmosphere, the worse it’s going to get and we’ll get greenhouse gas. It’s not true. All of this is bunk.
CALLER: Yeah.
RUSH: Now, ozone at surface level can cause problems. It can burn your eyes. It can cause haze. It can cause discomfort. You might call it a pollutant. It’s not going to kill you. It’s not going to kill you period. If you have a respiratory problem, if you’re elderly they tell you to stay inside. They give ozone alerts. Ozone in the stratosphere is what reflects and protects us from ultraviolet B radiation —
CALLER: Right.
RUSH: — and UVB is what keeps us safe. The ozone actually is the first shield, the sunscreen, if you will, to prevent us from burns and cancer. But ozone produced not by the stratosphere but produced at surface level can be a problem.
CALLER: I just didn’t understand because they say, ‘Well, we have to protect the ozone layer,’ but then ozone can be harmful.
RUSH: Well, that’s right, but we don’t live in the stratosphere. The ozone that’s in the atmosphere, that’s far and far away. We’re never going to get there, and it’s serving its purpose there. Ozone at street level, I’ve lived in Manhattan, and they’ve had a couple of ozone alerts. It forms a little haze. You can see it somewhat, but it’s just more of an irritant than anything else. It’s not permanent. It comes and goes. It’s part of the overall natural climate cycle, the ecological cycle here. It’s always been; it always will be. The Weather Channel, you mention it. They’re on a global warming kick out there, Joe, and all of that is oriented toward convincing you that we are polluting ourselves to death and creating global warming and so forth. The Weather Channel when they get to that subject, has adopted an agenda. That’s what you were watching. I appreciate the call, and I thank you so much for your comments.