JASON: Hey, gang, this medical news just in hot off the wire. Apparently, now data from the recent shows that all three vaccinations — all three vaccines available in the U.S. — are found 79% effective in getting Dr. Anthony Fauci off your back. Now that’s worth it right there. That’s worth the shot right there. Hi, everybody. Jason Lewis here, the talk host formerly known as Congressman Jason Lewis. I’m glad to be back, guiding us through another edition of remembering Rush on EIB.

It is my honor and pleasure to do so. (laughing) I’m telling you, the reaction to covid, it’s just astounding, and we’re gonna look back… The last word has not been written on this. But the deleterious aspect of the lockdown is going to end up far, far more dangerous to the body politic, the health of the republic, the mental health of Americans than, quite frankly, the virus.

That’s not to belittle those who have tragically passed on or got sick. Most of those had comorbidities, were elderly. But what we’ve done to young people, what we’ve done to the psyche of America in instilling fear as a political tool is something we may never get over. And if we don’t, we’re in for a long, long haul because you cannot operate a free country based on fear. You simply can’t do it.

We see people, I kid you not, walking alone with two masks on, in their car with two masks on. What, are you afraid to give it to yourself? These are the people that wear helmets on a stationary bike. (laughs) There’s something desperately wrong. It’s all too contrived. It is all too contrived. It’s hatched from the communists in China.

We think it’s from the lab, quite frankly, but the media won’t report on that any more than they’ll report on the border. It’s hatched there, and what do the Biden negotiators and secretary of state, Blinken, say in Alaska? “We’re worried about China.” You’re worried about the Uyghurs? “No, not Muslim persecution.” You worried about Hong Kong crackdown? “No.” You worried about China in the South China Sea?

“No, climate change! China, you gotta do something about the climate change.”

This country has never had its priorities more off kilter in my adult life, period. But you know what? I got good news. Rush will set things straight today as we play a number of salient clips. You know the great thing about Rush’s program being on for so long, over three decades, is almost every single issue — and issues don’t change, folks.

It’s not about right or left. It’s about up or down. It’s about totalitarianism versus liberty. Those eternal values never change, and that’s why when we hear the words of wisdom from Rush, it’s apropos. It’s relevant today. You know, there’s been a lot of talk about this program, the Rush Limbaugh Show, continuing — and I’m here to tell you, it is gonna continue.

We’re gonna stay on top of all the current topics like we did yesterday, like we’ll do today, like we’ll do the rest of the week and into the future right through the end of the year. We are going to revisit Rush’s wisdom while at the same time talking about the news of the day, while at the same time taking your calls, while at the same time taking Rush’s wisdom, say, on sanctuary cities and applying it today.

These are the valuable insights, the forward-thinking aspects of El Rushbo that we’re going to tap into while we cover the issues of the day. We’ll be doing this right here on the Rush Limbaugh program for a long time to come. We want you to join us every day at the same Rush time, at the same Rush hour, at the same Rush station to hear our conversation, to take your calls, and to hear Rush’s words of wisdom.

I just want to set the record straight on that because there’s been a lot of misinformation out there, and we’re gonna be here guiding you through the travails of the day. And of course, of course, the big one today is the shooting in Colorado. And I tell you, you know, I used to say on the campaign trail, “I didn’t know much about cops ’til I married one.”

My wife was a St. Paul police officer. Her dad, Mike, was a police officer for three decades, a veteran. So I’m near and dear to this and the war on police by the left, and now we’ve got the tragedy of a policeman shot and killed in Boulder. The latest information we have is the perp is 21-year-old Ahmad Al Issa. The information is coming in. But leave it to the Democrats to focus and exploit on gun control.

Let’s just wait and see (How would that be?) for the facts to come in. Let’s wait and see before we jump to conclusions as the left is willing to do. These are the people that think an AR-15, which apparently this guy used, stands for “assault rifle.” This is the Beto O’Rourke school of gun control. They don’t know what the hell they’re talking about. The most common cartridge in an AR-15 is a Remington .22 (.223, to be exact.)

It’s a small-caliber bullet that’s used for hunting. It’s not an auto weapon. It’s not an assault rifle. It’s a semiautomatic weapon, not unlike the pistols policemen and women use each and every day. So let’s not jump to this. It dishonors the memory of this police officer — it dishonors the victims — when it’s so exploited.

If you really want to talk about something we know is common in every shooting — whether it’s a massage parlor in Atlanta or a King Soopers in Boulder (one of the most liberal cities in the country) — it is mental illness. The scourge of mental illness is taking its toll on this country. That is the one thing in common these shooters have.

And yet, that gets shoved way, way back. I wonder why that is. It wouldn’t be because socially isolating an entire country doesn’t do much for mental health, would it? Nah! No, let’s not talk about that. Let’s just sweep that under the rug.

We’ll try to keep you up to date on this as best as we can. It is an evolving story, and it’s tragic, I can tell you, in so many ways, being married to a policewoman. I’ll tell you another thing, and that is let’s make certain that our hearts and our thoughts and our prayers go out to these people. That still counts for something.