The Military Death Benefits Outrage

     In the article from Rush Limbaughs’s radio show titled “Military Death Benefits Outrage”. Rush argues that the government particularly the democrats are incompetent. The article talks about how death gratuity benefits that are part of the Service Members Life Insurance (SGLI) and were not being paid to the families of deceased service members who died serving this country. The outrage is that the families are left with a deceased loved one and no compensation to pay for funeral services or even travel to meet their loved one as they arrived at Dover Air Force base where all deceased service members are brought back “home” to the continental United States before being moved to their prior homes. The families in their greatest time of need are not being taken care of by the government that their loved ones swore to protect and serve and gave the ultimate sacrifice to.  This Rush explains is a shows the great incompetence of the current government or “regime” as he calls it. He also speaks of the veterans who have been unable to visit monuments that were erected and dedicated to their personal sacrifices like the WWII monument, which like all national parks is shut down due to the ongoing political fighting. He voices his disgust at the incompetence of a government that would not pay death benefits to its nations fallen and bar veterans from their own monument but would allow, non citizens the ability to protest and hold a rally at the national mall that is closed to citizens of this “great” nation. The complete backwardness of this example is used by Rush to garner support for his views and dislike of the current “regime”.

      The logos of Rush’s argument is that the government is incompetent, while the ethos is his radio talk show where he voices his opinion to his target audience. The pathos is the play off of patriotic sentiment as well as basic human dignity that those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for this country and people should have their families taken care of regardless of any politics. Rush’s kairos or knowing when to speak is directly after this become public knowledge that families were not given the meager monetary compensation guaranteed to them for the loss of their loved ones. Rush is a notoriously conservative political radio talk show host who is very good at speaking to his target audience about his and theirs particular views of the shortfalls of the current “regime”.