Leave Imus alone.

Jackson and Sharpton are bottom-feeders. More good work is done by Ministers of ALL colors in small churches from coast to coast.

These two are charlatans.

If you listen to Imus, you know what to expect. His Producer McGuirk has said WORSE things...far WORSE.

Radio wrote:

Imus is the best radio show host on radio.

Clearly you've never had the pleasure of listening to Mr R. Limbaugh. Who, by the way, was dumped from ESPN for remarks that were not even remotely racist. Rush's statements about McNabb were ANTI-MEDIA, which is a far worse sin to MSNBC, ESPN and co. than racism.

For what it's worth, I don't think Imus should be fired, unless this incident causes his ratings to go in the tank. Then the market will have determined that he needed to be fired. While his remarks may have been idiotic, you'll find far worse on any rap album, as has already been pointed out on this thread.

What's the point of firing Imus? Ruin the guy's career cause of a 5 second long lapse in judgment? Sure it was a stupid thing to say but come on, I don't know of a person out there who has not said something stupid before. I certainly wouldn't want the whole world to gang up on me if I ever had a lapse in judgment. Imus gets fired and what happens? It's a net negative for him and it's neutral to the Rutgers team/black community.

How about instead of parading around like a bunch of self-righteous hypocrites, these "leaders" of the African-American community, demanding that Imus be fired, what if they praised the 1st amendment, which allows people like Imus to say such things and demand that Imus do something that benefits the African-American community. Ask him to spend some time volunteering to help various black causes. Then, it would be a net positive for Imus (not fired, gets some exposure to some people/thinks he probably doesn't get to see much)and a net positive for the African-American community (who gets Imus to do things for them and publicize their causes) and for Jackson and Sharpton (who'll come off looking reasonable and relevant for once).

From the NYT sports commentary today:

Imus’s comments highlighted age-old, deep-rooted stereotypes that seem to surface whenever African-American women excel in sport.

Beginning in the mid-1930s, when African-American women began to excel in track and field, their success was seen through a mainstream prism of success in a “mannish” sport and reinforced disparaging stereotypes.

In the late 1940s, an Olympic official, Norman Cox, sarcastically proposed that in the case of black women, “The International Olympic Committee should create a special category of competition for them — the unfairly advantaged ‘hermaphrodites’ who regularly defeated ‘normal women,’ those less skilled ‘child bearing’ types with ‘largish breasts, wide hips and knocked knees.’ ”

Linda Greene, a law professor at the University of Wisconsin and a founding member of the Black Women in Sports Foundation, said that Imus’s characterization of the Rutgers team resurrected “old stereotypes about African-American women that date from slavery, where stereotypes of promiscuity were generated to mask the systematic rape that was a concomitant of slavery.”

“In addition,” she said, “they also are consistent with the historical rejection of black women as beneficiaries of the feminine ideal.” Althea Gibson, the first African-American to win a major tennis championship, introduced an aggressive, take-no-prisoners style of tennis. Time magazine reported in 1957 that Gibson was forced to take a test to see if she had an extra chromosome.

I thought that's what the Rutgers girls wanted? They wanted to leave that sort of intimidating impression.

Does anyone think that one night, each one was walking down a street, by a tatoo parlor, looked in and said "my, that one would look nice on my shoulder"

The tatoos, like eye black for a football player (everyone knows eyeblack really dosen't keep glare out of the eyes) were meant just for decoration, war paint....it is part of the uniform

meant to intimidate.

If they act like they are outraged, they are faking it.

No wrote:

If MSNBC drops Imus I will never watch that network again.

I didn't realize anyone was watching the network to begin with. Once you stop watching I don't think there will be anyone left.

Yup, the image: tats and dreadlocks...all that attire. This from an IVY LEAGUE school, too.

Right.

You play it that way, expect the consequences.

Rutgers is not an Ivy League school never was. It's a state university, formerly a private one.

The maddest person in all this is not Sharpton, Jackson nor the Rutgers women's 'nappy-head' team, but in fact

DEIRDRE IMUS.

She was positioning herself for a career breakout as ENVIRO-WOMAN, what with her book and recent TV appearances, and here's Sugar Daddy pulling carpet out from under her.

Man will that blow a hole in the revenue stream if he DOES get canned?

What will HE face at home?

Yikes.

My bad, I was thinking Princeton. Still it's Jersey, so does it matter?

my rug & bush may be nappy, but my hoops is snappy and IMUS IS AN ASS HO'. He looks like a hillbilly, talks like a wino and if he comes to my hood, he be goodby- o.

Go to YOUTUBE and listen to the entire bit. Get your fact right people.

McGuirk is the one who started it, HE is the one who should be canned.

He has been the instigator on that show in the past (his Ray Nagen N.O. Mayor impersonation, plus his Cardinal Egan character), not Imus.

Sacrifice McGuirk, as a warning.

It's shameful that Imus felt the need to go on a radio show with Sharpton, if there is a demagogue it is THAT guy.

{Although its' possible Imus was ordered to appear.}

The real ASS is that Nazi-Zionist on CHH-HN, Glen Beck. He's anti-Islam, anti-semetic, anti-Latino, anti-Chinese. CNN has really turned their cable channhel into the voice of the KKK in Atlanta.

I agree. My teacher friend told his high school class that lots of white men were racist ****** who had Fed up this world, and parents complained! They want to fire him for his 6 second lapse in judgement. Can you imagine that? We all make mistakes....leave him be I say.

I'd say fire IMUS. He should be let go. That's not the same as being banned from radio for life, or being exiled out of the country, or being executed. IMUS should be fired for what he did. IMUS can easily get another job, perhaps with satellite radio.

Imus should have taken the offensive and said:

1. Should anyone who uses the word ho's on air be censored or fired? Then fire me, most hip hop artists, and most DJs on predominately black stations.

2. Oh, blacks can use it because of their unique American experience? So you would keep quiet if Michael Steele or Thomas Sowell or Walter Williams said, "The black community has too many illegitimate kids and too many nappy headed hos"?

3. How about the word "nappy." Is that offensive? Then ban Stevie Wonder's "I Wish."

I will TAKE a nap. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

rap music isn't the same as a news show that interviews politicians and government officials.

Iran will have nukes in less than a year

Terrorists are coming across the mexican border into the US

Iraq is out of control, gas will be $4 a gallon before its $2

yeah, this is what we should be fixated on...Imus is an ass, Ive always hated that prick (my leader howard stern told me not to like him) but jesus h christ no wonder the US no longer is respected...Hell, Sanjay on amreican idol is more newsworty