News:
Take heart, Imus. You're merely joining a long and legendary laundry list of individuals who were summarily sacrificed in the name of society's sanctimonious soul: Socrates, Jesus, Galileo, Joan of Arc, Mozart and Mark Twain, who was decried as a racist until the day he died for using the N-word rather prolifically in "Huckleberry Finn."

Speaking of which, there will always be plenty of Al Sharptons and Jesse Jacksons around. There will be plenty of cowardly executives, plenty of fair-weather friends, and plenty of Jehovah's Bystanders, people who believe in God but just don't want to get involved. In this crowd, it could be argued that we need a Don Imus just to wake us up once in a while.

There probably isn't a single one of Imus' vocal critics who come anywhere close to matching his record of philanthropy or good acts on this earth.

Judge a man by the size of his enemies, my father used to say. A man who, year after year, has raised countless millions of dollars and has fought hand-to-hand to combat against childhood cancer, autism, and SIDS - well, you've got a rodeo clown who not only rescues the cowboy, but saves the children as well.

I believe New York will miss its crazy cowboy and America will miss the voice of a free-thinking independent-minded, rugged individualist. I believe MSNBC will lose many viewers and CBS radio many listeners.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/04152007...y_friedman.htm

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Stupid Harry Boy

Is there an echo in here

Harry I think your list of martyrs should read more like Jimmy the Greek and Al Campanis rather than Mozart and Gallileo.

Imus is not a victim...he is a curmudgeon. A bitter and foolish former radio jock who spewed an insult at a group of women undeserving of his vitriolic rants.

He got stomped...and the airwaves are better for it.

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Stupid Harry Boy

I saw Imus on MSNBC (?) one time for about 5 minutes I have no idea how but I really couldn't stand him. Imus defintiely isn't a victim...though I think it has gone too far for the simple fact that his "radiothon" raised over 2 million this year for charity. I am reading he did a lot of charity work related to his radio show. If this was his only charity 2 million plus per year that charity loses it a steep price to pay for a crappy offensive joke. I don't think OVERALL the airwaves are better off for the simple fact charity is losing well over 2 mill a year so that is sad IMO. I think the people that wanted Imus fired bit off thier nose to spite thier face. I would have rather seen a suspension and a large "fine" donation to a good African American charity (and NOT SHarptons organization! )

I've been drinking Ripple Wine with that women again (neighbors wife) out in the chicken coop.

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Stupid Harry Boy

I do not entirely dismiss his charity work nor his sincerity in the causes he supports. He is not alone in being paid to push the envelope of common sense and good taste on the airwaves.

If there is a lesson to be learned here it should be that in broadcasting today the content should contain value beyond "shock appeal'. If it fails that simple test then the source of that material should be held up to scrutiny and censure if judged toxic. IMHO

I think the "shock jock" and media in general (Anna Nicole anyone?) is contributing to the dumbing down of America. Unfortunately it gets ratings and brings in $$$ don't know why but it does. It exists and is reality, while overall I could care less about Imus I am just pointing out that the knee jerk extreame reaction to Imus' ignorant comments (meaning the firing not the outrage) will in the end do more harm to less fortunate people in the end because of the loss of his charity work on air.

Every once in a while someone does something that resonates with the collective consciencness of the country. Race is and has been a very incendiary subject of public discourse for a long time. As seen in these forums the mere mention of opinions on the matter stir intense emotional reponses.

Whether Imus's "bad joke" is justification for termination is debatable. The danger of flip comments about the subject of race on the public airways is not.

Oh I agree 100% with that, just pointing out that a unitended result of the call for his firing was a multi-million dollar loss for cahrity.