I've never understood Imus' appeal. He's crass, sexist, anti-semitic and racist. The bigger question here is why has MSNBC and CBS given this guy such a huge platform like this for such a long time?

I don't know why Senator Obama called for Don Imus' firing. This man insults everybody. I'm a supporter of Senator Obama for the Presidency of our United States, but I wish he would have given Don Imus a little time. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton are sad individuals and we should just ignore completely. They have done worse than Don Imus and yet people continue to give him a voice. I hope Don Imus get a second chance.

Who can understand Howard Stern's appeal, for that matter. It's not a good reflection on a certain percentage of the American populace.

Tom

His stinky comments happened a week ago and he only got fired today so I'd say he got a second chance and blew it. His apologies were obviously insincere and his arrogance came through loud and clear.

Kudos to the advertisers. Anyone who believes this guy Steve something, head of NBC news, that the reason for dropping Imus is out of respect to NBC employees would buy the Brooklyn Bridge.

The fact is that I'm not a fan of the Imus show nor am I a fan of 50 Cent. In fact, I wouldn't pay 25 cents for 50 Cent.

The kind of rap (with a silent "c") that he typifies will hopefully go the way of all fads.

... what some people like to listen to.Tom

American young people don't deserve an attack out of nowhere because they are female and because they are African-American just because Imus wants "ratings".

Absolutely right.

And the same holds true for black rappers who do the same thing over and over and over again - not for ratings, but for album sales.

Trash is trash.

Imus was fired from MSNBC because he targeted young college athletes who were simply playing basketball.

Very compelling statement.

Wish I believed it.

The ones doing enormous harm to the girls were those turning the whole matter into a stomach-wrenching spectacle.

Doesn't quite match the atrocity of the dying virgin infected with HIV by her dentist. Even the Centers for Disease Control not only took part in the lynching but was a major instigator. People still believe the concocted tale.

Imus' absence will be no loss. The real offense to civility that has even infected this website is the passion of the mob for a good lynching.

Is there a single deluded soul in the entire country that believes Imus was saying those young ladies were prostitutes as claimed by the lynch mob? Is there anyone who really believes that Imus' offensive language belied the vile racism of a David Duke or Al Sharpton?

You offer a ray of sunshine, stlounick. For that I am grateful. Perhaps I am wrong. Hope so.

Best, Terry

Another factually challenged post pacc. Go to Pollster.com which posts averages of all the major polls. Look at Obama's trend line. Saying he hasn't moved in a month is just wrong. Your credibility around here is deteriorating. Its OK to disagree, but not to name-call and lie.

Let's be sure to put Obama's political posturing into the proper perspective... This from the Boston Globe:

Obama Slow to Respond to Imus

The controversy surrounding Don Imus's comments was "the first test" of how Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) is "handling the contentious issue of race in his presidential campaign," according to the Boston Globe.

Obama waited five days after Imus made his comments to issue a statement.

With "Obama battling other Democrats -- most notably Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York -- for the support of black voters, the candidate's reticence on the Imus issue set off alarms yesterday among some black activists who are anxious to see him more forcefully push for racial justice."

... so Barry jumped on the Sharpton bandwagon because he felt he needed to ratchet it up. That's a leader for ya!

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights indicates: "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers"

Why is it that Americans have so easily forgotten, What Freedom of Speech is.

If you don’t like what Imus say’s don’t listen. Those who are intent in having him fired, only undermine the Freedom.

It’s a slippery slope, to have the Government, decide for the good of the people, what it deems as wholesome speech.

Maybe they’ll conclude that speech against a sitting President offends the party and citizens who can relate to his disparagement. Some might conclude that it undermines civil order.

Would it not have been the wiser course, as our Forefathers intended and believed in the value. "I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it."
Voltaire

I would add, I hope you feel the same way about defending the right or we’ll lose it.

So when the dust settles over this dispute, who’ll be charged for allowing, a diminished Freedom of speech? Imus will be gone and so will our freedom.

Sticks and Stones
May break my bones
And words will never hurt me
But tread cautiously this, dipute
Or freedom will escape thee

And when NBC or CBS, are ever coerced, to be complicit, in government propoganda, "for the good of the nation of course."

Where will opposing voices that you might not agree with, get access?

People may not agree with Imus, I really never cared to listen, I'd turn to another station. But the pressure placed upon the networks to fire him, could come back to bite those who love the First Amendment.

Just another way for the Government, to get it's foot in the door, you know what they'll say, A dispute has arisen "we need to keep order. Lets have a hearing, lets pass a law. because our constituents were offended.

Your point is well taken. You didn't actually "lie", rather you selected two isolated pieces of information that are unrepresentative of the total picture and then used them to make an assertion that is not suported by the most comprehensive information available.

In other words you "cherry picked" one poll. If you knew that the Gallup poll was unrepresentative of the bigger picture, then you were misrepresenting the situation, if you were ignorant of the much better data at Pollster.com then I am happy to enlighten you and our fellow readers.

As to credibility, that is for others to decide. In my book, people who make big assertions without backing them up, or who "cherry pick" isolated pieces of information to misrepresent, or who name call (your favorite seems to be calling Obama supporters "Obama fluffers") are less credible.

All politicians pander to a greater or lesser degree. I think Obama does it significantly less than most. I liked his interview on MSNBC: he said he would not accept such behavior from a member of his staff, and he said he did not want his two little black girls growing up hearing that sort of language. I thought it was a very reasonable standard and a very reasonable statement.

Link?

This is obviously not from the Boston Globe, unless the newspaper makes a habit of citing itself as a reference.

(A note on form: You should use links and blockquotes to clearly delineate what you are saying, and what you are quoting.) 

Dissent Protects Democracy.

Where will opposing voices that you might not agree with, get access?

Yes, where oh where in today's media environment can people get access to say things?

If only there was something like a, maybe a "web" where people all over the "world" could keep post information, in something like a diary...maybe a "log" of their thoughts...

Or maybe something where "You" could post, like maybe a video...making kind like a video screen "Tube" thing, where you could interact with people.

Boy, I hope someone comes up with this stuff soon.

Boy what insight you have, who'd have thought that all Americans had access to the internet and You Tube that you seem to suggest.

Or that the majority of people use the internet at all. people who would rather get their news or commentary from NBC or CBS, or surprise,  talk radio in their  cars. God how antiquated, why aren't they as enlightened as you presume to be. LOL ;.)

Then you reply On April 12, 2007 - 10:43am cscs said: Boy, I hope someone comes up with this stuff soon.

I suppose you think Freedom of Speech is so inherent in these new mediums, but I'm afraid to burst your smugness bubble, but then again reality, will find you asleep in some fantasy world of open dialogue.

On April 10, 2007 - 4:12pm Andrew Golis said: Doing anything else will result in having your commenting privileges temporarily, and then permanently, revoked.

Many here agreed, with Andrews warning.

 I know you weren't serious, as you sarcastically referred to, the "Web".

CSCS "Your fifteen minutes are up. We have serious problems, and we need serious people to solve them." My name is chuckie and I'm here to defend our right.

The American President is a 1995 film President Andrew Shepherd speaking to Richard Dreyfuss - Senator Bob Rumson about those who ridiculed the ACLU, an organization to promote the Bill of Rights 

Excerpts and extended remarks taken from: http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_American_President

President Andrew Shepherd: " For the record: yes, I am a card-carrying member of the ACLU. But the more important question is why aren't you, Bob? (CSCS) Now, this is an organization whose sole purpose is to defend the Bill of Rights, so it naturally begs the question: Why would (CSCS) a senator, his party's most powerful spokesman and a candidate for President, choose to reject upholding the Constitution? If you can answer that question, folks, then you're smarter than I am, because I didn't understand it until a couple of minutes ago.

America isn't easy. America is advanced citizenship. You gotta want it bad, 'cause it's gonna put up a fight. It's gonna say "YOU WANT FREE SPEECH?              Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who's standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours. You want to claim this land as the land of the free? Then the symbol of your country can't just be a flag; the symbol also has to be one of its citizens exercising his right to burn that flag in protest. Show me that, defend that, celebrate that in your classrooms. ........

Then, you can stand up and sing about the "land of the free". .......... You gather a group of middle-aged, middle-class, middle-income voters who remember with longing an easier time, and you talk to them about family and American values and personal character.

(Railing against those who speak of hairdos and tattoos) .... You scream about patriotism (bad and offensive speech) and you tell them she's (IMUS) IS  to blame for their lot in life, and you go on television and you call her a whore. (IMUS, a racist)

...I consider them a threat to national security, (all threats to Freedom of speech)  and I will go door to door if I have to, but I'm gonna convince Americans that I'm right, and I'm gonna get the guns. (Perserve the Bill of Rights, especially, Freedom of Speech)

We've got serious problems, and we need serious men to solve them, and if you want to talk about character, (CSCS) Bob, you'd better come at me with more than a burning flag and a membership card. (sarcasim and ridicule) If you want to talk about character and American values, fine. Just tell me where and when, and I'll show up.

This is a time for serious men, Bob,(CSCS)  and your fifteen minutes are up. My name is Andrew Shepherd, and I am the President. (My Name is chuckie and I am a member of the TPM Community) and I am an American)