Not Had Enough Yet?

If you still need more Imus coverage.....just kidding.

No one needs more Imus coverage; however, David Carr of the NYTimes postmorts the entire saga and his analysis is worth reading in its entirety. If you prefer the Cliff Notes version, here are a few of money quotes:

“Imus has a long history of saying far more negative, divisive things,” said Robert M. Entman, a professor of media and public affairs at George Washington University. “In this case, he chose a college basketball team. College athletics is sacred in our culture in a way. We tell ourselves that it is a place that we have transcended race. This was an attack on the purity of sport, student athletes who are not paid to perform."

Regarding Imus' decision to appear on Sharpton's show:

By seeking absolution from people with their own political agenda, Mr. Imus lost custody of his apology.

And finally:

Who countered for Mr. Imus? The cadre of white, accomplished males who have been his running buddies for years. He may have black friends, but they don’t show up on his show much and that broadcast apartheid left him without meaningful allies. Mr. Imus was alone and ineffective in his defense, after years of being surrounded by sycophancy that has left him reflexively entitled and ill-prepared for media opportunities in which he does not control the microphone.

Now we see why Mr. Carr writes for the NYTimes and I've got this silly little blog. He's wicked smaht and he writes wicked good.

CBS Cancels Don Imus Immediately and Permanently

CBS has fired Don Imus, and it looks like they're not kidding around......Guess I'll be buying a Sirrius Satellite Radio.

Ok, Rev. Sharpton and Rev. Jackson. I'll be watching to make sure that you are good to your promise to clean up the rappers and other African American performers.

You're officially on watch. I cannot abide a hypocrite, fellas.
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Bigelow Tea Sponsors Half Hour Of Imus Telethon

Our new morning set-up--Who needs MSNBC?

Jeez'em, I am now confused. Cindy Bigelow has just waxed profound for about 2 minutes about how Don Imus has enriched the lives of families with children, yada, yada, yada, how honored she and her parents have been to be even a small part of the great work he's done for children.

Almost makes me sorry I dumped all our Bigelow Tea yesterday morning, after reading this article. (Sorry, I get a bit passionate sometimes and it seemed an appropriate gesture).

I won't be watching MSNBC anymore, however. Imus' firing seems to be a response to the noise. It's the easy thing to do to quell the rising storm in order to avoid the real issue: how to fix the continued disproportionate levels of black representation in our media, our boardrooms, our workplaces, our universities, etc, and the way that people of color are treated in every day life.

Should real good, real change come from this firing, then I applaud it. At this time, my inner skeptic believes Imus' head was sacrificed by NBC so that life at Rockefeller Center can remain as it is.

Sharpton will forget about Imus; Jackson will move on to other causes. Stringer will have the BEST recruiting class Rutgers has ever seen (heck, she might finally win that elusive national title next year), and NOTHING will change. That will be the real tragedy of this mess.

BTW-Where's Russert been in all this?
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IMUS FIRED

MSNBC has announced that it will no longer simulcast the Imus in the morning show.
Yes, I'm sorry about that. I'm more sorry that he said such a horrible thing, but I've listened/watched the man for 15 years and I'd dishonest if I said that I'd hoped he'd get another chance.
Jason Whitlock of the Kansas City Star expresses my thoughts on the I-Mess more eloquently than I can.

UPDATE: Olbermann has just admitted that he went to management at MSNBC and asked that Imus be removed.

Forget Imus. Let's talk about Essence Carson

And the rest of the Lady Scarlet Knights basketball team, who conducted themselves with dignity, poise and grace under pressure at today's press conference.
None more so than the captain Essence Carson, who showed why she's the captain.

In a blog post last year at Double A-Zone, she wrote:

"At Rutgers, academic excellence is understood to be a part of the norm. As road trips entail physical exhaustion and a mind that is so bogged down with the academic pressures of a professor, you fight to make it through each day. Will you settle for less - what we like to call mere crumbs - or will you strive to be atop the mountain? Every scholar-athlete understands the necessary time management skills that are needed to balance out the life of the scholar and of the athlete. So essentially, at the end of the day, our minds have endured a workout much more strenuous than that of any professional athlete. We are the nation’s 'professional scholars.'

I'm guessing that hundreds of thousands more people watched today's press conference than watched these women play basketball last Tuesday night. Maybe that and the lack of women and women of color coaching in Division I should become the real story here. Not to excuse Imus' remarks, but enough is enough already. Let's talk about the real story. Let's give these girls' the spotlight they should have had on their own.

Imus Suspended for Two Weeks

By MSNBC. Beginning April 16th. I'm going to be driving around in my car for two weeks, listenening to the radio. I rather hope Imus decides to cancel his MSNBC contract and go back to a full radio format--not that I endorse his remarks. I don't. But he appears truly sorry, to have made amends and to need forgiveness. I'm willing to offer that.

David Gregory is hosting Hardball and devoting (at least the first 20 minutes) the show to this issue. He's distanced himself from Imus. Howard Finneman (who appeared this morning on Imus) is waffling. Jesse Jackson is now on Hardball to try to get an African-American a show on MSNBC. Only Barnicle (the dubious source guy, the guy who knows scandal) is standing firm.

Y'all should tune into MSNBC tomorrow for the next installment of the affair.

UPDATE: CBS Radio is also suspending Imus. So, I won't be driving around in my car for two weeks to listen to him on the radio. Ah, the age of 1,000,000 voices.......in the midst of which, the Imus blog gets suspended....odd timing, is it not?

Beyond Irony

I've listened to Don Imus faithfully since 1992, so I know a bit about the guy and aye-uh, I admit that I find his show entertaining. He often says things that are beyond defensible and there's never a protected class on Imus. But, he covers current affairs (no pun intended) and politics in a way that helps me understand complex issues more easily than other talk shows and pundits, so I continue to tune in.


What he said last week about the Rutgers women's basketball team was horrible--racist and misogynist-- and I'm not going to defend him or those comments in any way.

I'd be remiss, however, given my generally cynical view of politics, big business and public life in America, if I didn't share with you the following true things:

While reading MSM articles and blog posts on the controversy, I clicked over to this post at OliverWillis.com.
The most unfortunate google ad appears at the bottom of Mr. Willis' post:

Now I realize that Mr. Willis can't control the ads that adsense flows through to his specific posts, but he can block her ads from appearing on his site, but he makes money from the Coulter ads that appear on the site and he drives business to her. On a post dismissing Mr. Imus' apology and calling for his firing.....(for the record, he called her on the John Edwards slur on his blog--although his comments were directed more towards the Republican candidates who associate with her than about her)

Beyond ironic, is it not?

The other irony of this saga is that the Rev. Al (Crown Heights riot flame thrower, Freddy's Mart "white interloper" man, not to mentionn Tawana Brawley) Sharpton is leading the call for Imus' firing. I think it's fair that Rev. Sharpton, who has frequently used slurs, innuendo, and intimidation to line his pockets and ruin the lives of others, give up his public persona if Imus is fired.

UPDATE: C. Vivian Stringer, one of the icons of women's basketball calls Imus to task in a completely appropriate and (as always for her) classy way:

"It is of the utmost importance to be an inspiration to young people and I truly believe my team represented Rutgers University, the state of New Jersey, and NCAA student-athletes across the country in the highest manner. I am proud of these young women and strongly encourage Mr. Imus to instead read the headlines and the stories that told of our triumphs the past six months."

If you don't know about Vivian Stringer, you should get to know her. She's a role model, a hero, a coaching legend.

Next UPDATE: Hustleknockin' weighs in on the situation:

We give all manner of folks passes for similar language whenever it suits our odd peculiars, particulars and assorted pecadillos. the idea that black women are so second class that they can be insulted at the drop of a hat in word, in song, in image by any and all comers for profit or whim and actually be blamed for it themselves is offensive enough;