Updates

The latest news in some stories we've covered previously.

The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), the federal agency charged with making our nation's mines safe, has issued fines for the Sago Mine disaster in which 12 miners died. Only one died as a result of the lightning strike said to have started the fire; the other 11 died subsequently. They were each wearing self-contained self-rescuers (SCSRs); there were numerous code violations in these, and obviously they failed. The MSHA issued a fine of $60 to the mine operator. Yes, $60. 12 deaths, divided by $60, that's $5 per death.

In the wake of the resignation of Boston College women's ice hockey coach Tom Mutch for an inappropriate relationship with a player, one incoming freshman has chosen another school, and a freshman was released from her scholarship. Neither is the player reportedly involved with the coach. In similar news, the women's golf coach at the University of Georgia, Todd McCorkle, resigned May 7th after being accused of sexually harassing his players. He showed them the Paris Hilton sex tape, talked about their bras and underwear, and touched them inappropriately. Like Mutch, McCorkle is married to a former player, Jenna Daniels, who is now on the LPGA Tour. But he met her while he was her golf coach at the University of Arizona, when she was 18 and he was 36. Warning bells!

Don Imus is suing CBS Radio for $120 million. Did he have a clause in his contract saying that he got to stay if advertisers bailed? I'm sure he'll donate whatever he gets to charity.

When Rudy Giuliani reported his finances this week, we learned a weird fact: He has Judi Nathan on the payroll, to the tune of $125,000 per year. So those campaign contributors are putting their money right into the Giuliani/Nathan kitty. It's all about the Benjamins.

Congressman Jim McGovern's Food Stamp Challenge made the front page of the Boston Globe yesterday.

Imus Reactions

Don Imus
Colbert I. King, WaPo: Standing Up to Imus

Still, Don Imus's media friends find ways to keep him in their good graces.

Those colleagues proved to be more devoted to Imus than to the people he has slandered. They silently averted their gaze from his record to go on his popular show and sell themselves.

LATimes: A talk powerhouse is shut down
The firing of Don Imus by CBS brings an abrupt end to a radio forum that attracted media and political heavies.
This article contains Don Imus's final shot at women (which CLANKS OFF THE BACKBOARD, like all the rest of shots):

But Imus made it clear elsewhere that he didn't intend to fade out quietly. He called the "Conway & Whitman" show on Los Angeles radio station KLSX (97.1 FM) Thursday and complained that he had been fired while he was doing a charity show. He vowed: "I plan to be on the radio. I plan to work again. I'm not going to sit around like an old woman."

LATimes: EDITORIAL
Responding to racism with dignity
The Rutgers women's basketball team shows class.

Independent (uk): The sacking of Don Imus: The rise (and fall) of the shock jock
The right-wing US broadcasters who fill the air with invective operate way beyond the conventions of good taste. But now one of them has gone too far

Times (uk) Online: The ‘perfect storm’ that brought a shocking radio career to an end
Don Imus was a renowned shock jock — then he insulted a black girls' sports team
In England, they're still girls.

Anderson (IN) Herald-Bulletin: EDITORIAL: Imus should have been fired long ago
Out there in the heartland, they get it.

Patriot-Ledger: OPINION
OUR VIEW: It was always about the green
Their final analysis: Blame the audience. (Right! We made him say those things. Sheesh.)

Rich Lowry, NYPost:
BONFIRE OF PROFANITIES
WHY LIBERALS GAVE SHOCK JOCK A FREE PASS
Still thinks the corporate media is liberal. Not.

theday.com: Go Right Ahead And Filet Don Imus, Just Be Sure To Skin His Corporate Bosses, Too
Excellent suggestion: Make Imus advertisers give to the United Negro College Fund!

Apology Accepted

Don Imus, at left on steps, leaves the governor's mansion in Princeton Township, N.J., Thursday, April 12, 2007, after meeting with the Rutgers University women's basketball team. Imus was fired Thursday from his CBS radio show over remarks he made on the air about the team. Imus left without commenting to reporters, but C. Vivian Stringer, the team's coach, spoke briefly on the mansion's steps. (AP Photo/Mike Derer)
MSNBC: Rutgers coach, players accept Imus’s apology
Deidre Imus says fired radio host told team ‘I feel awful’ about comments

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. - The Rutgers women’s basketball team accepted radio host Don Imus’ apology Friday for insulting them on the air, saying that he deserves a chance to move on but that they hope the furor his words caused will be a catalyst for change.

“We, the Rutgers University Scarlet Knight basketball team, accept — accept — Mr. Imus’ apology, and we are in the process of forgiving,” coach C. Vivian Stringer read from a team statement a day after the women met personally with Imus and his wife.

“We still find his statements to be unacceptable, and this is an experience that we will never forget,” the statement read.

Rutgers Women Getting Hate Mail

Rutgers women's basketball coach C. Vivian Stringer, center left, accompanied by university President Richard McCormick, left, athletic director Robert Mulcahy, right, and members of her team, talks on the steps of the governor's mansion in Princeton Township, N.J., Thursday, April 12, 2007. They had just met with radio personality Don Imus who was fired from his radio program Thursday following controversy surrounding his remarks about the Rutgers women's basketball team. (AP Photo/Mike Derer)

I've gotten a lot of angry comments on this blog while blogging about Imus's racist and sexist comments, and you may notice, I've had to delete a few.

Anger is at the heart of racism and sexism. People who attack others on the basis of their immutable characteristics are angry. Angry that things aren't like they used to be, angry that 'we' (the other) don't know our place, etc. Racists are angry at blacks. Sexists are angry at women. That's why we call what Imus said 'hate speech'. It brings out crazies like the ones who are now sending hate mail to the young women on the Rutgers basketball team. Hating them for saying, this hurt me. Wow.

Newark Star Ledger: Deidre Imus: Stop hate mail to Rutgers team

Deidre Imus, co-hosting the WFAN Radiothon this morning on 660 AM substitute for her husband, called the women of the Rutgers basketball team "courageous and beautiful," just hours after she and her husband met with them last night at the governor's mansion in Princeton.

She expressed horror that team members have received hate mail in the aftermath of the controversy created nine days ago when her husband called them "nappy-headed hos" on his "Imus in the Morning" radio show.

"The hate mail being sent to them (the Rutgers team members) must stop," Deidre Imus said. "If you want to send hate mail, send it to my husband."

WABC-NY: Imus off the air completely

Don Imus Ousted By CBS Radio

Don Imus

CNN reporting that Don Imus has been fired by CBS Radio.

Bye bye.

Can't Get Enough Imus

Can you? That's why you searched for more. Here are some interesting articles.

The American Prospect, TAPPED: MSNBC had panels and panels of white men discussing the firing of Imus last night. Hmmm.

Washington Post columnist Sally Jenkins thinks Imus should buy a season ticket to Rutgers women's basketball and sit in the front row for every game next year. I think Sally Jenkins, who appeared on Imus's show in the past and never made a peep about his racist or sexist remarks before the Rutgers comment, should go to those Rutgers games. Why should those kids have to be reminded of what Imus said about them at every game? Why shouldn't ol' Sally herself do a little penance? She also thinks he should have kept his job so he could keep the 'conversation' going. I'm a little sick of white people saying Imus should be teaching the nation about race. Just stop that. Now.

NAYABA ARINDE at the Amsterdam News says Don Imus fumbled his mea culpa; that's what doomed him.

Bob Hebert in the New York Times (TimesSelect wall, also here and here) says it was the outrage of women within NBC who forced the cancellation of the Imus show.

Slate: Imus in the Twilight: How the DJ found his niche—and lost it.

Newark Star-Ledger: It's the other 'N' word that's still hair-raising
'Nappy' retains its harsh sting in the black community

North Jersey Record: RU gives Imus a lesson in class

North Jersey Record: Carson is a leader speaking up for 'what's right'

Bye Bye Slime Man

Don Imus
MSNBC drops Imus. CBS Radio and WFAN still on the fence. (Steve Capus, NBC News President, on Hardball tonight says, C. Vivian Stringer's speech at the press conference yesterday really affected everyone. Viv! Rutgers women's basketball!)

I hope every stupid white man who went on TV in the past week and defended Imus now thinks long and hard. Why are so many of the rest of us so offended? Why were they so quick to let Imus off the hook? How could they let years of racist, sexist, crude and cruel jokes go by? I hope they look into their hearts and really think about that. Tom Oliphant, Howard Fineman, Jonathan Alter, Craig Crawford, David Gregory, James Carville, Paul Begala. (Look at that group. What do they have in common? Hmmm.)

At heart, I am an idealist.

NYTimes: NBC News Drops Imus Show Over Racial Remark

NBC News dropped Don Imus yesterday, canceling his talk show on its MSNBC cable news channel a week after Mr. Imus made a racially disparaging remark about the Rutgers University women’s basketball team.

WaPo: MSNBC Drops Imus's Morning Program

Mewark Star-Ledger: MSNBC says it will drop Imus show

This may have had as much to do with the decision as anything:

Reuters: Don Imus show loses more advertisers

NEW YORK (Reuters) - General Motors and drug maker GlaxoSmithKline pulled their advertising from shows hosted by Don Imus on Wednesday, striking a blow to the shock-jock and broadcasters who carry him.

American Express and Home loans Web site Ditech.com also said they would withdraw their ads.

They joined companies including household products maker Procter & Gamble Co. and office supplies retailer Staples Inc. in pulling their support amid an outcry over an on-air racial slur by Imus about the Rutgers University women's basketball team.

'He's crossed the line'

NYTimes (AP): CBS Director Hopes Imus Will Be Fired

NEW YORK (AP) -- Bruce Gordon, former head of the NAACP and a director of CBS Corp., said Wednesday the broadcasting company needs a ''zero tolerance policy'' on racism and hopes talk-show host Don Imus is fired for his demeaning remarks about the mostly black Rutgers women's basketball team.

''He's crossed the line, he's violated our community,'' Gordon said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. ''He needs to face the consequence of that violation.''

Gordon, a longtime telecommunications executive, stepped down in March after 19 months as head of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, one of the foremost U.S. civil rights organizations.

He said he had spoken with CBS chief executive Leslie Moonves and hoped the company, after reviewing the situation, would ''make the smart decision'' by firing Imus rather than letting him return to the air at the end of a two-week suspension beginning next Monday.

''We should have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to what I see as irresponsible, racist behavior,'' Gordon said. ''The Imus comments go beyond humor. Maybe he thought it was funny, but that's not what occurred. There has to be a consequence for that behavior.''

'These Women Are Human Beings'

Jesus' General: Oliphant's Children

These young women didn't need to be degraded in that way by Imus, especially on the day following their greatest achievement thus far, taking second place in the National Woman's College Basketball Championship. They were terribly wronged. Not only were they insulted in one of the most vile and despicable ways possible, but it may have very well ruined one of the greatest moments of their lives.

I doubt Russert, Fineman, or Oliphant give a damn about these women's feelings. The Rutgers players can't help them sell their books or promote their projects like Imus does. But god damn it Tim, Howie, and Tom, these women are human beings. Really. They're actual people with the same feelings the rest of us have.

Take a look at these beautiful, accomplished young women and think about the violence Imus and his toadies committed against them:

Go look at all of them.

Here's the captain:

ESSENCE CARSON
Junior
Music Major
A gifted musician who plays the piano, bass guitar, drums and saxophone
Gold Medal winner With Team USA
Daughter of Stacey Robinson and the late Joseph Carson and second of three children.

Free Speech

I keep reading and hearing people defending Don Imus's right to free speech. Why are we attacking his right to free speech? We're not. We're attacking what he said, not his right to say it. He can say it all he wants. But I don't want to support it, and I don't want it spewing into my home every day. So I'm speaking out.

This dispute over Imus's remarks is the epitome of free speech. Free speech is about the marketplace of ideas. Everyone gets the right to speak. But then that speech is evaluated by the community.

Imus spoke and expressed his opinion. He placed his speech out there into the marketplace, and we are exercising our right to free speech by complaining about what he said. He can say as much sexist and racist crap as he wants. And WE have every right to say to his employer, We won't watch your programs any more if you continue to employ this hater. And WE have every right to say to his sponsors, We won't buy your products any more if you continue to place your ads on this hater's program. And we can say to the FCC, This speech has no place on the public airwaves, because it does not respect all people.

Don Imus can say all he wants to. And we as a community, we as a people, we get to speak out about what he said. And if that means that he doesn't get paid millions of dollars to speak, so be it. In the marketplace of ideas, I think his opinions are worth about two cents. He can say all he wants to. And I'll continue to exercise my right to free speech to say his speech is hateful.

Or to quote Coach Stringer: "racist and sexist remarks [] are deplorable, despicable, abominable and unconscionable."

Imus's Long, Sad History

Courts often use the phrase "long, sad history" in talking about our country's history of racial discrimination.

Timothy Noah of Slate Magazine has compiled some of Imus's long, sad history. This latest incident is just the culmination of decades of hate speech. He must be fired.

Timothy Noah, Slate: The Wit and Wisdom of Don Imus
A guide for Washington's power crowd. (go to the article for links to citations)

On blacks:

"William Cohen, the Mandingo deal."
(Former Defense Secretary Cohen's wife is African-American.)

"Wasn't in a woodpile, was he?"
(Responding to news that former black militant H. Rap Brown, subsequently known as Abdullah Al-Amin, was found hiding in a shed in Alabama after exchanging gunfire with police. Imus is here alluding to the expression "nigger in the woodpile.")

"Knuckle-dragging moron."
(Description of basketball player Patrick Ewing.)

"We all have 12-inch penises."
(After being asked what he has in common with Nat Turner, Malcolm X, Minister Louis Farrakhan, Latrell Sprewell from the New York Knicks, and Al Sharpton.)

"Chest-thumping pimps."
(Description of the New York Knicks.)

"A cleaning lady."
(Reference to journalist Gwen Ifill, possibly out of pique that she wouldn't appear on his show. "I certainly don't know any black journalists who will," she wrote in the April 10 New York Times. The Chicago Tribune's Clarence Page used to appear, but after he made Imus pledge not to make offensive comments in the future, he was never asked back.)

On Jews:

"I remember when I first had [the Blind Boys of Alabama] on a few years ago, how the Jewish management at whatever, whoever we work for, CBS, or whatever it is, were bitching at me about it. […] I tried to put it in terms that these money-grubbing bastards could understand."

"Boner-nosed … beanie-wearing Jewboy."
(Description of Howard Kurtz of the Washington Post, a frequent guest.)

On women:

"That buck-tooth witch Satan, Hillary Clinton." […] "I never admitted it when I went down there and got in all that big jam, insulting Bill Clinton and his fat ugly wife, Satan. Did I? Did I ever say I was sorry for that?"

On Native Americans:

"The guy from F-Troop, Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell."
(This is a reference to the zany Indian characters on the 1960s TV sitcom F-Troop. They had names like "Roaring Chicken," "Crazy Cat," and "Chief Wild Eagle.")

On Japanese:

"Old Kabuki's in a coma and the market's going up. […] How old is the boy? The battery's running down on that boy."
(Reference to Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, who died the following week.)

On gays:

"I didn't know that Allan Bloom was coming in from the back end."
(The homosexuality of the author of The Closing of the American Mind became widely known when Saul Bellow published Ravelstein, a novel whose protagonist was based on Bloom, who by then was deceased.)

"The enormously attractive [NBC political correspondent] Chip Reid, I can say without being accused of being some limp-wristed 'mo."

On the handicapped:

"Janet Reno's having a press conference. Ms. Reno, of course, has Parkinson's disease, has a noticeable tremor. […] I don't know how she gets that lipstick on (laughter) looking like a rodeo clown."

Every one of these statements came directly out of Imus' mouth on his program. That's striking because Imus usually leaves it to other show regulars (especially McGuirk, the aforementioned point man on "nigger" jokes) to say the most offensive stuff, with Imus feeding them straight lines. It's safer that way.

Tick Tock, Tick Tock

Reuters: Some advertisers yank ads from Imus show
Staples and Procter & Gamble have pulled ads after racial slur

LOS ANGELES - Companies including Procter & Gamble Co. and Staples Inc. are pulling advertisements from Don Imus’ show due to the shock jock’s on-air racial slur about the Rutgers University women’s basketball team.

His Buds Are Desperate To Save Imus

I am thoroughly disgusted as I watch Hardball tonight. David Gregory (Bush's pal 'Stretch') tells Rev. Al Sharpton that given Don Imus's history of doing good work, couldn't he keep the promise he made on the Today show this morning and have a black person on the show every day, to change how America talks about race.

So ridiculous. Why does America need a moron who doesn't realize that the phrase "nappy-headed hos" is offensive in 2007 to be given a bully pulpit to teach the country about race? What does he know about it? Is he going to teach us as he learns? Sheesh.

They see a 'teachable moment' and they want Imus, the racist, to be the teacher. Completely absurd.

It reminds me of Mark McGwire's testimony before the Congressional committee investigating steroids in baseball, where (besides telling us he was not there to talk about the past) he kept offering to be a national spokesperson against steroids.

Like McGwire on steroids, Imus has proven himself uniquely unsuited to be a spokesperson against racism. But that's the job all his white male friends think he should be given.

None of these jamokes have ever counted the people in the room to find out how many looked like them. Never. Clueless.

A Few More Perspectives on Imus

Members of the Rutgers women's basketball team are shown during a news conference held on campus in Piscataway, N.J., Tuesday, April 10, 2007, to react to derogatory remarks directed at their team made on air by radio personality Don Imus. The team said they would meet privately with Imus. (AP Photo/Mike Derer)

Lisa Olson, NYDailyNews: Two weeks? He needs at least a summer vacation

-- Lisa Olson is famous herself; as a reporter for the Boston Herald in 1990, she was graphically sexually harassed by a group of naked players while trying to do interviews in the New England Patriots dressing room.

slamonline.com: Enough Is Enough
[NBA Washington] Wizards center and SLAMonline columnist Etan Thomas calls for the firing of radio host Don Imus.

NYDailyNews: WNBA's prez blasts Imus

Steve Politi, Newark Star-Ledger (NJ): Imus should get to know these young stars

Paul Franklin, Home News Tribune (central NJ): This team towers over Don Imus
Great 'meet the team' article.

Tim Keown, ESPN Page2: Congratulations, Don Imus

Jemele Hill, ESPN Page 2: Take a stand against indecency and cruelty

NYDailyNews: No suspending a mother's anger
Vaughn's mom wants Imus off air for good

No wonder Kia Vaughn kept saying 'No. Comment.' during the press conference when she was asked whether Imus should be fired.

Essence Carson Rocks The House

Rutgers junior guard Essence Carson beams during a news conference Monday, April 2, 2007 in Cleveland. Rutgers plays Tennessee for the women's college basketball national championship Tuesday night.
(AP Photo/Mark Duncan)
Essence Carson is answering most of the questions for the Rutgers women's basketball team press conference today.

If MSNBC needs someone to fill in the two weeks of Imus's absence, why not give Essence Carson the gig? She's smart, has thought a lot about the issues of sexism and racism, and thinks before she speaks. Far more interesting than some newsreader. I bet some prof at Rutgers would give her three credits for that, not that she needs them.

NCAA: The Essence of Being a Student-Athlete

Thank You C. Vivian Stringer

Don Imus
She just stuck a fork in Don Imus. But good. See why everyone in women's college basketball loves and respects her?

There was a fantastic program on PBS about her three years ago called "This Is A Game, Ladies." And despite the title PBS gave their documentary, Stringer removed "Ladies" from the team title. They're the Scarlet Knights, not the Lady Scarlet Knights.

When Rutgers Coach C. Vivian Stringer arrived in New Jersey 12 years ago, she immediately removed the "Lady" from Scarlet Knights.

"I understand that that's something more regional or southern," Stringer said. "And with all due respect, I just believe that basketball is basketball and you don't need to make a distinction…I think that it's time to just drop the 'lady' thing, let's play basketball."

You can listen to Tavis Smiley's interview with C. Vivian Stringer here.

Rutgers Press Conference On Now

Cable channels only. NBC does not deign to carry it live.

More Perspectives on Imus

Philadelphia Daily News: Elmer Smith | Imus is a stone-cold racist - & don't you forget it!

Eugene Robinson, WaPo: Misogyny in the Morning

Rochelle Riley, Detroit Free Press: Get rid of Imus -- and sexist rap, too

Al Roker, Today's Family Blog: 'it is time for him to go.'

Gwen Knapp, San Francisco Chronicle: Women need to raise voices on Imus insult

Editorial, Milwaukee Journal: Vile remark was racist

Mike Kelly, northjersey.com: Slime us in the morning

Dayton Daily News: Mary McCarty: Don Imus' 'joke' is ugly, hurtful and not funny

Don Imus has the freedom to say whatever he wants, and MSNBC has the freedom to say, "We no longer want your product."

If they keep him on, they're sending a very different message:

"Racism sells."

Gwen Ifill Speaks

Imus has been running around claiming he never called Gwen Ifill a cleaning lady. I'm sure that's technically true. Imus' schtick works like this: one of his crew, usually his producer, Bernard Mcuirk, makes an offensive statement. There's a brief moment of silence, then they all begin laughing like hyenas. Imus pretends to be outraged, and they all begin repeating the offensive statement, in the guise of remonstrating with Bernard. But actually, they're all enjoying the joke. Ha ha. Frat boy humor. Snap that towel, laugh at the pain that follows. Ha ha.

I don't think Gwen Ifill has ever spoken publicly about the cleaning lady incident before. She has a column in today's New York Times.

Gwen Ifill, NYTimes: Trash Talk Radio

I was covering the White House for this newspaper in 1993, when Mr. Imus’s producer began calling to invite me on his radio program. I didn’t return his calls. I had my hands plenty full covering Bill Clinton.

Soon enough, the phone calls stopped. Then quizzical colleagues began asking me why Don Imus seemed to have a problem with me. I had no idea what they were talking about because I never listened to the program.

It was not until five years later, when Mr. Imus and I were both working under the NBC News umbrella — his show was being simulcast on MSNBC; I was a Capitol Hill correspondent for the network — that I discovered why people were asking those questions. It took Lars-Erik Nelson, a columnist for The New York Daily News, to finally explain what no one else had wanted to repeat.

“Isn’t The Times wonderful,” Mr. Nelson quoted Mr. Imus as saying on the radio. “It lets the cleaning lady cover the White House.”

I was taken aback but not outraged. I’d certainly been called worse and indeed jumped at the chance to use the old insult to explain to my NBC bosses why I did not want to appear on the Imus show.

I haven’t talked about this much. I’m a big girl. I have a platform. I have a voice. I’ve been working in journalism long enough that there is little danger that a radio D.J.’s juvenile slap will define or scar me. Yesterday, he began telling people he never actually called me a cleaning lady. Whatever. This is not about me.

It is about the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. That game had to be the biggest moment of their lives, and the outcome the biggest disappointment. They are not old enough, or established enough, to have built up the sort of carapace many women I know — black women in particular — develop to guard themselves against casual insult.

Why do my journalistic colleagues appear on Mr. Imus’s program? That’s for them to defend, and others to argue about. I certainly don’t know any black journalists who will. To his credit, Mr. Imus told the Rev. Al Sharpton yesterday he realizes that, this time, he went way too far.

Yes, he did. Every time a young black girl shyly approaches me for an autograph or writes or calls or stops me on the street to ask how she can become a journalist, I feel an enormous responsibility. It’s more than simply being a role model. I know I have to be a voice for them as well.

So here’s what this voice has to say for people who cannot grasp the notion of picking on people their own size: This country will only flourish once we consistently learn to applaud and encourage the young people who have to work harder just to achieve balance on the unequal playing field.

Let’s see if we can manage to build them up and reward them, rather than opting for the cheapest, easiest, most despicable shots.

Profits Over Principles -- Imus Suspended -- For Just Two Weeks

Proving once again that it's all about the Benjamins, MSNBC and CBS Radio (who syndicate the WFAN broadcast) have suspended Don Imus's show. For two weeks. Oh, that'll really teach him. He can go on the two-week apology tour and bullshit people all over America about how really sorry he is. Which he isn't. He's pissed that he's being called out. Listen to the audio of his appearance on Al Sharpton's radio show today. Listen to the rage underneath his weasel words.

[] IMUS gets into it with a caller who from Ebony magazine, (thanks to Duncan for clarifying)": audio_mp3 Download (1665) | Play (2300) 4 minutes long…

IMUS: "Don't talk about me doing used car commercials. I'll bet you I've slept in a house with more black children who were not related to me than you have. Do not get into my face about this…why don't you show up here in person."

They'll probably shitcan his producer, even though "nappy-headed hos" came out of Imus's mouth, not McGuirk's. {Not that I'm defending Bernard. He should be fired, too.}

And the guests will come crawling back. Media first (for sheer amusement, you must check out the embarrassing turn by Howard Fineman of Newsweek on Imus this morning, and even worse, the disgraceful simpering "riff" by Thomas Oliphant, who also appeared on the show this morning to declare: "Good morning, Mr. Imus, and solidarity forever, by the way."), followed by politicians. They all are so used to bowing to Imus that they'll never be able to break the habit.

Did you listen to Imus back in the days when he was establishing his "charity" ranch for kids with cancer. (I put it in quotes because money counted as charitable deductions went to extravagant accommodations:

Dubbed the "Cowboy Taj Mahal" by locals, the complex has a 14,000-square-foot adobe mansion, swimming pool, billiard hall, herds of longhorn cattle, buffalo and sheep, and a replica of an 1880s mining town.

and, they have been investigated by the states of New York and New Mexico, and by the feds). He would mock the people who gave money, but nothing like the rants where he'd go on and on for days about people who he felt could afford to donate but hadn't. And still they came, reviled or not.

I hope I'm wrong and the next two weeks prove his undoing.

MediaMattersForAmerica: MSNBC's Imus Double Standard
Network Quickly Fired Michael Savage for Homophobic Rant in 2003, Imus Goes Unpunished Despite Long History of Inflammatory Language

Ron Allen, The Daily Nightly (MSNBC Blog): Imus' comments hit close to home

Digby: It's Hard Out Here Fo A Pimp

NYTimes: Don Imus Suspended Over Racial Remarks

WaPo: Don Imus Is Punished With Two Weeks of Radio Silence

WaPo Editorial: Shocked Jock
Don Imus takes his lumps. He deserves every one of them.