First Amendment

[Vtwin_Guy]

I was just wondering how everyone else feels about the whole Don Imus situation. (If you don't know what I'm talking about just Google Imus)

This whole issue was not a black or white thing, it is much much bigger. Was the comment offensive? Yeah but he had the right to say it. Was it said in anger or with hate behind it? Absolutley not. All that has come of this is people are going to be afraid to speak freely for fear of losing their job.

To me what Rev. Al Sharpton and Jese Jackson did is a pure mafia tactic. Lay enough pressure on a business' lively hood (the sponsors) in order to get them to do what you want (fire Imus). Sounds like extortion to me. It's just to bad the sponsors or CBS or MSNBC didn't have the backbone to stand up to these two people who DO NOT represent the majority. They just made the most noise. It's sad that people will always band together for a hanging but rarely in support of something, Imus had millions of listners who kept quiet.

And since I brought up those two, how about Jackson's "Himey-Town" comment or what Rev. Al said about the Duke Univ. rape suspects or how about Rosie Odonnel's Asian comments, none of them were fired. Let's not forget how Sharpton got his fame the Tawana Brawley case. The only victom there was NY prosecutor Steven Pagones who was awarded $345,000 (he sought $150 million) through a lawsuit for defamation of character that he had brought against Sharpton. A jury found Sharpton liable for making seven defamatory statements about Pagones. To this day he has not been paid one dime!

I would die for this country in a heartbeat. Without question and with no regrets. But there is too much Politcal Correctness and sensitivity going on. People are afraid of hurting someones feelings. Like the whole Christmas trees or Menorahs in public buildings issues you get every year durring the holidays.

If this "victory" over Imus is a sign of things to come, we are going to need our 2nd amendment rights more than ever.

Well thats my rant. Sorry for the long post.

[TravisBickle]

Imus is an idiot, but to fire him goes too far. MSNBC really had no choice, though - if they didn't fire him, they would have had a bunch of angry blacks outside protesting in front of the news cameras. They would have lost commercial sponsorship otherwise.

Al Sharpton and Jessee Jackson are basically unemployable in the productive sector of the workforce, so instead they make a dishonest living through extortion and bribery. There are thousands of people just like them, but these two are really succsessful at it. Keep an eye on Michael Eric Dyson, he's the next up and coming racial extortionist.

[Gkgas]

Freedom of speech has gone away in my oppinion.

[danp]

Freedom of speech does not include a guarantee of a medium in which to utilize it.

MSNBC is a business, and chances are they simply decided his brand of speech (right or wrong) was no longer profitable.

[Emptymag]

Has he announced his plans to check in to a rehab clinic yet?

[D-FENS]

What a bunch of crap. Using a popular, comedic stereotype has brought the wrath of the media on the guy. This country is at war, probably an illegal one. The Administration hasn't been keeping records required by law and all the media can manage is to air shit about Anna Nicole, or Don Imus. Give me a break.

It's now career suicide to use comedic stereotypes because race-baiting opportunists like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson have crappy ratings. They're like the KKK but worse because they have the media fuhrer stomping along with them.


F*CK YOU WHITEY! is the signal above the noise.

Don't get me wrong, I think Imus is a douchebag but he's becoming a martyr in some circles. All this does is degrade the race debate.

As much as I hate Tony Blair, he said it pretty well the other day and he's taking hell for it too.

[ChamberedRound]

Originally Posted by danp

Freedom of speech does not include a guarantee of a medium in which to utilize it.

MSNBC is a business, and chances are they simply decided his brand of speech (right or wrong) was no longer profitable.

Agreed. I don't agree with Imus' comments, but stand by his right to speak his mind, however unpopular. I also think it stinks that MSNBC didn't stand by their artist's right to free speech, but that's their option.

However, let's look more at the REAL issue here. MSNBC was bullied into firing Mr. Imus by Rev. Sharpton, Rev. Jackson, and their cronies using scare tactics. This from two men which themselves have made racist and disparaging remarks before. These two are nothing more than terrorists; they start fires to further their own self-interests using civil rights as the excuse.

I don't agree with Imus' comments, but why aren't the above representatives of the black community also demanding that the record labels drop Snoop Dogg, R. Kelly, Nelly, and the like for their derogatory music which promotes a thug mentality, degrades women, and insults their own race? Or any other black artists which do the same for that matter? What about Dave Chapelle? He's a comedian which uses black stereotypes and racism in all his comedy routines, and he's made millions from it with not even an inkling of outrage from the black community.

This is a egrigous double-standard that no one seems to want to address for fear of being called a white supremacist or a racist. Well, I'm calling Bravo-Sierra on Revs. Sharpton and Jackson. And to think that Rev. Jackson was a protege of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., a REAL civil rights activist; what a disgrace.

If you're not sure what I mean by the above, take a look at this article written by Jason Whitlock, a Black journalist for the Kansas City Star:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1815474/posts

Again, let me re-iterate that Mr. Whitlock is an African-American journalist.

[Emptymag]

THC, Agreed.

I can't stand the word "divisive", but that's EXACTLY what is happening here. The outcry to eliminate thoughts and speach that "offends" is DIVISIVE.
"Why can't we all just get along"? Because of these "racists for hire" that you mentioned.

I'd like a T-shirt that says "Everything I learned about being a "racist", I learned from Al Sharpton."

Note: Some will take the above to mean I admit I'm a racist.
I say good luck proving THAT one. (and I'm not even going to say "I have friends who are black" - true or not, that sounds SO lame.)
Also note that I put quotes around racist)

CR, Agreed.

The sad thing is that Americans, black and white are not lining up in AGREEMENT with these clowns, they are lining up in FEAR of them.
I'm just getting old I guess, because I REFUSE to allow anyone legislate my thoughts. (and that's where this is headed)

[tourrider]

Imus has poor taste, and people should not allow his words to offend them.

He did have the fredom to say it though.

But we have to remember, while we have the right to say what we want, it does't mean that we are protected from the fallout our words bring on us.

Can anyone say Dixie Chicks !

[billamj]

Originally Posted by ChamberedRound

This is a egrigous double-standard that no one seems to want to address for fear of being called a white supremacist or a racist. Well, I'm calling Bravo-Sierra on Revs. Sharpton and Jackson. And to think that Rev. Jackson was a protege of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., a REAL civil rights activist; what a disgrace.

If you're not sure what I mean by the above, take a look at this article written by Jason Whitlock, a Black journalist for the Kansas City Star:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1815474/posts

Again, let me re-iterate that Mr. Whitlock is an African-American journalist.

I don't know that I have ever agreed more with any post that I have ever read on ANY site. CR, once again you've hit the nail on the head. Thank you!