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Doug:

This isn't the first time that Don Imus has crossed that boundary (it's not even the first time this year). As someone who is now several racial insults over the legal limit, it's time for his sponsors to cut him off.

I don't usually keep up with Imus, so it's discouraging to hear this isn't out of the ordinary for him.

I hate to leave his status in the hands of sponsors. If current sponsors drop him, would others with lower standards step up and keep him on the air?

We wouldn't run, say, Ann Coulter columns with the excuse that "we're selling ads." We'd take responsibility and make the decision that we don't want to associate ourselves with offensive content (consistently, I hope; maybe except for my blog).

we don't want to associate ourselves with offensive content (consistently, I hope; maybe except for my blog).*Doug

I have been meaning to ask you about that Doug! Maybe you can replace Don for the next two weeks, since he has been pull from the starting line up of the Rutgers' Rap tatoo women's basketball team.

I am suprise that you and brother Al and a ton of other conservatives have jump on Don. I don't remember a word out of the conservatives when Don blasted Slick Willie about his predator habits in the White House.

Besides, the media must have miss his other comment about the Florida Gators winning the big dance with their tatoo Pimps.

The remarks may have been mean but were they really racist like Al Sharpton believes?

Good question, Morgan. It's hard to know a person's intent. It's easier to assess the effect. The remarks were definitely rude and insulting. What did the Rutgers women do to deserve them? Words have impact, and those used by Imus were mean-spirited and hurtful.

Morgan:

Imus' remarks "may have been mean" and may have been racist? For goodness sakes, the man used the term "nappy-headed hos" to describe the women, and his producer used the term "jigaboos." If these comments don't fit the definitions of both "mean" and "racist," it's hard to imagine what would.

Words have impact, and those used by Imus were mean-spirited and hurtful.* Doug

Pay Attention Doug! It was the Tatoos! Tatoos! Do you understand the culture of Tatoos! Barbarians had them tack all over their Celt body. Go into any Prison or Dentention Center. Nothing but Tatoos Man. It is a sign of against authority and law and order. Surely you would be upset if your Daughter had large Hell's Angels Tatoos or Rap Stars stamp all over her body in strange places. Of course if you are a Pagan worshiper. Who cares?

Hey! As a seeker of liberty, it's a free country and one can do anything with their body to impress or scare other team with the meanst warlike sign in their face on the court! Right?

Come to think of it! That is what we do with our high tech Battle Tanks.

I don't find "jigaboos" or "nappyhead" any more offensive than "slavemasters" (Deena Hayes' favorite term for white schoolchildren at Lincoln Academy.)

At least Imus apologized. Can't say the same for Deena.

With respect to Rev Sharpton, talk about the pot calling the kettle black.

I saw part of the Rutgers press conference, pretty articulate bunch of ladies.

Imus has done this for years and it's finally caught up with him. The suspension will probably sober him up and curtail a lot of his irreverent rantings on the the air, which is why most people like to listen to him.

I see this as a tempest in a tea kettle stoked by (who else?) Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson. They have done so much to foster division between black and white Americans and this is more of the same.

Imus is a "shock jock" - should we be surprised or offended that he said something in poor taste? That's what these guys do and I don't see it as a big deal.

An above poster compared this to the recent comments made by Deena Hayes. Actually, what Hayes said is far more dangerous because Hayes, as a school board member, is in a position of power and can negatively affect the lives of white students. Don Imus is just a DJ with a bad haircut.

But, this shouldn't be a one way street.

Sharpton and others such as the Rev. Jackson should have taken this incident one step further and also decried the degrading of Black women by Black rappers and comics such as Chris Rock who call them bitches and hos, as well as use the N word all the time, without any repercussions from the media to the extent that Don Imus as well as Rush Limbaugh faced when he made some statements about the Philly quarterback, experienced.

Of course, we know what happened to Rush, he got fired, but Don whose a darling of the mainstream media and has made a career of demeaning people, only gets suspended.

Mr. Clark,
Want to get over this? Just act like Kerry are Rossie said this. Have you ever heard of free speech? You have the prefect right to make a ass of yourself.

Want to get over this? Just act like Kerry are Rossie said this.*DJ

Hey wait a minute! Don't knock Rossie, she is on to something about this 9/11 thing. Why do you think the neo-cons on both sides of the political parties and the mainstream media are going nuts in attacking her?

CM could you please share with me, any news knocking Rosie, except Fox. All I have seen is how great this witch is. Since I lost my crop to gobal freezing, I have did little except watch tv and all I have seen is praise for her.

You've got me on this one, Doug. I'm such a Rosie fan.

This is just plain ridiculous. Imus IS a jerk, he was a jerk before this - BUT - he is PAID to be a jerk.

I don't condone what he said, I don't even like the man - but to call for his firing over this is just pathetic.

Look at who has pretty much taken the lead in wanting him ousted - Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson. Are you KIDDING me? The two clowns who dare use the title "Reverend", BOTH with very questionable histories - the two who keep bigotry alive. Jackson, who fathers a child with a woman who is not his wife, a man who SPIT in white peoples food (admitted on 60 minutes), Sharpton - who criticizes ANYTHING and ANYONE who is not black as being a racist; but REFUSES to acknowledge that there is racism on both sides. The man who wants the whole world to apologize for slavery (no one alive today had anything to do with it Al, let it go).

These two perpetuate the problem and imho - are two of the biggest offenders of racism.

I admit it's hard to rank Imus with Sharpton and Jackson. I don't think Sharpton has ever apologized for the Tawanna Brawley affair which is a much more grievous offense than Imus' remarks. Jackson should apologize for his statements about the Duke lacrosse case but probably won't. However, it's still hard to soften in any way the hurtful comments Imus made about the Rutgers women.

I haven't previously said how much credit college athletes deserve, especially those whose athletic achievements are outstanding AND who keep up with their studies, which I'm sure women athletes at Rutgers do. That requires a lot of hard work and dedication. They deserve better.

I agree Imus is a jerk. What is amazing is that some people love to listen to this stuff, similar to Howard Stern or those who watch daytime trash talk shows about "who is your real daddy" or "I had an affair with your best friend". Strange what some people view as entertainment.

So true, Doug, about Al Sharpton claiming moral high ground. Look right here in Guilford County. We have Deena calling white children "slavemasters" and wife of the local NAACP leader claiming to be Moses. Will wonders never cease.

Of course there are double standards in life for many things. I am aware that entertainers (including white comics) say these things and blacks in general say these things to each other. It doesn't give carte blanche for others to say them against blacks.

Culturally it is acceptable in the black communities because it is understood that there is no malice intended. However, when used outside of the culture it is with ridicule and purposeful degradation.

I have always felt that entertainers should give a warning like on cigarettes to let everyone know this is just for entertainment purposes only. "What I sing about is not necessarily what I believe to be true, because this is my job and this is what sells". Most of the music by black rap artists are purchased by white youth.

If this comment was made in another arena and came from Eminem I'm sure it would have been received differently. As an white hip hop entertainer produced by a black producer it is somewhat accepted and his music is at the top of the charts with all of the youth.

Mr. Imus was clearly out of order and obviously got caught up in the hype. The outrage was warranted but, I would have liked to seen this same type of outrage when the black man who was convicted and served seventeen years in prison for a crime he didn't commit was finally released.

I feel there are times when we must all chose our battles. This to me would not have been one of them. To spend this amount of time for this battle takes away time for the real battles that should be fought ie: equal education, living wages, affordable housing, violent crimes and other social ills facing our communities.

I wish we as African Americans would put half the energy into being angry about the images on BET that we put into getting rid of this radio announcer. We are doing far more harm to our children than Doug Imus could ever do. African American rap singers degrade African American females 24/7. Where is our outrage about that? We as African Americans really need to change our double standard. We need to address what we are doing wrong in our own community. We are passively allowing the self-esteem of our youth to be destroyed daily by other Africam Americans.

Thanks. That's a courageous comment.

The truth is, all Americans tolerate too much trash throughout our popular culture and it's hurting all our children.