Oh No He Didn't!

If you haven't heard the lovely comment that radio "shock jock " Don Imus made about the ladies of the Rutgers basketball team by now, then you really need to broaden your horizons. I waited to comment because I knew that with time, the circus would get bigger. The Ringling Brothers couldn't have asked for more.

This week, Imus began the media equivalent of the "walk of shame". He has dragged his craggy face, gravelly voice and preposterous hairdo in front of every camera and microphone that would have him to apologise for his insensitive comment and tell everyone that he is a "good person who did a bad thing". He even sat across the table from Al Sharpton, he of the equally preposterous hair and allowed this ethically challenged "preacher" to judge and humiliate him. How quickly people forget that Al orchestrated one of the biggest witch hunts on the city of New York all based on lies. About the only thing Imus hasn't done to show remorse is lay prostrate in front of Oprah and flog himself with his headset cord while giving away tickets to "The Color Purple." I say enough is enough.

What Imus said is indefensible. It was offensive, stupid and above all, not funny. Imus claims that the goal of his show is to be funny. Wow, he was way off. OK, he was wrong. He has apologised and seems sincere. The only people's forgiveness he really needs to worry about are the women on the Rutgers team. He needs to just shut up now and take his medicine. The more he puts himself out there and keeps saying how sorry he is, the less sorry he'll seem. You and I both know that the more you're forced to apologize, the angrier you get. There will come a point when he just says, "You know what, I said I'm sorry a hundred times and if you don't believe me then just F off." Maybe that's what I would do, but I don't think I'm far off.

Some are saying he should lose his job. That's crazy. Jesse Jackson, who never met a camera he didn't want to jump in front of, is leading a "group" of about twenty people who have nothing better to do in a daily protest outside NBC's Chicago headquarters calling for Imus' head on a stick. Forget for a second that Imus isn't on the radio in Chicago, and most of these people wouldn't know Imus if his big cowboy hat fell at their feet, aren't there bigger problems out there? What about all the African American comics, rappers and radio people who say much worse? Let's focus on everybody. Imus has been suspended for two weeks. He's being punished, he doesn't need to be destroyed. He's a jerk. If you listen to his show, you know what you're getting. We still live in a country with free speech for everyone, not just people we agree with. The market will make the determination. If enough people don't listen to Imus, and companies don't advertise, then he will be gone. It's that simple.

He's meeting with the Rutgers women next week. That should be his last apology. It's up to those women to forgive him or not. After that, just shut up. I've got to go. I'm taking my nappy head to the theater. Later...Brian