DON IMUS- WHY HATING HIM SADLY MEANS YOU HAVE TO SUPPORT HIM

What is happening to Don Imus is wrong. Up front, I admit, I have never listened to him, never watched him, don't care about him, and I was appalled at the stupidity and truly obnoxious character of his comments.
However, anyone who claims to be progressive should be appalled by the recent developments. Until MSNBC fired him from his TV simulcast (which I have never watched) I wasn't really paying attention. Then they fired him and I was shocked. If they want to slap him on the wrist for PR reasons, I understand, even if I don't agree. But you can't fire the guy for doing what he is paid to do- comment on the world around him. If you don’t like those comments (and I for one do not like his comments at all) THEN DON'T LISTEN.
What has happened to Americans that they keep needing to have this explained to them?
This is a free speech issue.
We have this thing in America. It's called free speech. It means you can say anything you want whenever you want. For example, I can say, I think George Bush is a fucking idiot. I have that right. You can say I'm a fucking idiot for thinking George Bush is a fucking idiot. You have that right too. Indeed, I would fight for your right to call me a fucking idiot.
It seems one of the thorniest issues for people to wrap their heads around is the fact that people who say things that piss you off are the first one's who's speech should be protected. In this vein, it's fine to say that Imus is a dick for what he said, but firing him for being a dick is UNACCEPTABLE in a free country. This man used WORDS. Not actions, words. When the President says things that are stupid, people actually die. Imus is a "shock jock" what he says has exactly ZERO effect on the real world. He said something stupid- not in the context of news reporting, but in his commentary on a show that is (ostensibly), meant to be funny. Now he's out of a job for saying the same dumbass kind of thing that might've garnered universal laughter if it was said by Dave Chappelle.
Imus has the right to say what he wants and we have the right not to listen. If people are turned off by him, and his ratings plummet- THEN you can fire him. That's fair. But more and more we seem to be turning to the police state mentality that says if you say anything I disagree with I will ruin your life. Normally, I often agree with the stuff that Sharpton gets upset about- police brutality, etc. But this time, he's wrong.
Return Don Imus to MSNBC so that I can continue to not watch him. Hopefully no one else will want to either and this problem can be resolved fairly.
Or maybe it'll be you on TV being censored next.

BRILLIANT

I'm doing some research for the latest novel in the "Incarnations of the Americas" series, and I came across this fantastic culture jamming video. These guys, known as The Yes Men, do all kinds of stuff, but this one is particularly good.
One of the guys is posing as a spokesman for Dow Chemical, who owns Union Carbide, the company responsible for the Bhopal Disaster.
And yes, the new book has decided to force itself out of my head even though I've been half-heartedly been trying to work on the business end of publishing. And yes, culture jamming plays a role in the early chapters of the book. This one in particular is going to be fun because it is, essentially, the origin story of a character from Exodus Enisode, Ron Lowell.