Don Imus Suspension
If Imus’s comments, though ill advised and inappropriate, were made on the Chris Rock Show or Saturday Night Live they would have passed below the radar. That being the case, I think that Mr. Imus’s comments have to be interpreted by way of assessing his intent and more importantly by the man’s body of work.

As to intent, an insensitive remark made to me can be laughable by the person making it and the context of its delivery. Someone else making the same, verbatim comment with a non-humorous intent would be discernable and exception would be taken to the comment. Imus’s audience or someone viewing the show for the first would be equally capable of exercising the facility to reason and recognize that his intent was not malicious but intended as humor.

Imus’s entire body of work shows him to be politically liberal in his views, tolerant and anything but a racist or a cretin. As evidence, I would point out Imus’s considerable, over the top support of Rep. Harold Ford in the recent elections for the US senate. In addition, his ranch in New Mexico is dedicated to children suffering from blood disorders and cancer. The ranch doesn’t ask what the color of the child’s skin is in determining who gets to go to the ranch. Children covering a complete multi-ethnic background with the disorders are accepted. Over the years, Imus has raised millions of dollars for charity and given freely of his time to support those in need. I say this as a long time radio and TV fan of Imus’s going back to the mid 80’s.

That said, I would like to address the management of CBS, MSNBC and the opportunists that have come forward to make this a media event, another photo-op, a platform to make money and engage in shameful self promotion. The Right Reverend Jesse Jackson’s criticism of Imus meets all the preceding criteria. This man has no equal at self promotion especially when this is considered in the context of his conceiving a child out of wedlock. I would suggest that such an action is far more egregious yet MSNBC gave this man the opportunity to publicly stand in judgment of Imus. The Matt Lauer interview on NBC was a one-sided attack on Imus by the network. The preceding goes to the motive of MSNBC and CBS. I would suggest that MSNBC executives shamelessly for the sake of filling airtime and making money at the expense of a decent man conceived the media coverage to mirror the sorted details of the Anna Nicole media event.

In closing, the actions of Jesse Jackson and others at MSNBC are far more reprehensible than those of Don Imus. Your actions are based on profit and self-promotion and have no regard for the truth.

Bill Jocher
133 Gholdston Dr,
Dayton Tn, 37321

Brian, I have found your on-air persona to be down-to-earth and in no way swell-headed. Have the cameraman move the camera back a bit.

As to your hands...keep your mitts off the popcorn bowl until I have a chance to reach in.