Political Cartoons

He's free to speak, and they're free to fire him. That's always been the deal, right? I didn't see any upset conservatives when Bill Maher got the axe for the simple observation that some physical bravery is involved in flying a plane into a building.

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Shockingly that is the point I wanted to make. When did Bill Maher join the Loony Left? When did Imus join the Extreme Right. Why is this seen as points scored for one side or the other.

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weswilson

Nowadays, if you aren't dogmatic about your political affiliation, you end up branded as a member of the opposite extreme. Bill Maher is an AM radio poster-child for how the evil Hollywood liberals are infiltrating politics. Imus, who is typically just a banal but bombastic moderate, has gotten the same treatment from the far left because he insults some of their pet causes.

I'm sick of this partisan crap. America is not about left v. right. America is America even with both sides of the equation involved. I am so tired of the extreme painting the other extreme as some kind of "Enemy of America". Like it or not, we're all in this boat. The only thing I think is Anti-American is patently trying to circumvent our constitution. Other than that, you can think and believe whatever the fuck you want and I still welcome you in our wonderful melting pot.

As for Imus, he should have gotten slapped for the stupid thing he said, but I'm not convinced that he's anything other than an equal opportunity smartass. I don't understand this witch hunt. I don't understand why these rabid demagogues aren't going after Limbaugh with the kind of vehemence they have pulled out for Imus. I don't understand why these girls would lower themselves to the point of actually becomming involved in the inane namecalling of some stupid jackass. It's all surreal to me.

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Well said.

The "Us/Them" nature of this is of interest. Before this I had thought of Imus as a left of center shock jock who was given a pass for all the mean spirited thing he said because of the work he did for children with cancer. I have listened on occasion and find much of what he did insulting. Like others before him, he will go to satelite radio and insult more people to rebuild his audience.

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Imus never seemed left of center to me. Anyway, here's The Rude Pundit (http://rudepundit.blogspot.com/2007/04/firing-don-imus-stinks-no-no-for-rude.html) on the matter, with a left-leaning critique of the firing. Note: very rude language. Ruder than Imus.

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Thanks for the link. The Rude Pundit makes a valid point. It was once "Sticks and stones can break our bones but names will never hurt us." Now name calling is an art that underlies much of comedy, music, and, what passes for political debate.

But, see, like that bleeding sacrifice mentioned earlier, the Rude Pundit's afraid that once again we're going to think we've pleased the volcano god. The lava's still bubbling, and that fucker's gonna blow. The only sure way to save ourselves is to move the village. Chances are, though, we'll just wait for the next rumble and earthquake and toss in another virgin.

The Rude Pundit realizes that if judged by the yard stick of insulting comments, they could be considered a sacrificial virgin.

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One more for you: James Wolcott (http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/blogs/wolcott/2007/04/finally_a_voice.html).

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Thank you for the link and an article I would have overlooked.

We're more comfortable with our bigots being lowbrow and crude because then we can look down on them on feel unimplicated. Imus's bigotry doesn't allow that luxury, since he is by all accounts a bookish news junkie, so the default mechanism is to one-dimensionalize him, reduce him to nothing more than a desiccated praying mantis in a cowboy hat and a permanent hate-on. He was more complex than that, his misanthropic animosity more multidirected. As Tom Watson notes:
Imus famously called Dick Cheney a war criminal, hit Halliburton for refusing to contribute to a new hospital for wounded veterans, and has been a long and consistent critic of this dreadful failed war.
Indeed, no one was more emphatic in pounding home the issue of incompetence and misery in the veterans hospitals than Imus, and he continued hitting it, not sparing politicians he personally liked and supported (such as McCain) from his daily indictment even as everyone else was ready to "move on." In the last couple weeks of the show he was also putting together with retired colonel Jack Jacobs a possible itinerary for a trip to Iraq, a prospective journey his rattling bag of bones hardly needed. He also has been in the forefront of raising awareness over autism, and his wife Diedre was (is) evangelical on the subject of environmental pollution in schools, hospitals, and offices. Add to this the not inconsiderable time, effort, emotional pain, and money they invested in the cattle ranch for children with cancer. The Imuses did good works, and they didn't have to do them; they could have simply thrown a chunk of money at a worthy cause or two, deducted it from their taxes, and called it a day. I don't consider Imus's firing an justice, but I do think it was crass and unfair not to wait until after he had finished his fundraising radiothon and had the opportunity to meet with the Rutgers team; if the executives were going to act with such panicky haste, they might at least have spared us their Pontius Pilate pieties afterwards.

James Walcott is writer who knows the mind of his reader. In these passage he clearly explains why some people felt so wronged by Imus. His comments reflect a light on what other good party members may have said on his show. Now there is going to be a round of people claiming that they never really liked Imus they only appered there to …

I did the show almost solely to earn my media-elite merit badge. (”http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,1609447,00.html”)

They and all their NBC pals would regularly appear on the program, but they only spoke to the Dr. Jekyll Imus; Mr. Hyde only came out once they were off the air and while they kinda, sorta knew there was this low-brow schtick going on, they were removed from it and, gee, didn't realize how offensive it must have been to some people. (”http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NzFlMGUzOTMxODcxYzEyYTU4YjhjZTQ4ZmJhZjZhZmU”)

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hexmod.livejournal.com

Did the government curtail his freedom of speech?

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weswilson

I learned about him by reading "Private Parts"... so I knew who he was, I just didn't care. My dad likes him a lot, though.

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edgar-suit.livejournal.com

From what I saw on FOX and MSNBC, there's apparently no more war to cover and nothing else to talk about.

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lafinjack.livejournal.com

HAY DID U HEAR THAT GUY ON AMERIKAN IDLE GUY SAMSAYA IS COMIN BAK NEXT WEEK?!!?;1q

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What he said isnt any worse than what Rush Limbaugh says on a daily basis.

And what does Rush Limbaugh say on a daily basis?

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So you find those statements to be factually incorrect?

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And that would be...

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I think tbonestq is irked that we all figured out Jed Inbred's shtick so quickly, but we still haven't figured out that he's doing the same thing, so now he's trying to make it more obvious.

At least, that's the charitable conclusion.

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hexmod.livejournal.com

Not a week goes by without a new fucking troll, it's ridiculous.

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anightwlkr.livejournal.com

who's new? Seen all of these people in this thread before, for months. Let the "Fairness Doctrine" Begin. If we disagree with anyone...let's get them fired. No more people on the airwaves that says things that might hurt our feelings. This country is is turning into wimp.

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LOL. No, the truth is far more frightening.

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Heh! You typed "frightening" instead of "boring."

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carlomelo.livejournal.com

Hell, I'm still a bit annoyed with what Rush said about Michael J. Fox's Parkinson's disease.

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So we've got a post-Katrina comment and a comment from last year.

So much for a "daily basis".

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Imus got his ass handed to him by the market.

No, Imus got his ass handed to him by the spineless corporations faced with a couple charlatans. If the market forced him out, the show would continue, but, facing slipping ratings, radio stations would cancel their syndication and eventually, no one would bother broadcasting him.

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But that's not the market. That's a business decision. They aren't the same thing.

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In theory. Too bad we'll never find out what the actual market reaction would be. If Al Sharpton and Co. hadn't thrown a shitfit, perhaps the fans of the Rutgers Women's Basketball team would have stopped buying a few products. Maybe fans of NCAA Women's basketball.

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goumindong.livejournal.com

We did find out, the advertisers dumped him.

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No. Three advertisers dumped him.

I'm guessing that Imus's show would remain plenty profitable even with their departure.

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goumindong.livejournal.com

You understand how radio shows make profit right?

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Yeah. They sell advertising to a bunch of companies.

Are you telling me that Imus only had 3 advertisers?

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goumindong.livejournal.com

No, but their size might have meant the difference between making the margin and not.

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I agree that it was a market force that drove CBS's decision. But do you believe that when they replace him, the new person will be a black woman?
Also this is a boon to Al Sharpton, do you think that is going to create more, or less, understanding between black and white people?

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johnny9fingers.livejournal.com

I find I agree with much of what you post. Given the situation outside of our respective spheres of influence (Our forces extended in the Middle-East, Russia coming back 'on stream' as a wild card etc etc) people should be finding common ground, and patching up their differences. The problems awaiting everyone just around the corner may be of such importance that our best responses will be if folk are not split by internecine arguments.
I mean, it's in the official title of America.

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hikarugenji.livejournal.com

You need to read the first amendment again.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

After many court decisions and the 14th amendment, "Congress" should basically be read as "Any branch of any level of government."

However, it's very important to note that this amendment does *not* guarantee free speech. It does not say that the government must work to protect your right to speech, nor does it prohibit private citizens or companies from curtailing the way that people speak in the purview of their own company.

If the government tried to force the radio station to fire Imus, that would have been a first amendment violation. But the radio station making the decision on its own is fine.

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