Don Imus Contrite on Al Sharpton's Show

"It Takes A "Ho" To Recognize A "Ho"

There is an old saying that it takes a "ho" to recognize a "ho". And with this said, Mr. Imus should find his mother, climb back in, and then ask her who her baby's daddy is. Then, after he gets his answer, he should never again call another female, regardless of her race, a "ho".

Reply

I am white 56 yrs old and agree that Imus should be fired. Not because Sharpton and Jackson say so but because he is a bigot. Now, that being said, which is worse a bigot, or a blasphemer? Mr. Sharpton and Jessie Jackson have long called themselves REVEREND. That word appears in my Bible just once, Psalms 119:9, and it refers to God almighty himself. So, why blasphem Mr. Sharpton, and Mr. Jackson? Do you put yourself on my Gods level? Why not try Pastor, Minister, Preacher? Do you really think you can hide this from God? While we are to try our best to be reverent, we as in "NO ONE" is a Reverend. Can you hear me yet?

Reply

Whatever happened to "FREE SPEECH", it was a joke,he should'nt lose his job!

Reply

Alright already!!!!! Imus said something bad, he admits it, apologizes. now get over it. I dont think he shoulda been taken off the air at all, not even 2 weeks. If you watch Imus, he does this all the time. one either likes him or hates him. This brings out so much hypocrisy. If this makes him a bigot what should we consider Sharpton and Jesse Jackson and Fox News?

Reply

well folks we have reached the gutter. al sharpton should mind his business.it just shows the people in the media put there own spin on things when they should be setting an example to the public what was said was wrong to say in public the entertainers are just that, anything to get where they want to go the heck with the public and we eat it up. shame onall of us there is no real talent in America today no good writers either. is there a difference in what we hear and what we see ?

Reply

I am a professional black woman and very into my roots and I believe that this whole thing has been taken out of context. O H MY GOODNESS do you know how many black radio stations talk about white people!!! why do we have to be symbolized with overeacting !!!!
There are causes that black people should stand up and recognize. I agree with the standing up of officers shooting people of color. But THIS is outrageous

Reply

@3-

It has nothing to do with free speech. The companies have every right to take action based on their policies. Companies have every right to decide what they want to censor. He has every right to say whatever he wants, he just has to find a place that will let him.

The first amendment protects you from others (the government especially) from encroaching on your right to free speech. His rights haven't been violated at all. He can still say what he wants, the government hasn't taken any action against him (and they shouldn't), and the companies which he is aired on aren't stopping him from saying whatever he wants elsewhere.

It's just like here. I could say something atrocious, and they'd have every right to censor me, but I could start my own website to get out my message. See? This has nothing to do with rights.

Reply

Sharpton and Jackson are some of the most hypocritical, corrupt people in our culture. Imus can be a smart-ass, but he's not a racist...he's just trying to talk like 90% of the "artists" that populate MTV...but since he's white he's not allowed to do such in our reverse racist culture. These are the same folks who crawled out of their holes to defend a murderer (OJ). Jackson and Sharpton don't care about what Imus said...they care about getting their mugs on TV to keep their pumped up ego going. Imus should not be fired.

Reply

Don Imus is disgusting. His comment about the Rutgers girls is dispicable.
He should be taken off the air.
AND every Hip Hop singer that talks about women in a negative light should also be taken off the air.
It's a two way street. No inapproprate language from blacks or whites should be tolerated.
I'm sick and tired of the double standard!!!

Reply

I just finished reading a transcript of the exchange that is causing all this controversy, and I have to admit it seems to me that Imus is getting a bad break. First of all it was his producers who initiated the entire thing and threw Imus under the bus. Second; the comments themselves were definitely mean-spirited, but to me, it was more about ridiculing a team that got crushed in the women’s national championship game than attacking black women in a vein of racism. I think Imus should stop apologizing, one sincere apology should be enough, and fire the hell out of his production guys; they (the producers) are reason all this is happening. There job is to make the talent look good- and they failed miserably.

Reply

STFU! In internet talk that stands for Shut The F***
Up. Please do, it will make many people's lives
better. You are making yourself out to be no better
than Saddam Hussein was. MLK Jr. would be apalled at
your actions today. You are not a voice for the
common black man. You are a disgrace to society and a
leech. You need to find yourself a hobby, you could
try crawling into a hole and dropping off this Earth
for starters.

For this whole week I have had to endure your stupid
comments and slander to Don Imus (a more charitable,
giving, caring, understanding human being than you
could ever hope to be) during my morning commute to
work. Thank you for F****** that one up as well. You
are a waste to society and should be left to grobble.
I think you are a menace and are more for prompting
racial hate than togetherness.

Reply

First, Mr. Imus shouldn't have called anyone a "ho". He has apologized for that. Mr. Sharpton is quick to jump on his butt for being a racial biggot...what does he have to say to his black "brothers" about the disrespectful lyrics in most rap music? (Of which the majority is done by African American men) Nothing!!! How much more hypocritical can you be?

Reply

Al Sharpton and Jessie Jackson were in front of the cameras convicting those young men from Duke University for raping that poor black girl. They said all kinds of disparaging things about them, the university, white people, the justice system, etc. etc.
But where were they when it turned out to be a bogus charge? Did you see either of them issuing any apologies?
Racism and bigotry are dispicable. But then so is using someone else's pain to further your own ambitions.

Reply

Lets not talk about double standards as if one can justify ones behavior! Does it really matter whether a black or a white capitalizes in his outspoken behavior? Is it freedom of speech or license that we are talking about? Imus should communicate from the heart his apologies and it is up to the members of the team to find it in their hearts to forgive him! I am sick and tired of those, both black and white, who are using this for their political agenda!

Reply

Mr. Sharpton, I believe you are missing the point about the Imus issue as well as many times before. It is not about Imus, but the degrading comment about women. Firing Imus will not solve the problem that has existed for many years. You jump right in when it is to your benefit and you can make it a racial issue. Where are you when a black person kills a white person? The real issue you should be concentrating on is what is the racial problem.
The problem stems from this little black person growing up not having a good home life. When he gets to 16 he is the meanest person on this earth. He then has black rage and kills a person. Is this right? Respect and good family life is the problem. If he can't respect himself how can he respect others. This is the reason there are more blacks in jail. I didn't put them there. You want equal rights but you continue have your own Miss Black America. This is reverse racism. Again the problem starts in the home. What are you doing about this? I guess it is OK to have special concessions on minorities taking tests. What if you had to have two or three white basketball players on the court at the same time that blacks were on. I don't think so.Why, because the best players should start. Then no concessions, the best ability should get the job.

Thank you

Reply

“…Don Imus, we forgive you…”

I am saddened and dismayed by this incident as I believe all Americans of all races, creeds, colors, ages, and walks of life are around the United States and around the globe who care about people and the quest for continued progress in our efforts to heal and be reconciled to one another.

Don Imus’ words were cutting, the comment was horrendous, and the incident reveals an insensitivity that drives shock waves and horrors through us all. It was wrong and I believe he should be very sorrowful and he should bear consequences of the two week suspension that has been given him.

This letter is written to those who believe in God, those who are people of faith everywhere, those who may be seeking to become a person of faith, and those who seek an end to racial strife.

What saddens me most about this incident is the number of people of faith, in particular, who have called for Mr. Imus to be fired. No one can appreciate the hurt words cause except those of us who have been on the other end of it.

As an African-American pastor of an historic church, a businessman, husband, father, and grandfather I know what it’s like. I not only know what it’s like to be called out of my name, treated differently because of the color of my skin, but also to be mistreated and not really hear the words, but know the feeling you get when you’re on the other end of someone else’s racial prejudice. I’ve been there and so have many who are reading this article. Not only that, there are many of you who are reading this article who have made the unkind statements or have "Imus'd" others, but you didn’t get caught on the public airwaves.

As people of faith it’s in our spiritual DNA to love, forgive, and to reconcile. As a country it’s amazing to me from politics to the pulpit we want to invoke God’s name whenever it’s convenient; but I’ll be most pleased when we begin, (starting at the White House and with Congress), invoking God’s principles—namely love, forgiveness, and reconciliation—that’s God’s name in action.

Don Imus is an easy target for the moment, but I ask each of us to think back, did the slave owners “get fired or suffer retribution” after the Emancipation Proclamation? Did the doer of the deeds of Jim Crow “get fired” for the wrongs they wrought? Did Nelson Mandela say, when released from prison after 27 years in apartheid South Africa—“fire F.W. DeClerk and all who have wronged South Africans?”

The list goes on, but the message is the same—when people publicly hurt and cause harm, two wrongs don’t make a right. Imus was wrong. Jim Crow was wrong. Slavery was wrong. Apartheid was wrong. But let’s not forget, Martin and his crowd were right! Countless other wrongs have been perpetrated, but let me remind you God still evens the score far better than we ever will.

Don Imus has a chance to learn from this incident, grow from it, become a better human being, and become a far better talk show host. My prayer is that he and others of capacity will do something tangible, not just apologize, but find a university or an organization and donate some time and money to support reconciliation and forgiveness as a staple of the American way of life. The more we go around “getting even” with one another the more we tear at the fabric of what makes us the great bastion of hope and strength to the world—we learn our lessons, sincerely put our experience into action, and move on.

To those who are reading this article and feel that I’m the “Uncle Tom” or “House Servant” personified—I feel very sorry for you. Believe me, it’s far deeper than that. We have all suffered a certain amount of pain and hurt in our lives. Trust me on this, I’ve suffered greatly and have not been proud of my own actions at times. However, I also know that if we started “firing” everyone who has caused harm or hurt to someone else either by words or deeds, we would look around and find so many “jobs” vacant it wouldn’t even be funny. I say if the people of South Africa, who suffered far greater than many of us, could say, sincerely, “…I forgive you….” then so should we! If our forefathers and mothers on whose backs we stand could say, sincerely, “…..I forgive you….” then so should we!

To the Rev. Al Sharpton and all members of the clergy and people of faith everywhere, I’m ashamed of the call for “firing”. That’s the easy way out. The harder way is to help people like Don Imus turn this incident around and as he’s learned—help others learn. We need him and we need his show as a mouthpiece to drown out all the other hatred and bitterness across the airwaves. He’s one of very few who has a chance to say, “I’ve learned my lesson and I’m committed to doing everything I can to mend racial strife and to help our country heal. If we don’t, I assure you evil wins!”

I close this message by challenging people of capacity all over this country and world who read this to put into action what we really need at the deepest fabric of our psyche—a way to receive our consequences, sincerely reconcile ourselves to one another, learn the lesson(s), put that experience into action, and move on. I also ask that you write to me at www.vancouveravechurch.org and express your thoughts.

J.W. Matt Hennessee,
Senior Pastor
Vancouver Ave. 1st Baptist Church
3138 No. Vancouver Ave., Portland, OR 97227
(503) 282-9496

www.vancouveravechurch.org

Reply

Al Sharpton should get a real job instead of being the ambulance chasing media "ho" that he is. He and Jesse Jackson are both hypocrites talking about Imus when they both have said derogatory things about people of other races. You want the definition of racist? Just look up Al aint so Sharp Sharpton. He needs to quit ironing his nappy head.........

Reply

I say this Imas got balls for goint on Sharpton show he is not dodging any bullets and Rev Jackson cheated on his wife.. how rightist is that...so those with out sin cast the first stone..how do we heal or do we all just wag our tounges...just a thought, who is uncle tom...Imas is kina a nappy headed him self... is that raciest... sorry i am not feel the love here... we can dish it out, but cant take it.
it was wrong, accept the apoligy,it was brought to light now we need to get over ourselves and move on.

Reply

My question is when is "Rev" Al going to publicly apologize to the young men on the Duke Lacross team. He was on the front lines when this story broke over a year ago and wanted these kids to burn along with much of the liberal media, now today all charges will be dropped. Just another example of Al and Jessie Jackson, apparently spokesman for the African American majority, going around and stirring up stories to get their names in the news.

Reply

I know Don Imus was wrong but come on, he has said I am sorry one too many times. Where was Jesse Jackson when he referred to to New York City as "Jew York City"? Oh and Al Sharpton, why doesn't he o after black comedians such as Chris Rock who use racial slurs against whites or other races? Why does sociaety "justify" blacks for making such racial jokes at others and when a white or someone from another race makes a joke about blacks, we have all this controversy over something Don Imus said. He did say I am sorry more than enough. How about getting Chris Rock or some rap artists to say I'm sorry too? how about banning Chris Rock as well too? Whatever happened to Freedom of speech? i mean i agree Don Imus was wrong but if we are doing a witch hunt on whites and others making jokes about black, lets turn the witch hunt on the blacks as well. If we are going to be equal, lets not be separate and go after EVERYONE from EVERY RACE and not exclude a race just because of an injustice done to them. if they are going to cry foul, they should look in their backyard as well. i will have respect for Al Sharpton when we goes after people in the African-American community for using racial slurs toward others who are not black. This e-mail is coming from someone who is of Native-American, Jewish, Spanish,Dutch, Mexican, German and Irish, so I think I am not just "defending" whites, I am just saying if you chastise someone for saying and do things and people in your community are doing and saying such things your accusing someone of doing makes you (Al Shrpton) look like a hypocrite. I think I am going to not watch a Chris Rock or buy rap music until they say I'm sorry for the stuff they say about other races.

Reply