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tossed out in a volley of male camaraderie by a group of amused, middle-aged white men

Imus fell out of the "middle-aged" category about 15 years ago. He's an old man that can retire and should. The only thing he has going for him is that middle-aged people find him entertaining just like Grandpa on Heehaw. If he has to stay in the media spot light, he should take a position as someone's sidekick.

Imus is not the first shock-jock to get a suspension for making a racial slur on the radio, and two weeks is a slap on the wrists. Back in the 1990's, Grease Man in Washington, DC was suspended for at least 6 weeks for making a racial slur of his own in regards to MLK day. A few years latter he was fired for making another racial slur. The big difference between Imus and Grease Man was Grease Man was really funny without making racial slurs.

The Greaseman (Doug Tract) didn't make a racial "slur". He made a racially insensitive (and pretty crude) joke about MLK day at a time when supporters of MLK day were pushing for federal holiday status (or it had recently been passed as a Federal Holiday, memory fading...). There is a little difference but not much.

I was in the D.C. area at the time and used to listen to him quite religiously. (Sgt. Fury, Carlos the international terrorist, Lawman, the six-minute workout... great stuff.) I worked from midnight to 8am and my work allowed me (as well as the rest of the shift) to listen in at the start of his show. He would air live from 6am to 8am and then from 8 to 10 he would broadcast live but his "bits" were replayed from earlier. The joke came at the beginning of the show at 6am and not too many people heard it. But word got out and the proverbial shiite hit the fan.

I was bummed because the Greaseman didn't need to go "there" with his comedy to be entertaining and it was not something you would have expected from him. He had replaced Howard Stern at DC101 when Stern went off to New York and the Greaseman was far more entertaining. I was very pleased to see Stern go away, the Greaseman was a breath of fresh air.

Imus is not the first shock-jock to get a suspension for making a racial slur on the radio, and two weeks is a slap on the wrists. Back in the 1990's, Grease Man in Washington, DC was suspended for at least 6 weeks for making a racial slur of his own in regards to MLK day. A few years latter he was fired for making another racial slur. The big difference between Imus and Grease Man was Grease Man was really funny without making racial slurs.

Kudos for mentioning not only a SUPERIOR air talent (Greaseman aka Doug Tracht). That stuff happens so quick and so suddenly that it is an occupational hazard of broadcasting.

The REAL villains in such incidents?

The sloppy-ass producers and technicians who almost ALWAYS have (or should have) their finger on the 'dump' button so they can put empty air out there *just in case* something gets said that is obscene, over the line, etc., and when you hear about an air personality, be it Imus, Stern, Grease, etc., catching Hell for something they said, it isn't just them, it's the producers who let the objectionable word or words make it to the airwaves.

I am extremely glad to see Grease back on the air, even if it isn't a huge network presence, at the risk of name dropping (since I already mentioned his name), in the interest of full disclosure, I've known Grease since his early years at WAPE-AM in Jacksonville when the studios were on south U.S. 1 with a gigantic gorilla out front, and you will never find a kinder and more thoughtful man in radio broadcasting than Doug Tracht. If WFAN, CBS and MSNBC had any sense at all, they would syndicate the Grease for a trial 2 week period while Imus is on 'vacation' and then let the public decide.

Imus just might get to take the retirement package by week '3'. ;)

In case you (or any Grease fan) isn't aware of where he hangs his broadcast hat these days, here's the URL:

http://wmet1160.com/schedule/greaseman/index.php

And another link:

http://www.greaseman.org

"AND, as we used to say back in OOOooooollllld Mexico City... AMF!!!"

[Adios My FRiend!]