Posted on 04/12/2007 7:16:42 AM PDT by Reaganesque
Barely 12 hours after being fired from MSNBC...
6:12 AM: On Imus' radio program (no longer simulcast on MSNBC) this morning, Chris Carlin, who covers sports for the program, discussed yesterday's dismissal of charges against the Duke lacrosse players.
(rough transcript)
DON IMUS: When will Al Sharpton be apologizing to them?
(LAUGHTER)
CARLIN: I'm unaware of such a press conference.
IMUS: I'll be darned...
UPDATE 6:28 AM: After a station break, Imus came back to discuss MSNBC's decision. He said he was recently chatted with "another big time broadcasting executive" who was "complaining that [MSNBC] had cancelled the simulcast twelve hours before we were getting ready to conduct this radio-thon for these three charities."
Imus: "My position on all of this is not whining about the hideously hypocritical coverage from the newspapers -- from everybody -- or the lack of support, say, from people like Harold Ford, Jr. who I had my life threatened over supporting and all these kind of things. It all began, and it doesn't make any difference -- like [James] Carville said -- stop talking about the context, it doesn't make any difference. If I hadn't have said it I wouldn't be here. So let's stop whining about it...You gotta stop complaining. I said a stupid, idiotic thing that desperately hurt these kids. I'm going to apologize but we gotta move on."
UPDATE 7:37 am. IMUS: "The hypocrisy is absurd...Everybody knows what the deal is. And this is not over. This story does not end here."
Imus also gave a shout-out to Opie & Anthony, who support Imus on this issue.
UPDATE 7:57:
Imus says he spoke with MSNBC Senior VP Phil Griffin and said "some of the stuff that MSNBC has done this morning is frankly unethical and I've asked them to stop doing it."
But also said, "I'm not whining about the coverage. I'm not whining about any aspect of this."
"I've said 100 times: I said it and if I hadn't said it, we wouodn't be sitting here talking about it. And that's the bottom line."
Imus also said that losing television (via MSNBC) isn't as big as losing radio. "The big part of the program is radio. There's millions of people listening to the radio. At best a few hundred thousand are watching television."
On MSNBC's decision: "I understand the pressure they were under. I'm not stupid."
UPDATE 8:15am: Speaking with an African-American woman, whose son had spent time at the Imus Ranch, Imus said, "And I want to say to you as an African-American woman, I'm sorry for what I said...I want to apologize to all African-American women." The woman said, "Okay, I accept that."
UPDATE 8:19AM: Imus said that one of the "sad ironies of my stupidity" is that, at his ranch, "we sent six kids home because they couldn't stop calling girls bitches and hos."
UPDATE 8:21AM: "I want to thank Opie & Anthony...I love them and I love what they do. I know they offend people perhaps more than I do. They're good loyal guys...Even Howard [Stern] hasn't been horrible." (Although if you read this Stern show summary, seems like Stern still has his claws out against his longtime nemesis.) UPDATE 8:28AM: Imus says that he's had "a lot of big people in the media" calling him "whining about the hypocrsity in the coverage. We understand that. You just turn on the cable channels or read the newspaper, trying to portray me as some vicious racist or whatever and there's not one person talking about the other things I've done...There's a difference between premeditated murder and a gun going off...But you've got to take your medicine. I'm not whining about it."
"Don't tell me that context isn't important. Context is importnat in everything we do in our lives. But it's not an excuse."
UPDATE 8:38AM: Despite the controversy, Imus says contributions for The Tomorrows Children Fund and the Imus Ranch are "way, way up" compared to this time in the show last year, which is significant because "the money's more important this year than ever."
He added: "These bastards went after me. They got me. But they didn't catch me asleep."
UPDATE 8:44AM: MSNBC's Imus webpage is still up, with a statement and link to Imus' charities.
UPDATE 8:45am: "One day you've got a radio and tv show and one day you don't...Ordinarily we need to raise $3 million, this year we need to raise $100 million -- just in case (Laughter)."
UPDATE 8:57AM: Tells his friends, "Don't call me telling me that the coverage is unfair...If I hadn't said it, there'd be no coverage...Shut up about it...I've been dishing it out for a long time, and now it's my turn...I'm not going to whine about it."
Imus also lets readers know that he's doing today's show in the MSNBC studio.
UPDATE 9:01AM: Charlie McCord says that they've raised over $400,000.
UPDATE 9:10AM: On MSNBC:I understand their decision." "I appreciate them letting us use their studio this morning."
To "all of my friends in the media, out of the media: You can't whine about this...We wouldn't have been there if I hadn't said it."
He again called media coverage "outrageously hypocritical."
"Harold Ford, Jr. has been disgraceful in his lack of support. I endured death threats to endorse him...It's unfortunate that he has no courage."
"I'm not surprised by any of this. I'm not surprised at the hypocrisy of Al Sharpton, of Jesse Jackson or any of these people. But you can't whine about it."
"We can talk about all the good work that I've done forever, but I still said that. I'm not making any excuses. Everybody's got to stop whining and quit talking about it."
UPDATE 9:25AM: "I've dished it out for a long time and now it's my time to take it. That's fine. Bring it on."
UPDATE 9:28AM: After one guest said "kick ass," then followed that with "can I say that?" Imus said, "I think today you can say anything."
UPDATE 9:37: "We've never done this well before" (regarding the radiothon)
UPDATE 9:38: On meeting with the Rutgers basketball players: "I can't go through the rest of my life -- nor can they -- without us having this conversation and me telling them how I feel and, more importantly, them telling me how they feel."
And don't forget: that is the HIGHEST rated show on MSNBC; Imus get double what all the other shows have COMBINED.
MSNBC just shot the goose that lays the eggs.
Not to mention that all these liberals now have nowhere to go and hawk their goods.
If Imus goes to satellite, I swear, I'll buy one just to listen.
Probably about the same time Robert Byrd apologizes to the black community.
Hypocrites both!
First of all, It’ll be a cold day in-you-know-where before Sharpton and his ilk will apologize to the Duke players, And I pray that Don Imus will come out stronger than ever.
There is something to be said for that comment. But if we are actually all equal then how much merit does that statement really contain?
I would offer that a stated goal of hip hop was to bring “black community” life to the mainstream and be accepted as part of the overall community.
Look what happens when it is. I believe that Imus thought this acceptable because this type of language HAS become mainstream and acceptable (for som). I also believe that one should be careful what they wish for.....they just might get it.
What is showing right now is an attempt to have it both ways. Either this language is acceptable for all people or it is not. Time for some to make a choice and stick to it huh?
Media Matters is the child of that liberal puke, David Brock, a selfhating gay guy who hates conservatives because they exposed his lies.
"Harold Ford, Jr. has been disgraceful in his lack of support. I endured death threats to endorse him...It's unfortunate that he has no courage."
"I'm not surprised by any of this. I'm not surprised at the hypocrisy of Al Sharpton, of Jesse Jackson or any of these people. But you can't whine about it."
Imus is even more naive that I had thought, if he didn't KNOW that "blood" is thicker than water....
Same situation with Muslims.. When it comes to a serious confrontation --- blood stays with blood...
Except of course when it's America against evil in the world...
There are now too many forms of "American"...
Semper Fi
And, yeah, he can sue me.
Well, as long as he doesn’t whine about it.
Sorry, Imus you lost the hope of looking tough when you went groveling to Sharpton to start with.
The Word Nazis have just become Stalinists protecting their political beliefs. If they were honest they would have never tried to destroy Bill Cosby for warning of this.
Al Stepnfetch is only using Imus to make a platform so the candidates will have to kiss his ring.
Pray for W and Our Troops
You nailed it.
Coincidentally, today is “Diversity Day” at my son’s high school. That meant he kept his bookbag at home, because whatever they do during this day does NOT involve studying their normal subjects.
What the so-called “adults” who set up this nonsense don’t realize is that stunts like “Diversity Day” only serve to foster contempt among most of the yoots. Kids aren’t stupid and can smell hypocritical useless BS from a mile away.
I agree with you about Bill Cosby. I was expecting more of a snapping about Juan WIlliams book. I was surprised when it didn’t really come.
I read an interview a while back and Morgan Freeman impressed me, big time. He said he wanted to be referred to as just a man, instead of a black man or an african-american man. I wish more people would see it that way. Maybe someday.
If the lefties would stop seeing the world through “race-only” lenses, maybe there will be a time when a black man is considered a man.... Their “diversity” becomes divisiveness and will continually fuel the race pimps and race baiters like Jackson and Sharpton...
When Blacks escape the plantation of color they become successful in America. This threatens the Whip Bosses of the plantation like Jesse Jackmail and Al Stepnfetch. There is good money running the plantation.
Pray for W and Our Troops
Imus needs to RIP Sharpton every day about what Sharpton has done with RUINING a man’s life and having a man BURNED to death at Freddie’s and another kid in Crown Heights stabbed by black men because of Sharpton!!
It is interesting. My heritage is Sicilian and most of us have what would be described as nappy hair, even those who are blond. It is is strange indeed.
As far as teasing, I used to get teased because my died when I was eleven.
Very true about those lefties. I think they really do believe that.... total diversity will bring unity.
“nappy” is the OTHER ‘N” word. No whities can say it....only blacks. We now have TWO languages...one OKAYED by blacks for whites and the other one, ANYTHING GOES!! Kill PIGS...HOS....KILL WHITIE....KILL LANDLORDS. It’s is disgraceful!
Stern has been laughing at Imus for the lengths he went to to show he was sorry-- going on Sharpton's show, etc. Stern thought Imus should tell everyone to lighten up and to stop dealing with it after he apologized for it the first time. Stern hasn't been saying that Imus is a racist and should be fired because of this-- which is what Imus was referring to. The rest of what Stern has said (like saying he would leave his wife Beth to screw Mrs. Imus once Mrs. Imus leaves Imus after he gets fired from his radio and TV gigs) is shtick and Imus recognizes that.
"If it was me and I did something stupid like that I would just go on and say, 'I'm not going on Al Sharpton's show. Al Sharpton is a piece of sh!t. He's just a human being that is bankrupt, and he should pay his bills.... I would rather just leave the radio than apologize to that man.... I mean, come on, Al Sharpton.?!? Imus, get some f&@king dignity." --Stern
What Stern said is sort of "intervention" talk. It's meant to be constructive. Sharpton just wants to destroy Imus. Stern doesn't think enough of Imus to care about whether he is fired or not, but he thinks Imus should be out of a job because he sucks and not because of this.
Do not use that term at all.
Why? If you are the same Admin Mod. that stood up for all the anti-Catholic threads a few weeks ago, what else can I assume? You didn’t tell the others to knock off all the anti-Catholic tauntings....why not?
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