When I first heard about Don Imus’ remarks concerning the Rutgers women’s basketball program I didn’t even bat an eyelash.

I mean, how long had Imus been on the air doing what he does, 30-plus years?

Of all of the racially insensitive and bigoted remarks that Imus has made over the years, it was the phrase &uot;nappy headed hos&uot; that finally did him in.

In my opinion there are two questions of importance surrounding this story.

Firstly did Imus deserve to lose his job and secondly was he was wrong for saying what he did?

The answer for me is no in both regards, this is America.

Let me go on the record and say that all for all intensive purposes, I am the Don Imus of my region.

Most of the radio programming locally is geared toward religious themed programming, with a little honky-tonk sprinkled here and there, so there are no radio personalities to stir things up in the area.

The News Herald covers a pretty sizable area of Northeastern North Carolina so I like to think that we bring more to the table than any other publication in terms of diversity and coverage.

Since I have been fortunate enough to have been given space in this newspaper, not a week has gone by that I have not been addressed via telephone, e-mail or in person concerning my columns.

Most of the responses I get are positive, but believe you me, I have received very mean spirited and threatening e-mails and phone calls on more than one occasion; it comes with the territory.

Still, it is the Constitution of the United States that gives my employer its power and platform and those inalienable rights trickle right down to my desk.

Journalists have both the right and the responsibility to keep the public informed of the world around them and every journalist and news agency in the world has their own particular methodology of getting their point across.

Take FOX News and MSNBC for example.

Everyone knows that FOX swings to the right and MSNBC swings to the left.

In fact if you ever want to know the politics of any televised programming check out the first three commercials that the show airs.

Whichever three companies advertise first on any given television or radio performance are the companies that paid for the show.

Television is always bought and paid for long before it ever reaches our households.

The reason that Imus’ comments didn’t bother me is because I never heard them.

The reason I never heard them is because I don’t listen to Don Imus, not regularly anyway.

On occasion I have stopped at Imus’ show while channel surfing and it usually takes me about two minutes to realize that I completely disagree with whatever he’s talking about so I change the channel.

It’s just that simple of a thing to do, change the channel.

Now for the part that black people don’t want to hear.

Thanks to Cal Bryant for running two brilliant editorial cartoons about this matter last week.

Black comedians make a living from telling racially charges jokes at the expense of white Americans.

Don’t they have the right to do so?

Also, why is the media not attacking Black Entertainment Television?

This is a network whose employees are eating because they promote musicians whose day-to-day comments make Don Imus look like a choirboy.

You know that word that Imus got in trouble over ‘hos’? Well I checked out some lyrics online of a music video I saw on BET last week. The song was one from rapper Jay-Z’s last album, you know the album where his premier video had Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Danica Patrick in it?

Well on that album Jay-Z used the word ‘ho’ 36 times.

He used the ‘n-word’ 78 times, ‘b’ word…33 times…’c-word’ (cocaine)…55 times.

On the same album Jay-Z referenced guns 36 times and made at least a dozen references to murder.

Where’s the boycott? Where’s the firings of BET employees?

You see nobody at BET will get fired for promoting black on black crime or black negativity because the same companies that control people like Imus also control the information flow to young black children as well.

The reason those parent companies are not overly concerned about young white children falling victim to decadent lifestyles that mirror entertainers is because they know that in most white households someone will either turn the T.V. off, or at least change the channel.

Change the channel, is it that hard of a thing to do?

When I see all of the talking heads on television post ‘nappy-gate’ it’s always the same message.

&uot;Imus represents bigotry.&uot;

&uot;Imus represents ignorance.&uot;

Well yes, Imus does represent those things, because the thing Imus represents most of all is America.

How do you think Don Imus has remained a successful radio personality for so many years?

He has legions of die-hard followers, that’s how, and his followers will follow him to whatever spot on the airwaves Imus ends up.

One of his biggest fans up until last week was CBS.

So CBS fires Imus under pressure from advertisers.

I am much more appalled with the lack of intestinal fortitude from CBS and MSNBC than I am at Imus’ remarks.

Especially MSNBC because they are supposed to be liberal domain, so what was Imus doing on their network to begin with?

Hmmmm.

So here we are again, faced with the question presented to us by they bastion of Negro intellect, Rodney King &uot;Can’t we all just get along?&uot;

Sure, just as long as we can all watch and listen who and what we want on T.V. and radio.

I’d love to do a radio show with Don Imus.

We could call it the ‘Cracker and Coon Show’ and put it on YouTube.

Imus and I could hurl racial insults at each other and other noted public figures without fear of getting canned for using our right to free speech.

Now that would be good television, until of course Nabisco (the company who makes Saltine crackers) and a group of raccoons decide to boycott the show.

Then you might be persuaded to change the channel.