Don Imus, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, and Steve Capus

The Reverend Jesse Jackson apologized Wednesday for "crude and hurtful" remarks he made about Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama after an interview with a Fox News correspondent

An open microphone picked up Jackson whispering, "See, Barack's been talking down to black people ... I want to cut his nuts off."

This gives me an opportunity to be critical of "Steve Capus, the courageous and brave journalist President of NBC News who fired Don Imus, (amid a flurry of righteousness from the Reverend Jackson) following a now famous Imus "inadvertent, stupid, and racial comment."

Imus said something that he should not have said. He did what society required and he apologized for the words, I would have hoped that his fellow media people might have jumped to his defense rather then assisting others in "piling on" and getting him fired by both CBS and NBC.

Many believe that Reverend Jackson said something that he should not have said. Was it:

"See, Barack's been talking down to black people ..."

Or is it... "I want to cut his nuts off?"

What if Jackson had said instead "cut off his testicles, or ears, or fingers?

Are we (with the exception of Steve Capus) better off as a society with Imus sent to some obscure cable network? Should Jackson be slapped across the knuckles with a ruler every day for five years as a punishment? By the way, I am not a fan of Reverend Jackson at all.

It would be refreshing if the media apply a bit of proportionality to their coverage of events like this one. They (Imus and Jackson), as so many others, make stupid verbal gaffs. Not a good thing, yet not the end of civilization as we know it either.

I continue to deal with issues like these at the emotional level of a ten year old. The media glommed on to both issues big time, and I blame them and not the "perpetrators."

There was no "wrong" in what Jackson said. However it was not politically correct. He thought that Obama was wrong about something and he said it.

Although a "blasphemer" I love quotes like this:

"... and Jesus being the person that he was, he said, He that is without sin among you let him first cast a stone at her."

Will someone please seek out Steve Capus and have a comparative discussion of the Imus "transgression" and the Jackson "gaffe."

I regret that Jackson apologized for what he said. He had his reasons for saying what he did and he should defend himself for having said what was on his mind.

Paraphrasing the words of Miracle Max in the movie Princess Bride where he said: "I've seen woise" and modifying it to: "I've hoid woise."

If the "mass media" can detach itself from a huge story like this one and tell us a teeny weeny bit more about our minor wars in Iraq and Afghanistan it would be a good thing. .

Norman Horowitz
Blasphemous Vulgarian

Comments

[joemac1114]

I have always thought firing Imus was a dramatic over reaction to a slow news week.

I don't understand the web of deception thing. Imus sets up his various interests within the legal framework everyone else works with in.

And I think Obama should be careful because it seems Jesse is after what is in the bag.

[reunionpi]

Imus property tax lien, voter's registration and corporations

http://webofdeception.com/#imus

[JoePalooka]

Imus is probably sitting in radio siberia thinking, "What goes around comes around."

[Argente]

Thought all should know that Martin Luther King, Jr.'s day is on 1/19, the day before Inauguration Day. Obama's got it in the bag (oops, don't tell Jesse.)