Rutgers women's basketball team accepts Don Imus' apology

Thank God. I was so worried. NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. — Rutgers women's basketball coach C. Vivian Stringer said Friday the team had accepted radio host Don Imus' apology. She said he deserves a chance to move on but hopes the furor his racist and sexist insult caused will be a catalyst for change. "We, the Rutgers University Scarlet Knight basketball team, accept — accept — Mr. Imus' apology, and we are in the process of forgiving," Stringer read from a team statement a day after the women met personally with Imus and his wife. "We still find his statements to be unacceptable, and this is an experience that we will never forget," she said. To be honest, until all this happened I'd never heard of Don Imus, and from what I've heard of his show in general, it sounds like its a bit on the crass side, but still he's still got free speech. Don't get me wrong... Imus should have apologized, and it was gracious of them to accept. And people who were pissed over his nappy head comment had every right to put pressure on his sponsors and press his employers to reprimand him. Hell I'd do the same to Rosie for her treacherous remarks. But the lynch mob that's formed over this mess didn't stop there, they wanted him fired, wanted publicly flogged, castrated, as well as the blood of his first born. The problem however is that this still won't be the end of the issue. Will Jesse "Hymietown" Jackson or Al "Steve Pagones is a racist rapist" Sharpton ever be satisfied? The answer there is, of course, no. Imus is white so he can't make racial comments. Jackson and Sharpton are free to be as racist as they like. They are black after all. So to what extent must Imus excoriate himself to cleanse himself in the eyes of these two moral arbiters of all that is derogatory, racist, or insulting? He's lost his job. he's lost his reputation. Perhaps a scarlet letter is in order? This is a lamer scenario then the Michael Richards mess and all the crap he took for his outburst in that comedy club. Richards at least used true racial slurs; Imus didn't even go that far, but he's still a racist, or bigot, or whatever other slander the well intention yet pitifully ill-informed Reverends wish to throw at him. UPDATE @ 2:32pm: Cox & Forkum... On point as usual... UPDATE @ 4:06pm: Jackson and Sharpton are terrorists?!? Thank God this guy's black or the esteemed reverends would force him into an early retirement (via HotAir and The Big Lead).

Newly elected Congressman Ellison insists he'll only swear in on a copy of the Koran

He's the first Muslim elected to US Congress and he's refusing to swear in on the Bible. Some think, what's the big deal? He's not Christian; he's Muslim, so let him swear on his own holy book. A fair argument, but Dennis Prager's become the latest conservative labeled a racist by the PC police thanks to this column that says it is a big deal what book he uses to swear in on. Forgive me, but America should not give a hoot what Keith Ellison's favorite book is. Insofar as a member of Congress taking an oath to serve America and uphold its values is concerned, America is interested in only one book, the Bible. If you are incapable of taking an oath on that book, don't serve in Congress. In your personal life, we will fight for your right to prefer any other book. We will even fight for your right to publish cartoons mocking our Bible. But, Mr. Ellison, America, not you, decides on what book its public servants take their oath. It's a good point. America reveres its symbols; from the flag to the bald eagle to our public officials swearing to uphold the laws of this great country and taking that oath with their left hand on the Bible and right hand in the air. Can we just subsitute that powerful imagery to suit the person taking the oath? Would it mean the same if a Mormon swore on the Book of Mormon? A Scientologist on a copy of Dianetics? Should a left handed person be allowed to swap their hands around, right hand on the Bible and left in the air? Would those images have the same meaning to the American people? It may seem arbitrary, but like most symbols, it's the meaning that's important. What's the big deal about the flag? It's just some stars and stripes... Who cares if we burn it our not? WHo cares if an "artist" puts it on a wall covered in urine and feces? Or the bald eagle... it's just another bird. It's the people who fought, bled, and died for those images that gives the image meaning. Washington, Jefferson, and Madison swore on the Bible. So have thousands of other Christians, Jews, agnostics and aetheists who served as congressmen, senators, and presidents. Why should Muslims receive preferential treatment? Dennis also cautions that we ought to take this seriously because of the message this send the Muslim world. The appeasement crowd would say that this would show our accceptance of all cultures, creeds, and religions. That would matter if our primary concern was making the rest of the world like us. But our enemies could see this as the beginning of their ultimate goal: the Islamicization of America. Take some time to read the whole article. It's well worth it...

Michael Richards' to be sued for his slur and expletive laden tirade

Richards' little explosion was deplorable. He's a professional and should have been able to handle the situation. He's a comedian for crying out loud... I'm sure this wasn't the first time he got some flak from an audience member. But does this justify a lawsuit? Gloria Allred thinks it does, so Kyle Doss and Frank McBride are planning to sue. Watch the video interview of the two men from the club and Allred on the Today Show. There's obviously more than the video captured, and according to the two young men they came in in a group of 15-20 for a friend's birthday, they were late and trying to order drinks from their cocktial waitress which is what caused the original disturbance. Events spiraled downward from there. But if you listen to Gloria Allred here, you'd think Richards physically asssaulted these guys. She wants a sit down with him and a judge in some form of arbitration to determine monetary compensation so Richards can "listen to the pain he has inflicted on [her clients]." Is there a legal remedy here? What about freedom of speech? Matt Lauer asked the two men that and said they want Richards punished. I think the public flogging he's taken over the past few days ought to be enough and whatever "pain" they've felt ought to be cured with a couple aspirin or a couple drinks. Are we that pitiful a society that we can't take a joke? When black culture embraces "the n-word" by adoring rappers and comedians like Chris Rock, why is it OK for them and not for whites? When going to see comedians, often times we're paying to see jokes that push the envelope. Take Carlos Mencia. I saw his "Punisher" tour in LA, and he came right out and said, why can't whites say "the n-word"? He said it, as well as others like cracker and wetback, as part of his routine and challenged any white to say it. The room fell silent. No one would even laugh because they were too scared of being labeled a racist. Hell, I can't even type the word, and publish it on the internet even though I write under a pseudonym! Take the Tennie Pierce case, a recent lawsuit where a black fireman sued the city of LA when he was fed spaghetti with dog food as part of a firehouse prank. LA City Council awarded him $2.7 million in an 11-1 vote. NAACP amd NOW are calling for the fire chief to step down because he can't control this racist hazing. Nevermind that Pierce had taken an active role in previous pranks on other firefighters just as bad if not worse than the prank played on him. Here are the pictures to prove it. They came out after the settlement, and when a chance to review the settlement was brought before the city council in light of these pictures surfacing, they still voted to uphold the original settlement, the largest in the city's history. City mayor Villarigosa just overturned the settlement, forcing the city council to review the case again. Does that make him a racist? I bet if he was white it would. What about racial profiling? It's an effort to prevent terrorists from blowing innocent people up, but some argue it singles out Muslims. Until another group, ethnic, racial, or whatever, comes forward as the dominant perpetrator of terrorist attacks and plane hijackings, Muslims should expect to be watched more closely. If purple headed martians were the main terrorist threat, I'd say the same thing. So Muslims: deal with it. I JUST DON'T WANT MY PLANE TO EXPLODE. I don't care what color, religion, race, or sex you are, if it can help the government stop my plane from being used as a bomb and in the process keep my ass alive, I'm all for it. And I'm sure some loon out there is going to call me a racist for it. Does Richards saying "the n-word" make him a racist? No, it means he has poor judgement. It means he let his anger get the best of him. But one outburst said in anger doesn't a racist make. Has this happened before? Does he think minorities are second class citizens? Does he espouse policies that would segregate society? I don't know the answers to those, but I'm inclined to say no. Dennis tackled this subject this morning and had a caller that asked if Dennis thought he was a racist simply because he'd used "the n-word" in the past. Nevermind that the man had, as a senior electrician, personally trained hundreds of minorities as his apprentices over the years and treated each one fairly and helped them get into a profession where they could make good money. In private he had used "the n-word" and his wife said he was a racist because he'd used it. Dennis made the point that Truman, who'd been instrumental in the creation of the state of Israel and had a Jew as one of his best friends, often used the work "kike" in private. Does that make Truman a racist? Certainly not. So please, for the love of God, drop the stupid lawsuit Gloria. You're perpetuating the cycle, not solving anything.