You heard it first here: CBS shot the wounded idjut so that others could live.
CBS announced Thursday that it has fired Don Imus from his radio program, following a week of uproar over the radio host’s derogatory comments about the Rutgers women’s basketball team.
That’s right. Les Moonves, President and CEO of CBS, sacked Imus. According to reports he talked to many, anguished much, and finally did the deed. Yet, despite a few attempts to widen the conversation, the opprobrium remains firmly focused on Imus himself — as though his mental excrement was the only thing that stank in the pristine halls of broadcasting.
Of the 40 top (by listener numbers) talk show hosts, 8 are listed as liberal. Of the eleven listed here, almost all are conservative. (The numbers are millions of listeners in 2006.)
Rush Limbaugh conservative 13.5
Sean Hannity conservative 12.5
Michael Savage conservative 8.25
Dr. Laura Schlessinger general (hah!) 8
Laura Ingraham conservative 5
Neal Boortz conservative 3.75
Mike Gallagher conservative 3.75
Jim Bohannon independent/moderate (don’t know him) 3.25
Clark Howard non-political (don’t know him) 3.25
Bill O’Reilly conservative 3.25
Doug Stephen independent/moderate (don’t know him) 3.25
To be a conservative is not necessarily to be a trafficker in vile and disgusting characterizations of others. However, according to my ears and eyes, and the testimony of others, all those listed as conservative above are such traffickers.
While it is a fine thing that Imus will not be on the public airwaves (until he is snapped up by Sirius to join the other ex-CBS sick-o, Howard Stern, or perhaps by FOX) it is unfortunate that his speedy removal may have the effect of removing from discussion the wide-spread, and popular, authoritarian bullying, fear-mongering and hate-stoking by these multi-millionaire cultural polluters. And, interestingly, Imus –temporarily off the air– was one of the few places Democrats could get a hearing. If his absence “solves” the problem and public outrage abates, the real toxic poisoners of public discourse will be left to dump their daily swill.
Don’t let it happen.