If they were afraid of Sharpton and Jackson, they're morons. Sharpton and Jackson have big influence over ... maybe a few hundred people who regularly watch/listen to Imus.

My guess is the execs were afraid of what regular people would think and how they would react, without reference to Jackson or Sharpton or anybody else.

Here's one thing nobody has commented on, in public, on the air...

they DO look like a bunch of tough ho's.

If you are going to dress the part, act the part, and wannabe, then why are you going to get upset when someone mistakes you for being exactly what you appear to be?

Women out in Vegas often dress the part. They get upset when you come up and make 'em an offer. Huh?

I was an Imus fan for many, many years. When he was funny. He hasn't been since he got married, had a kid and built his "ranch" for disabled kids. But he's been doing this for 40 years. It's absurd. Point the finger at some "old ass white man" as Snoop the Convict Dog says, but don't look at that segment of a society that is holding back a whole race of people by being the public face.

Michael Wilbon, of PTI on ESPN, said on Dan Patrick's show that black society has been having this argument over rap lyrics and gangstas and crap for years. Bill Cosby speaks out and is blasted by his own people. Chris Rock apologizes for the most honest speech I've ever heard. Do we white people know this argument is going on in the African-American community? Not me. The side I would support doesn't appear to be winning. Perhaps if more people had not only supported Imus' right to free speech but said, "Look, that's what they look like to us," perhaps something really good would have come out of it.

Unfortunately, the only thing that will come out of it is another idiot gets fired for not being politically correct--when it has been his job to not be, btw--instead of looking at the larger issues.

We can't call a spade a spade because it's not politically correct to use the word spade. Go figure.