Update: Imus on Sharpton

Al just wrapped up his interview with Imus. I'll be brief with my recap:

* Imus said he was having a conversation ("shooting the jive" as he said)and got carried away with the jokes. He admitted they were racist but says he was not being racist when he said them. *scratching chin*

* Imus says his work with sickle-cell and inner-city kids proves he is not a racist

* Imus says his friends know he's not a bad guy

* Imus has not thought of the appropriate punishment

* Al said the appropriate punishment is him resigning or being fired. Imus disagreed and said Al (and others calling for firing) are misinformed.

* Congresswoman Carolyn Kilpatrick (and a brother from the NABJ) ripped Imus a new one! They mentioned their daughters and how Imus' comments could affect them. They mentioned how African-Americans already struggle with identity and meeting the White standard of beauty. They discussed how these Black girls were likely struggling at the mostly white Rutgers. At one point, Imus said "There's no pleasing you people." He tried to back-track and said he meant Al and Kilpatrick and NOT Blacks.

* A faithful Imus listener phoned in on his behalf. The listener said Imus led him to do work with inner-city kids and helped his foundation financially. Imus kept saying there are many more who will give like testimony. And the point is? How does this erase what he said?

* Imus tried to call Al out for not knowing what our federal government spends on sickle-cell. He implied that all Blacks should know these numbers and he was somehow more "in-tune" because he knew the numbers.

* Some guy (another Imus fan) called in and said the real problem is...drumroll please...HIP-HOP. What haven't we blamed on Hip-Hop? I am SICK of this nonsense. Back to the caller...he said "nappy-headed hos" is a hip-hop term and that's where Imus got it from. Ummm...NO it's not. Both "nappy-headed" and "ho" predate hip-hop you idiot! And even if it were a "hip-hop term", how do we blame a music genre for an OLD man's comments?