So now we have TWO racist matters to contend with? But will one of them "fade" away into the sunset??

Question

The media will have a field day. The Duke matters likely to be dropped today.
Sharpton and the gang all over it before anything was proven.....
Black on white.
Now its the Imus matter. Imus and the gang grossly insult a team of Black (and 2 white) team members.
Sharpton and gang all over it =- ah, but nothing had to be proven.
White on Black.
I'm a white female and I have a lot of Black female friends. From the beginning, they told me they "did not believe the girl in the Duke case, but that of course no one would know how they felt, because "Al would take it and run with it no matter what [they] thought".
Now today they are telling me how embarrassed they are; for THEMSELVES AND THE GIRL.

I would offer that everything comes to the forefront sooner or later. But the media will have to make a choice. After the announcement in the Duke case this afternoon, I would further offer that the Imus matter will "fade" away into the sunset.

Your thoughts?

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can the Rutgers team SUE Imus or MSNBC for his remarks?

Can the Lacrosse team sue? I imagine they can. But who exactly would they sue?

Answer 1

I hope this does fade away. Anyone that listens to Imus' show knows he is more or less an idiot. But he has brought such a gain to the world.

The Imus Ranch for Kids with Cancer is an amazing contribution to this country.

He should be given the benefit of the doubt.

When I listened to the press conference I was further angered by the reaction. The Rutgers head coach really wanted us to feel sorry for them. I thought that Imus was stupid saying what he did, but it won't "forever change the race relations in the United States" like she thinks it will.

The market place will make the decision and Imus will probably be out of a job.

Answer 2

I don't think the Imus matter will fade away so quickly and I see no comparison at all between Imus and the lacrosse case. I'm pleased that Imus is being criticized because it is good to know there is still a line of decency left in this country that people should not cross. The Rutgers women handled themselves with great dignity yesterday. There is no excuse for calling these athletically and academically overachievers "hos" and it doesn't make it ok because rap singers do the same thing. It's not ok for me to do something morally wrong just because someone else did it.
On the 2nd issue, the Rutgers team could not win a lawsuit against Imus. It's almost impossible to win against the media under the U.S. Supreme Court case of NY Times v. Sullivan. Rutgers would have to prove malicious intent and parody is not considered malicious under the law. It was malicious in this context, but not legally. The Duke lacrosse players could sue the District Attorneys office for abuse of process and malicious prosecution. They could sue Duke University for the suspensions and they could sue the individuals professors who rushed to judgment without knowing the facts. The Duke players have an excellent lawsuit that will get settled out of court. The Rutgers women do not have a legal cause of action.

Answer 3

No, the Imus thing won't fade away, (at least not as quickly) because a racist remark is a lot easier to hang over one's head than a mistaken prosecution. There's no proof; there's no due process; there's just the statement.

(1) Can the basketball players sue? No. He said a jerk thing, but it didn't _really_ harm their reputations (thus, it's probably not actionable libel). Plus, it didn't name them with very much specificity (maybe enough to state a claim, but once again, where's the harm?)

(2) Can the Lacrosse players sue? Malicious prosecution is HARD to prove (and there's usually prosecutorial immunity, although it might not apply if the attorney was actually trying to harm the kids). And since the crime story was a matter of public concern, you'd have to prove that anyone in the media acted with "actual malice" (i.e. knowing statements were false or publishing with reckless disregard for the truth) before they would be held liable. And reporting on actual court proceedings is absolutely protected (i.e. what was said in court.)

Uphill battles.

Answer 4

No the team cannot sue Imus...he made ignorant but not defamatory remarks that are actionable.

As for the Duke rape case...we will never know what happened and the problem is our conceptions of everything. Did you know that less than 33% of rapists are ever convicted. Many victims never come forward because of what your friends said..."we don't believe her." How do they know...were they in evidence conferences...were they there when police investigated...did they meet the victim and discuss it with her? None of us know...for all we know she lied...and then for all we know she told the truth and just was a bad witness...this happens all the time.

By this line of reasoning we should all forgive OJ...he was never convicted. In that case the prosecutors screwed up also and the police were terrible witnesses....should we all forgive and aplogize to OJ like we are the Duke kids?

Answer 5

They all fade. The media is so desperate to fill hours of news, these stories have a little more traction than they should. The Duke fiasco will end up costing Duke a bunch of money. The Imus thing will fade in a couple days.

Answer 6

Although I think that the CANCER RANCH extremely virtuous and admirable, it is not an advance payment of community service.

RUSH LIMBAUGH should take a lesson from Imus and give $20 million to kids with cancer. But I am sure that he would rather buy Pain Killers and Viagra!

Answer 7

I hope the Imus thing does fade away fast. He doesn't deserve all of the publicity that he is getting. These days
bad publicity is good for the person instead of getting
tossed out they come back larger than ever.

Answer 8

i think it has been proven that the DA in teh Duke case used the white on black (lie) crime to get elected he is a liberal and was headed for defeat... once he started yelling rich white kids.. the typical demon-rat reaction took over and alot of other people didnt get involved that should have.. he will lose his right to be a lawyer and will spend time in jail...

he should also lose everything he owns to the players he lied about...

the al sharpton / jessie jackson will never get what is coming to them.. as part of the black failureship they are pretty much bullet prove for now.. until real black leadership stands up and knocks them down

hopefully it will happen soon

Answer 9

only people who should sue is the lacrosse, what a stigma they already have going through this case. very scary. rutgers girls need an apology and thats it (what do they need to sue for? damages? lets be real people).