Free Speech is about being able to express your opinions about whatever you feel -- Is that how Don Imus felt?  That those young women were nappy headed hos?  We have a thing in this country and as citizens of the world, to first do no harm to others -- self defense is one thing, but personally denigrating another person IS HARMFUL.  The law calls it 'character assassination', 'slander', and 'libel'.  Those actions are civil crimes.  Don committed a crime against those young women and as a public figure, he should be held accountable. 

African Americans have come a long long way to be treated with respect.  While so many of our young people are lost in drugs, crime, and early death - due to so many of life's exclusions -- still to this day -- it is an affront to attack young people doing something constructive.  He should have picked on someone else.  We should be angry and insulted because they should be encouraged and supported, not humiliated.

African American women, in particular, have come a long way just to be considered beautiful -- think about this...what is the first thing that an African American male will add to his life when he 'makes it'?  A white woman.  You can count the number of successful African American men married or dating an African American woman on one hand.  Denzel, Sam Jackson, Cosby... and even if many start out married to an African AMerican woman, they will dump them eventually and find a white woman.  I have no problem with interracial dating/marriage.  There is the stigma that white women are more attractive and acceptable and therefore a greater asset and that is a shameful insult to African American women --  and an embarrassment to our men, because they are still so brainwashed from our history in this country.  If Don had made a horribly insulting statement about Gays or white women, and especially Jews, he would have had his head served to him on a tray within seconds.  It's not okay.  Rappers and Comedians get away with that kind of talk because it is creative freedom, but it's not okay.  It becomes a way of life and that is why white people are again saying negative remarks about African Americans, remarks  that so many people died to overcome.  It was not okay.  And I appreciate his company standing up for the right thing.  I hope that Don will be as ostracized as O.J.   And I do not approve of alienating any person for past mistakes.  People make mistakes and they should be forgiven if they are truly sorry and start over.  We should forgive Don when white people forgive O.J.  (And I am not a fan of O.J.'s because he dumped his beautiful African American wife and children for a blond white woman)