And the month is only half over...

April 2007 has been a month full of tragedy and controversy. The shootings at the Virginia Tech campus, that resulted in over 30 deaths, was a horrific moment. As we come to know the names and faces of the victims, the impact of what has occurred becomes more vivid. As with any disaster, there are many who look back in time to see what could have been done to avoid this or looking for a direction to point blame. Should police responded in a different manner, were teachers' warnings about the shooters mental state not given serious enough consideration, etc. This is a time where the lives lost should be mourned respectfully. A different video game rating system or different gun laws wouldn't have done much of anything to change this situation. Pointing fingers with the benefit of the cliched 20/20 hindsight won't accomplish much and using this painful event as a opportunity for some interest groups to further their cause just seems opportunistic and wrong to me. Aside from that, like everyone else in the nation my heart goes out to all those effected by this terrible incident.

Earlier this month the airwaves and internet were clogged with news about Don Imus and his comments regarding the Rutger Womans Basketball team. As someone who is part black I didn't find the comments too terribly offensive on a racial level (don't get me wrong it was offensive, but Imus has said worse), however it seemed wholly disrespectful as a sexist insult to young women who hadn't done anything to anybody. These weren't attention grabbing celebrities or scum bag politicians making themselves targets for ridicule and insult. These were young women who despite the odds got into the final four of the NCAA tourney. What'd they do to merit an insult? Since it was an otherwise slow news week the media latched on to this throw away offbase comment, which of course whipped up Jackson and Sharpton who never miss an opportunity to get their mugs on TV. Ending up in what I consider the unfair firing of Don Imus for what only called for a month suspension at the most.

To clarify I'm not a fan of Don Imus, I don't find him entertaining and I don't understand the appeal of his show. From what I've seen of his show on MSNBC (since I couldn't tell you where it is on the radio dial here in DC) I really don't like the guy. Just seems like an old crank. BUT I am a fan of radio as whole, and I'm a strong supporter of free speech and I like radio that is edgy and tests the limits. I shudder to think if all talk radio was "safe". Yuck.