Local DJ gets unjustly "Imus'd"

Imus, Imus, Imus - he's a black hole right now, from which there's no escape. Like a recovering addict, I've sworn off writing about him, but this week, in the aftermath of Imus' firing, the story took on an unexpected local angle.

I'm originally from the Poconos, so during and immediately following my high school years, I listened to 93.5 FM, WSBG. The station's most prominent DJ was Gary Smith (above), host of the Gary in the Morning program.

This past week, Smith was summarily fired following a skit Smith did on his radio show that was in poor taste, but more importantly, poorly timed.

On Monday morning, Smith decided to use "I'm a nappy-headed ho," as the station's Phrase that Pays, referencing what Imus said that resulted in him losing his radio and cable TV shows. The ninth person who called in and said it won some sort of prize.

A press release issued by the company that owns WSBG stated that Smith "used the phrase with full knowledge of the reaction to Don Imus' use of the exact same phrase just a day earlier, which is the reason he was terminated and not suspended."

Smith has a well-earned reputation of being a pillar in the community; he appears unpaid at many charity events, and he's entertained legions of fans during a 17-year career at the station, including me.

Smith should have been reprimanded for the dumb move, but not fired. There's plenty of differences between the Imus' needlessly making ridiculous remarks about the Rutgers University Women's basketball team, and repeating a statement as a joke when it's not directed at anyone.

I do see management's point - even repeating "nappy-headed ho," especially considering the national controversy, was ill-advised and downright foolish. But, should it cost a man, who is in otherwise good standing in the community, his livelihood? I'm not buying it.

You cannot even compare Imus to Smith. Imus has a checkered past that's rife with racial remarks that can be interpreted no other way than the guy's a racist. A few days ago, I blogged about a New York Times piece by Bob Herbert. In it, Herbert discusses a transcript from a 60 Minutes piece on Imus from about 10 years ago, during which it was confirmed that he regularly uses the "N-Word."

Smith doesn't have that past.

The bottom line here is that we have our next Janet Jackson Moment, sort of.

I'm for free speech, with certain limitations. To the people who think Imus should not have been fired, I'd ask this - walk down the aisle of cubicles in corporate America, or say it on an NFL sideline, or even bagging french fries at McDonald's. You're getting fired, and you should be.

Imus is no different.

But, what happened to Gary Smith is absurd. A trumped up charge of racial intolerance. By all accounts, he didn't do it with malice or direct the statements toward anyone.

I'm not alone in my opinion, either. There's online petition to bring Smith back to the airwaves. I signed it, and so far 600 other people have as well.

Radio personalities around the nation expressed similar outrage that Smith, under these circumstances, would be fired. Howard Stern said that he plans to offer Smith a job. Who knows? Maybe getting fired will be one of the best things to happen to Smith, if he ends up on Sirius.

It will be interesting to see how this one plays out.

Saddam -- the new Janet Jackson?

Above is the real deal - video of Saddam Hussein being hanged. Honestly, is anyone surprised that a video of this leaked out?

I knew it was only a matter of time.

This morning on Today, it was reported that the man who took this video with his cell phone has been arrested. Arrested for what?

Vandra put it best this morning when she said that this video will probably be some sort of watershed moment, much like this one...



...that will bring calls to regulate the Internet. You can bet your tax return that there will be a massive, post-Janet-like movement to regulate the 'Net now - people complaining about invasions of privacy with accompanying complaints about videos like these always find their way to the 'Net.

I can guarantee you one thing -- I will do everything in my power to fight any regulation. The Internet is the final frontier in the mass media where corporate control isn't the norm. Yes, there is a downside to having such a wide-open medium, but the upside is freedom of expression.

This is the same argument that has been raging for decades, but it's not news that you have to take the good with the bad in a society where you have freedom of expression, whether its Baltimore or Baghdad.

A few more thoughts on the Saddam video.

1. Why weren't people who were permitted to view the execution searched for cell phones, if the U.S. Military and the Iraqis were so concerned with video of it getting out? I have to tolerate everything but a Magnum flashlight being shoved up my rear end when boarding an airplane, so the same measures could have been taken during the execution.

2. It also cracks me up that everyone (in our government and the Iraqi government) is so upset about this video hitting the 'Net. If both wanted to keep it so secret and were concerned about video getting out and/or reaction, see #1, and also, don't execute the guy. Throw him in jail for 50 years, and let the homeboys have their way with him.

3. No, my heart's not broken that he's gone. But, that doesn't change my opinion on this dumb and misguided war, and the criminally inept way that it's being fought.

Again, mark it down - don't be surprised if you see a movement to regulate the Internet in some way, some time soon. It's a typical political ploy - the minute news gets out that you don't like, "there must be regulation!" It's only a matter of time, people. If Saddam's hanging doesn't touch off a massive movement to regulate the 'Net, another controversy will.