[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 9045]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          REMARKS ON DON IMUS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by 
expressing condolences to all of those who were directly affected by 
the gun violence that has just taken the lives of so many young people 
with so much promise. Again, I think it is an indication of a 
tremendous need to better regulate the acquisition and ownership of 
guns in our country, and I join with all of those who call for 
increased regulation.
  Mr. Speaker, America's radios, televisions, newspapers, and Internet 
sites have been consumed for the past several days over remarks by 
radio personality Don Imus.
  Two weeks ago Imus referred to the women of the Rutgers University 
women's basketball team in language which can only be described as 
racist, sexist, and viciously offensive. Faced with an uproar of 
disgust and protest in response to those remarks, Imus apologized on 
one hand and on the other denied any racism and insisted that his words 
carried no malice.
  Imus has a history of similar remarks and demands for him to be fired 
escalated by the hour and day. Under pressure from the public and 
advertisers, MSNBC agreed to drop the Imus show, and then, of course, 
CBS came to the same decision. I commend them for coming to the 
realization that this kind of rhetoric has no place on the public 
airways. I hope this outcome will be viewed as a victory for free 
speech and corporate responsibility.
  I consider myself an apostle of the first amendment. Free speech is 
fundamental to our very notions of what and who we are as a people and 
as a Nation. Nevertheless, I believe that the outcry and protest over 
the Imus remarks and the demands for his dismissal are not only 
justified, but are totally consistent with the first amendment.
  Nothing has eaten away at the soul of America, nothing has divided 
our Nation, and nothing has more persistently infected our democracy 
than the monstrous evil of racism.
  Racism dehumanized and continues to dehumanize African Americans and 
others. Racism continues to ravage the lives of Black America from 
health to housing and from income to imprisonment. It has taken almost 
150 years of struggle and sacrifice, but we no longer accept the racist 
practices and we no longer excuse racist speech.
  No one is demanding that the government muzzle Mr. Imus. However, it 
is logical and just that large, extremely profitable media companies 
whose existence and whose profits are based on freedom of speech, would 
want to ensure that they are not profiting from the abuse of African 
American women, from the poisoning of relations between Americans, or 
from discrimination or oppression of any sector of our society.
  Last week it was an outcry against Mr. Imus for his remarks. Today 
and tomorrow it must be against the rappers, hip-hop artists, and 
comedians who use vile language as a part of their public acts.
  My mother used to take washing powder or soap and wash out our mouths 
if we were to use language that was unacceptable to her. Now, I know 
that we can't do this with some of our entertainers, but we certainly 
can sanitize and let them know that we are not appreciative of their 
language.
  I join with those who commend the chairperson of the Congressional 
Black Caucus, Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, for her leadership. And I also 
commend Reverend Jesse Jackson and the Reverend Al Sharpton for the 
tremendous roles that they played in raising this issue.

                          ____________________