Dear Editor,
On May 22, 1856, Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner was attacked in his senatorial chambers by South Carolina Congressman Preston Brooks.
Brooks beat Sumner to a bloody pulp with a cane over comments made by Sumner towards Brooks’ uncle, South Carolina Senator Andrew Butler and his defense of the institution of slavery.
On the flip side of that, controversial radio personality Don Imus was fired by CBS, stemming from his racist and sexist remarks about the Rutgers women’s basketball team.
Much in the same way, Imus was not even delivered a slap on the wrist by the network, but was simply fired. Interestingly enough, Imus was only to be suspended for two weeks and there were no talks of his firing until corporate ad agencies such as American Express and others pulled their funding of Imus.
CBS also waited until Imus began his annual Radiothon to raise money for the treatment of cancer among children. So after Imus had dutifully served his purpose of a corporate cash cow, CBS washed their hands clean of the whole ordeal.
Interestingly enough, Imus was not given a chance to apologize to the Rutgers team before his firing (he still plans to do so).
However, today Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong simply apologized for ruining the lives of three former Duke Lacrosse players. He, as well as Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and many others, stigmatized them as rapists.
“We won’t let these rich white boys get away with rape,” Nifong said.
Coincidentally, their charges were dropped yesterday for lack of evidence. So maybe as Americans we have become like Preston Brooks: quick to judgment and action, and slow to forgive. After all, I guess an apology doesn’t account for what it once did.
– Kristofer C. Markl

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