"Don Imus Moving to Palm Coast?"

When Don Imus, on his popular Imus in the Morning radio show, crossed the line of human decency last week - he just may have sentenced himself to an unplanned retirement. Let's see; CBS and MSNBC have slid pink slips under his door - and when the likes of General Motors, American Express, Sprint Nextel, Procter and Gamble, and Staples turn their backs on you - things don't look so good. Besides, Imus looks pretty old - like he always needs a nap (or as my Irish mother used to say, "a lie down"). So... what if he came here to live? I mean ITT developed this town, at least initially, with retirees in mind, right? (I guess they figured we'd all be too old to walk around, so why would we need sidewalks?). Would we find a way to accept the guy? Granted, we might not see him all that much if he holed up at Island Estates or in the Disney-esque Towers at Hammock Beach, but you know what I'm asking. Would we, mostly Northern transplants, extend warmth and hospitality to him and help him to make Palm Coast his new home? Your answer could have a lot to do with the real value of "the Palm Coast experience." I'd put my money on Flagler County to do the right thing, especially if each of us took a quick peek in the mirror to see if there's anything in our past that just might need a little forgiving. Imus and his ilk - Shock Jocks - aren't a new thing. They started popping up in the early 1970's, in perfect harmony with a very real cultural decline. This is not moralistic rhetoric - This is an undeniable fact. Wikipedia defines "shock jock" as "a type of radio broadcaster who attracts attention using humor that a significant portion of the listening audience may find offensive." Right on, right on. Man, the things we can try to sell, loosely veiled as "humor." Absolutely nothing is sacred or taboo. Like racism, sexism, homophobia, public humiliation, and character assassination (to name the few I'd dare to put on these pages). The I-Man got his queues from the groundbreakers like Lenny Bruce and Redd Foxx, but currently swims in the cesspool with Howard Stern, Mancow, Greaseman, Wendy Williams, Bubba the Love Sponge, and Liz Wilde, to name just a few. These folks revel in their craft. And their fans?... Well their fans just say, "Hey, this is America, buddy. #*@~># you, if you don't like it!" (Notice that there are a couple of women on the list... just keepin' it real?) If you were born in the 60's or earlier, have you noticed that "The Jerry Springer Show" is a tad different from "Leave it to Beaver?" It seems that we have become a "Nation of Nasty" and a "Culture of Crass." Nearly every comedy show today, drips with sarcasm, put-downs, and sexual innuendo. Boxing has given way to "WWF Raw" and "Mixed Martial Arts Cage Fights." It seems that every movie out features one or more of chainsaws, twisted serial killers, or demonic entities. Certain popular music genres idolize violence, cop killing, and trivialized sexuality. Video games have become surrogate babysitters and they are off the charts with immoral insanity. Teachers in school are often fearful and coaches can't hug a kid, because of pedophilia law suits. The list is infinitely longer. Hint: Imus is not alone. "It's all good." "Whatever!" So, where am I going with this? John Adams, one of the Founding Fathers, said: "The preservation of liberty depends upon the intellectual and moral character of the people." I don't think Imus read the whole sentence, or if he did, he glossed over the "and." The truth is that our inherent human nature wants to leave out the "and." We weren't born "good." Ever notice how a baby does not need to be trained to be selfish, greedy, aggressive, or self centered? We all need forgiveness... for so many things. Can you deny how good it makes you feel when you get it? When you give it? For those who aren't getting this, they are all over the ground... you know... stones to pick up and throw. Anyway, I hope Imus sees this Blog and visits the area to check us out. I'd love to help him purchase a home here. He could probably get a good deal in this Buyer's Market. Maybe a killer 7,500 sq.ft. place on 2 acres in Island Estates on the ICW? We could probably find him one "deeply discounted" from $4,500,000 to, say $3,999,000? (Let's see, 6% X $3,999,000 = :-)