Published 4/12/07 The Circle

MSNBC's Don Imus, of Imus in the Morning, is suspended for two weeks after making racist comments about the Rutgers women's basketball team.

Was the suspension appropriate? Yes. But should Imus fold under the pressure of critic Rev. Al Sharpton and resign? No.

Imus' actions were stupid and should be punished, but are also being analyzed by those who don't understand the set up of his morning show (more comedy than news) and his history of being a "shock jock." But that's besides the point.

What angers me more is Sharpton's persistency to grab the attention of every media outlet available to him to voice his anger for not only Don Imus but to gain attention for himself.

People are quick to forget that Sharpton has been caught with his pants down in many controversies where he jumped too fast in, what critics would say, "playing the race card."

In the summer of 1998, Tawana Brawley of the neighboring town of Wappingers claimed to being raped by six white men and then later put into a garbage bag a few feet away from her apartment building. The public was outraged with the entire scenario, as they should, while Sharpton rushed to Brawley's side to help publicize the crime for his own agenda. Sharpton boldy accused prosecutor Steve Pagones of being a racist and rapist. When the case hit trial, turns out that Brawley made up the entire story leading Brawley and her mother to circumvent any more media attention and relocate to Virginia. All eyes were then back on Sharpton who was later successfully sued by Pagones for defamation of character.

Sharpton never apologized for his accusations and remarks about Pagones.

And then there's the time Sharpton called Hasidic Jews "diamond merchants." In Crown Heights, a station wagon of a prominent Jewish leader crashed into a sidewalk killing a black seven-year-old boy. When the driver stepped out to help the child, he was face to face with angry black bystanders who beat and robbed him. Then a private Hasidic ambulance came to the scene and assisted the driver. Once the ambulance drove away, the city ambulance arrived for the children who were hurt.

Sharpton rushed to the area, saying it was "murder" and "racism" and compared it to the racial assassination of "brother Malcolm X." Nearly four days of rioting in the Crown Heights community followed.

Sharpton later said he had no part of the riots and never apologized for his remarks.

Imus was in the wrong, and he did apologize for his comments.

What I'm trying to get at is, how can the black community continue to make strides when leaders like Sharpton are so outrageous? Doesn't anyone fear the risk of regression in the civil rights movement? After listening to numerous debates on the news, talk shows, Internet forums and blogs, more people have decided to side with Imus and nearly all of them have come to this conclusion because of one thing: they are completely turned off by Sharpton. And can you blame them? (I must say my favorite response was posted by Carrie David of Louisianna on todayshow.com in which she posts, "Aren't Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson REVERANDS. Don't they understand FORGIVENESS.")

If Sharpton is truly for equality then where is his support for Barack Obama? Oh right- if anyone should be the first black president it should be him.

Sharpton has continued to fight for only one thing - his ego. If the black community is going to be successful in stopping racist remarks by people like Imus and Michael Richards, they need a leader who will overpower Sharpton's antics. Until then, we can continue to watch the race issue become the most popular segment on Entertainment Tonight.