...Between a trip out of town to see my parents and all the stuff happening at work, it's a time consuming effort to keep up with all.

So when Mudge e-mailed me to ask what's up, I knew I'd been out of the game too long.

And it's a shame really because there's so much to talk about between Imus (controversial) and the Virginia Tech shootings (tragic). So I can hit on those two things quickly and leave my personal stuff for another day, maybe even tomorrow.

On Imus, it's interesting to think of all the people he's insulted that the Rutgers woman's basketball team would be the group to take him down. That pretty much tells me that it was his time to go and his next stumble at any level was probably going to send him packing. At the end of the day it just isn't a big deal -- Imus will resurface on satellite radio I'm sure and even though a lot of news publications aren't allowing their talent to appear on is show now, they will become lax in those rules later.

Imus fell into the same trap that Michael Richards did -- he just isn't funny. I love racial humor, I think Dave Chappelle dressing up as a Klansman is one of the funniest pieces of comic art I'll ever see in my life. I think Lisa Lampanelli is hysterical and she goes after EVERYONE. So I'm certainly not above some cheap laughs. That being said, Imus wasn't funny and therefore it sounded mean. Do I think he meant it? No. Do I think he's a racist? Possibly, there is a bad history there, but I chalk it up to ignorance more than anything else. Do I think he should've been fired? Hard to say, but if he prides himself on having a show with many of the nation's top political and social personalities, he should conduct himself with a lot more professionalism.

As for Virginia Tech, there isn't much to say that hasn't been said. Although I won't tell anybody this is Generation Y's version of Kent State. Not at all, Kent State was government-supported killings of people expressing their first amendment rights, it was one of this country's darkest moments as a free nation. Virginia Tech was a brutal mass murder of innocent people for no apparent reason other than the neglect of a young man who was obviously troubled. Not to say both aren't completely horrific, they are, but they are very different.

It also brings up a question about campus safety. During my years as a student at the University of Florida and Florida State University, I attended school with roughly 80,000 people. The public campuses was so open that anyone could get off and on the campus without a security check. Anyone could go into a class, anyone could go into a dorm, anyone could go into the libraries or administration building or science labs. I'm surprised this hasn't happened before and I wouldn't be surprised if the nation's next major crime (on a 9-11 scale) happens on a public college campus. Hopefully this incident will force every college and university to look into the safety on their campus.

And for something positive, a big up to the Washington Nationals for their small, yet thoughtful tribute.

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