I would like to know how Al Sharpton gets to hold ANYONE to a moral standard.
Don't get me wrong, Imus is a moron for what he said, but Sharpton is one of the biggest hypocritcial self-promoting band-wagoner to ever walk the planet. He turns my stomach.
Let's review Al's rap-sheet:
Towana Brawley
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tawana_Brawley
Coke buy from FBI agents
http://www.strangecosmos.com/content/item/23284.html
Tax problems - plead guilty to tax evasion '93; in 1989 Sharpton was charged with 67 counts of fraud, larceny and felony tax evasion in connection with the National Youth Movement, a group he founded in the 1970s. He was acquitted on all counts. In 1993 he pled guilty to a separate count of failing to file a New York state income tax return -- a misdemeanor.
The Crown Heights Riots - Crown Heights Riot
The Crown Heights Riot occurred after a car accident involving the motorcade for the Lubavitcher Rebbe killing a young boy Gavin Cato. A riot was sparked after a private Hasidic ambulance came to the scene and, on the orders of a police officer, removed the Hasidic driver from the scene. Gavin Cato and his cousin Angela were picked up soon after by a city ambulance. Caribbean-American and African-American residents of the neighborhood then rioted for four consecutive days fueled by rumors (in part driven by Sharpton), [8], [9], that the private ambulance had refused to treat Cato. [10]
Al Sharpton became the de-facto representative for the Cato family. During the funeral he referred to "diamond merchants" considered a code word for Hasidic Jews [11] [12], for shedding "the blood of innocent babies" leading marchers shouting "No Justice No Peace". Sharpton did not start the riots but his rhetoric was seen as inflammatory and unhelpful in easing the tension between the black and Jewish communities. A visiting rabbinical student from Australia by the name of Yankel Rosenbaum, 29 years old, was killed during the rioting by a mob shouting "Kill the Jew". [13]
LoanMax - LoanMax spokesman
In November 2005, Sharpton appeared in advertisements for LoanMax, an automobile title loan company. Sharpton was criticized for appearing in the ads, as LoanMax has been accused of predatory lending charging fees, and for marketing them to primarily poor, urban and African American audiences. The ads featuring Sharpton were run in predominantly African American markets.[14] On December 7, 2005, Sharpton ended his relationship with LoanMax in a letter to Rod Aycox, LoanMax president and chief executive officer. The letter read, "I respectfully, but firmly decline your offer for further engagement on my part, and will not engage in any business relationship to promote auto lending with LoanMax." Sharpton said he had not done the research before agreeing to the commercials. [15]