He said 'nappy' (short article), which means something else entirely.

These guys, the Imuses and Sterns and Limbaughs reflect society as a whole, and what level of meanness and ridicule we can tolerate. I think Imus just found out where the line was when he went over it. People have been giving longer and longer leashes, and he hit the end.

He was fired, folks. He wasn't brought up on charges. He wasn't prevented from speaking elsewhere - the Dixie Chicks lost gigs because of what one of them said, so Imus losing his gig isn't that different. The First Amendment of the United States Constitution--

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

--protects the right to freedom of religion and freedom of expression from government interference. The government isn't involved in this, as far as I know.

He was FIRED, just like you would be if you pissed off enough customers, patrons or management types.

I hope this is indicative of a "we're not gonna take it anymore" shift, away from the degradation and humiliation of people by some in the media. As for Imus, he knows where the end of the leash is now. I'd guess he'll apologize without reservation if he's smart and get a job somewhere else, where he'll have twice the number of listners - even if they tune in only to see what stupid shit he'll say next.