MOUTH BREATHERS

Now we've got one more way to label and stigmatize people for looking or acting different from the rest of us.

It's those poor unfortunates who breathe through their mouth instead of their nose – the much maligned “mouth breathers.” This is a pejorative term suggesting that the unfairly ridiculed have IQ's in the single digits.

There's no denying that it's healthier to breathe through your nose, since the nose acts as a filter while warming the air before it enters the lungs. Maybe sucking in air through your mouth does make you look like a goober. But it's not an accurate indicator of a person's intelligence or ability to function at a higher level.

Unfortunately, some people – due to abnormalities of the upper respiratory tract – are unable to get enough air through the nose and are forced to breathe through the mouth so they don't feel like they're being suffocated.

And yet, there are people out there like IMUS, the sarcastic talk-show icon with his trademark cowboy hat sitting atop his horsey saddle-bag face, who rarely misses an opportunity to mock and pass judgment on those who would certainly take advantage of their noses if they could.

Frankly, I'm surprised that Charles McCord, his long-time sidekick, seeker of enlightenment and the show's “voice of reason” hasn't called him on it.

Every so often Charles, whose main job besides doing the news, is to support and pay homage to the Chief, will occasionally rant for a full minute at the top of his lungs when the crabby cowboy goes over the top on someone or something.

Whether it's real or contrived, it's a funny bit and I'd like to hear him sound off more often. Like maybe the next time Don tosses off a nasty dig about something he knows nothing about.

But since the Imus mantra is all about reveling in the agony of others, I guess I shouldn't expect too much from this whining collection of wrinkles neatly assembled under a big hat.

@#$%&@