Essay 258

Political statements brought to you by MultiCultClassics Minutes…

• A couple of businesswomen, Lama al-Sulaiman and Nashwa Taher, became Saudi Arabia’s first female elected officials. In fact, the recent election was the first time women were permitted to run and vote. News stories offered little information on the pair, who could not be reached for comment. Maybe Saudi Arabian women are not yet allowed to speak to reporters.

• The California Supreme Court rejected the latest legal efforts to stop the scheduled execution of Crips gang founder Stanley Tookie Williams. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger can still swoop in like the Terminator and grant clemency. “What I want to do is make sure we make the right decisions, because we’re dealing here with a person’s life,” Schwarzenegger said. It wasn’t clear if the Governor was actually referring to his own political life.

• “Poverty and ignorance is more of a problem in our community than convicting our poets,” said Russell Simmons at the continuing trial of Murder Inc. Yeah, but poverty and ignorance in our community won’t attract an audience that includes Simmons, Jay-Z, Damon Dash, Ja Rule and Ashanti.

• The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo recently won a Significant Achievement Award from the American Zoo and Aquarium Association for participating in Cleveland Metroparks Diversity Initiatives. Yeah, but what’s the ratio between Black Bears and Polar Bears at the zoo?