Essay 4555

Turning the other butt cheek in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• Next week, Sen. Larry Craig will be inducted into the Idaho Hall of Fame. “Larry Craig has made a great contribution to Idaho over the period of 20-some years. At the time it was considered, this other matter had not come up,” said the Hall of Fame Association’s chairman. Craig has already been unofficially inducted into the Stall of Fame.

• The attempt to return fired shock jock Don Imus to the airwaves continued, with the chief executive of the media company rumored to be courting Imus speaking out in his defense. “He did something wrong,” said the chief executive of Citadel Broadcasting. “He didn’t break the law. He’s more than paid the price for what he did. I think he should be evaluated by what he does going forward.” In other words, the contract’s almost signed.

• Isiah Thomas spoke with the Rev. Al Sharpton to defend himself against the accusations surrounding his “bitch” commentary, and Sharpton is backing off on the boycott threats (see Essay 4549). Thomas argued the comments were spliced together from a seven-hour deposition tape to create misleading results. “I give him the benefit of the doubt,” said Sharpton. “It would seem like an easy thing for his lawyers to say he unequivocally didn’t say that.” Yeah, let’s look to the lawyers for the truth.

• Rapper Lil Wayne was busted in Boise, stemming from a felony fugitive charge after Georgia police suspected the hip-hop star of possessing a controlled substance. The arrest prohibited the rapper from making a Saturday night performance, resulting in irate fans bombarding the police with complaints. “Every other phone call that we’ve picked up have been about him—people who have tickets wanting to know where his concert will be, people calling to see if it’s true that he’s incarcerated,” said a deputy. It’s starting to seem like arresting rappers is more trouble than it’s worth.