Essay 173

First Friday with MultiCultClassics Minutes…

• A new study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration revealed American Indians use their seat belts at a significantly lower level than other citizens — 54 percent buckle up versus the national average of 82 percent. Can’t help but think the government could spend tax dollars in ways that might better benefit American Indians.

• The showdown was inevitable. McDonald’s and Starbucks are clashing in Illinois over mall space. Mickey D’s is seeking to block the opening of a Starbucks within a suburban shopping center. Golden Arches lawyers are twisting a contract agreement that limits the number of rival restaurants. Mickey D’s contends that Starbucks is a restaurant. Starbucks should counter with the argument that McDonald’s isn’t a restaurant, as the joint doesn’t sell real food.

• Hispanic leaders are criticizing President Bush for failing to nominate a Hispanic to the Supreme Court. Be careful what you wish for, compadres. Blacks are not exactly dancing in the streets over Justice Clarence Thomas.

• Wesley Snipes is not a crack ho’s baby daddy. A Manhattan judge dismissed a paternity suit against Snipes filed by a woman claiming Snipes fathered her kid when they had intercourse in a crackhouse — although it was later proven Snipes never met the woman. And no, it wasn’t Kate Moss.

• Officials in New Orleans are investigating allegations that police stole nearly 200 cars from a dealership as Hurricane Katrina approached. Funny how the media managed to document countless Black folks looting, yet no one spotted a Cadillac convoy of crooked cops.

• Don’t go into a diabetic coma in Akron, Ohio, as cops are prone to mistaking you for a drunk and beating you senseless. That’s what happened to a 56-year-old man who ultimately suffered broken ribs and a punctured lung — plus, the officers zapped him four times with a stun gun. In New Orleans, the cops would have also run him over with a new Cadillac.