Essay 184

Monday Musings & MultiCultClassics Minutes…

• Holy Toledo! It appears the cops in Ohio knew they might be facing a riot days before one actually erupted in response to a Nazi gathering last Saturday. Officers heard gang members planned to show up, but they didn’t completely anticipate things would get so ugly. In the end, 114 people were arrested, one cop was seriously injured, cars were vandalized, a neighborhood bar was torched and tear gas filled the air. And that all happened after the Nazis left the area.

• Illegal immigrants have flocked to Mississippi, lured by the employment opportunities created in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. But many of the undocumented workers wind up unpaid, the pawns of unscrupulous contractors. Guess we can add these folks as secondary victims of the natural disaster.

• Graffiti messages are appearing all over New Orleans, presenting some dark humor. A smelly, discarded refrigerator reads, “Please send to George W. Bush.” A broken-down fishing boat bears the name “SS Brown” — a reference to former FEMA head Michael Brown. It’s social commentary written with urban calligraphy.

• Rumors of his demise have been greatly exaggerated, although spray-painted on the balcony of Fats Domino’s wrecked home in New Orleans. The legendary musician returned to discover the heartfelt message, “R.I.P. Fats. You will be missed.” Rescuers had evacuated Mr. Domino via boat after the disaster.

• Folks from White Settlement, Texas will vote to consider changing the city’s name. Some residents think the name carries too much racial baggage, especially for strangers to the area. The place was named in the 1840s, when people settled between numerous American Indian tribes. Some folks don’t want to change anything, arguing the name “just means that there was a group of Whites who were daring enough to come West and settle in the midst of the Indians.” Not convinced most American Indians would agree with the word “daring.”