Essay 237

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• Tardiness cost DMX an additional ten days in jail. The hip-hop star was sentenced to serve 70 days by a judge in Queens. “I don’t find [he] kept his side of the promise,” said Judge Dorothy Chin-Brandt, referring to his chronic lateness for court appearances. “I am going to sentence [him] to 70 days in jail.” DMX should change his name to Rolex or Timex.

• Three supervisors at the Chicago Department of Transportation were spanked for viewing online photos of women’s butts during work hours. The men were sharing pics of women in bikinis, rating the models’ derrieres. The supervisors were suspended for 29 days, giving them ample time to download porn from the comfort of their home computers.

• Wal-Mart is known for its low prices. But the mega-retailer also indirectly helps low-priced workers. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officials raided a construction site for a Wal-Mart distribution center in Pennsylvania, nabbing 125 illegal immigrants. The retailer insists the workers were not employed by Wal-Mart; rather, various subcontractors hired them. Then again, it’s not like Wal-Mart denies illegal immigrants may make up a sizeable portion of its customer base.

• How many generations will it take for Native Americans to realize the White Man cannot be trusted? A new scandal in Washington charged Michael Scanlon with conspiracy to defraud American Indian tribes of millions of dollars. Scanlon — an ex-aide to former House Majority leader Tom Delay, and a partner of lobbyist Jack Abramoff — was “assisting” American Indian groups with a variety of casino issues. Can’t help but draw parallels to past schemes involving land being purchased for minimal amounts of cash and a few cases of whisky.