Essay 623

Reading the legal copy in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• Ludacris (pictured above) and Kanye West are being sued for allegedly ripping off other rappers’ rhymes. A group called IOF and their managers believe the 2003 hit “Stand Up” is too similar to their tune, “Straight Like That.” The rapper superstars call the charges ludicrous and insist IOU nothing, IOF.

• The U.S. Senate voted on a measure that would double the fines imposed on companies hiring undocumented workers. Employers could be charged up to $20,000 under the new rules. Hey, where does all the money collected from these fines inevitably go? Maybe Rep. William Jefferson knows (see Essay 619).

• Indian students in Arizona are protesting a mandate that may prohibit them from wearing eagle feathers in their graduation caps. Tribal elders and family members traditionally give feathers to students to honor their graduation achievement. But the Mesa School Board is enforcing the anti-feather rule. However, the students are encouraged to enroll at the University of Illinois, where they can join the school’s Chief Illiniwek mascot (pictured below).