"eenie, meenie, minie, moe' rhyme grabs people, but it has an awful history"

"But the company?s success doesn?t excuse the use of the offensive rhyme to advertise the product. The issue made headlines nationwide in 2004 when a federal jury ruled against two African-American passengers on Southwest Airlines. They contended that a flight attendant used the dirty little rhyme against them.

The Southwest employee said "Eenie, meenie, minie, moe; pick a seat, we gotta go." The Lenexa women who were searching for seats said they were the only black passengers on the flight.

During the trial, a San Jose State University official testified that Southwest Airlines billboards had gone up in December 1996 using the eenie, meenie, minie, moe rhyme. After he complained to the company, noting the racist origin of the rhyme, the more than 30 of the distasteful billboards were removed in the California city."
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/15016407.htm