et ceteras

Saturday is Cinco de Mayo, which means it is a source of irritation for yours truly. This is the United States, not Mexico, so why do so many of us celebrate a battle between Mexico and France that happened 150 years ago? Even in Mexico, Cinco de Mayo is observed only in one part of the country, namely, the state of Puebla...but here in the U.S. of A. it is celebrated in all fifty states even though it has nothing to do with us.

I know, I know. Americans don’t really observe Cinco de Mayo, we simply use it as an excuse to get drunk. But seriously, folks, if you want to get drunk do you really need an excuse? Just do it. If it makes you feel better to have an excuse, use a better one by saying that you are celebrating May 5th because it is the day Alan Shepard became the first American in space.

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Saturday is also the 138th running of the Kentucky Derby, the one horse race everyone wants to watch even if they know nothing about the “sport of kings.” I have a time-honored tradition, dating back to my teenage years, in which I not-so-scientifically pick my three favorite horses based solely on what I think are the coolest names. I have yet to see a winner come out of my top three, though I have had some come close. If you care to know, my favorites this year are Sabercat, Liaison, and I’ll Have Another.

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Plus, Saturday is Revlon’s annual Run/Walk for Women, whose goal is to find a cure for women’s cancers. If you haven’t already done so, please consider making a donation to the cause by going here. The page belongs to my high school friend Candi and her sister Dana, who are participating in the event for the 14th consecutive year.

If you donated to the March for Babies, in which I participated last week, your support is very much appreciated. The team started by my friend Andrea, in honor of her late daughter Elizabeth, raised more than $8,000.

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Some people have always thought Barack Obama is a petty, petulant, dishonest gasbag. Others lapped up his fuzzy “hope and change” rhetoric of 2007 and 2008 for no other reason than they wanted to. I was recently caught by surprise over the fact that several media figures from the latter category have seemed to switch to the former. For examples go here, here, and here. Just be forewarned that the last link has lots of colorful language, in case you are offended by that sort of thing.

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Lastly, do you know that terrorists launched missiles into southern Israel this week? Probably not, because the MSM has not bothered to cover the story, but here it is if you care to read up on it. Which you should. Our media’s silence when it comes to one of the freest, most moral nations on earth being attacked by barbarians is, to put it mildly, shameful.