Obama not paying for any more border fence

This has been under the radar - remember the fence with Mexico that we were supposed to build? Well, we've built some of it, but the Obama administration will not be building the rest of it. There isn't any official change of policy, at least as far as I can tell, but they're not paying for it. Works for me. The border fence has to be one of the stupidest ideas ever. Most of the people in Texas don't want, it doesn't do much good, and it stands as a symbol of everything that America shouldn't be. It's also reminiscient of the Berlin Wall, one of the symbols of Communism. Some right-wingers will complain and moan about how Obama isn't keeping us safe. Too bad for them. They are not in power. Not only are they not in power, they are being marginalized. The national consensus is shifting away from them. Eventually, hopefully, most Americans will realize that demagoguery is not healthy, either for individuals' mental health, or policymaking in a democracy.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

It's Cinco de Mayo! It's a minor regional holiday in Mexico that Americans have embraced as a celebration of Mexican culture. It is not, in fact, Mexican independence day, which is September 16. Cinco de Mayo actually celebrates the triumphant victory of Dos Equis and Corona over Budweiser and Miller as the favorite beer of people on spring break in Cabo San Lucas. It was a glorious victory over the cultural imperialist Americans. From that day forward, Dos Equis and Corona began their march northward, into the territory formerly dominated by their Yanqui competitors. They gradually became hipper and cooler, and are now the preferred beer of people who like cheap beer but also like to pretend that they're drinking something exotic and different. As Abraham Lincoln said in Bill & Ted's Most Excellent Collection, "Party on, dudes!"

This is also a great day to watch The Mexican, the Brad Pitt-Julia Roberts sort-of-romantic sort-of-comedy from a few years ago. I like it, but it took me about three viewings to really understand it. One nice thing about it is that most of the Mexicans are smarter than most of the Americans. It's also the source of one of my all-time favorite quotes, from James Ganfolfini: "I'm here to regulate funkiness."

If you do partake of your share of tequila shots today, just remember that line: be sure to regulate funkiness. Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Update: Gustavo Arrellano, of Ask A Mexican! fame, has the lowdown on Cinco de Mayo, including St. Patrick's Day vs. Cinco de Mayo.

The "Mexican Schindler"

The LA Times had a story about Gilberto Bosques Saldívar, a Mexican diplomat in Marseilles who saved about 40,000 Jews during WWII. He was honored last month by the Anti-Defamation League. His daughter accepted the honor on his behalf (he died in 1995 at the age of 103).

It's amazing how much history we are still uncovering about that era.