Happy Cinco de Mayo

[green_goblin]

Happy Cinco de Mayo!!

The 5th of May is not Mexican Independence Day, but it should be! And Cinco de Mayo is not an American holiday, but it should be. Mexico declared its independence from mother Spain on midnight, the 15th of September, 1810. And it took 11 years before the first Spanish soldiers were told and forced to leave Mexico.

So, why Cinco de Mayo? And why should Americans savor this day as well? Because 4,000 Mexican soldiers smashed the French and traitor Mexican army of 8,000 at Puebla, Mexico, 100 miles east of Mexico City on the morning of May 5, 1862.

The French had landed in Mexico (along with Spanish and English troops) five months earlier on the pretext of collecting Mexican debts from the newly elected government of democratic President (and Indian) Benito Juarez. The English and Spanish quickly made deals and left. The French, however, had different ideas.

Under Emperor Napoleon III, who detested the United States, the French came to stay. They brought a Hapsburg prince with them to rule the new Mexican empire. His name was Maximilian; his wife, Carolota. Napoleon's French Army had not been defeated in 50 years, and it invaded Mexico with the finest modern equipment and with a newly reconstituted Foreign Legion. The French were not afraid of anyone, especially since the United States was embroiled in its own Civil War.

The French Army left the port of Vera Cruz to attack Mexico City to the west, as the French assumed that the Mexicans would give up should their capital fall to the enemy -- as European countries traditionally did.

Under the command of Texas-born General Zaragosa, (and the cavalry under the command of Colonel Porfirio Diaz, later to be Mexico's president and dictator), the Mexicans awaited. Brightly dressed French Dragoons led the enemy columns. The Mexican Army was less stylish.

General Zaragosa ordered Colonel Diaz to take his cavalry, the best in the world, out to the French flanks. In response, the French did a most stupid thing; they sent their cavalry off to chase Diaz and his men, who proceeded to butcher them. The remaining French infantrymen charged the Mexican defenders through sloppy mud from a thunderstorm and through hundreds of head of stampeding cattle stirred up by Indians armed only with machetes.

When the battle was over, many French were killed or wounded and their cavalry was being chased by Diaz' superb horsemen miles away. The Mexicans had won a great victory that kept Napoleon III from supplying the confederate rebels for another year, allowing the United States to build the greatest army the world had ever seen. This grand army smashed the Confederates at Gettysburg just 14 months after the battle of Puebla, essentially ending the Civil War.

Union forces were then rushed to the Texas/Mexican border under General Phil Sheridan, who made sure that the Mexicans got all the weapons and ammunition they needed to expel the French. American soldiers were discharged with their uniforms and rifles if they promised to join the Mexican Army to fight the French. The American Legion of Honor marched in the Victory Parade in Mexico, City.

It might be a historical stretch to credit the survival of the United States to those brave 4,000 Mexicans who faced an army twice as large in 1862. But who knows?

In gratitude, thousands of Mexicans crossed the border after Pearl Harbor to join the U.S. Armed Forces. As recently as the Persian Gulf War, Mexicans flooded American consulates with phone calls, trying to join up and fight another war for America.

Mexicans, you see, never forget who their friends are, and neither do Americans. That's why Cinco de Mayo is such a party -- A party that celebrates freedom and liberty. There are two ideals which Mexicans and Americans have fought shoulder to shoulder to protect, ever since the 5th of May, 1862. VIVA! el CINCO DE MAYO!!

Edited May 5, 2006 by green_goblin

[UNTLifer]

Uh, okay

[Mad Hatter]

You could call this Cinco De MadHatter because today is my Birthday!

GMG!!!

[mhow2]

You could call this Cinco De MadHatter because today is my Birthday!

GMG!!!

←

Happy B-day dude!!!!

[Mean'n'Green07]

Its not an american holiday but dammit it gives me an excuse to party and pick up some corona's and lime

[CorinthEagle]

If you watch the news it looks like EVERY day has been Cinco De Mayo day lately.

[eulesseagle]

The French lose again......i guess that is why the French have "sunburns" under their arms....from throwing up their arms when they surrender.

[Cerebus]

The Mexican army was about 4000 regulars and 2000 militia, the french had 8000 regulars.

The Mexican army was entrenched, literally, in lines between two stone walled forts.

The French General Lorencez, apparently intent on wrestling the title of "Worst General in North America" away from Union General McClellan, refused time for proper artillery preparation and ordered his men to charge into the strongest point of the line. Three times.

At this point the indian militia troops, most armed with machetes and some driving cattle before them, charged into the third retreating wave. This fixed the french army in a bad position, which Porfirio Diaz took full advantage of, leading the Mexican calvary into a textbook flanking attack.

The French army routes, losses at the end of the day ran 6 to 1.

Cinco de Mayo isn't a holiday in Mexico, and it's only really even celebrated around Puebla.

[SCREAMING EAGLE-66]

---I understand why we would celebrate the 16 of September [Diez y sies de Septembre] in the USA somewhat because it is the day that Mexico gained Indepedence from Spain. That had an effect on us in Texas and the USA. That means Texas was no longer Spanish territory and become a part of Mexico.

---I really don't get it about celebrating May 5, 1862. It changed nothing about the USA except there was no French in Mexico trying to gain control. The USA was in no position to enforce the Monroe doctorine at the time because the American Civil War was in progress but once it had ended we likely would have ran them off.

---It seems no more important to us than does Bastile Day (July14), German unification, or the Signing of the Magna Charter is to us. After all 20% or more of Texas has a German surname including me and the most common second language in Texas as of 1900 was German...not Spanish. Two well known WWII native born Texans, Admiral Nimitz and Gen. Eisenhower had German names.

You could even claim the American Revolution was a factor in the French Revolution and besides France provided the American colonies 90% of the gunpowder and arms that G.Washington had to fight with also what few Naval ships we had.. (Bon Homme Richard under John Paul Jones). The French navy blockaded Yorktown and Cornwalis was unable to escape or be resupplied with food and gunpowder and was forced to surrender. France helped a lot in the Revolution in addition to suppling several notable soldiers such as Lafayette. To me it seems Bastille Day is as important to us as that largely uncelebrated holiday in Mexico that we had nothing to do with.

--I am in no way French (German/Dutch/English), but I detest some who trash them all the time because they would not aid us in Iraq ...(France and Germany claimed there was no WMD in Iraq and apparently they were right)... We were even unofficial allies with France during the War of 1812 since both of us (Napoleanic France) were fighting Britain. Because of that war situation we had obtained Lousiana Territory from the French a few years earlier.

---In short except for an excuse to have a few beers, why celebrate May 5, it has nothing to do with the USA. Other international holidays have a lot more meaning to our history. It is crazy... Mexico doesn' even celebrate very much.. they celebrate the 16th of Sept.

A few years ago in class I asked several Hispanic students "Why do you celebrate 5 of May?' None knew... but the answer I received most of the time was it was the day that all Mexicans get drunk... A great endorsement.

Edited May 5, 2006 by SCREAMING EAGLE-66

[BleedGreen64]

Thanks SceaminEagle for setting the record straight. I have often wondered if the French (who have aided us much more than not) had won would so many people want to leave such a backward hopeless country that exist soith of our border.

I also question the bravery of this army that slaughter the handfuls of Texans at The Alamo and Goliad.

Has anyone else ever figured out that drive by shootings would be greatly reduced if the undershirted beer drinkers did so in the back yaeds?

God Bless the USA!!!

[greenjoe]

I had lunch at El Guapo's Thursday. As is the custom there, Mike ( El Guapo) had the "Lunch Lottery" where the winning table is awarded with their lunch tab picked by El Guapo. But he also had a trivia question for an order of "fried ice cream."

I had never had fried ice cream and sorta wondered how such a thing could exist.

Anyway, the question was "what year was 'cinco de Mayo'?"

No one knew. So I answered, "every year has a 5th of May."

That wasn't the answer Mike was looking for, but he came through with the fried ice cream.

Best thing I ever tasted.

Join the Mean Green Club

Buy Season Tickets

GO MEAN GREEN

[MeanGreenEngineer]

They took our jobs!

[NT91]

The French would have given support to the CSA (Confederate States of America)

and the south would have won the war for Southern Independence!!!

Edited May 5, 2006 by NT91

[eulesseagle]

When I was in Junior High School (back in the old days) we celebrated Confederate Hero's Day which was Robert E. Lee's Birthday.

If we make such a big deal about Cinqo De Mayo then we should also celebrate:

1. VietNam Reunification Day since we have quite a few Vietnamese citizens.

2. Muriel Boat Lift Freedom Day since we have quite a few Cubans.

3. Pizza Day for the Italians.

4. Potato Day for the Irish.

5. Fish and Chips day for the English.

6. Wurst Day for the Germans.

7. Vodka Day for the Russians.

8. Goolash Day for all those who dont know where they came from.

The Post Office would really like to add these as PAID HOLIDAYS....just ask Buford Juliep.

Well it is time to go get some tamales and a six pack tecate and watch some telemundo. Hasta luego amigos....oh no qui viene mi jefe, adios......BTW....?donde pongo mi uno ojo chungo?

[MeanGreenEngineer]

The French would have given support to the CSA (Confederate States of America)

and the south would have won the war for Southern Independence!!!

←

The South Will Rise Again!

Just not this year, Jimbo has to put new tires on his house...

[res1dg16]

suprima este hilo de mamarracho - no es sobre el fútbol

[SCREAMING EAGLE-66]

The French lose again......i guess that is why the French have "sunburns" under their arms....from throwing up their arms when they surrender.

←

---Maybe it isn't that the French are all that bad but that the Germans are all that good. It took several years of the combined efforts of the USA, the Dutch with a large shipping fleet and their Indonesian (Shell) Oil resourses, the British Empire and Soviet Union to finally defeat them in WWII and WWI was not much better.

---Few times has anyone had success attacking Germany or the even the un-unified German kingdoms, including the Romans who lost seversl legions many times (13th for one) inside of Germany.

[BleedGreen64]

My predictions 6 years ago:

If Bush is elected 3 things will happen

1 Price of gas will go up -has

2 War with Iraq - are

3 Economy will go bad - did but has improved for the time being

Will will rue the day Germany was unified - still waiting

I will not live to see my Mean Green in a bowl game - wrongo much to my delight - lets go again - soon