Is Celebration of Cinco de Mayo Appropriate?

On May 5, millions of Americans will celebrate Cinco de Mayo without really knowing what they’re celebrating. If, however, they knew the background of the holiday, I think Americans might opt to celebrate another holiday.

What is Cinco de Mayo? For most, the holiday simply represents an opportunity to smack a pinata, dine out on Mexican food or enjoy a festival with a south-of-the-border theme. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, however, it’s a holiday that celebrates the legendary Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, in which a Mexican force of 4,500 men faced 6,000 well-trained French soldiers. The battle lasted four hours and ended in a victory for the Mexican army under Gen. Ignacio Zaragoza. Along with Mexican Independence Day on Sept. 16, Cinco de Mayo has become a time to celebrate Mexican heritage and culture.

Is a celebration of Mexican heritage and culture appropriate in this day and age? Not when one considers these facts:

Roughly 10 percent of Mexico’s population of 107 million resides in the United States, according to the nonprofit group, Californians for Population Stabilization. Incredibly, more than half of them — 54 million or more — are here illegally.

To celebrate the heritage and culture of a country that so blatantly disrespects the United States, its legal system and the American way of life is, arguably, akin to disrespecting the United States directly. Therefore, until we stop the flow of illegal immigrants from Mexico, I recommend Americans stop celebrating Cinco de Mayo.

-- Read more about it at Bob McCarty Writes