The trainers and owners are a bit worried about the run for the roses today because rain - a lot of rain - has been - is being, forecast for this morning and then again before the race is to begin. I read what, Bob Baffert, one of the trainers, said this morning, by way of explaining why the owners and trainers and jockeys are worried. "It hits their belly and face, they throw their head up, they lose interest and they get scared." I'll bet the handicappers are scared, too. Hard to handicap a race when none of the horses has any experience running in soupy, peanut butter-y stuff instead of the turf they're used to. When I was a little kid, growing up in an mostly Irish Catholic family with its prerequisite large number of children, someone in the family or the extended family invariably made their First Holy Communion on May 1st. And every adult seemed to be more interested in the fact that the Kentucky Derby was run on that day. And there was always a pool among the grownups, each contributing a dollar and each choosing "their" horse. Of course, the person or persons who had that horse would win the money. It's an odd thing to remember about the day I and my siblings and cousins made our First Holy Communion, but there it is. By the by, I have to write it as First Holy Communion, capitalization and all. Even for a fallen-away Catholic such as myself, it's a rule.
I got an email from a friend of mine late last night. One of those overwrought ones that link religion and politics. I never like those. This one started out with "This is chilling" and went on to say how Harry S. Truman back in '52, established one day a year as a "national day of prayer" and how in 1988, President Reagan designated the first Thursday in May of each year as the National Day of Prayer. The next part of the email - which my friend didn't write, she just passed it on to me, under the subject line, "Pass it on" - went on to state "in 2007, (then) Presidential candidate Barack Obama declared that the USA was no longer a Christian nation." Notice how I didn't put what the email stated that Obama said in quotations? That's because the people who started that email couldn't put it in quotations because that's not what President-elect Obama said in that speech in 2007. What he said was, and I quote, "Though we once were, we are no longer a Christian nation, at least not just - we are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, a Buddhist nation and a Hindu nation and a nation of non-believers." He did not say we are no longer a Christian nation, full stop. He continued his sentence. It makes me so mad that people can continue to misquote the man! The email went on to say that President Obama has cancelled the 2010 National Day of Prayer. Wrong! The same people who are saying that also said he cancelled it last year. Also wrong. Last year he didn't hold a ceremony at the White House as George W Bush had done during his Administration. President Obama did, however, make a Proclamation. http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/presidential-proclamation-national-day-prayer?loc=interstitialskip The incorrect nonsense about President Obama canceling the National Day of Prayer stems from a ruling by The rumors arise out of Thursday's decision by Wisconsin U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb that the National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional. She ruled that it violates the First Amendment's ban against a law respecting an establishment of religion (full decision pdf).
According to this article: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/Religion/post/2010/04/obama-will-still-issue-national-day-of-prayer-proclamation/1 the President "both tweeted and confirmed in an e-mail to the Associated Press from spokesman Matt Lehrich that Obama still plans to recognize The National Day of Prayer as it did last year. The article has more to say on the subject.
I hate getting the kind of email I received from my friend. It made me sad as well as angry when I read it. I would not have read it if I'd known what it was. I don't want to hurt her feelings, so I am venting my outrage here in my little blog.
I wish my friend would live up to what I've thought about her since I met her. That she's an intelligent person. She's a nurse. She reads a lot, like I do. I wonder if she checks to see that she's gotten the whole story. I try to read the whole story. I don't always, though. I need to change that. I admit that I voted for Barack Obama and that I am one who still supports him. I admit I think that the country was in terrible shape when it was in the hands of George W. Bush and his administration, what with two mishandled, too-costly wars, both in human life and monetary costs; illegal wire tapping of American Citizens; the Patriot Act and its no due process; and its at best blind eye turned on torture used as a manner of interrogation. The rest of the world backed away from us - ordinary Americans were for the very first times in their lives, ashamed of what we stood for. In fact, I personally believe that we, even today with hopeful Barack Obama as our President, should not go around preaching to other countries about human rights and freedom for all, until every freedom that our great country has to offer, is offered to each and every American! Regardless of race, creed, gender, gender orientation or accent!! No more Don't Ask, Don't Tell. No more 'Marriage is only acceptable if it's between a man and a woman. No more racial bias and hate crimes not prosecuted. Quite simply stated - freedom means freedom for all.
I won't get back to my friend about the email. She is too far down the right wing path of discredit President Obama if another right winger tell you too, don't bother getting the facts straight. And I like my
friend and I'd like to be able to keep her friendship. I hope I can. I think.
8:42 AM on Saturday, May 1st, Kentucky Derby Day, 2010. I've been awake overnight again, dammit and it's time to go see about breakfast.
And I'm just sayin'
