• Common Ground •1860 Pear in Bloom on our front lawnAccording to Harry Phillips' comment in 1946, this pear was planted in 1860. It is slowly dying but bears fruit abundantly every year. I don't understand what could make a people prefer the ornamental pears planted throughout the U.S. over one that gives fruit. Is not the fruit that which sustains us? Unless of course those who decide what gets planted are not those who hunger.

While some men hunger for power, fame or wealth, there are millions who are grateful just to have food to eat. There is much to be thankful for in living on a farm. If nothing else, by dint of our hard work we can eat well. I am impressed that our pear tree has been alive since before the below referenced events, each of which has had a profound global impact. This pear tree has had a profound local impact for those who have lived here and who have been sustained by the abundant fruit. How provident of those who planted it. How fortunate for those of us who have come here since and appreciated the value resulting from another's' effort and intent.

I asked Marcia to submit a brief paragraph (which follows) about the Holocaust in recognition of the observance of Holocaust Memorial Day which was April 25th.

It is a day set aside each year to recognize that the Holocaust was a tragically defining episode of the 20th century, a crisis for European civilization and a universal catastrophe for humanity. As the survivors of Holocaust are fewer in number with each passing year, it is for each succeeding generation to learn from history and work to ensure that the
horrendous crimes, racism and victimization committed during the
Holocaust are neither forgotten nor repeated, anywhere in the world.
The Holocaust provides us with a precedent of behavior from the lowest
level of depravity to the highest value of morality. It is incumbent
for each of us to be aware of what transpires in the world around us,
and to actively choose our mode of behavior and action, especially as
we hear of the stories of horror from Darfur, of genocide in this new century.

Following are some historical notes on May Day and Cinco De Mayo. Both celebrations originated to commemorate victories by commoners.

May Day will be celebrated around the world. International Workers' Day (a name used interchangeably with May Day) is the commemoration of the Hay market Riot of 1886 in Chicago, Illinois, and a celebration of the social and economic achievements of the international labor movement. The 1 May date is used because in 1884 the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions, inspired by labor's 1872 success in Canada, demanded an eight-hour workday in the United States to come in effect as of May 1, 1886. This resulted in a general strike and the riot in Chicago of 1886, but eventually also in the official sanction of the eight-hour workday. The May Day Riots of 1894 and May Day Riots of 1919 occurred subsequently.
Due to these left-wing overtones, May Day has long been a focal point for demonstrations by various socialist, communist, and anarchist groups. In the 20th century, May Day received the official endorsement of the Soviet Union; celebrations in communist countries during the Cold War era often consisted of large military parades and shows of common people in support of the government.
The Red Scare periods ended May Day as a mass holiday in the United States, a phenomenon which can be seen as somewhat ironic given that May Day originated in Chicago. Meanwhile, in countries other than the United States and United Kingdom, resident working classes fought hard to make May Day an official governmentally-sanctioned holiday, efforts which eventually largely succeeded. For this reason, May Day in most of the world today is marked by huge street rallies of workers led by their trade unions and various large socialist and communist parties — a phenomenon not generally seen in the U.S.

The holiday of Cinco De Mayo, The 5th Of May, commemorates the victory of the Mexican militia over the French army at The Battle Of Puebla in 1862. Mexico had finally gained independence from Spain in 1821 after a difficult and bloody struggle, and a number of internal political takeovers and wars, including the Mexican-American War (1846-1848) and the Mexican Civil War of 1858, had ruined the national economy. France invaded at the gulf coast of Mexico along the state of Veracruz and began to march toward Mexico City, a distance today of less than 600 miles. Although American President Abraham Lincoln was sympathetic to Mexico's cause, and for which he is honored in Mexico, the U.S. was involved in its own Civil War at the time and was unable to provide any direct assistance. The French were eventually able to depose the Mexican army, take over Mexico City and install Maximilian as the ruler of Mexico.

Maximilian's rule of Mexico was also short lived, from 1864 to 1867. With the American Civil War now over, the U.S. began to provide more political and military assistance to Mexico to expel the French, after which Maximilian was executed by the Mexicans. Celebrating Cinco de Mayo has become increasingly popular along the U.S.-Mexico border and in parts of the U.S. that have a high population of people with a Mexican heritage. In these areas the holiday is a celebration of Mexican culture, of food, music, beverage and customs unique to Mexico.

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