A perplexing correction from the Chron
The Chronicle ran a confusing correction today:
An article on page A12 of Sunday's Chronicle inaccurately described President Bush's explanation of Mexican Independence Day. In a television interview, the president said the day is celebrated on "Dieciseis de Septiembre" and added in English that the date is Sept. 15. The holiday is celebrated on Sept. 16.
In the original article, Julie Mason of the Chronicle's Washington bureau wrote:
A bit of a Spanish flourish is typical of Bush, even if it sometimes goes awry.
He once famously informed Chris Matthews on Hardball that Mexican Independence Day is "el Dieciseis de Septiembre," or Sept. 16. In truth, the date is Sept. 15, but he gave it a shot.
Here's a bit of information that is readily available from Wikipedia on Mexican Independence Day:
Dieciséis de septiembre commemorates Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla's Grito de Dolores — "cry of Dolores"; "Dolores" also means "sorrow", and it comes from the Virgin of Dolores, the village's patron — on September 16, 1810, in the village of Dolores, near Guanajuato. Hidalgo called for the end of Spanish rule in Mexico. On September 16, 1825, the Republic of Mexico officially declared Dieciséis de septiembre its national Independence Day.
[snip]
Contrary to popular wisdom (particularly as manifested in the United States), Cinco de mayo is not the most important national holiday in Mexico. That distinction is reserved for Dieciséis de septiembre, which is celebrated from the eve of September 15 with a re-creation of the Grito de Dolores by all executive office-holders (from the President of the Republic down to municipal mayors) and lasts through the night. In contrast, Cinco de mayo is observed as a notable date, but it is not considered more or less important than the other holidays excepting Dieciséis de septiembre
So, President Bush was actually right to suggest that the celebration of Mexican Independence Day begins on September 15, even though the anniversary itself is September 16.
And the Chronicle correction taken with Mason's original prose doesn't especially enlighten the reader.
But why let facts get in the way of spreading the "President Bush is dumb but well meaning" meme, right?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/28/05 09:14 PM | Houston Chronicle | Print | Comments (0)
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