What A May Day It's Been!

Sunday was a May Day that will go down in the history books.

In Milwaukee, tens of thousands of people marched and rallied to support all the workers of the world. Large numbers were also gathered in Madison to celebrate as well.

But all of this was washed under the waves of current events, when President Barack Obama, in an unusual late night press conference, announced the death of Public Enemy #1 - Osama bin Laden.

A few thoughts and facts regarding this epic news:

• It was sixty years to the date that Americans had learned of the death of Adolph Hitler.
• It was eight years to the date that George W. Bush announced Mission Accomplished.
• After 9/11/01, America was united. On 5/01/11, the divisiveness remains, with many conservatives able to bring themselves to congratulate President Obama, and some getting down right petty.
• While, as in capital punishment, I don't celebrate bin Laden's death, but do take grim satisfaction that what needed to be done was done.
• I hope that this helps bring healing and closure to the the survivors and surviving loved ones of the victims of 9/11 and the two wars.
• Twitter is an awesome tool for getting news out fast, but it also has to be taken with a grain of salt, as a photo of the dead bin Laden has been circulating, but appears to be photoshopped.
• Obama could have handled the news release a little better, seeing the mass anxiety it was causing a lot of people, first with the odd hour of the release, then with being so darn late to it.
• I gave Obama the perfect excuse for his tardiness, tweeting that he was running late due to having to change after Biden dumped Gatorade on him as he was about to walk in the news conference.
• Thank you Gold Star Mothers.
• Congratulations and deepest gratitude to President Obama who pulled the proverbial trigger and the Navy Seals who pulled the actual one.
• I would hope that this means we could go back to being just Americans, but I am not that naive.
• If you cannot celebrate bin Laden's death, celebrate the lives of those spared from his evil ways.
• They say a picture is worth a thousand words. This one is worth that and so much more:

I cannot even begin to imagine what they are feeling right now. Whatever it is that they are feeling, judging from my own, must be absolutely overwhelming.