Hillary is dead

No, I'm not referring to the highly-esteemed senator from the great state of New York who is currently engaged in a futile effort to equal the achievements of her ironically better half.

Rather, I refer to a real hero: Sir Edmund Hillary. He was 88.

But, there is a connection here. The senator once claimed her parents named her after the famous knight. Of course, this claim (like so many of her utterances) is utter poppycock, as Sir Edmund did not earn his knighthood until 1953, several years after the former first lady was hatched.

Ye socks may remember 1953 was the year a simple beekeeper from New Zealand named Ed conquered Mount Everest with the help of his loyal Nepalese sherpa. The newly-crowned Queen Elizabeth II was so elated, she made him a Knight of the Garter at the somewhat-tender age of 33. (Most KG's are ancient by comparison.)

Anyway, Sir Ed gave up his beekeeping to lead a pretty adventurous life. He was part of a famous race to the South Pole in 1958, and eventually served as his country's ambassador to India. He also led a charity that funded $250,000 per year in charitable projects in Nepal, the country that gave him his initial claim to fame.

Would that the other Hillary could lead such a productive life . . .