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Thanksgiving Thoughts

Just some thoughts on this Thanksgiving day.

Perhaps some of you are unaware of the origins of this day being set aside as a national day of Thanksgiving.

Also, you may not know that Ol’ Ben Franklin wanted to make the Turkey the national bird, thinking the Eagle a bird of Bad moral character, a rank coward.

Ben Franklin [1]‘course now, the turkey Ben Franklin knew was brightly plumed, and a rather cunning bird… and one that wasn’t so darned fat he couldn’t fly. So, had Ben had his way, the turkey would be in the endagered species list, and we’d all be eating roast Eagle, with all the trimmings, I suppose.

Seriously, though… some of you wonder who we’re thanking, and for what. A look back will answer these questions, and possibly give you a new perspective on things.

Many of you, I’m sure don’t know that Thomas Jefferson wasn’t interested in a national day of Thanksgiving, apparently being conflicted about who we were to thank. However, some more open minded people prevailed. Like George Washington, for example… who said in part, in his Thanksgiving Day Proclamation;

Geo Washington [2]NOW THEREFORE, I do recommend and affign THURSDAY, the TWENTY-SIXTH DAY of NOVEMBER next, to be devoted by the people of thefe States to the fervice of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our fincere and humble thanksfor His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the fignal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpofitions of His providence in the courfe and conclufion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have fince enjoyed;- for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to eftablish Conftitutions of government for our fafety and happinefs, and particularly the national one now lately instituted;- for the civil and religious liberty with which we are bleffed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffufing useful knowledge;- and, in general, for all the great and various favours which He has been pleafed to confer upon us.

In 1863, Lincoln had cause to be thankful, as well.

Abe Lincoln [3]By the President of the United States of America. A Proclamation.

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union.

Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consiousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.

And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the Unites States the Eighty-eighth.

By the President: Abraham Lincoln

William H. Seward,
Secretary of State

Of course Thanksgiving in it’s current context would be eventually declared unconstitutional, if we allow the courts to run things. And perhaps that’s something we ought to remember today, as well.. and be thankful that they’ve not gotten that kind of power from us. That, I am certainly thankful for. (May they NEVER have such power!) If original intent counts for anything in the realm of the Constitution, and I think it does, these proclaimations should end the argument about claims of seperation of church and state.. and the push toward the removal of the one we should be thankful to, today.

Johnathan Rothenburg said a few years ago, aptly,

While we can and should have debates within the political arena as to the correct role that religion should play in contemporary American society, that debate should be settled democratically by voters, not capriciously by judges. Liberals have often enjoyed success in the courts when they have failed at the ballot box, such as with broad interpretations of the Establishment Clause, these precedents set by our greatest Presidents demonstrate that America’s cultural underpinnings were never based on atheism.

Well, we know why they refuse to bring it to a vote; because they know which way it’ll fall out.

hillary31.jpg [4]Ya know, a look back into history today is relevant as well.  Let’s go back to 2003, when Hillary Clinton visited Bagram AFB, to an NewsMax inside story: [5]

“U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton [6] forced U.S. troops stationed at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan to wait for their Thanksgiving dinner last Thursday while she and her entourage arrived late, then cut in line and were served first.”

Well, THAT figures, doesn’t it?
One point that comes up in this story more fully explains why Hitlery’s visit to Bagram wasn’t covered as heavily as one might expect:

People magazine was on hand to cover the event and wanted to interview the troops for reaction to Clinton’s visit.

“But they were getting declined left and right,” our source said. “People were actually telling the reporters, ‘You don’t want to print what I think about her and her visit.'”

After Clinton and her entourage departed, the only topics GIs wanted to talk about were “how great the food was and how fantastic they thought George Bush’s visit to Iraq was.”

I wonder what Hillary Clinton’s view of Thanksgiving is, huh?

Meanwhile, President Bush also showed up in the area.. in Iraq, specifically, and got a bit of a different response I said at the time:

What a brilliant bit of being president! What a fabulous story this is! Now, it didn’t take long at all for about everyone to see that this at least was going to mean a tremendous boost to Bush’s popularity numbers. Which of course means that Democrats and the leftist media were going to try and find a way to spin this against him. But a funny thing happened on the way to the microphones; The Democrat leadership couldn’t get their act together, and all came out looking like idiots. And the rank and file is getting rather desperate.

As soon as this story broke on Thanksgiving day, I jumped on the net and went over to Democraticunderground.com, where I found: (Warning; the language is about what you’d expect from someone of their mental capacity.)


I fear that this one gesture will be the tipping point past which * re-connects with wavering white males and so-called independents. The media is ga-ga over this farce of a visit. The messages from the whore centers will get much more syrupy and orgasmic as the weekend approaches cultminating in a literal ejactulation of praise and wonder on the sunday talk shows. Even Democratic senators will be stepping all over themselves to praise *’s holy visit as an act of courage and daring-do. It won’t be pretty and it won’t be easy to take.

I feel in my gut that this changes everything. The sheeple are just beginning to pay attention to the dawning political season and, for many, this stunt will be their initial waking image: “Our President is indeed a cool guy. Our President is indeed brave and true. Our President risked his life to visit our troops.” And yada yada yada yada …..

Counter that with Dashle, and Biden, and Zell Miller, and all the rest of the regular cast of mealy-mouthed spinless Dems who, mark my words, will end up praising the piss-ant poseur, and what do you have? You have the very real makings of a blowout landslide for fascism and all that is transparently un-american gaining unambiguous approval in November of 2004.

This is the worst I’ve felt in my entire life on this shithole of a planet in this shithole of a country. I can’t image what I’ll feel like in early November 2004. I can’t imagine feeling worse than I do right now but I’ve got to prepare myself for something I dread and fear to the very depth of my soul: The final and irrevokable loss of our democracy to fascism.

What the fuck have we become? In the final analysis it was all just so much sand sifting through our fingers. Just so much sand.

Amazing stuff. Rather reminds me of an aniumal having been backed into a corner. Another pipes up in the same thread:


This feels like it’s the beginning of the end for us.

He’s wrong, of course. The beginning of the end was accomplished quite a while ago…. as the first message demonstrates.

What perhaps put this even further into Mr Bush’s court, though was his remarks at the dinner: (bolds are my own)


“Thank you. I was just looking for a warm meal somewhere. Thank you for inviting me to dinner. General Sanchez, thank you, sir, for your kind invitation and your strong leadership. Ambassador Bremer, thank you for your steadfast belief in freedom and peace. I want to thank the members of the Governing Council who are here, pleased you are joining us on our nation’s great holiday, it’s a chance to give thanks to the Almighty for the many blessings we receive.

President Bush visiting the troops [7]

I’m particularly proud to be with the 1st Armored Division, the 2nd ACR, the 82nd Airborne. I can’t think of a finer group of folks to have Thanksgiving dinner with than you all. We’re proud of you. Today, Americans are gathering with their loved ones to give thanks for the many blessings in our lives. And this year we are especially thankful for the courage and the sacrifice of those who defend us, the men and women of the United States military.

I bring a message on behalf of America: We thank you for your service, we’re proud of you, and America stands solidly behind you. Together, you and I have taken an oath to defend our country. You’re honoring that oath. The United States military is doing a fantastic job. You are defeating the terrorists here in Iraq, so that we don’t have to face them in our own country. You’re defeating Saddam’s henchmen, so that the people of Iraq can live in peace and freedom.

By helping the Iraqi people become free, you’re helping change a troubled and violent part of the world. By helping to build a peaceful and democratic country in the heart of the Middle East, you are defending the American people from danger and we are grateful.

You’re engaged in a difficult mission. Those who attack our coalition forces and kill innocent Iraqis are testing our will. They hope we will run. We did not charge hundreds of miles into the heart of Iraq, pay a bitter cost in casualties, defeat a brutal dictator and liberate 25 million people only to retreat before a band of thugs and assassins.

President Bush visits the troops [8]

We will prevail. We will win because our cause is just. We will win because we will stay on the offensive. And we will win because you’re part of the finest military ever assembled. And we will prevail because the Iraqis want their freedom.

Every day you see firsthand the commitment to sacrifice that the Iraqi people are making to secure their own freedom. I have a message for the Iraqi people: You have an opportunity to seize the moment and rebuild your great country, based on human dignity and freedom. The regime of Saddam Hussein is gone forever.

The United States and our coalition will help you, help you build a peaceful country so that your children can have a bright future. We’ll help you find and bring to justice the people who terrorized you for years and are still killing innocent Iraqis. We will stay until the job is done. I’m confident we will succeed, because you, the Iraqi people, will show the world that you’re not only courageous, but that you can govern yourself wisely and justly.

On this Thanksgiving, our nation remembers the men and women of our military, your friends and comrades who paid the ultimate price for our security and freedom. We ask for God’s blessings on their families, their loved ones and their friends, and we pray for your safety and your strength, as you continue to defend America and to spread freedom.

Each one of you has answered a great call, participating in an historic moment in world history. You live by a code of honor, of service to your nation, with the safety and the security of your fellow citizens. Our military is full of the finest people on the face of the earth. I’m proud to be your commander in chief. I bring greetings from America. May God bless you all.”

The response to his showing up was thunderous applause, both in the hall, and here at home. “It’s got to be a lonely moment for them,” said the President. “I thought it was important to send that message that we care for them (the troops) and we support them strongly, that we erase any doubts in their minds as to whether or not the people stand with them.”

He also said, correctly ” Having seen the reaction of those troops, you know it was the right thing to do.”

Given the response at home, it was the right thing to do on that score, as well. This trip did several things:

It got Michael Jackson off the front page, at least until the press figured out there was no way to spin this negative for the president.

Much as some in the press bicthewd and moaned about not being told about his trip, it showed clearly that most people here at home approve of the President not telling the press his every move. One could extrapolate that a bit and take the suggestion that the President has more trust in the end, than the press does.

It upstaged Hitlery’s trip, basically keeping her off the screens… given her trip, she couldn’t even bitch about Bush’s trip. It should not have, however. Look what she pulls: In what must have been a demoralizing message to U.S. soldiers she told them that Americans back home are growing increasingly skeptical of President Bush’s decision to send them into battle. What a moron.

It answered all those who figured we’re going to cut and run.

It made a rather clear demonstration of the differences between an administrator and a leader. Nobody since Reagan and to a lesser degree, Bush Sr., understood this difference. It’s clear by the polling data, however, that the American people, including his opposition, understand the difference.

And perhaps that’s where I ought to leave this. With the troops.
Among the many things I am thankful for this thanksgiving, is we have so many fine, brave people willing to give of their time, their talents, and possibly their lives, for something bigger.

They’re there because they know the job needs doing. But it’s a job they can’t do alone. I’d like you to consider saying a prayer for our fighting men and women, today. Doesn’t have to be fancy. Just thank God for them. Ask for his help in the Iraq mess being settled, so that as many as possible can come home.

All's ready [9]Oh… one more thing, I think. Pay attention to those around the table with you this day. Give thanks for them while you have them. No relationship is forever, since we are all mortal.

Put aside what petty differences you have with these special people in your life, for special they are.  Alas!, that many of us find out how special they were only after they are gone from us. And celebrate that whatever else happens, you are together, this day.