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Happy Thanksgiving!
By Greg L | 22 November 2007 | Patriotism | 40 Comments
I wish all my readers a Happy Thanksgiving. May your turkey be perfectly cooked, may the dog eat the cranberry sauce so you won’t have to, and may you be successful in keeping Uncle Elmer from picking off some of the turkey skin before the bird gets to the table.
But perhaps the best wishes for this holiday were given long ago, by someone who had very much to be thankful for, as divine providence had protected him during many years of war, and again during eight years of leading our new nation:
WHEREAS it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favour; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me “to recommend to the people of the United States a DAY OF PUBLICK THANSGIVING and PRAYER, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:”
NOW THEREFORE, I do recommend and assign THURSDAY, the TWENTY-SIXTH DAY of NOVEMBER next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service 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 sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed;– for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish Constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted;– for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge;– and, in general, for all the great and various favours which He has been pleased to confer upon us.
And also, that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions;– to enable us all, whether in publick or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness unto us); and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.
GIVEN under my hand, at the city of New-York, the third day of October, in the year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine.
(signed) G. Washington
The opinions expressed here are solely the views of the author, and not representative of the position of any organization, political party, doughnut shop, knitting guild, or waste recycling facility, but may be correctly attributed to the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy. If anything in the above article has offended you, please click here to receive an immediate apology.
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Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family as well, Greg, and to all the people who post or lurk. ~ John
Happy Thanksgiving to ALL.
Yes, I even include Krusty, Anonymoustoo, and the “lurkers” too.
John Light,
“Lurkers”, now that’s a good one. They certainly are around here.
Aah! your’re all a bunch of turkeys!
They also serve who only sit and lurk. Happy Thanksgiving!
Lafayette - I’m honored to get special mention. Would it that we every day could find something to be thankful for. When you feel it, say it! “Thank you” is easy to say, and it might make someone feel good all day. Happy Thanksgiving to all you posters, turkeys, lurkers, snobs a.o. who add spice to this blog.
Happy Thanksgiving to all! Enjoy your family, friends, and of course, the feast!
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! And as we sit down to our feasts of plenty in the land of plenty, let us realize that that’s the draw.
…and my wishes for a very happy THANKSGIVING to all of you as well; we have so much to be thankful for….
The big bird is in the oven … assortment of friends and family still sleaping off the journey … (or the toil that came from mom insanely wanting the hovel to look like nobody actualy lives here! Yes, the place looks sharp, and will happily unsharpen shortly!)
I can still remember those times when Thanksgiving day meant going to work, or a simple sandwich eaten solo. Of being invited in to celebrate - by those who knew my own home was too far away to reach.
How I enjoy this gathering as well. Grateful for the company, comradery and comments. I always get far, far more than I give.
“There is one day that is ours. Thanksgiving day is purely American.” -O Henry
“Thanksgiving is a typical American holiday … the lavish meal is a symbol of the fact that abundant consumtion is the result and reward of production.” -Ayn Rand
A very safe, succulent and Happy Thanksgiving to all, and a grateful toast to our host, Greg L.
He generously invites us to sit at his table 24/7, 365.
Bless the weather that brought you to me.
Happy Thanksgiving.
I have never posted before, but I would like to wish you and your family a wonderful Thanksgiving. Even though this has been a pretty stressful year for me in more ways than one I am very thankful for the great friends that have come into my life and I will take a little credit for helping your readership… and even inspired some of your most popular posters! I am proud to say I am spending today with the “King and Mrs. Redneck!”
Thank you Greg, for giving all of us the most up to date news of everything happening in PWC! Blogging has certainly changed the face of politics!
I found a 30 pound bird at Giant!! I just had to get this montrous beast. I’m gonna have left-overs for about a month
everyone enjoy their thanksgiving, I’m just glad that I can be here! the day is just perfect as well.
Josh
Grand weather for a plentiful day. Happy Thanksgiving.
I live in the City of Manassas and read the postings everyday. This is the only way I really get the lowdown on what is going on all over Manassas, the Park and the county.
Really appreciate all that you are doing, Greg. Keep up the great work. We have much to be thankful for and even though we have problems around us - this is still a great country! Thanks!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING to ALL!
Happy Thanksgiving to all! I am thankful that so may of my friends and family (documented, for the most part) have found a place to live in this wonderful country! I am thnakful also to Greg for this place to exchange ideas…and not be censored, as is usually the case. Greg, I am thankful for your blog.
Feliz dia de pavo and Happy Turkey Day! God bless los Estados Unidos!
Happy Thanksgiving to all and may we all be on the winning side of the wishbone
It’s a great day for flying, and I will be. Thought I’d fly by here to wish all a Happy Turkey Day.
Happy Thanksgiving!
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i309/mirandalf/happy-thanksgiving.jpg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-C8hR_N1luY
Back on Thanksgiving Day, 1986, I was in the Mess Hall at Ft. Benning Georgia. Though my Thanksgiving meal consisted of a slice of bread, an apple, and a glass of water, I was thankful for the opportunity to serve my country.
Let us also give thanks to all those who are serving now, be it overseas, at home, as well as the relatives of those who serve. Though I will be travelling to enemy territory (Pennsylvania) this weekend, I am thankful for the ability to travel from state to state without having to show papers (ala the former Soviet Union) and thankful for the relatives I have and those who love me.
While no one person save Greg can lay claim to increasing readership on this blog, I am very thankful to Greg for taking his precious time to run this site and set in motion those events which thru good debate has affected policy not only in Prince William County, but also in our Commonwealth. We ALL now TRULY have a voice.
The number of bloggers on here to be thankful for are many, and yes, I even thank those to whom I may disagree because they cause me to evaluate my beliefs and while I may never find common ground with some on some issues, we can still do so in a civil manner and let our voice be heard regardless of race, creed, religion.
May each of you have a very Happy Thanksgiving and…GO ARMY
Oh yeah, even though Terrel Owens beat the Skins, Dallas still sucks lol
And let’s give thanksgiving for Democracy in America, inclduing the right of elected officials to choose appropriate leadership of their chamber caucuses - and toward this end, here’s a Thanksgiving weekend ACTION ITEM to help change the VA Senate leaderhsip to be, at least, more pro-gun:
Hit the link at http://tinyurl.com/yv8494 to help change the Virginia Senate!
This link comes from a recent Virginina Citizens Defense League alert email to its members entitled “VA-ALERT: Action Item: Senate needs new leadership!”
Everybody needs to hit this link at http://tinyurl.com/yv8494 and fill in your name and address to tell your Senator or your Senator elect that you want his or her caucus leadership REPLACED with pro-gun leaders!
Your message will be sent to your Senator or Senator elect automatically - no need to find his or her email address!
Please forward this message and link to all your friend, family, and associates in Virginia ASAP. The time window to change the Senate leadership is closing soon.
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!
Everyone take their tryptophan-induced nap?
My post is a little late. I had to do all the cooking but I did enjoy it. I hope every one of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Thank you Greg and thanks to your family!
To everyone: May God bless you all.
Happy thanksgiving to you all. I had a great one with my family in Fredericksburg. What a gorgeous day. I am so grateful for all that has happened and I hope that we will continue on the right path to regain our county back. What does disturb me is how people think that we are against Hispanics because we don’t want the illegal problem here. I wonder if there was some way that we could communicate that to them.
The Management said on 22 Nov 2007 at 2:14 am:
Aah! your’re all a bunch of turkeys!
BAH, HUMBUG! SCROOGE!
sorry I’m late. Went into turkey coma early!! Hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday. I was able to spend a glorious afternoon with my 93 year old grandfather. You should spend an afternoon with someone that:
Came to America, through Ellis Island, alone, with his younger brother at the age of 8.
Put himself through school
Lived through the depression and several wars
Married and raised 4 kids
Is socially conscious, not because he is made to by the government, but because its the right thing to do.
Is philanthropic, not because the government took his money and decided where to spend it, but because it is the right thing to do.
is still an active economic consultant thanks to the internet. (he’s even on linkedin.com)
His only fault, that I can see, is he lives in Maryland!
KNOW WHAT TO BE GRATEFUL FOR.
Health, family and the urge to always seek knowledge.
Rebecca B - Very admirable old gent. But, do you have the numbers right? You say he arrived at Ellis Island ALONE at age 8 with a YOUNGER brother. I have heard many stories about youngsters coming here alone, but at 8. Maybe the parents died during the voyage, which was not unusual in those days. Anyway, I’m glad you still have your grandfather and have the chance to be with him. Don’t miss the opportunity to ask him about his youth. I wish I had been older when I was younger, so I would have had the wits to ask questions of my parents.
There is no Thanksgiving. There is only Chucksgiving. Because it is Chuck Norris who giveth, and Chuck Norris who taketh away.
THE Chuck Norris?
Krusty said on 23 Nov 2007 at 11:42 am:
I wish I had been older when I was younger, so I would have had the wits to ask questions of my parents.
Krusty, your above statement is probably the most intelligent thing I have read all weekend. I so wish I had asked mine more. My mother always said ‘they never appreciate you til you are dead.’ How right she was.
Dolph - Just listen all the beautiful words spoken about the dead at memorial services. Your mother was right. Thank you!
Krusty,
I suppose I should have said, he and his brother traveled without their parents. I am sure, because I have a copy of the ships log. In fact, they were Quarantined for an illness and sent BACK only to have to make the voyage AGAIN once they were well. He was able to join up with his parents eventually.
Sounds rough, but it kept those that were already here safe from illness. ( Exactly what is not happening when people sneak in the country today.) It made him grateful to be here. I am of course grateful for the sacrifices he made so that I could be here today.
RB - I know of what you speak. I had to carry a big X-ray picture with me when I came, plus a note from a doctor saying that the scar tissue on my lungs were not from TB.
About your grandfather: you say he and his brother traveled without their parents. Do you have any idea why his parents would send such young children by themselves? They must have needed looking after on the ship. Who was supposed to meet them and take care of them after they arrived in the US?
Hope you can find out before it’s too late. What was his home country? Grist for a curious (nosy) mind.
Thanks Krusty and Dolph,
May your words be an inspiration to us all - don’t wait for the kids to ask the questions - write down your family stories! Your descendents will treasure the smallest details of your lives … along with any recollections passed down from our elders.
My own mother died when I was a small kid, so it fell to my dad and grandparents to provide me with her story.
What a breath of fresh air THIS thread has been; we do have issues to work, but we also have “thanks” to give…and this time, I don’t think a single ugly or mean-spirited word has been spoken. Congratulations, everyone!!
Bridget,
My mother did exactly what you are suggesting. After my father died she wrote several ‘books’ about family topics and her early life. My favorite one is her memories of WWII and how it impacted their lives. It was fun for her and and priceless to her children. Now she is gone, the collections are priceless. I am extremely grateful to her for taking the time to record what would otherwise be lost.
I’ve got to get going. Time is getting short. I, too, grew up during WWII, in Europe, and haven’t written anything down in spite of my comment that “wish I was older when I was younger” and my kids asking me to. Inertia is a terrible disease! Thanks “guys” for waking me up!
Years ago some friends and I were trying to put together a visual/oral history of our area complete with interviews of the oldest families/founders of our subdivision. Though the younger family members were more than willing to talk to us, the older members balked at the idea and we never got it off the ground (though we did acquire a lot of data on our own). But the idea could work for anyone with a videocam, notebook, and willing eldery relative. A youngster (grandkiddo, niece, nephew) could “interview” a grandparent just as a reporter does and someone with some camera skills could record it. My own mother made a journal for each of us that contained info about her life and our individual childhoods.
Freedom is right. Congratulations are in order. I’m thankful all the regulars played nICE.