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Thanksgiving Tag

From all of us at Legal Insurrection, to you, dear reader, we wish you the Happiest of Thanksgivings. May gratefulness and thanksgiving be your constant companions and may you enjoy the fullness and richness of blessings this life has so generously given. We are truly thankful for you. This year, our authors, editors, and contributors share their favorite parts of Thanksgiving, their cherished memories, and reflect on that which makes them grateful.

Continuing the fun holiday tradition, President Trump pardoned two turkeys, named Wishbone and Drumstick, from becoming Thanksgiving dinner.
"I'm pleased to report that unlike millions of other turkeys at this time of the year, Drumstick has a very, very bright future ahead of him," Trump said at the pardoning, with first lady Melania and son Barron standing by his side and many extended family members in the audience.

Jeff Jacoby, The Boston Globe, November 27, 2003, Giving thanks for the 'invisible hand':
Isn’t there something wondrous — something almost inexplicable — in the way your Thanksgiving weekend is made possible by the skill and labor of vast numbers of total strangers? To bring that turkey to the dining room table required the efforts of thousands of people — the poultry farmers who raised the birds, of course, but also the feed distributors who supplied their nourishment and the truckers who brought it to the farm, not to mention the architect who designed the hatchery, the workmen who built it, and the technicians who keep it running. The bird had to be slaughtered and defeathered and inspected and transported and unloaded and wrapped and priced and displayed. The people who accomplished those tasks were supported in turn by armies of other people accomplishing other tasks — from refining the gasoline that fueled the trucks to manufacturing the plastic in which the meat was packaged.

At this time of year, we're bombarded with articles about "How to talk to your family about politics at Thanksgiving" and this year it seems like there have been more than usual. I guess we can chalk that up to it being such a hard fought election. Most of these articles focus on ways to diffuse tense situations and get along but Helen Ubiñas of the Philadelphia Inquirer has a different suggestion. She wants people to fight with their Trump supporting relatives. From her column:
This Thanksgiving, don't play nice with the racist, sexist, misogynist Trump voters It's been a little over a week since President-Elect Donald Trump's victory, and I'm going to ask us to stop doing something that we are hardwired to do, to reject what is arguably the human race's best trait. Adapt. We shouldn't.

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite days of the year. Setting aside an entire four-day weekend to actively and collectively practice gratitude is an incredible part of our cultural heritage. Because I do so love Thanksgiving, I asked the LI team to share their thoughts on this special day. Here's what we're thankful for.

This is my favorite time of year. For a brief while the world is grateful. People are kind and patient; willing to look beyond themselves. There's a collective sense of gratitude. What better place to be than a country who, from her conception, devoted time to thankfulness. Every year I take a few moments to read through the earliest Thanksgiving proclamations. It speaks not only to the priorities of our founders, but the foundations of our cultural heritage. Washington's Thanksgiving Proclamation encouraged prayer, reflection, thanks, and above all, humbleness for the abundance these great states were so fortunately granted.

President-Elect Donald Trump released a video message for Thanksgiving, vowing to heal the wounds of the campaign and for the nation to come together: TRANSCRIPT:
We are very blessed to call this nation our home. And that is what America is: it is our home. It’s where we raise our families, care for our loved ones, look out for our neighbors, and live out our dreams. It is my prayer, that on this Thanksgiving, we begin to heal our divisions and move forward as one country, strengthened by a shared purpose and very, very common resolve. In declaring this national holiday, President Lincoln called upon Americans to speak with “one voice and one heart.” That’s just what we have to do.

If you will, forget the last few decades of Saturday Night Live before watching this. This sketch busts out of the disappointing mold SNL has fashioned for itself as of late. Much has been made about the political tension at the Thanksgiving dinner table. It's ridiculous, but "How to talk to _________ at Thanksgiving" pieces are an epidemic. Thankfully, there's an easier solution. Adele. Adele will save you and your family from a contentious holiday. Just watch.

Every year at the holidays, the left inevitably urges you to discuss politics with your Republican uncle and this year is no exception. The Democratic Party even sent out the tweet below, via Twitchy:

Thanks to many for making this Thanksgiving so meaningful. This is not an exhaustive list, but it's a good start:
  • The Wife. We celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary earlier this year.
  • The Kids. Three great ones.
  • Health, and Mandy's recovery.
  • The U.S. of A. Still the place to be.
  • The Constitution and Bill of Rights. Beats any alternative I've seen.
  • Those who defend us against enemies, foreign and domestic.
  • Israel. The canary in freedom's coal mine.
  • The Readers. Seriously. Not joking.
  • The Authors, past and present. You helped build that.
  • The blogs and websites that link to us. The continued kindness of strangers is appreciated.
  • Fellow Ithaca conservatives, all ten of you.
  • The hope that the part of the human spirit that yearns to be free can prevail over evil, in Iran and elsewhere. (video h/t Caroline Glick)(original here)