Thursday, November 25, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving

Like so many other aspects of life these days, the Thanksgiving holiday is a target for politics.  Rather than to go into detail about this myself, let two different accounts of the original Thanksgiving story speak for themselves.

The first link is from UShistory.org and the second link is from Rush Limbaugh's website.  The US history site's story is much more sparse in details than Rush's.

However, it was Abraham Lincoln's proclamation that made this day a national holiday.

I do therefore invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are 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.
 
A thought occurred to me while reading that.  Could someone someday try to get this holiday banned on the basis of separation of church and state?  I'm sure that the turkeys would be grateful.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I found out a couple of years ago, that modern Americans, look at holidays as sanctioned fun days. I had some arguments about religion with a lawyer in San Diego. He not only didn't believe in God, he called Him the Great Spaghetti Monster. But, when Christmas came around he was very festive and wished everybody Merry Christmas etc. Religion has been taken out of religious holidays, so everybody gets turkey whether you believe in God or the Great Spaghetti Monster or nothing at all.