The First Thanksgiving Feast was a three day celebration in 1621; life was harsh but the harvest was bountiful. Pilgrims and Native American Indians joined together to give thanks for that which was good and forget for a time that which was not.
Thanksgiving lived on as a tradition until 1863 when President Lincoln declared the tradition to be a National Holiday. The Civil War was in progress and Lincoln added a prayer for peace between the two factions that were dividing the Union. To that end he concluded the proclamation with theses words:
[We the people] 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, tranquility 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.
No holiday is more dedicated to the expression of mutual gratitude, harmony and togetherness than Thanksgiving. It is a day to put aside what divides us and reflect on all that unites us, as families and as a nation.
Who among us could possibly think of the Thanksgiving table as a place to promote hostility between family members and as a time to introduce argument over the philosophical gap that threatens our national unity? The Democratic Party, that’s who. Here is the message published by the DCCC on Thanksgiving eve.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
@Stake: Thanksgiving Cheat Sheet
DCCC @Stake
Friend —
Picture this. You’re settling in at the table on Thursday and in between shouts of “please pass the mashed potatoes,” one of your relatives starts repeating one of Sarah Palin’s lies, or some ludicrous accusation about President Obama that he heard at a tea party rally or on Rush Limbaugh’s radio show.
To make sure that you’re ready to talk politics with all of your obnoxious Republican relatives this Thanksgiving, we’re proud to bring you [our special] Thanksgiving Cheat Sheet.
You just know it’s bound to happen, especially after an election season as heated as this one was. That Republican relative we all have is going to show up at Thanksgiving and start parroting lies about Democrats that he heard on Fox News or from one of those shadow group attack ads he saw on TV during the campaign.
The Cheat Sheet will arm you with the real facts so you can answer back with the truth as soon as your Republican relatives start sounding like Sarah Palin.
Download the DCCC’s 2010 Thanksgiving Cheat Sheet to make sure you’re ready to do political battle with any Republicans who show up at your Turkey Day feast.
Voice Your Outrage against Republican Health Care Hypocrisy.
And speaking of outrageous things Republicans say, thanks to you we are holding all of those Republican hypocrites accountable for wanting to accept taxpayer-funded health care even as they promise to repeal health insurance reform for hardworking Americans.
Already, more than 30,000 of you have signed our petition, calling for House Republicans to forgo taxpayer-funded health care benefits before trying to repeal health care reform.
If you haven’t done so already, sign our petition to help us expose all of the Republican Health Care Hypocrites.
Jon Vogel
DCCC Executive Director
The Democratic Campaign Contribution Committee (DCCC) is the fund raising arm of the Democratic Party. The memo’s language is what one might expect from the crudest of political pundits but this is an official statement from the Democratic Party written by the Director of the DCCC, John Vogel. We expect you may find it hard to believe, so here is a link to the DCCC’s official website called @Stake. You will note some minor editing to simplify reading but the tone and context is retained.
RANDOM THOTS 