Zach Foster's Thanksgiving 2011 Message

Thanksgiving 2008 at Baharia, Iraq.
Photo by the U.S. Navy

This is a very special day in the United States, and I hope the traditions we celebrate here today will soon spread throughout the world.  The very first Thanksgiving in North America was a day when two clashing civilizations were able to set aside their differences as one helped the other not to starve, and they sat together as brothers and gave thanks to the Almighty.

 

Today, I have many reasons to give thanks to God, though Thanksgiving Day is by no means the only day I’m truly thankful.  I have a strong faith in God, a wonderful family, loyal friends, a comfortable job, and even further, I’ve been given the privilege of I living free in an exceptional Constitutional republic, of serving my state and country as a reservist, and to attend an excellent university.  I see the Almighty working in the world every day, guiding us all to make improvements in our lives and the way we get along with others.

 

I’m also incredibly thankful and fortunate for everyone reading this message.  It’s the readers of the Political Spectrum as well as the other Political Spectrum Publishing blogs that make this venture so worth it!  Every day hundreds of people stop by to get the latest news and commentary on the political and economic arenas, and among all the mainstream media and junk media available, I’m glad that those readers came here.  Thank you all!

 

So far we’ve all met many of Political Spectrum Publishing’s New Year’s goals:

·         We have more than doubled the combined readership of the blogs

·         My political Facebook account has over 1,500 friends (500 more than our goal by December 31, 2011)

·         We have over 300 loyal followers on Twitter, many of whom mention and re-tweet @PublishPolitics

·         Thousands of people have viewed Political Spectrum Publishing videos on YouTube (channel PoliSpecPublishing)

·         Political Spectrum Publishing has published several books and is merely waiting for the best time to release them to the market!

·         Readers continue to submit articles, op-eds, and comments which are great!  (If you have a submission, send it to politicalspectrumpublishing@gmail.com or politicalzachfoster@gmail.com)

 

May every one of you have an amazing day with your families, friends, or improvised families and have a warm time of togetherness to reflect all you’re thankful for.  I send my warmest greetings and best wishes to all troops overseas, from Japan and South Korea to Belgium and Germany, from Afghanistan and Iraq to Kuwait and North Africa.  Stay safe, brothers and sisters!

 

If you’re not with loved ones right now and won’t be with loved ones today, go out right now!  Find someone who’s hanging out all alone and invite them to have a Thanksgiving dinner with you, whether it’s beef jerky in the park or a large meal at your home or a restaurant.  Make new friends that will stick with you through thick and thin!

 

Because of the fact that the original thanks givers were able to set their differences aside like adults, despite radically differing faiths, cultures, languages, and systems of ethics, I have hope for the future of mankind.  I have hope that the Palestinian will soon be able to sit and dine with the Israeli, that the Shi’ite will be able to sit with the Sunni, the North Korean with the South Korean, the Christian with the Muslim, that angry and estranged brothers in the United States will forgive and embrace each other again, and that Almighty God will warm the hearts of human beings through knowledge and understanding.

 

Have a happy Thanksgiving.  God bless you.

C4L: Give Thanks

Dear lover of liberty,

 

On this day of thanks, my staff and I at Campaign for Liberty would like to wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving!

 

As Americans, we are born with a truly unique heritage.  Our nation’s founding was a grand experiment in maximizing freedom and liberty.

 

Today, those principles are under relentless assault.

 

But, I have hope.

 

You, and the rest of the over half a million Americans that have joined Campaign for Liberty since 2008, have given me hope that we can Reclaim the Republic and Restore the Constitution in our lifetime.

 

No challenge is too great if you and I continue to stand united in our determination to be free.

 

I am so thankful you have chosen to join with us, and I am grateful for your support this past year to keep C4L a leader in the fight for liberty.

 

As we gather with friends and family today, let us pause from feasting and football to give thanks for living in a nation founded on eternal principles that are worth fighting to preserve.

 

In Liberty,

 

Matt Hawes

Vice President

RNC Chairman Reince Priebus and Co-Chairman Sharon Day Message Celebrating Thanksgiving

By Johanna Persing

 

WASHINGTON – Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Reince Priebus and Co-Chairman Sharon Day released the following statement celebrating Thanksgiving:

 

“On this Thanksgiving Day, I want to wish every American a happy celebration surrounded by loved ones,” said RNC Chairman Reince Priebus.

 

“Since the earliest Thanksgiving observances, this day has offered us a time to reflect on our many blessings—the love of family and friends, the blessings of life and liberty.

 

“Even in the midst of difficult economic times, we can still find reason to be thankful for what God has given us.”

 

“On this day of giving thanks, let us remember those in need—those looking for work and those struggling to provide for their families,” said RNC Co-Chairman Sharon Day. “Let us recommit ourselves to rebuilding our country and economy and offering a helping hand to those in need.

 

“May God bless all of our families this Thanksgiving.”

289 Reasons to Be Thankful

Here at Young Americans for Liberty, we have many reasons to be thankful on this Turkey Day...

 

But, we are most thankful for our 4,569 donors, 26,472 members, and 289 chapters who are the young Americans for liberty.

 

You, Zach Foster, are one of these many individuals. So, to you, the YAL staff gives a heartfelt thank you.

 

Thank you to each and every YAL member who is commitment to our shared principles of freedom, peace, and property.

 

Thank you to all the hard-working members of our Leadership Team who make cross-country coordination possible.

 

And most of all, thank you to YAL's generous donors, who quite literally make it all possible.

 

We wish you and your families a very happy Thanksgiving 2011!

 

Gobble! Gobble!

 

 

Jeff Frazee,

Executive Director

 

David Hoyt,

Development Director

 

Edward King,

National Field Director

 

Bonnie Kristian,

Director of Communications

 

Piyali Bhattachary,

Development Associate

Thank a hero

Good morning,

 

Every Thanksgiving, Barack sits down to call some of our troops and thank them for their service.

 

When he tells me about these conversations, it always reminds me of how blessed we are to live in a country where men and women will stand up to protect our freedoms and preserve our way of life. And whenever I've had the chance to meet with these heroes and their families, I've always walked away inspired by their courage and in awe of their strength.

 

I can't think of any better way to spend Thanksgiving than letting our servicemembers know how grateful we are for everything that they do. So this year, we're making it easy to do just that.

 

We've partnered with the USO to create a program called Thanks From Everywhere. To get involved, simply visit JoiningForces.gov/Thanks and write a quick note that troops and veterans all over the world will be able to see.

 

Add your message to Thanks From Everywhere.

 

Your note will be added to a map with messages from people all over the country, showing our troops and their families just how much we appreciate their service and sacrifice.

 

If we all do our part, we'll help to build a wave of support to honor our veterans and their families -- and ensure they get the recognition they deserve this holiday season.

 

At a time when we are sitting down to share the blessings we've received this past year, please take a moment to be a part of this effort to thank America's heroes and their families.

Send a message to Thanks From Everywhere today at JoiningForces.gov/Thanks.

 

Happy Thanksgiving,

Michelle Obama

First Lady of the United States

The Definitive History of the Presidential Turkey Pardon

President Obama Talks Turkey

 

Americans have been sending turkeys to the White House for the holidays since Ulysses S. Grant was President. But today, President Obama will spare a beautiful bird from the Thanksgiving dinner table - in keeping with modern tradition.

 

Each Thanksgiving, the President “pardons” a hand-selected turkey, sparing the bird from someone’s dinner table and ensuring the rest of its days are spent roaming on a farm, doing whatever it is turkeys love to do. Twenty-two turkeys have been pardoned, and today, President Obama will pardon one more.

 

You’re probably wondering: Where did this very serious business of the Presidential turkey pardon come from anyway?

 

Americans have been sending the President turkeys for the holidays since at least the 19th century. Beginning in 1873 during Grant’s presidency, a Rhode Island man named Horace Vose was responsible for “selecting with the utmost care” the “noblest gobbler in all that little state” for the President’s Thanksgiving dinner, a tradition he carried out for more than 25 years according to The New York Times. In 1947, the National Turkey Federation took on the role of official turkey supplier to the President, delivering a 47-pound bird in time for the Christmas holiday.

 

That year, the White House also began holding a turkey receiving ceremony, usually in the Rose Garden, providing a photo op that many confuse with the beginning of the pardoning tradition. Back then, however, birds were more likely to be destined for the White House dining table than the easy life on a farm. In 1948, President Truman said he would take the gifted turkey home to Independence, Missouri, where his 25 relatives “require a lot.”

 

So then when did the pardoning start? Here’s where it gets tricky. Tales of spared turkeys date back to the Lincoln days. According to one story, Lincoln’s son Tad begged his father to write out a presidential pardon for the bird meant for the family’s Christmas table, arguing it had as much a right to live as anyone. Lincoln acquiesced and the turkey lived.

 

In 1963, President Kennedy decided to send that year’s gift from the National Turkey Federation back to the farm where it came from. “We’ll just let this one grow,” he said. Sometime around the Nixon administration, the President began sending the turkey to a petting farm near Washington after holding the traditional receiving ceremony and photo op, although no formal pardon was given.

 

President George H.W. Bush was the first to actually offer a turkey pardon. On November 14, 1989, he announced that year’s bird had “been granted a presidential pardon as of right now.” He sent the turkey on his way to the perhaps unfortunately named Frying Pan Park in Herndon, Virginia, and with that, a tradition was born.

 

Since taking office, President Obama has pardoned two turkeys, although in 2009, he admitted Courage, that year’s top turkey, came dangerously close to gracing the White House table. “Thanks to the intervention of Malia and Sasha – because I was ready to eat this sucker – Courage will also be spared this terrible and delicious fate."

 

"I'm told Presidents Eisenhower and Johnson actually ate their turkeys," Obama said. "You can't fault them for that; that's a good-looking bird."