THANKSGIVING 2013 18,969

THANKSGIVING  2013

"The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth" (1914) By Jennie A. Brownscombe. In the United States, the modern Thanksgiving holiday tradition is commonly, but not universally, traced to a poorly documented 1621 celebration at Plymouth in present-day Massachusetts.  (wikipedia.com)

*  Special thanks to "Google Images", "wikipedia.com", "NBC News".

and "The Washington Post"

BLOG  POST

By Felicity Blaze Noodleman

Los Angeles, CA

11.29.13

Well it’s official now!  Another Thanksgiving has come and gone.  Americas oldest holiday, first observed in the new world by the Pilgrims who voyaged from Europe settling in America.  The day of feasting took place as early as 1621 and has endured as a day for celebration and giving thanks for the bountiful blessings found in America sustaining us from that time until the present; all these 392 years!  Since that time many new Pilgrims have settled here in this new world and have joined in the traditional day of feasting celebrating the blessings they too have enjoyed here in the America. 

Now that the day of feasting is over we are also blessed with left overs and the inevitable cleaning up from the family lounging around watching the televised football, which has now become a Thanksgiving tradition.  Who knew that the garbage disposal and the dishwasher would both breakdown at the same time?  For some of us we may need to also evict some of the guests who have decided to stay over for a few days! 

The traditional feast was made available to the homeless supplied by charitable organization and Churches.  Low income families received turkeys supplied by grocery stores who wanted to donate them to the needy.  Numerous efforts were made by many to insure that everyone could join in on the day of feasting.

The Jewish "Festival of Lights" known as Hanukkah coincided with Thanksgiving for the first time since the 1800's in what has been called a calendar "overlap" this year.  Last but not least, Macy's department store had their traditional Thanksgiving day parade!

The retailers at the local Mall and around town have been busy preparing for your Christmas shopping hoping they will have a good year and today marks “Black Friday” which is the first official day of Christmas shopping!  Door buster sales abounded with the latest and newest merchandise for the Christmas holiday just right around the corner!

Did President Obama have a good holiday?  He pardoned the honorary turkey with a Presidential proclamation but unfortunately he has become something of a turkey himself.  President Obama continues to do poorly in the polls.  Oh and by the way, the turkeys who have received Presidential pardons usually don’t tend to live long afterwards.  Two articles follow which describe the Presidents Thanksgiving along with an article outlining the history of Presidential pardons for the "Ole Tom Turkey".

Obama Pardons Thanksgiving Turkey (and tells jokes)

David Jackson, USA TODAY 5:46 p.m. EST November 27, 2013

(Photo: Carolyn Kaster, AP)

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

            On a rainy day, President Obama performs the traditional turkey pardoning

            Obama also jokes about turkey pardons

            Today marked the 66th annual presentation of the National Thanksgiving                    Turkey

As the wind blew and the rain fell, President Obama stepped outside the White House for five minutes today for a holiday ritual: pardoning a lucky turkey named Popcorn.

Obama also engaged in another White House tradition: Telling jokes about the turkey pardoning.

"The office of the presidency — the most powerful position in the world — brings with it many awesome and solemn responsibilities," Obama said during a ceremony on the North Portico.

"This is not one of them."

Noting that Popcorn was one of 80 birds that competed for a pardon from the Thanksgiving table, Obama said: "It was, quite literally, the Hunger Games."

As daughters Malia and Sasha and official guests looked on, Obama asserted his presidential authority: "Popcorn, you have a full reprieve from cranberry sauce and stuffing. We wish you well."

As for runner-up Caramel — who is also being spared this Thanksgiving — Obama joked that "he's already busy raising money for his next campaign."

The president, first lady Michelle Obama and their daughters were scheduled to do a Thanksgiving-related public service event later on Thursday.

This was the 66th annual presentation of the National Thanksgiving Turkey, courtesy of the National Turkey Federation.

Voters across the country got to choose between finalists Popcorn and Caramel by casting ballots via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Caramel and Popcorn, both of whom are 20 weeks old and weigh about 38 pounds each, grew up on a farm in Minnesota. After the ceremony, they were driven to George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens for public viewing during the holidays.

Various organizations have been giving turkeys to presidents for years — the practice can be traced back to at least the 1870s — and Abraham Lincoln is said to have saved the life of a dinner-bound fowl that his son had taken a shine to.

In years past, many presidents have simply eaten turkeys presented to them.

The White House Historical Association pointed out that a Washington Post newspaper story used the terms "pardon" and "reprieve" when President John F. Kennedy said of the national turkey, "let's keep him going."

In 1989, President George H.W. Bush said: "'Reprieve,' 'keep him going,' or 'pardon': It's all the same for the turkey, as long as he doesn't end up on the president's holiday table."

"USA Today"

"The Washington Post"

Poll: 4 In 10 Say Obama An Effective Leader

·         BY AARON BLAKE

·          

Just four in 10 Americans say that President Obama is a capable and effective leader for the American government, according to a new CNN/Opinion Research poll.

The 40 percent who agree with this statement is down from 52 percent just five months ago and comes as Obama continues to wrestle with the troubled health-care law rollout.

The poll also matched other recent polls showing a drop in the number of people who believe Obama is "honest" and "trustworthy." CNN pegs the number who disagree with that statement at 53 percent.

The poll also shows 56 percent say the president is not someone they admire, another reflection of changing views of Obama's character.

The poll isn't all bad news for Obama. While his ability to perform his job well and his honesty -- long strong points for the president -- have taken a sharp hit, six in 10 say he has a vision for the country's future and seven in 10 still say he is "likeable."

Both of those numbers are down from previous polls, though.

"The Washington Post"

"NBC News"

Presidential Turkey Pardons, Not As Long a History As You Might Think

Two turkeys, one named "Caramel" and the other "Popcorn," are presented to the press in Washington on Nov. 26, 2013.  Nicholas Kamm / AFP

By Domenico Montanaro, Deputy Political Editor, NBC News

The annual ceremony of the presidential turkey pardon is so ingrained in the American Thanksgiving tradition that it might seem as old as the holiday itself. But the ritual of White House clemency for a pair of lucky fowl is actually relatively recent.

President Barack Obama will officially pardon "Popcorn" and "Caramel" this week at the White House.

President Harry Truman is often cited, incorrectly, as the first president to pardon a Thanksgiving turkey.
(Just Google first president to pardon a turkey and see how many amateur-website Truman answers you get.)

Adding to the confusion, President Bill Clinton attributed the first Thanksgiving-related poultry acquittal to Truman during his own pardoning session in 1997.

But the Truman Library wrote in 2003: "The Library's staff has found no documents, speeches, newspaper clippings, photographs, or other contemporary records in our holdings which refer to Truman pardoning a turkey that he received as a gift in 1947, or at any other time during his Presidency."

In fact, Truman was fairly blunt about the fact that the tasty birds that came to the White House weren’t exactly headed toward blissful retirement after a high-profile political absolution.

President Bill Clinton gestures toward a turkey presented to him at the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 24, 1993 by the National Turkey Federation as the Federation's President Stuart Proctor looks on.  Doug Mills / AP

"Truman sometimes indicated to reporters that the turkeys he received were destined for the family dinner table," the library wrote.

It appears that Abraham Lincoln, in a way, was the first to spare a turkey. But it wasn't a Thanksgiving turkey. It was a turkey his son adopted as a pet during the Christmas season, which is apparently the kind of thing kids did in the mid-1800s.

"[T]he tradition actually began 83 years earlier when President Lincoln received a turkey for Christmas holiday,” Clinton said during that same 1997 speech. “His son, Tad, grew so attached to the turkey that he named him 'Jack,' and President Lincoln had no choice but to give Jack the full run of the White House."

President George W. Bush made reference to the same story in his “pardoning” ceremony in 2001.

So which president was the first to actually pardon a Thanksgiving turkey?

President John F. Kennedy reaches out to touch a 40-pound turkey presented to him Nov. 19, 1963, at the White House. Harvey Georges / AP

It appears it was John F. Kennedy in 1963. An NBC News archive search found a Los Angeles Times article dated Nov. 20, 1963 with the headline, "Turkey gets presidential pardon."

And that turkey was a monster. The paper described it as a "55-pound broad white tom."

Despite a sign hanging around the bird's neck that read, "Good eating, Mr. President," Kennedy took a look down at the "frightened, panting bird" and said, "We'll just let this one grow."

One more – albeit morbid – note about these pardoned birds. They're bred to be eaten, and they only live an average of two years after the leave the White House.

On that appetizing note, enjoy your Thanksgiving dinner!

"NBC News"

So for 2013 this just about sums up Thanksgiving.  In case you haven't guessed, this article is something of a turkey this week too!  Felicity feasting here with the "Noodleman Group".

http://www.davegranlund.com/cartoons/2009/11/06/first-thanksgiving-hardships/

Tell your friends and associates about us! 

It's easy!  Just copy and paste me into your email!

* “The Noodleman Group” is pleased to announce that we are now carrying a link to the “USA Today” news site.We installed the “widget/gadget” August 20, and it will be carried as a regular feature on our site.Now you can read“Noodleman” and then check in to “USA Today” for all the up to date News, Weather, Sports and more!Just scroll all the way down to the bottom of our site and hit the “USA Today” hyperlinks.Enjoy!