OT - Thanskgiving 2015
so dang. Reading about Thanksgiving is giving me the creeps.
George Washington finally suggested that only one day of Thanksgiving per year be set aside instead of celebrating each and every massacre.
That pretty much tells the story. Thanksgiving fits in with so many of our American holidays.
Jan. 1 - Hangover Day/Football Day, although Football Day has become Football Weeks. Purpose: to celebrate recovering from the previous night's drunkenness by watching large men (possibly steroided) hit each other or try to avoid being hit.
Jan. 15th-ish - Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Purpose: to celebrate a guy who did good things....but wait! How about this? "the 1994 King Holiday and Service Act, which was passed to encourage Americans to transform the King Holiday into a day of citizen action volunteer service, has gained in popularity (sometimes referred to as a National Day of Service)." So instead of celebrating Rev. King and the cause of rights for all we're now supposed to view it as "service". It's the first step. See below!
Feb. 16th-ish - President's Day. Purpose: well..we all know there were two holidays here, Lincoln's Birthday and then Washington's Birthday. But business people realized that workers were getting two(!) days off in a short timespan, thus cutting productivity and profits. Now the two days are merged into one vague recognition of "our leaders", the guys on the money.
May 30th-ish - Memorial Day. Purpose: to honor the Civil War dead. Originally, anyway, when it was Decoration Day. Now it's Armed Services Worship. Honor the troops!
July 4 - Independence Day. Purpose: to celebrate the signing of the document declaring we would not be run by England. Now known as "July 4th" and the new purpose is shoot off simulations of "shock and awe". As in "celebrate war".
Sept. 4th-ish - Labor Day. Purpose: a day off to not think about unions.
October 12 - Columbus Day. Purpose: a day to celebrate the delivery of smallpox-infected blankets to the native population.
November 11 - Veteran's Day. Purpose: More war loving. Originally this was Armistice Day, i.e. Peace Day. Now it's a cheerleading day, like many of the others. And just as this day and Memorial Day and Independence Day have been co-opted and turned into war days, I expect Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday to end up as a salute to big business.
Today - Thanksgiving. Purpose: As mentioned above, to show our appreciation to The Almighty for helping us clear the land of these savages.
December 25 - Christmas. Purpose: To give businesses as much of our money as we can afford.
Not all holidays are bad though. The Federal ones, sure. But here are some holidays I like.
Jan. 13th - Stephen Foster Day. Poor Foster. I believe he made $8 from Oh Susanna and died young and broke.
Feb. 4th - Rosa Parks Day in California and Ohio.
Feb. 14th - Valentine's Day. Love is the answer, folks. I know you already knew that.
Feb-Mar - Mardi Gras. Love or parades. Maybe a parade is the answer. A parade with costumes.
Feb. 28th - Linus Pauling Day. A Ban the Bomb advocate, it's "observed" in Oregon. That means everything is open and most people are unaware of it, probably like the Stephen Foster and Rosa Parks days.
and so on....taking us to Oct. 31st - Halloween. I like this one. It's still a pagan holiday like it was in the good old days.
(here's a list of all the holidays and observances... http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/ )
Ok, back to Thanksgiving. I have no problem with a day set aside to give personal thanks. I'm thankful that we have most of a roof over our heads. I'm thankful for my best gal. She and I have been together so long that it's like one of those life-long deals but it doesn't seem like it. We've been together for 41 years but it feels more like 8 or 12. I guess, when I really think about it, not much has changed since I was in college and wrote an essay about what's important in life. Love, Friends, Family, Something to Do.
That's the kind of Happy Thanksgiving I hope we all have.
Comments
Good Morning all!
Quiet Thanksgiving in the gg house. We had invited some friends to share Thanksgiving with us but everyone had plans. Then our neighbors invited us but we declined since we had already bought the fixings. We might go over there for dessert later.
My wish this Thanksgiving is for world Peace, but that is so far out of the realm of reality. So my wish for everyone here is to find some Peace in your own corner of the world.
Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy
Good morning~
It will be a quiet little turkey day here. First one since Mom's gone, and just the five of us, my little family and Dad. We'll still do it up, only on a smaller scale. Cleetus is up 1-0 on the holdiday bickering binge, but I'm sure I'll far outscore him by the end of the day. The old man is staying neutral so far, he's not offering any opinions until the turkey is in the oven and his dinner is assured. So...yes, perfectly normal, all systems go. lol. happy Thanksgiving all~
I shave my legs with Occam's Razor~
oh, and can I just say thank you...
to everybody who helped poligirl! I was sick with worry. Just didn't sleep well for two days knowing the bind she was in, and still sick at heart over her not being able to take all of her kids (kitties) with her. That one picture I shared here? The cat lady in moonlight? I never said it, but that picture was made for and sent to her, to honor all her work with the cats in her community.
I shave my legs with Occam's Razor~
I love that painting.
I really do.
I have become a Marc Chagall fangirl of late. I am amazed at the way he sees. How much your work reminds me of his.
Have a great little family day.
that's funny..
and very flattering! Marc Chagall was who I did my paper on when I majored in art in school. I have always loved his work.
I shave my legs with Occam's Razor~
I love the picture
even more now that I know it's inspired by poligirl and her cat children. I too was upset and worried. I thought she hadn't been posting much due to Thanksgiving but I'm glad and thankful that people helped her. What a cruel world we live in where critters, humans and nature are thrown aside so easily. Happy Thanksgiving everyone. We do have a lot to be thankful for despite the ongoing saga of 'the world as we find it' Got to get to work cooking my small feast for 6. I got so rattled by the crowd at the store yesterday I left the coffee on the grinder so I'm going out before I began my cooking last minute cleaning blitz and get coffee and bread. The family members coming to dinner are the liberal end of our relatives so no drama and stress, Thankfully. See you all later.
Morning folks...
as you enjoy the day and meal with family and friends, please keep a little corner of your heart and mind open for these folks. (PDF)
We are all thankful to our Mother, the Earth, for she gives us all that we need for life.
- Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving
I celebrated Thanksgiving in the traditional way. I invited everyone in my neighborhood to my house; we had an enormous feast. And then I killed them and took their land. - Jon Stewart
I am going to the National Museum of the American Indian
now. Just to say thanks in a way. I am hungry too. I know they have a good cafe inside and if I can I will catch my turkey there.
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Jeez mimi...
you must be fast!
I know, I know, big eyeroll, I just couldn't resist, to prove what a big turkey I am.
heh, on days like Thanksgiving I get desperate
and don't know what to say or do. So I end up talking nonsense, that's just how it is.
So, I caught cold turkey over there (at the cafe of the museum), meaning it was not what I thought it would be. I guess I helped the restaurant owner to make one turkey plate more of profit. Yeah, now I roll my eyes. But how on earth should I know how to "celebrate" this wicked day?
First, should I make a list and read out loud what I am thankful for? Sorry, that doesn't get over my tongue. I know how much better off I am than millions of people, but I don't feel that's a reason to be thankful for, rather a reason to be mad that so many millions of people are less well off than me. Shucks.
Should I feel thankful for the Native Americans having helped some lost white poor guys to survive? I could, but than how do I deal with the fact that same white poor guys thanked them with "Kopf ab" and "on the stick"? So, no I can't go along with that. It makes me feel sick.
Should I at least show some "interest" in the Native American's history and their current plight? How? By visiting the American Indian Museum, buying some turkey in their restaurant and watch people tipping the waiters behind the counter (who was an afro-american), carving the turkey? By donating a couple of bucks to some non-for profit places to help with food and heating oil? By donating to the NARF - Native American Rights Fund (the only thing I do with some belief it's helpful and feeling it's ok) Well, yeah, I do those things some times, but I can't say that I feel good about all of it, nor does it make me in any form happy to do so. Charity is something good, but if it replaces lack of reasonable social policies, I can't stand it anymore. Each time I give, I tell myself I want to punch some of those oligarchs, rich philanthropists and bought out politicians in the face for their failure with regards to Native American land and rights issues. No offense meant. At least for the first time we have a pope who at least talks some truth to power and asks some of his buddies to walk the talk.
I am from the "Karl May" obsessed Germanic tribe and whatever we would do is ridiculous and phony. So, I like to hide in a corner and make a prayer that the day is over pretty soon.
Well, I had some good moment today, though. My sister from Germany called me and wished me a "Happy Thanksgiving" and I mocked her, because there is no Thanksgiving today in Germany. But then she told me that she had learned from her daughter, my niece, who died of cancer a couple of years ago here in the US, what Thanksgiving is in the US. It was with her daughter in the US, when my sister "celebrated" Thanksgiving. It was a somber memory. Because the last Thanksgiving, me and my son cooked the whole Thanksgiving meal down in DC (as she was already too weak) and drove up with pots and pans and dishes to NYC to celebrate it together with her partner and my sister, who surprised my niece with flying in from Germany for that day. We were four Germans, one American and two dogs in a NYC apartment and had a real American style Thanksgiving eating feast. It was her last Thanksgiving, she died six weeks later. From my nieces online pages somewhere, my sister read over the phone to me, what she said about that Thanksgiving Dinner. It was a bit moving. I can't repeat it, but in her typical way my niece couldn't resist to say that to celebrate Thanksgiving you can do it with some four Germans and just one American and two dogs as well as the other way around. So she said. And she was very right.
Well, if I had cooked the Turkey myself and the Brussel sprouts and the red cabbage, it would have tasted better than what I caught in the restaurant. Next year I go to the farm and buy a living turkey and just kill it myself and go through the whole shebang myself.
JtC, yes, you are a big turkey and I like you for being one.
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Gobble, gobble
I knew we would agree on this :-) /nt
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good morning everybody
not much time to chat. I have to commence house cleaning shortly. I love that verb "commence". It's odd, quirky, funny. As in "The Purple People Eater" when it goes "I commenced to shaking and I said 'oo-ee'". Which is great poetry, rhyming "oo-ee" with "to me". The Celtic bards were great ones for rhyme. Most oral traditions use rhyme as a way to remember, because if you remember one part you can figure out the other by thinking of the rhyme word.
Anyway, happy thanksgiving, whatever that means in 2015.
Maybe you'll enjoy this...
From a post on why English is so weirdly different from other languages.
English is not normal
I shave my legs with Occam's Razor~
A special Thanksgiving wish
…and reminder: Adequate food has been a human right, ratified globally for over 65 years. This is part of the constitutions in most nations of the world. All but the very poorest and most undeveloped are able to achieve this legally and morally. Help bring this human right to the US, which, alone in the world, does not recognize or confer this fundamental human right unto its citizens, especially children. Nothing great can be built on a social foundation of hunger, insecurity, and despair. The lack of the basic human rights of daily survival in the US is the realson that Americans fight like dogs over scraps, and become furious and enraged when someone, somewhere gets help with health care or housing or food from the so-called government of the people.
Dividing Americans with the terrifying scarcity of the basic tools of human survival is deliberate. It makes the people always insecure and competitive with each other for their very survival. So easy to brainwash and manipulate them into political self-harm, which substantially enriches the owners of the privatized commonwealth.