The best holiday
Happy Thanksgiving! It is probably a bit uncool to be blogging on this sacred day (NB for readers outside the US, this is the biggest and the best American holiday; uniquely and brilliantly American in that it is secular if you want, religious if you want, but always and throughout the land focused on the simple homespun fondness of family).
Anyway a number of you voiced reasoned (and reasonable) scepticism about my suggestion that the Democrats misunderstand the vibe of the moment when they concentrate so heavily on getting out of Iraq rather than winning (whatever that could mean at this late stage).
But the drip-drip of stories suggesting significant change in Iraq continues 鈥 first with the and most recently the British . I am not suggesting for a minute that Iraq is fixed 鈥 and that is not the suggestion of these stories 鈥 but the mood seems to be importantly upbeat and the Democrats could surely do themselves damage if they miss the boat.
They don鈥檛 need to embrace the war, but they need to recognise that there might be more options about how to end it than seemed to be the case until recently. To be anti-war but pro-success seems to me to be a reasonable and defensible position.
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Being as it's Thanksgiving and as I'm not straying too far from the subject (i.e. America) can anyone recommend a good follow-up book that is as interesting and funny as Bill Bryson's "Notes From A Big Country"? I've read all his other books but I'm wondering if there is a writer with a similar style...
Either way, Happy Thanksgiving America!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Happy Thanksgiving from New York State, USA! I had to work today (I work at a hospital), but I left in the afternoon to go home and dine on a loenly prepared sumptious meal with my family. Great Day!
I personally think the pro-success part of that equation, although at one time may have been indeed reasonable and defensible, is now without a doubt not achievable. There will be no success in this mess, the Dems just need figure out (and do something, for a change), to get us out. Responsibly, but still out.
Happy Thanksgiving, America! Take time to enjoy the company of loved ones and be thankful for what you have.
I just read the item about 30 million Americans not getting enough to eat in 2006 and that in New York they can't supply enough Thanksgiving meals for the starving . If the richest country on earth produces statistics like these then what are they giving thanks for?
It is an interesting point you raise. However, the point you make refers to a time in the future when it is assumed the campaign is over and is measured by the final result, ie winning and Iraq being what American wants it to be, and American blowing its own trupmet for doing so.
The problem with this premise is that American politics and its polticians and media only concentrateon "today". The 'here and the now' is all that people are concered about. Well, that is all that is reported by the media. In reality many Americans do worry about the future, beit: war, health, jobs etc. But, the media has such a tight hold and look for constant sound bites for ratings, the focus on the future never realy surfaces. So, what MAY happen in a year or two is of no concern today. So whther politicians want to or not, they are "forced" to debate endlessly the TODAY and not the real tomorrow,
regardless of the outcome.
Pity....well, enjoy your holiday.
I am glad you mentioned Turkey Day as the biggest and best holiday in the States. I spent the day watching Les Promesses de l'ombre (brilliant film) and eating a chocolate croissant. Not quite Thanksgiving but close enough.
The key element that no one seems to be speaking about currently in the media is that while things have quieted down and there does seem to be some safety in being on the streets for the common Iraqi, there is still an ineffectual government in that country. The President and the Prime Minister of the country are at odds, Parliament is essentially ineffective and nothing is happening to do anything about being a "real" government. That should be a big story if one is to speak of success or failure of this country.
Are you for real? "Anti-war and pro-success"? And what pray tell constitutes "sucess"? Unearthing Iraq's vast arsenal of mythical WMD at last? Carving up the country to appease Israel and Turkey? Installing a pliable puppet regime to serve American hegemonic interests in the region? To be anti-war means one thing: an end to Anglo-American-Israeli (not necessarily in that order) machinations and manipulation in the region. The Gulf doesn't belong to AIPAC and Exxon. Anti-war is anti-imperialist. Something Democrats are no more ready to accept than Republicans. To be truly anti-war is to be opposed to both major war parties. As for Turkey Day, it's no 'bigger' than several other major holidays, whether it's the best is a matter of personal taste (in more ways than one). Unfortunately, it tends to serve as the kickoff not only to football games (American style) but also to the biggest secular holiday of all, Xmas with it's buying binge and celebration of America's multi-ethnic religion of Consumerism.
When you're fighting a war, there are only two sides: those trying to win and those not. If you're not, then you are the enemy - even more so than the terrorists we are now fighting, because you are what makes them possible. The "anti-war" movement is responsible for more dead American and British soldiers and Iraqis than Saddam Hussein ever hoped to be.
Sick liberal hypocrites wallow in the misery and carnage that their politics makes possible - and then crow about some juvenile conception of "peace and goodwill to men." We'll see how that sounds when it's the bodies of their loved ones burning in the streets. (But I won't care. After all, it's just something happening on TV.)
I never remember anyone in modern times referring to Thanksgiving as a 鈥渟acred鈥 holiday, not in any religious sense even though its origins may have been so and it is taught to schoolchildren as having been that way a long time ago. It鈥檚 many things. It鈥檚 a day of remembrance of the first winters spent in the new world by the settlers in Jamestown Virginia and the Pilgrims in Plymouth Massachusetts in the early 1600s and the fact that the only reason they survived the harsh climate was because of the help the people we used to call Indians gave them (we now call them Native Americans, they don鈥檛 like being called Indians.) We prefer not to remember how they were later repaid, through exploitation, wars, and massacres by both European colonizers and later by Americans during the expansion Westward. School children are taught (at least used to be taught) some of the religious songs sung by the Pilgrims such as 鈥淲e Gather Together鈥 and 鈥淏less This House.鈥 It鈥檚 a time for get-togethers with family and friends and to feast and drink. Because Thanksgiving always falls on a Thursday and most employers also give Friday as a holiday, outside of vacations, this is the longest time off most employees get. Four days is just about as much as relatives who take this opportunity to go to family reunions can stand of each other anyway. It鈥檚 also a time for lots of American football, the Macy鈥檚 Day Parade, and the kickoff of the Christmas shopping season, the period of insanity when retailers jack up their prices and call it a sale (the real sales come after Christmas to dump the unsold Christmas stock.)
For those outside the United States unfamiliar with this holiday, the typical Thanksgiving feast consists of at least roast turkey with stuffing and gravy, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, corn, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie and coffee for desert although most feasts have many more items on the menu. The traditional drink is hard cider but now that is rare, most anything is acceptable and most American adults are beer drinkers. At this feast, most Americans invariably eat far too much and drink alcohol to excess especially while watching endless football games. This meal is offered in one form or another to virtually every American, free to the poor, in the mess in all branches of the military at every location including the most remote on earth, in prisons, hospitals and other institutions, in fact it is practically inescapable. To those not wanting go to the bother to prepare this feast at home themselves there are many restaurants which offer it too. You can also order it pre-cooked from a variety of places. It wouldn鈥檛 surprise me if most US foreign embassies offered it to special guests as a taste of American culture. It is the quintessentially American holiday feast and celebration.
As a Brit, who's fortunate to be living and working on the Eastern side of the US for a few years, my family and I took a trip up to New York City (our first time) for a few days over the Thanksgiving break. After arriving in the city early morning, we edged (well, shuffled) our way up to 47th Avenue/Broadway to try and catch a glimpse of the Macy's Parade along with approx 4 million others, many of whom seemed to be British from the numerous accents being overheard. Despite our initial trepidation about hurding ourselves amongst so many folk (and potential pick-pocketers) we felt surprisingly very much at ease - the atmosphere was one of happiness, calm, politeness and genuine friendship - even the local Starbucks was handing out free coffee and muffins and there was no fighting-over-lattes to be seen. Well done New York for putting on an amazing spectacle, just a shame about the tons of litter everywhere thereafter. Great day; great city; great people.
I'm thankful I don't have to be around silly party-poopers like John Braddock (5). Ugh. Just because our country isn't perfect, that doesn't mean we're not allowed to enjoy a wonderful holiday with our friends and family, John. Please take a break from your hyper-criticism for a moment and try being nice.
John Braddock #5
I think there are some misconeptions about the US a couple of which I'd like to clear up. It is true that 40 million Americans do not have medical insurance and the cost of medical care in the US is very high, perhaps the highest in the world (if someone didn't pay full price for development of new drugs, nobody anywhere would have them, that is an economic fact of life.) Yes I think there may be 30 million Americans who live below the poverty line. And while journalists can find examples of any conceivable atrocity of abuse and neglect in a nation as large as the US, the conclusions that inferrences drawn from these statistical facts or examples are simply not true. We do not have millions of people starving to death in our country, quite the opposite, most are too fat because they eat too much of the wrong foods and exercise too little and that includes the poor. And we do not have millions of people who have no place to live, no heated home to sleep in, no electricity, no indoor plumbing, no access to television, telephones, even the internet. And we do not have millions of people dying from disease and injury because they do not have medical insurance or can't affort to pay for medical care. I defy any journalist to find any but a rare smattering of them in the US. It just doesn't exist today anymore. What you will see are homeless people living on the streets in some of the poorer downtown areas of cities. These people are often drug addicts or mentally ill, do not take their medication, and refuse to go to public shelters for one reason or another. They cannot be forced to go either except in very unusual circumstances such as when bitter cold weather puts them at risk of freezing to death. Don't judge American poverty standards by those of other nations. Many of America's poor would be considered middle class in a lot of other countries, maybe including yours.
BTW, I'm anonymous in #11 in case you hadn't guessed.
Thanksgiving is the holiday when most Americans either fret about hosting 20 guests for dinner, or fret about the cost of airline tickets/rental cars, as well as the insane airport traffic.
Missing Thanksgving is the highest offence in my family, and probably many other families. So the first 2/3rds of the day, getting from Chicago to Atlanta, are torture, but I have no choice.
But it's very much worth arriving at the farm in East Georgia that afternoon and sitting down at a table covered in hot homemade food (including meat! yeah! I never get around to buying or eating meat), alongside various others just arrived from around the Midwest and East Coast. My mouth starts watering for that meal sometime in July.
My flight back up to Chicago on Saturday was harrowing to say the least. I have never been in turbulence as bad as when we started our descent. At one point the captain came on and said, "Flight attendants sit down immediately!" I was actually sliding down my seat, out from under my seat belt, and had to keep bracing myself so that I could re-tighten it. And someone threw up in the row behind me. I'm traumatized- I haven't taken my bike helmet off in 3 days.
It comes as no surprise that the Bush administration is bent out of shape by its own intelligence community's negative revelations.
One has had the distinct impression of late that Bush & Company seem to be hell bent on moving towards direct conflict with Russia, by any means possible. Be it the antagonisation of ongoing agression in Irak,the clearly stated desire to expand that agression into Iran, and the proposal to install missile systems close to the boarders of Russia - a la' the Cuban Missile Crisis of Kennedy's time.
Accepted that the US is king of the sandpit at the present time, but equally understood is the fact that China is on the upswing -economically,
and could soon rival the US globally.
Add to that the fact that Putin clearly wants to put Russia firmly back in the running by reinstating their nuclear capabilty, its hardly surprising the Bush adminstration is in a hurry to get some sort of confrontation happening - before the sandpit gets taken over by others.
Perfectly logical to consider Russia's reduced military posture first, and worry about China's global economic activities second.
There has been doubt cast on the US maintaining its economic and military dominance in future, amid speculation that China could well be the dominant economic force on the world scene with Russia and even India holding higher positions than previously thought.
Could it be that this admistration is simply heeding the writing on the wall?
What I would say to Bush:
Resign