Obama, We Will Protect the Roots of Thanksgiving. Hold that Thanksgiving Message

The first encounter of native Americans with Europeans from the point of view of Squanto, a member of the Wampanoag nation. Copyright 2000 by by Joseph Bruchac and Greg Shed Published by Scholastic, Inc. ISBN # 0-439-32328-2

Let us always remember the true roots of the first Thanksgiving – a time when Europe encountered North America in the persons of Pilgrims and Native Americans. History and even the mythology that arises as an adjunct to it is important.  The first Thanksgiving is a story built upon an amalgam of many of the early encounters between the two cultures.  It is an encounter by accepting cultures – an important lesson for these times.

Glossing over history or tweaking it to support later “interpretations” of this special time in particular are expected. But they must be countered wherever found.  This IS our heritage as a nation.  We must defend the events AND the myths surrounding this and many other key events in our nations’ history.  As we well know, myths are often more powerful than “reality” or “truth.”  It is a kind of truth.

One of the miracles of the American experience has been the growth of our society that has led us to a full appreciation of  native Americans.  Their experience, wisdom and survival have been exemplary and inspiring.  One Oneida chief remarked several years ago that he never thought he would live to see the day when the sons and daughters of Europeans and other cultures would come to his door for lessons in how to turn the destruction of our environment around.

Today we are thankful for so many things. That we can grow to appreciate that which has always been close at hand points to one of the best characteristics of the fabric of our society – the ability to admit wrongdoing and to embrace the correction. It takes a great amount of courage and of commitment to what the American experience really is.

The above are the things for which we should be grateful.  Food is wonderful and should be appreciated but the importance of the Thanksgiving myth needs to be reserved.  And it must also be remembered that Thanksgiving belongs to ALL the people.

Below I have reproduced the presidential Thanksgiving Message.  It is filled with numerous grammatical errors.  The fact that Obama used this as a  platform to publicize the “change” he has brought to the nation in partnership with is followers is inappropriate.  But what about protocol under President Obama has not been a breach of protocol.

God bless all of you who come here and comment or create a link.

The President’s Thanksgiving Message

Tomorrow, Thanksgiving Day, Americans across the country will sit down together, count our blessings, and give thanks for our families and our loved ones.

American families reflect the diversity of this great nation. No two are exactly alike, but there is a common thread they each share.

Our families are bound together through times of joy and times of grief. They shape us, support us, instill the values that guide us as individuals, and make possible all that we achieve.

So tomorrow, I’ll be giving thanks for my family — for all the wisdom, support, and love they have brought into my life.

But tomorrow is also a day to remember those who cannot sit down to break bread with those they love.

The soldier overseas holding down a lonely post and missing his kids. The sailor who left her home to serve a higher calling. The folks who must spend tomorrow apart from their families to work a second job, so they can keep food on the table or send a child to school.

We are grateful beyond words for the service and hard work of so many Americans who make our country great through their sacrifice. And this year, we know that far too many face a daily struggle that puts the comfort and security we all deserve painfully out of reach.

So when we gather tomorrow, let us also use the occasion to renew our commitment to building a more peaceful and prosperous future that every American family can enjoy.

It seems like a lifetime ago that a crowd met on a frigid February morning in Springfield, Illinois to set out on an improbable course to change our nation.

In the years since, Michelle and I have been blessed with the support and friendship of the millions of Americans who have come together to form this ongoing movement for change.

You have been there through victories and setbacks. You have given of yourselves beyond measure. You have enabled all that we have accomplished — and you have had the courage to dream yet bigger dreams for what we can still achieve.

So in this season of thanks giving, I want to take a moment to express my gratitude to you, and my anticipation of the brighter future we are creating together.

With warmest wishes for a happy holiday season from my family to yours,

President Barack Obama

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Posted in: HOLIDAYS, NATIVE AMERICANS