A Comparison Of Three Newspapers' Thanksgiving Editorials

Various Newspapers | AnnaZ

[AnnaZ]

 

 

From the New York Post: Tradition, Patriotism, and The Almighty

 

FOR WHICH WE GIVE THANKS

---

November 25, 2004 -- The first Thanksgiving in the New World was celebrated in mid-October 1621, nearly one year after the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. Much later, George Washington was the first of many American presidents for mally to proclaim a day of thanks. The following prayer was offered in 1789, in appreciation of the nation's hard-earned independence:

Almighty God, we make our earnest prayer that Thou wilt keep the United States in thy holy protection; that Thou wilt incline the hearts of the citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to government, and entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another and for their fellow citizens of the United States at large.

And, finally that Thou wilt graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy and to demean ourselves with that charity, humility and pacific temper of mind which were the characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion, and without an humble imitation of whose example in these things we can never hope to be a happy nation. Amen.

Abraham Lincoln was notably a man of few words. And he was typically succinct when, on Oct. 3, 1863, he first established Thanksgiving as a holiday for a nation wracked by civil war:

I invite my fellow citizens to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent father who dwelleth in the heavens.

This month, it was President Bush's turn to issue the now-traditional Thanksgiving proclamation:

ALL across America, we gather this week with the people we love to give thanks to God for the blessings in our lives. We are grateful for our freedom, grateful for our families and friends, and grateful for the many gifts of America. On Thanksgiving Day, we acknowledge that all of these things, and life itself, come from the Almighty God.

Almost four centuries ago, the Pilgrims celebrated a harvest feast to thank God after suffering through a brutal winter. President George Washington proclaimed the first National Day of Thanksgiving in 1789, and President Lincoln revived the tradition during the Civil War, asking Americans to give thanks with "one heart and one voice." Since then, in times of war and in times of peace, Americans have gathered with family and friends and given thanks to God for our blessings.

Thanksgiving is also a time to share our blessings with those who are less fortunate. Americans this week will gather food and clothing for neighbors in need. Many young people will give part of their holiday to volunteer at homeless shelters and food pantries. On Thanksgiving, we remember that the true strength of America lies in the hearts and souls of the American people. By seeking out those who are hurting and by lending a hand, Americans touch the lives of their fellow citizens and help make our Nation and the world a better place.

THIS Thanksgiving, we express our gratitude to our dedicated firefighters and police officers who help keep our homeland safe. We are grateful to the homeland security and intelligence personnel who spend long hours on faithful watch. And we give thanks for the Americans in our Armed Forces who are serving around the world to secure our country and advance the cause of freedom. These brave men and women make our entire Nation proud, and we thank them and their families for their sacrifice.

On this Thanksgiving Day, we thank God for His blessings and ask Him to continue to guide and watch over our Nation.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Thursday, November 25, 2004, as a National Day of Thanksgiving. I encourage all Americans to gather together in their homes and places of worship to reinforce the ties of family and community and to express gratitude for the many blessings we enjoy.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-third day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-ninth.

GEORGE W. BUSH

 

From the New York Times: Guilt and Political Correctness

The Thanks We Give

Published: November 25, 2004

t's not the turkey alone we're grateful for. Not the cranberry sauce or the stuffing or even the pumpkin pie. Some of the people seated at the table are strangers - friends of friends, cousins of in-laws - and some are almost desperately familiar, faces we live and work with every day.

In any other week, today would merely be Thursday and the gathering of all these people - the cooking and serving and cleaning - a chore. But today it doesn't feel that way. The host - perhaps it's you - stands up and asks that we give thanks, and we do, each in our own way. And what we're thankful for is simply this, the food, the shelter, the company and, above all, the sense of belonging.

As holidays go, Thanksgiving is in some ways the most philosophical. Today we try not to take for granted the things we almost always take for granted. We try, if only in that brief pause before the eating begins, to see through the well-worn patterns of our lives to what lies behind them. In other words, we try to understand how very rich we are, whether we feel very rich or not. Today is one of the few times most Americans consciously set desire aside, if only because desire is incompatible with the gratitude - not to mention the abundance - that Thanksgiving summons.

It's tempting to think that one Thanksgiving is pretty much like another, except for differences in the guest list and the recipes. But it isn't true. This is always a feast about where we are now. Thanksgiving reflects the complexion of the year we're in. Some years it feels buoyant, almost jubilant in nature. Other years it seems marked by a conspicuous humility uncommon in the calendar of American emotions.

And this year? We will probably remember this Thanksgiving as a banquet of mixed emotions. This is, after all, a profoundly American holiday. The undertow of business as usual seems especially strong this year. The shadow of a war and misgivings over the future loom in the minds of many of us. Most years we enjoy the privacy of Thanksgiving, but this year, somehow, the holiday feels like part of a public effort to remember and reclaim for ourselves what it means to be American.

That means giving thanks for some fundamental principles that should be honored every day of the year in the life of this nation - principles of generosity, tolerance and inclusion. This is a feast that no one should be turned away from. The abundance of the food piled on the table should signify that there is plenty for all, plenty to be shared. The welcome we feel makes sense only if we also extend it to others.

 

From the Los Angeles Times: Nothing

As in Not A Thing.

Nothing.

 

(Free Republic guidelines regarding use of profanity prevent me from commenting further.)

 

 

[AnnaZ]

As for me, I'm grateful to God for my life, and to Jesus of Nazareth for my life eternal.

 

I'm grateful for the wonderful and loving family with which He has blessed me abundantly.

 

I'm grateful for the privilege of living in the greatest country on Earth.

 

And I'm grateful to my FReeper family. Long have we toiled, and this year we have been blessed with the fruit of our labor. May each one of us recognize and appreciate all that we have been given.

 

 

Thank you so much for your FRiendship over these years. You rock!

[glock rocks]

I couldn't say it better than you did. I'm glad you're here.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving AnnaZ.

[AnnaZ]

Now that is a funny picture.

 

("Dogs and cats living together! Mass hysteria!")

[VOA]

OK, it's not about newspaper editorials...but here are few links of Thanksgiving interest...

Thanksgiving Square (deep in the heart of Dallas, which of course is deep in the
heart of Texas...
http://www.thanksgiving.org/

And a Thnaksgiving stamp was premiered there by the US Postal Service...
http://www.usps.com/news/2001/philatelic/sr01_071.htm

[VOA]

http://www.thanksgiving.org/2quotes.html

a good, concise summary of historical quotes on Thanksgiving

[AnnaZ]

Thanks for the links!

 

But can you believe the Slimes avoided Thanksgiving altogether?

 

I mean, yes, we know they suck badly, but did we know how badly they really sucked?

 

(Okay, yes we did. Yet they still continue to surprise me with the abyss-like depths of their suckiness.)

[cgbg]

The Gray Whore--"tolerance and inclusion"

Surely they don't expect their readers to be tolerant to Conservatives--that would be asking the impossible. :-)

[silverleaf]

Perhaps you can share their Kwanzaa editorial when they publish it.

[AnnaZ]

Surely they don't expect their readers to be tolerant to Conservatives--that would be asking the impossible. :-)

Exactly. But don't you just love the pious word-mouthing?

 

(And they still were somehow better than my lo(So)cal rag. If ever there was a city in need of a secondary newspaper...)

[VOA]

But can you believe the Slimes avoided Thanksgiving altogether?

Would that this were so.
I think it was a caller to the Al Rantel show last night (Wed.) who noted that
the Los Angele Times had given some rave reviews to some book with a title like
"The Thanksgiving Ceremony".

Apparently this little tome is getting rave reviews from places like the LA Times
and from various Thanksgiving traditions experts like S. Spielberg and Alan Alda.

That's because it's a studious exercise in making Thanksgiving a totally-secularized
and b@$tardized pagan ritual.

It's all about being thankful to the vegetarian, tofu-munchin', pacifist Native Americans,
don'tcha know.

(Although Squantos and some kindly Native Americans did save the Pilgrams' bacon,
that's for sure!)

[AnnaZ]

Perhaps you can share their Kwanzaa editorial when they publish it.

I'll look out for it... tho' I'll reduce my search to what sections were left on a table in Starbucks -- I have demanded that my husband stop torturing me with his daily dumping of their crap on my coffe table ("I just buy it for the Sports and Classifieds, honey." [His compensation is that he now picks up the NYPost for me each morning.])

 

I think they should just go "Festivus". Oh, and Ramadan, of course.

[vetsvette]

Thanksgiving is, of course, a uniquely American holiday -- so, what else could we expect from Pravda East and Pravda West, who are both staffed by individuals that truly hate America, but insults reflective of their collective view.

[newsgatherer]

Each day I see the wisdom of our Publisher at Christian-news-in-maine.com clearer and clearer.

He absolutley refuses to let us sue the NYT's as a source. His qoute: "They (the NYT's staff) are a lying bunch of Christ hating, Republic hating, homosexual and communist fronts, and will not be featured in CNIM!"

[Bars4Bill]

That means giving thanks for some fundamental principles that should be honored every day of the year in the life of this nation - principles of generosity, tolerance and inclusion. This is a feast that no one should be turned away from. The abundance of the food piled on the table should signify that there is plenty for all, plenty to be shared. The welcome we feel makes sense only if we also extend it to others.

Knowing the NY Times' overall theme, it's safe to guess that by "others," they mean GLBT.

[Jim Robinson]

We have much to be thankful for.

Thank you, AnnaZ.

May you have a Blessed Thanksgiving!

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

It's all about being thankful to the vegetarian, tofu-munchin', pacifist Native Americans, don'tcha know.

Oh please tell me that they didn't. That is a < censored > insult!

Didn't they used to flog people for slander? Can't we bring that back?

[Tony in Hawaii]

Sweetie, who the heck reads the L.A. Times anyway? :D

Happy Thanksgiving!

[facedown]

The welcome we feel makes sense only if we also extend it to others.

How profoundly sophomoric.

Somehow I picture Dan Aykroyd in drag as a beauty queen contestant saying something like that.

<falsetto>Oh how prehhhhhhcious!</falsetto>

[AnnaZ]

Sweetie, who the heck reads the L.A. Times anyway? :D

Me? So that you don't have to?

 

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