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Thanksgiving Dinner Family Debate: Liberals vs. Conservatives
National Ledger ^ | 11-23-05 | Chris Davis - Commentary

Posted on 11/23/2005 9:37:58 AM PST by smoothsailing

Thanksgiving Dinner Family Debate: Liberals vs. Conservatives

By Chris Davis

Nov 23, 2005

Thanksgiving is here!  Many people are preparing for that feast of turkey, dressing and pumpkin pie.  Some are packing clothes and making plans for their flight or drive.  Others, though, are spending time with friends and family, recalling the fond memories of better days during their childhoods.

But most conservatives, however, are gearing up for that once a year visit from their liberal Uncle Phil or Aunt Sally.  Amidst the conversation, they'll be forced—through dirty looks from their spouses or a gentle hand placed on the knee—to ignore the claims of the illegitimate war in Iraq and on terror.  They will grit their teeth when their liberal relative drifts down memory lane and proclaims that Franklin D. Roosevelt was the greatest President of the United States.

They'll choke down peas, dressing and turkey as they hear the same old refrains about how everything wrong in America is Bush's fault.  They'll have that extra glass of wine when their liberal counterparts start spouting about how Roosevelt would've saved America as he did with the New Deal.  They'll be subjected to endless tales of wastelands and soup lines, and how, in FDR's infinite wisdom, he brought prosperity to the country.

And when conservatives have stomached enough, they'll remind their liberal relatives how in the first year of the New Deal, Roosevelt proposed spending $10 billion while revenues were only $3 billion, and how, between 1933 and 1936, government expenditures rose by more than 83 percent as federal debt skyrocketed by 73 percent.  

They'll remind their relatives about how Roosevelt created the first entitlement in 1935 with Social Security, and how he strangled a free market economy with a minimum wage law in 1938, hurting the very people he was proposing to help: the poor, the unskilled and minorities, by putting them out of work.  They'll attempt to explain how Roosevelt raised income taxes on corporate dividends, and they'll also remind their relatives why, if F.D.R. was such a great president, it took him so long to bring the country out of depression.

And in their Thanksgiving struggle, conservatives will fail to convince their relatives, because in their relatives' minds, FDR's honor will not be impugned.  He was far too great a president and is not to be besmirched on this day of Thanksgiving, a day when there are millions of needy poor in America.  They'll have another glass of wine as their beloved liberal lectures them on Bush spending more money on Iraq children than American children.  They'll keep harmony until their relatives have gone home and they return to their jobs.

They'll go to work and drive America like they always do.  They'll perform at their very best while their liberal coworkers complain about how their greedy boss is sticking it to them and how he or she isn't paying them enough.  They'll advance up the corporate ladder, and get job after job done while their liberal coworkers are worrying about a flu pandemic.

Conservatives, in their indefatigable diligence, will keep the American economy moving, advocating for more of their own money and less government intrusion.  They'll turn on their radios, log on the internet and call their favorite talk show hosts in support of America's finest that are deployed across the globe.

They'll support the war on terror, remembering the words of Patrick Henry, "If we wish to be free, if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending, if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained we must fight!"

And when the Democrats start calling for a withdrawal of troops in Iraq, conservatives will remember the words of President George Washington, "Let us therefore animate and encourage each other, and show the world that a free man, contending for his liberty on his own ground, is superior to any slavish mercenary on earth."

They'll advocate for the Nativity scene as America nears Christmas.  They'll suffer through liberal indignation when a Christmas tree goes up in the middle of town.  They'll tell their children about Santa, never forgetting about the real meaning of Christmas: the birth of Jesus Christ.  

When liberals are having temper tantrums about the separation of church and state, conservatives will remember the words of John Adams, "We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."

Most of all, conservatives will remember the words of Daniel Webster, "God grants liberty only to those who love it, and are always ready to guard and defend it."

It is conservatives that I am thankful for on this Thanksgiving Day, November 24, 2005, these men and women that love liberty, the men and women that use the Constitution as a guide, never forgetting its principles in their daily lives, and holding their senators and congressmen's feet to the fire.

These conservatives come in all races, colors, creeds and worship different religions.  They are, at their very essence, the heart of America.  They perform their duties with unabashed vigor.  They represent the best America has to offer and keep coming back for more.  They come from all walks of life, and hold patriotism sacred.  They are never what the mainstream media covers, but are what America is and what it should always strive to be.  They personify every notion the Founding Fathers had for America.

They are represented by men like Rush Limbaugh—a man that execute liberal lies with impunity, brandishing an army of 20 million listeners.  They are also represented by men like Tom DeLay—a congressman fighting tyranny in the Travis County District Attorney's office, and by Congressman Mike Pence, trying to cut pork in a bloated budget.  

They are exemplified by women like Ann Coulter—an author that destroys liberal lies with her brand of conservative truth.  They are molded in men like David Limbaugh, fighting against the liberal persecution of Christianity, and in men like Tim Marvin, a business genius that only longs to return to the concepts of America's core: conservatism.  They are best represented in the new media by Free Republic, a forum dedicated to ending socialism and tyranny's grasp on America.

On this Thanksgiving Day, I am truly thankful for all the conservative men and women that make a difference in America.  They should be saluted for wishing to return to the concepts of the Founding Fathers.  They should be respected and admired for admonishing liberals at every turn in the road.

And they should be thanked for fighting the good fight, a fight to return to our American roots.

................................

Chris Davis is the author of Elective Decisions and In Defense of Liberty, two political thrillers from the Whiskey Creek Press.

© Copyright by NationalLedger.com


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; News/Current Events; Philosophy
KEYWORDS: chrisdavis; gobblegobble; mdm; thanksgiving
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To: smoothsailing

Happy Thanksgiving to you too!


81 posted on 11/23/2005 10:20:42 AM PST by Calpernia (Breederville.com)
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To: smoothsailing

Well, if you're going to invite liberals over for dinner (and I recommend it for entertainment purposes if no other), then I suggest you prepare by putting a photo of George Bush on the wall with small American flags to either side somewhere around the dining room.


82 posted on 11/23/2005 10:20:44 AM PST by highlander_UW (I don't know what my future holds, but I know Who holds my future)
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To: stuartcr
Do people really talk about that kind of stuff at the dinner table?

***************

Unfortunately, yes. My husband and sister in law have had some very heated "discussions" regarding politics not only at the table, but during the entire day. She's about as far left as they come.

83 posted on 11/23/2005 10:21:13 AM PST by trisham (Zen is not easy. It takes effort to attain nothingness. And then what do you have? Bupkis.)
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To: Howlin
Happy Thanksgiving, Howlin. I am hoping we avoid politics tomorrow...but I know I will not sit quiet if the liberal wing of family and friends gets going :)
84 posted on 11/23/2005 10:22:05 AM PST by Dolphy
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To: saveliberty
"Yikes! Make sure that you have your cell phone and medical card with you at all times."

Is that a warning about Turduckens, or political arguments?
85 posted on 11/23/2005 10:22:26 AM PST by Steve_Seattle
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To: trisham

My computer screen saver is currently the Election RED BLUE County Map , you know I am going to keep my computer on all day : ))


86 posted on 11/23/2005 10:23:30 AM PST by alisasny
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To: saveliberty

"...big liberal lesbian femocrat. She and I were and are friends, but I don't take her Bush bashing..."

My beeber is stunned and shocked that you found a lesbian that doesn't like bush!

I better keep an eye on my sister, she might get bitten by a moose!


87 posted on 11/23/2005 10:23:35 AM PST by CSM (When laws are written, they apply to ALL...Not just the yucky people you don't like. - HairOfTheDog)
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To: smoothsailing

Seems like everyone can agree that politicians and taxes aren't what they should be. As often as not, the money gets spent on the wrong things by the wrong people. What's the point of getting into details at a holiday dinner?


88 posted on 11/23/2005 10:23:51 AM PST by x
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To: MEG33

((((((((((JVC))))))))) Nor do I..We are a fortunate bunch!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and all the family.


Same to you Meg.... If you talk to our navy man, AC, tell him we love him and are proud of him.


89 posted on 11/23/2005 10:24:02 AM PST by JFC (W, I am with YA)
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To: dead

LOL!


90 posted on 11/23/2005 10:24:22 AM PST by kitkat (Democrat/Socialist/Communist.= Hillary the RED)
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To: alisasny
My computer screen saver is currently the Election RED BLUE County Map , you know I am going to keep my computer on all day : ))

****************

LOL! Good for you. :)

91 posted on 11/23/2005 10:24:52 AM PST by trisham (Zen is not easy. It takes effort to attain nothingness. And then what do you have? Bupkis.)
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To: CSM
My beeber is stunned and shocked that you found a lesbian that doesn't like bush!

Or a gay guy who doesn't like Dick.....Cheney.

92 posted on 11/23/2005 10:25:13 AM PST by dfwgator
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To: Steve_Seattle

Turducken isn't really a medically safe food product :-)

Indigestion from agitation is something that you can prevent by having a good sense of humor :-)


93 posted on 11/23/2005 10:26:08 AM PST by saveliberty (Conservativism - the commitment to live within your own means and to take care of yourself & family)
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To: Howlin
#58 "...just to get the conversation going."

LOL!

94 posted on 11/23/2005 10:26:22 AM PST by Carolinamom
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To: alisasny
Hello,

My favorite (not) is a woman that I know who referred to our President as "your boy Bush". I said EXCUSE ME? What followed was ugly, as I was completely ticked off. She backed down, actually said she was sorry, and that it is a "generational thing". I pointed out that since she is only 4 years younger than I am, her excuse was pretty weak.

Glad to be here, MOgirl
95 posted on 11/23/2005 10:26:47 AM PST by MOgirl
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To: CSM

LOL!


96 posted on 11/23/2005 10:26:48 AM PST by saveliberty (Conservativism - the commitment to live within your own means and to take care of yourself & family)
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To: x
"What's the point of getting into details at a holiday dinner?"

My dear departed dad never figured that out; he always tried to get something started, either with me politically or with my sister about whatever he could come up with. (They agreed politically.) LOL My sister and I would talk on the phone the day before holidays and remind each other not to take the bait.
97 posted on 11/23/2005 10:26:56 AM PST by Steve_Seattle
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To: Steve_Seattle

My brother, who is an accomplished cook, made turducken for last Thanksgiving (it was his second attempt)

It was... different

This year we're going back to turkey with stuffing on the electric rotissiere, classic, and the best.


98 posted on 11/23/2005 10:27:31 AM PST by CATravelAgent (Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself.)
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Good job Chris!


99 posted on 11/23/2005 10:27:39 AM PST by b4its2late (GITMO is way too nice of a place to house low life terrorists.)
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To: smoothsailing; Victoria Delsoul; papertyger; MeekOneGOP; Donaeus

Thanks for posting this. Very encouraging. I'm passing it on. God bless!


100 posted on 11/23/2005 10:28:23 AM PST by SpookBrat
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