Free Republic

My ancestor Daniel Conklin moved from New York to New Jersey in 1850. Today on the drive home from NYC I was lamenting that if Corzine wins, I was going to have to leave my ancestral home. Tonights results give me hope that I can stay. Time will tell.

Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Psalm 103:1 This is the season when we in the United States tend to turn our thoughts to thankfulness for the blessings of prosperity and peacefulness. And well we should. Our country, with all of its struggles, is still the most emulated and sought after civilization of the modern world. And, in spite of the efforts on the part of some, it is still a nation of moral laws and religious stability. We have much to be thankful for...

Tired of the same ole green bean casserole? This will be a welcome change to add to your upcoming Thanksgiving feast!

WASHINGTON, Oct. 1, 2009 – Sometime around Thanksgiving some troops in Iraq and Afghanistan will receive boxes filled with gifts from a women’s group in Alexandria, Va. A child’s card stands among donated items at an Alexandria, Va., service project to fill boxes for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, Sept. 26, 2009. Courtesy photo by Wendi Maney   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. For the first time in 15 years of doing fall service projects, the Mount Vernon Relief Society of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints donated granola and energy bars, mints, toothbrushes, toothpaste and other...

These are the one's that everyone in the family says are a must have for all Holiday meals, from Easter to Christmas and everything in between, we think of any reason possible to serve "Gaga's Sweet Potatoes". Gaga is what my son calls my mother, his grandmother, and her sweet potatoes are the big crowd pleaser. We'd be better off forgetting the turkey on Thanksgiving than to show up without these sweet delights.

Merry Christmas!Greetings Singles! A few months ago, we decided to try to run a monthly thread, but as you can see, we haven't had much luck. Life has been busy for me and I know for at least one other host. We've had the misfortune of seeing the least qualified candidate ever nominated by either party elected to our nation's highest office, and that event has certainly hurt the morale of many of us. By this time next year, Pelosi, Reid, and SOBama may have shut down Free Republic by application of the so-called "fairness doctrine." They're doing their best...

No holiday in the world compares to Thanksgiving. Material traditions aside, this important day gives us cause to unite not just as families but as a nation, bowed humbly in gratitude to God for His abundant mercy and bounteous grace to our people. President Abraham Lincoln, on October 3, 1863, formalized this blessed holiday in the midst of Civil War, "as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens." The great purpose of this day was, Lincoln intended, a call for "humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience." We were then a...

We celebrate Thanksgiving Day 2008 at a time when America's financial fortunes have seldom been worse -- yet our political fortunes are brightening as we approach the end of one presidency and the beginning of a hope-filled new administration. More than 10 million of us are out of work, and hundreds of thousands can't afford our mortgages, face foreclosure or are in bankruptcy. Banks and credit markets are failing, and even Detroit's Big Three automakers are fighting desperately for survival. Resilient nation While this may truly feel like the worst of times, it also is a perfect time to remember...

For Immediate ReleaseOffice of the Press SecretaryNovember 26, 2008 President's Radio Address   President's Radio Address  Audio  En Español THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This week, Americans gather with loved ones to celebrate Thanksgiving. This holiday season is a time of fellowship and peace. And it is a time to give thanks for our many blessings. During this holiday season, we give thanks for generations of Americans who overcame hardships to create and sustain a free Nation. When the Pilgrims celebrated their first Thanksgiving nearly four centuries ago, they had already suffered through a harsh and bitter winter. But they were willing to...

As you begin to come out of your tryptophan-induced coma, here’s an easy bit of Thanksgiving trivia. Thanksgiving is: A) A day to celebrate the coming together of Puritans and Indians to give thanks to God for a successful harvest. B) A time of mourning and cultural self-flagellation. The answer may seem straightforward. But it’s not, according to the activist Left. Having done all it can to turn Christmas into merely a winter retail festival and to scrub Easter of all its religious meaning (that is, all its meaning), the Left has opened up another front in the culture war...

Revelers pack city as Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade delights young and old   Dr. Seuss' Horton from 'Horton Hears a Who' made his parade debut Thursday. Related News - Photo Gallery Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade balloons Welcome to the biggest turkey bash on the planet. Clowns tossed confetti. Children marveled at the bobbing balloons. And throngs of revelers packed the streets Thursday for the 82nd annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  "It brings out the kid in all of us," said Greg Packer, 44, of Huntington, L.I. "It's that sense of togetherness that keeps me coming back."  It was a day...

This is my traditional Thanksgiving essay from WarOnGuns. Attacks by roving flocks of wild turkeys are on the increase around suburban Boston--AP Time was, the turkey was considered a game bird. The Pilgrims at Plymouth feasted on them. Generations later, Ben Franklin considered it such a useful fowl that he nominated it for the national bird. Of course, this was in the days when the right to bear arms was taken for granted, when free people hunted turkeys for sustenance, all the while honing marksmanship that would serve them well in time of need. Flash forward to present-day Boston, a...

For the first time, federal legislation has set aside the day after Thanksgiving — for this year only — to honor the contributions American Indians have made to the United States. Frank Suniga, a descendent of Mescalero Apache Indians who lives in Oregon, said he and others began pushing in 2001 for a national day that recognizes tribal heritage... After the Thanksgiving weekend, Suniga said, he and other advocates plan to lobby to place the Native American Heritage Day on the nation's calendar annually...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 28, 2008 – U.S. soldiers detained four suspected criminals yesterday during Thanksgiving Day operations in southern Baghdad’s Rashid district, military officials said. Some of the detainees allegedly conducted attacks on Iraqi and coalition forces while others are suspected of weapons-trafficking activities. "Our soldiers continue to support our Iraqi security forces partners as we assist them in providing a safe and secure environment for the Iraqi people,” said Army Maj. Dave Olson, spokesman for the 4th Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team. In Nov. 26 operations: Eighteen women in northern Iraq who were associated with al-Qaida in Iraq suicide...

Thanksgiving Day itself is over. Now that we are back from early morning Black Friday bargain shopping, and are settling into the Friday leftovers of turkey soup and cranberry dressing sandwiches, it behooves us all to reflect on the true meaning of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a true American celebration with Biblical roots. One of our female MFP correspondents offers the following thoughts from her home in California.

Army Gen. Ray Odierno, Multi-National Force - Iraq commanding general, visits with troops on Thanksgiving Day at Camp Ramadi, Nov. 27, 2008. Photo by Lance Cpl. Jerry Murphy, Regimental Combat Team 1. CAMP RAMADI — Army Gen. Ray Odierno, the commanding general of Multi-National Force – Iraq, spent his Thanksgiving visiting troops at Camp Ramadi and other locations throughout Iraq, Nov. 27. During his visit to Camp Ramadi, Odierno greeted Marines of 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 1, and later ate Thanksgiving lunch with Marines from the regiment and Soldiers with Task Force Ramadi.Odierno thanked the Marines...

It's a good thing Barack Obama was elected. Otherwise, the nation's glum Thanksgiving mood might have been downright funereal. At least, that's the impression the New York Times gives in its decidedly downbeat article about the holiday. "In Lean Times, Comfort in a Bountiful Meal" tells the story of people from coast to coast virtually weeping into their turkey and cranberry sauce. Whether it's a Los Angeles illustrator whose work has fallen 50%, a youngish Ohio husband and wife who've both lost their jobs, or even an equities trader on the Upper West Side who can't bear to open his...

SAINT-JEAN-ROHRBACH, France - When the orders came to take the town of Hilsprich, a tiny burg halfway between Metz and Strasbourg in the disputed Alsace-Lorraine region between Germany and France, Bill Diestel thought he was in for an easy Thanksgiving Day. "We were supposed to rest, and then an order came through that we had to take the next town," Diestel said, recalling the day now 64 years ago. "We knew we wouldn't be getting any artillery support, so we thought it would be a snap to take." But he and the other soldiers in the Army's 35th Infantry Division...

Better to be the main attraction than the main dish. "Pumpkin" the turkey was honored as the grand marshal of Disneyland's Thanksgiving Day parade Thursday, a day after being pardoned by President George Bush at the White House. The 45-pound tom and National Turkey Federation Chairman Paul Hill then flew first-class from Washington to Los Angeles. After the parade, Pumpkin and his backup bird, "Pecan," moved into their winter residence next to the theme park's seasonal display of live reindeer. The two retired turkeys will live out their days at a coop for celebrity turkeys at Disneyland's Big Thunder Ranch.

In remembrance of the first Thanksgiving, I thought that it would be appropriate to take a look back at what the Pilgrims were thankful for and what they had learned in their first few years in “The New World”. The story often told throughout the liberal academia is that the inept Pilgrims celebrated Thanksgiving by holding a feast in honor of the Native Americans for their help in surviving their new surroundings. A look at the actual writings of Governor William Bradford sheds a slightly different light on the real story of Thanksgiving.

Just as Christmas should center on Christ, so Thanksgiving should emphasize the recipient of thanks. God gives us amber waves of not only grain but grace, as He continues to transform the lives of those who formerly scorned His teaching. Joe Eszterhas, born in Hungary, grew up too fast in 1940s refugee camps. He became a police reporter, Rolling Stone editor, and then Hollywood's highest-paid screenwriter. He wrote scripts filled with sex, violence, and hatred, and those scripts turned into films with evocative titles such as Basic Instinct, Jagged Edge, Betrayed, Sliver, and Showgirls. Eszterhas in Hollywood saw and heard...

It's a good thing Barack Obama was elected. Otherwise, the nation's glum Thanksgiving mood might have been downright funereal. At least, that's the impression the New York Times gives in its decidedly downbeat article about the holiday. "In Lean Times, Comfort in a Bountiful Meal" tells the story of people from coast to coast virtually weeping into their turkey and cranberry sauce. Whether it's a Los Angeles illustrator whose work has fallen 50%, a youngish Ohio husband and wife who've both lost their jobs, or even an equities trader on the Upper West Side who can't bear to open his...

The several dozen Pilgrims who celebrated the first Thanksgiving in Massachusetts in 1621 would later fold their Plymouth Colony of religious Separatists into the nearby Massachusetts Bay Colony of Puritans...

In September 1789, Congress asked President George Washington to “recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging, with grateful hearts, the many signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a Constitution of government for their safety and happiness.” Washington complied, and in early October sent a proclamation to the governors of the states. The proclamation asked the governors to make Thursday, November 26 a day of Thanksgiving, saying it “is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty...

PATRIOT PERSPECTIVE Pilgrims Regress By Mark Alexander In the aftermath of a momentous election, an election sure to change the course of our nation, it is tempting to despair. On this Thanksgiving, though, let us resist that powerful temptation and instead take stock of the blessings of liberty. President Ronald Reagan often cited the Pilgrims who celebrated the first Thanksgiving as our forebears who charted the path of American freedom. He made frequent reference to John Winthrop's "shining city upon a hill." As Reagan explained, "The phrase comes from John Winthrop, who wrote it to describe the America he imagined....

Just got back from the 'family feast'.

I love America.  Since my fourth-grade social studies class, when I first remember being exposed to the customs, mores and governments of other nations, I have never once wanted to have been born anywhere else, to have lived anywhere else or to have called anywhere else my homeland.  On the occasions I've traveled outside America, I've kissed her ground upon my return and sworn I would never leave again.  In my youth I loved America with a starry-eyed idealism that could see no fault in her.  In my teens I was sometimes more aware of America's faults and failings than...

In the autumn of 1621, the pilgrims of the nascent Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts, along with scores of Native Americans, gathered to celebrate a successful harvest with a feast that was to be considered this nation's first Thanksgiving. In the words of the governor of the colony, William Bradford: "They began now to gather in the small harvest they had, and to fit up their houses and dwellings against winter, being all well recovered in health and strength and had all things in good plenty. For as some were thus employed in affairs abroad, others were exercised in fishing, about...

The President and his family are at Camp David where they will celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday. The President called members of the Armed Forces stationed in remote locations worldwide to wish them a happy Thanksgiving and thank them for their service to our nation President Bush on Thursday applauded Iraq's parliamentary vote approving an agreement allowing U.S. troops to remain for three more years, saying it "affirms the growth" of democracy there. LINK President George W. Bush called Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Thursday to convey his sympathy for the victims of the "despicable" attacks in Mumbai and offer...

Give Thanks to the Lord for He is Good Every Thanksgiving we are reminded to do for at least one day what should be a constant dimension of our spiritual life: Give Thanks. The prayer of thanksgiving is one of the major forms of prayer, along with adoration, reparation, intercession, and impetration (asking for what we need) to name some of the major categories of prayer. This year, as always, we should count our blessings whoever we are and wherever we are. In the United States of America we should carefully and clearly think of what makes this country great,...

1. Tempered not melted. The question is not whether America is in decline, but whether it is in decline at a more rapid pace than true of Europe, Russia, or Asia. And one bright spot in the otherwise dark economic news will be the resilience of the United States. Forget trillions of this, and billions of that, or our sinking GDP and GNP, or deflation and unemployment rates, or all the other data—at least for a moment. Instead consider the gargantuan mess that Europe is in with its even wilder real estate market, greater deficits, and far larger banking losses...

Perhaps no other custom reveals our nation's original character as clearly as the celebration of Thanksgiving Day. Other countries have adopted similar observances, but America was the first to nationally recognize its dependence on God with a special day set aside for thanksgiving for His wondrous provision and deliverance. Although the exact date of the first American Thanksgiving observance may be uncertain, there is no question that this treasured custom sprang from our deep Judeo-Christian heritage. From early Spanish expeditions in the late 1500s, to a small band of settlers in Maine in 1607, each group held services to give...

I love Thanksgiving. It’s not just the food that makes this holiday special, although there are few things I find more pleasurable as life begins to recede in the rear view mirror and you realize there are more years behind you than there are ahead. A good meal enjoyed with friends and family is one of those simple pleasures that the older you get, the more you treasure. Why that is, I don’t know. There are many things about getting older that I simply don’t understand. It’s the first time I’ve done it, you know....

Wampanoag Indians in a History Channel scene, filmed at Plimoth Plantation (AP Photo) (CNSNews.com) – A nine-year-old girl was recently asked to remove her “Indian” costume before entering the Wampanoag Homesite of the Plimoth Plantation, a historical site that allows visitors to experience Plymouth, Mass., as it was in the 17th century. The outdoor museum features a 1627 English village beside a Wampanoag home site. The purpose of the museum is to educate visitors (school-children and adults) about what happened between the Native Americans and the colonists, especially during the first Thanksgiving. The nine-year-old was one of thousands who flock...

The Pilgrims who landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620 were an idealistic lot. They were part of the broader Puritan movement believing that the Anglican Church, recognized in law as the official church of England, had strayed from true Christianity. SNIP But as the colony grew, this initial quasi-socialist community of share and share alike was not working to produce enough for essential basic needs, let alone the prosperity that was expected in the new world. Available wild supplies of food, in particular, were no longer enough. Bradford again wrote in his dairy, All this while no supply [of wild...

Check out the clip of Barbara Walters's interview of the Obamas, aired on GMA today, and tell me whether you find something off-putting in the way Walters poses what is, after all, a very banal question. And then there's the President-elect's self-centered answer . . . Adopting a tone of maudlin sincerity: BARBARA WALTERS: You know, I don't have to stress the fact that this is such a hard time for this country. Do you have a Thanksgiving message that you would like to give to the people? "The people"? Wouldn't "Americans" or perhaps "your fellow Americans" be customary? And...

Gather round, boys and girls. It’s time for Uncle D.F. to tell you the story of Thanksgiving. Now, in American history, we had pilgrims and Indians. The pilgrims were white people who came from Europe looking for freedom and opportunity. The Indians came from Cleveland and kept telling stories the pilgrims figured had something to do with their belief in some ancient god. “They kept saying their river caught on fire,” said one of the pilgrims. “Like that could ever happen. And he kept talking about some Chief Kucinich. He sounds weird.” Anyway, when the pilgrims arrived the Indians didn’t...

Today is Thanksgiving Day a time for giving thanks to God for all the good things He has showered upon us and our nation. Yes, we were badly beaten and sure it would be easy to cynically say, “There is nothing to be Thankful for” but that’s just not the case, because there’s still so much good all around us. God most certainly loves America. From the early days of our Revolution, God has blessed and protected Americans as we worked to form His most favored nation. Under God’s watchful eyes our liberties were secured for us by America’s Founding...

General Thanksgiving By the PRESIDENT of the United States Of America A PROCLAMATION WHEREAS it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favour; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a DAY OF PUBLIC THANKSGIVING and PRAYER, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many single favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a...

“Though the Fig Tree Should Not Blossom” (Habakkuk 3:17-19)About thirty years ago, I decided to go backpacking in the Sierra Mountains of California, in Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park. I had some cousins who lived in Fresno, which is not too far away, so I went out there and stayed with them for a couple days before heading up to the mountains. They had an above-ground swimming pool in their back yard, and I remember swimming around in this pool, and there were some trees right alongside the edge of the pool, within arm’s reach. They were fig trees--at least I...

If the turbulent economy has you ready to stuff your mattress with your savings, here’s how to get a better return for your money — while helping to alleviate global poverty to boot. MicroPlace (microplace.com), an eBay-owned business, connects the working poor to would-be lenders, allowing you to invest as little as $20 to get a one to three percent return on your investment — a better rate than offered by many savings accounts. MicroPlace uses your money to fund organizations that make loans to people working to lift themselves out of poverty. Like the popular micro-lending site Kiva.org, MicroPlace...

When asked in 2006 on Dennis Prager's radio show if he thought the United States, on balance, has predominantly been a force for good or bad in the world, Howard Zinn, well-known leftist, historian and America-hater, answered: "Probably more bad than good. We've done some good, of course ... but we have done too many bad things in the world. If you look at the way we have used our armed force throughout our history - first, destroying the Indian communities of this continent and annihilating Indian tribes ..." ...followed by a whole lot of blah, blah, blah.(Like you didn’t...

To the Freepers...Please feel free to add to the list. You'll be amazed, once you start thinking about it, just how much you have to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, 2008. _________________ SO WHAT’S THERE TO BE THANKFUL FOR IN 2008? A Personal Partial List By Aleksandra Rebic In No Particular Order of Importance… America. Law Enforcement Officers. Fire Fighters. Hospitals and their Staffs. The Folks who pick up our garbage. The folks who clean our streets. The Cable and Satellite companies who provide us with TV viewing. The Electric Company. The Gas Company. The Telephone Company. Gas Stations. Cars....

I had the opportunity to visit Fort Gordon today in Georgia. I talked to Congressman Broun on Sunday, and he told me he would be there to serve Thanksgiving Dinner to the troops. I asked if I coould join him, and he was kind enough to say yes! I have written about the events of the day on Digital Journal. I also was able to buy dinner for a few of the soldiers, and they were so sincerely appreciative. They do not take for granted any little bit of thankfulness we show them. It was an AWESOME event. What better...

Today President Bush took part in the 61st National Thanksgiving Turkey Ceremony in the White House Rose Garden. (Transcript) This is my final Thanksgiving as the President. Over the past eight years, I have been given many reasons to be thankful. I'm thankful to our men and women in uniform and I am incredibly proud to have been their Commander-in-Chief. (Applause.) I am thankful for the armies of compassion volunteers who feed the hungry and shelter the poor. I am thankful for the teachers and nurses and pastors police officers and firefighters, and others who serve their neighbors and better...

CHICAGO (AP) - Barack Obama and his wife say they wanted to show their young daughters the meaning of the Thanksgiving holiday, especially at a time when so many are struggling. They took 10-year-old Malia and 7-year-old Sasha to a food bank today, where the girls joined their parents in shaking hands and giving holiday wishes to hundreds of people who'd been lined up for hours. The family handed out wrapped chickens to the people waiting in the chilly outdoor courtyard on Chicago's south side. The president-elect told, telling people to call him "Barack," said he wanted his girls to...

Pfc. Katty Marie Le Blanc, a native of Boston, and Spc. Reuben Jones, a native of Gainesville, Fla., display eight turkeys that will be used for the brigade's Thanksgiving dinner throughout the Adhamiyah and Sadr City Districts of Baghdad. Photo by Sgt. Jerry Saslav, 4th Infantry Division Public Affairs. FOB WAR EAGLE — Soldiers from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad, will enjoy a feast of fresh turkey with all the fixings this Thanksgiving holiday. Three months ago, food service technicians and officers began planning for this celebration to ensure that every Soldier operating...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 26, 2008 – U.S. troops serving in the Middle East will dine on a traditional Thanksgiving meal tomorrow, thanks to the efforts of Defense Supply Center Philadelphia employees. The supply center has sent thousands of pounds of food – including more than 120,000 pounds of whole turkeys and more than 170,000 pies -- to troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Dubai and Djibouti. The center has sent the following items overseas for tomorrow’s meal: -- Whole turkey: 121,108 pounds, worth $323,228.60; -- Turkey breast meat: 109,780 pounds, worth $437,991.49; -- Turkey thigh meat: 145,780 pounds, worth $361,852.66; -- Ham:...

The Feast we celebrate in the “secular” arena today reveals that there really is no separation between the secular and the spiritual. After all, God is the Creator of all and the Author of life. He is also the source of all that is good - whether He is acknowledged to be so or not. As the beloved disciple John said “Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.” We will love today. We will reach out to one another and to the less fortunate. When we...

CLAREMONT, Calif. (KABC) -- There is a costume controversy in Claremont. The school board changed a decades-long tradition of students dressing up to celebrate Thanksgiving, and some parents are outraged. The tradition involves kindergarten students at Mountain View and Condit elementary schools. The kids usually dress up in costumes. Each school takes turns dressing up as pilgrims and Indians, and then join together for a Thanksgiving feast.This year, however, there is a big change. The school board decided to continue holding the feast, but they are not allowing the students to dress up. The board is concerned the Indian costumes...