The Real Meaning of Thanksgiving: The Triumph of Capitalism over Collectivism

American Institute for Economic Research  "In the New World, they wanted to erect a New Jerusalem that would not only be religiously devout, but be built on a new foundation of communal sharing and social altruism. Their goal was the communism of Plato’s Republic, in which all would work and share in common, knowing neither private property nor self-interested acquisitiveness.
"What resulted is recorded in the diary of Governor William Bradford, the head of the colony. The colonists collectively cleared and worked land, but they brought forth neither the bountiful harvest they hoped for, nor did it create a spirit of shared and cheerful brotherhood.
"The less industrious members of the colony came late to their work in the fields, and were slow and easy in their labors. Knowing that they and their families were to receive an equal share of whatever the group produced, they saw little reason to be more diligent their efforts. The harder working among the colonists became resentful that their efforts would be redistributed to the more malingering members of the colony. Soon they, too, were coming late to work and were less energetic in the fields."
....
"In the wilderness of the New World, the Plymouth Pilgrims had progressed from the false dream of communism to the sound realism of capitalism. At a time of economic uncertainty, it is worthwhile recalling this beginning of the American experiment and experience with freedom."
Hat tip to  Neal Boortz.

http://conservativedailynews.com/2011/11/thanks-gimmy/



http://zappatrust.deviantart.com/gallery/#/d4gr9tg



Thanksgiving and Turkeys

http://terrellaftermath.com/

http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/

#Occupy EVERYTHING!

http://terrellaftermath.com/

http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3874372190313998738

Gabrielle Giffords Special Ruined by Gratuitous Attack on Sarah Palin, Tea Party

(Some egregious writing errors corrected) Being on the road, we had not seen this special until the night before Thanksgiving. It was an excellent documentary and we were captivated by it until late in the show when this slap (article below) at conservatives was inserted without being called for.
How many death threats are cast at conservatives because of the vile rhetoric levelled at them by the so-called "peace and tolerance" people? We have seen them at leftist gatherings where they carry signs saying "Eat the rich" and calls by labor unions to gather at the homes of business owners to intimidate them. How many death threats came to Judge Robert Bork because of the visceral diatribe aimed at him before his Supreme Court appointment hearings?
Shame on liberals and their despicable propaganda aimed at conservatives and shame on Obama, Pelosi and the press who promote this hate.
 I'm sorry; that is extreme language. But if the left does not hate, the effect of their words is to produce it in those who listen to them.

Yahoo News   "ABC News and Sawyer committed journalistic malpractice by dredging up the old accusations without also showing evidence that debunked them. Palin and her map had nothing to do with Giffords' shooting, as was implied in the segment. Jared Loughner, Giffords' assailant, was an insane man who likely never heard of Palin and certainly was unaware of the cross hairs map. Yet ABC chose not to mention this."

I'm at my wit's end with Diane Sawyer.
"Crap like this is exactly why I ignore mainstream news sources. I won't watch them. They are nothing more than tabloids to me. Because they can no longer be trusted to deliver just the facts in an objective manner. They very clearly push an agenda now."

Good Morning Bias "At ABC, Sawyer has repeatedly lauded high-profile liberals, including Nancy Pelosi (“galvanized steel with a smile”) and Hillary Clinton (“political mastery,” “dazzling”). She even admitted to co-host Charlie Gibson that she dreamed about Bill Clinton one night after then eating a pepperoni pizza. Sawyer targeted Ken Starr, telling the independent counsel that his report on Bill Clinton’s affair was being criticized as “demented pornography, pornography for Puritans.” She derided the Bush administration’s “massive tax cuts,” championed campaign finance “reform,” and even asked then-candidate Barack Obama to judge whether America is “more racist or more sexist.”"

Liberal Diane Sawyer Swears Neutrality: 'People Will Know What the Truth Is'

Jeff Hayden: Things I am Thankful For

I AM THANKFUL: 2011 Edition; By Jeff Hayden, eldest son of the Tunnel Dweller:

• I am thankful that George Clooney’s hair turned gray because now those annoying paparazzi and autograph hounds no longer mistake me for him.
• I am thankful for that time my boss told me “Good job” without following it up with “this time”.
• I am thankful my children can experience things in life that I never got to experience as a kid - like getting A’s on a report card.
• I am thankful for steady hands and a precise eye that enabled me to punch one more hole in that last fraction of a millimeter on my belt.
• I am thankful for my fellow employees who understand that the break room paper towels are to be installed in the over-hand method. And I am thankful that my fellow employees who don’t understand that will read this and be healed.
• I am thankful that I had no cavities on my last visit to the dentist…except for the massive cavity in the center of my bravery.
• I am thankful my children can experience things in life that I never got to experience as a kid - like relaxing in front of the TV on a Saturday night and not watching Hee Haw.
• I am thankful I can now get an In-N-Out Burger Double-Double anytime I want. Not to be confused with my epitaph which will probably read, “He shouldn’t have gotten an In-N-Out Burger Double-Double anytime he wanted.”
• I am thankful I finally got that last of the seaweed out of my toes a mere 2 months after swimming in the Gulf of Mexico.
• I am thankful that texting didn’t arrive on the scene when phones still just had rotary dials.
• I am thankful my pants eventually dried that day in kindergarten when I decided that listening to the book being read during story time was more important than excusing myself to go to the bathroom. I sure wish I could remember what book that was because I haven’t come across a book since that inspired me to make that same decision again.
• I am thankful my children can experience things in life that I never got to experience as a kid - like having a sandwich at school that wasn’t made with potted meat or Vienna sausage.
• I am thankful we finally got some real paper towels in the break room at work and got rid of those, non-perforated rolls that belong in a grade school bathroom dispenser, much like the ones I used in grade school to wipe my mouth with after eating yet another potted meat sandwich.
• I am thankful for irony- like the word “meat” in “potted meat”.
• I am thankful for fond memories, like when I used to drive that old 96 Toyota Camry and….wait, that was today. Never mind.
• I am thankful that my feeble mind can still do amazing math while half-asleep, calculating how many more times I can hit the snooze button and still show up to work acceptably groomed and dressed.
• I am thankful that, due to proper immunizations, washing my hands regularly and being careful about what I touch and who I hang out with, I should never catch Bieber Fever.
• I am thankful that I have never kept up with the Kardashians. Or maybe it makes more sense to say they aren’t keeping up with me.
• I am thankful that I’ve never had my hand inside of a turkey…or any other animal for that matter.
• I am thankful my children can experience things in life that I never got to experience as a kid- like riding to school in a car with their mom instead of spending 45 minutes on a bouncing, noisy bus stuffed with passengers not too unlike the passengers in that Nicolas Cage movie, ConAir- available on DVD, Blue Ray and frequently on those oddball TV channels that you rarely watch because they only show lame movies like ConAir.
• I am thankful for orange juice because without it I would have no idea what an orange tastes like. Unless orange Skittles are an accurate representation of all that an orange has to offer, but I doubt it. I’m certain orange Skittles are way better than actual oranges and maybe it’s time someone start selling Skittle juice.
• I am thankful my hearing is in pretty good shape despite all the times I was woken up as a kid by having cold water poured into my ear.
• I am thankful that the Rangers won the World Series even though I missed the very end when the Rangers were one pitch away from clinching it because I had to go to the bathroom. Weird though. I never heard anything about a victory parade.
• I am thankful my children can experience things in life that I never got to experience as a kid - like going to a birthday party with a real bounce house instead of just a stack of old, soiled mattresses.
• I am thankful for the couple pairs of pants I have that don’t have that tiny, useless pockette within the regular pocket. This small pocket is just big enough for one of my keys to easily fall into but not big enough for the key to easily come back out.
• I am thankful for the replica Frank Lloyd Wright clock my dad made for me in order to save $120 for an authentic one. And I am thankful for the authentic one my dad found in an antique store for $15 shortly thereafter.
• I am thankful for socks. They keep my feet warm on a chilly night, they cushion my step as I walk and I can wipe my hands on them if I find myself without a napkin.
• I am thankful my children can experience things in life that I never got to experience as a kid- like looking out the window and watching their dad mow the yard instead of seeing their dad looking out the window watching them mow the yard.
• I am thankful that congress recently declared that pizza qualifies as a vegetable because I really need to be eating more vegetables.
• I am thankful that my daughters have outgrown trips to the American Girl store. It took three or four trips to Home Depot just to undo the damage done to my man card on one visit to the American Girl store.
• I am thankful that, even though these jokes are lame, they are still funnier than anything my kids watch on the Disney Channel.

The supercommittee failed to reach an agreement. What does this mean for the US budget, tax code and economy going forward?

Schwab Center for Financial Research
"After months of negotiations, the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (the "supercommittee") announced that it could not reach agreement, stating: "we have come to the conclusion today that it will not be possible to make any bipartisan agreement available to the public before the committee's deadline."

'The supercommittee had a deadline of November 23 to make recommendations to trim at least $1.2 trillion from the budget deficit, but the law required that the supercommittee post publicly any recommendations at least 48 hours before the deadline, or on Monday, November 21.
"What's beyond the supercommittee? Schwab answers the key questions." More...

http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/

Super Fail  "President Obama worked in at least two mentions of “fair share,” a couple of references to the top 2 percent and an oblique reference to Grover Norquist. He otherwise delivered a purely partisan broadside against Republicans in Congress, and promised to veto any effort to get around the automatic cuts built into the August law that created the debt super committee."

American Thinker:  Erskine Bowles on Obama's failed leadership  "It's what happens when amateurs are put in charge. They play political games when they should be statesman like, and try to appear like statesmen where politics should be employed. The deficit is both a policy and politics problem and Obama has failed to address the issue from either perspective."

Jennifer Rubin: The consequences of presidential weakness  "Republicans and Democrats in Congress should be crystal-clear: The president’s been AWOL from the most important domestic challenge we face. Frankly, I suspect that a stronger Democratic president would have been able to broker a deal. Actually, a stronger and more courageous president would have embraced Simpson-Bowles. But not Obama. Maybe we should get a president who doesn’t run overseas or finger-point but who leads."
More here.  Then this: The Philosophy Behind the Supercommittee Failure

Thomas Sowell has this: Failure or Success?  "If you think the goal was to solve the country's fiscal crisis, then obviously the Super Committee was a complete failure. But, if you think the goal was to improve the chances of the Obama administration being re-elected in 2012, it was a complete success."

Guy Benson : Obama's Dishonest 'Super Fail' Spin

"February 2009: "I'm pledging to cut the deficit we inherited by half by the end of my first term in office.""

Noel Piper: Recipe for Thanks-giving

desiringGod   "And maybe Dad will begin the meal by leading in a thankful song and reading some words from Scripture:

Oh come, let us sing to the LORD;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
For the LORD is a great God,
and a great King above all gods. . . .
Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!
For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand.

(Psalm 95:1-3, 6-7)

What's the latest on the MSM?

Newsbusters: In Same Day CNN Puts Bachmann Through Wringer, Puffs Huntsman Up   "In an cushy interview during the 3 p.m. hour of Newsroom, Baldwin heaped praise on the Republican who supports same-sex civil unions and who ripped conservatives as "anti-science" for not believing in global warming. The CNN host fawned over Huntsman's "lovely" daughters and slobbered that "you seem pretty unflappable, and if I may, governor, downright nice." "

Big Journalism: CNN Anchor Carol Costello Mocks Bachmann’s Faith: Do You ‘Regret’ Listening to God?  "What people like Costello don’t understand is that just because God calls on someone to run for president, that doesn’t mean God always intends for them to become president. In this case, God’s plan could very well be to put Rep. Bachmann in the White House or God’s plan could be to use Bachmann’s run for the White House as a way to reveal the truth to the world about what an awful bigot Carol Costello is.
"Or both."

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths (Proverbs 3:5,6).

Columbia Journalism Review Scolds MSM for Over-hyping Cain Gaffe

"In fact, the campaign media missed an opportunity to explore and explain a unique immigration policy that is aimed at a single country, an issue that remains important to a significant bloc of Florida voters."

Wolf Blitzer’s terrible burden   "As this goes to post, Wolf Blitzer is preparing carefully and cautiously for the Republican foreign policy / national security debate he will be moderating tonight on CNN."  William A. Jacobson

Speaking of Blitzer, Rush has this: When Will the Media Do an Anal Exam of Obama Like They Do of Every Republican?  "From what I'm being told, Wolf Blitzer is rehearsing various retorts to Newt Gingrich, and he and his staff are trying to think of various things that Newt might say to insult them.  It's sort of like preparing for hecklers."

Newsbusters: MSNBC's Hyper-Partisan Bashir: You May Need a Bath After Watching Tonight's GOP Debate    "Playing off of Newt Gingrich's applause line that Occupy protesters need to "go get a job right after [they] take a bath," MSNBC anchor Martin Bashir introduced two liberal guests on his eponymous program to pre-game tonight's Republican debate on CNN by grousing that, "Indeed, a bath is exactly what you may need after watching tonight's Republican debate on foreign policy."

The Astute Bloggers:  THE MEDIA IS PAVING THE WAY FOR THE THIRD PARTY RUN THAT IS OBAMA'S ONLY CHANCE AT RE-ELECTION The legacy media are preparing the soil for the inevitable third party run that is Obama's only hope:
Exhibit A: "The political system is broken. It's only a matter of time before voters take matters in their own hands: The rise of a third party -- or the dramatic overhaul of one of the existing ones -- is in the offing."
Via Hot Air
Exhibit B: "Trump Threatens to Spend Millions on a Presidential Run" Wall Street Journal.

Obama-Loving MSM Shows Its Hand Early, Teaches Romney a Valuable lesson

"Today, by making standard operating procedure in political advertising The Big Political Story Of The Day, the media might have actually done the GOP a favor. A year out, and they’ve given us a hearty taste of what they have planned for us:

1.Amplify every mistake, real or perceived.

2.Make the mistake, no matter how big or small, the story.

3.Use the mistake to put the Republican on defense.

4.Make the story about anything but the bigger point the Republican meant to make.

5.Question the Republican’s honesty, etc.

MRC: (Almost) Nothing's Sacred "Start with Pamela Anderson, the ridiculously surgically enhanced former Playboy Playmate, home-movie porn specialist and "Baywatch" star. She's been cast to play - are you ready? - the Virgin Mary in a TV "Christmas" special in Canada.
"It's called "A Russell Peters Christmas..."
....
Speaking of messing up the time machine, Hollywood is really going back in time to smear J. Edgar Hoover. They've never forgiven him for being a staunch anti-communist or for mucking around in the personal lives of their heroes, from the Kennedy's to Martin Luther King. When Time asked actor Leonardo DiCaprio how true the movie was to life he replied, "Historically, it's incredibly accurate."
"That's quite a clash with the quote from his cast mate Armie Hammer, who plays Clyde Tolson, the close Hoover aide alleged to be his lover. "What really brings the film to life are the scenes that no one can prove happened." "
....
"The accusation that Hoover cross-dressed came from a convicted perjurer with mob ties; Soviet disinformation agents circulated rumors that Hoover was gay. But Hollywood doesn't care about sources or evidence when it makes "historical" movies. What they cared about was using ersatz history to promote the gay agenda."

The accusation that Hoover cross-dressed came from a convicted perjurer with mob ties; Soviet disinformation agents circulated rumors that Hoover was gay. But Hollywood doesn't care about sources or evidence when it makes "historical" movies. What they cared about was using ersatz history to promote the gay agenda.

Via Big Hollywood: Fallon show sneak attacks Bachmann with profane entrance music  "Guests such as Mrs. Bachmann and Mr. Cain have received harsh grilling from Mr. Leno, whereas President Obama faced a withering barrage of fawning compliments. Before The Roots made their opinion of Mrs. Bachmann clear on “Late Night,” comedian Dennis Miller appeared on “Tonight,” where he coined the term “J-Lobama” in reference to Mr. Leno’s sycophantic treatment of the President."
Fallon later apologized to Bachmann. In a tweet.

Rich Terrell is back

TerrellAfterMath "We're back, and Rich is madly working on new cartoons for you. The first is below. (And Lucy's new "Pick of the Week" is up at the website.) We were cruising last week with The National Review cruise and 550 fellow conservatives, where we had the pleasure of dining with Mark Steyn, John Yoo, and Andrew Klavan. We also chatted with Victor Davis Hanson, Jonah Goldberg, James Lileks, Fred Thompson, Andy McCarthy -- to name just a few of the great speakers on the cruise. Perhaps you can join us next year for the November 2012 post-election NR cruise. (what a dream crowd. Envy, envy, envy)

"And now today's cartoon -- "
 

Civil War History: Gettysburg Remembrance Day 2011: Remembrance Illumination

Gettysburg Daily  "We were on-hand Saturday to cover to Remembrance Day Parade in Gettysburg, as well as the illumination of the graves in the Soldiers National Cemetery afterwards. In this post, we’ll take a look at the illumination. We will be bringing you photos from the parade (as soon as we’re done sorting through them) later in the week."

gettysburgaddress

Here below is a lengthy video of the parade and the period costumes. The average age of soldiers  in the Civil War was said to be 25, but there are reported to be about 100,000 who were as young as 15. However those you see in reenactments are mostly older and, well... much better fed and looking little like those men of 1861-1865.
Only older people have the time and finances to engage in historical reenactments and they look quite odd - anachronistic actually- marching in parades and battle formations. Yet as out of place as they look, we owe them all a debt of gratitude for keeping this beloved history alive and vibrant. They make it possible for young people of today to roam encampments and to see a small glimpse of the life of American citizens who lived during those terrible times.
Americans in that day loved the Union or their Confederate nation enough to suffer the most inhumane conditions in the defense of their home country.
It is well that the scourge of slavery was ended-at least partially. But we do honor and remember the American spirit that lived in both black and white citizens; a spirit that has been nearly eradicated by indoctrination from liberals in academia and entertainment and replaced with guilt for being who we are.
These historians and reenactors help hold back those influences. TD

More here.  The newly discovered photo below is from here.

"Enhanced image from Alexander Gardner photo of Gettysburg Dedication Ceremonies taken on Nov. 19, 1863. Is this Abraham Lincoln in the stove pipe hat?"

Picture below from Lincoln Discovered in Gettysburg Photos-

In the left distance is the famous cemetery gatehouse with its distinctive archway.

Brawl of Presidents

RightChange.com

UPDATED:Russian News Anchor Not A Fan of Barack Obama; Sorry, but that's not it

A Russian newscaster flipped the bird while pronouncing Obama's name on TV. As a Russian speaker, I will translate... "Apparently Tatiana’s gentle finger was directed at her filming crew, who probably had made comments about her stuttering in the first sentence. She heard it in her earpiece and flipped the bird in response, thinking she was speaking off camera over the footage of the conference. Reading Obama’s name as she did was a mere coincidence."
HotAirPundit via Gateway Pundit   Anybody here speak Russian? 
"Russian news anchor reporting on the APEC summit. Stunning. This was on live T.V."


So much for that reset button.