HAPPY THANKSGIVING 2015

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all!
We do have a lot to be thankful for and this is a day to remember just what all the things in our lives we should be thankful about.
The following is the Thanksgiving proclamation from President Abraham Lincoln at the height of the Civil War, or if you prefer, War Between The States. Please read an ponder the words as you enjoy time with family and friends, a real blessing.

Washington, D.C.
October 3, 1863

By the President of the United States of America.

A Proclamation.

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequalled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, 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. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the United States the Eighty-eighth.

By the President: Abraham Lincoln

William H. Seward,
Secretary of State

Is Thanksgiving A No-No Holiday Now?

Take a good look at the photo above.

Note what it says. And what it doesn't say.

ORDER YOUR HOLIDAY TURKEY

OK, so here is the background on this photo and why I am at the very least confused.

Yesterday on my way to an appointment, I noticed the sign in the above photo. This is at the Vatican of Whole Foods in Pasadena, California, my home town. So needless to say I whipped out the ol' cell phone camera because I am just curious.

What is the holiday the sign is speaking of?

The only holiday this month is, you guessed it.
Thanksgiving.

And I thought, is Thanksgiving now a no-no holiday?

I know, some Indians rank Thanksgiving up there with Columbus Day as the two American holidays to hate. And Thanksgiving is special to the Indians because they would argue that it was the beginning of the end of their way of life. And there is some marginal truth to that, I suppose.

To the American left, well it is all about the European, more English, conquest of North America and the exploitation of the Indians and the beginning of the horror to the world that is the United States of America.

But these are the fringes, right?

I am afraid not.

Now I shared the above photo on my Facebook page and there was a seemingly logical thought a couple of people shared with me that they thought it was just going to stay up through to the Christmas season. Then one had the same reaction that I had. And another shared a tale of a pastor scolding her for celebrating Thanksgiving in the first place.

OK, I get it that certain precincts in the United States that like to promote the idea, as I noted, that the beginning of what we today call Thanksgiving was the beginning of the end of a romanticised way of life. That being of the Indians.

Let me be clear that I am not anti-Indian. But it's not fair to make it out that they were all but a peace loving people. Tribes were fighting each other for land just like everyone else all over the world. And they were no better or worse in how they treated the spoils of their conquests.

This is to be fair and explain that the first Thanksgiving was not as much the beginning of the end for the Indians because those people did not have any gripes with each other. That, regrettably, did not come until later.

So, the first Thanksgiving was both a celebration of a good harvest and of good people being together.

But I don't think that the history is as important of the holiday as what it is and should be today.

Giving thanks is not specifically religious. Non-religious people can give thanks as well as the person of faith. The fact of the matter is that it is not an absolute religious holiday. But it has become so important in the American celebration that, until recently, almost every retail establishment was closed on Thanksgiving. When I was growing up, most markets were closed. And invariably, we would have to find somewhere to find something that was an important ingredient that was forgotten. There was always Thrifty drug store! That is why as so many major retailers are pushing the envelope and starting the traditional Black Friday, day after Thanksgiving, Christmas shopping season on Thanksgiving evening. Some are open all day on Thanksgiving. And that is upsetting to a lot of people. I am one of them. And for me, there is the conflict with business and tradition. I'm all for the tradition.

I do not see why it has to be hidden and given the trite "holiday" label that we have done to Christmas for we don't want to offend anyone. Is Thanksgiving an offensive holiday? What about Independence Day? Memorial Day? Labor Day? Martin Luther King Day? Washington/Lincoln Birthday, aka President's Day? Don't all of these celebrations offend someone or some group?

Here is the thing.

I really, really believe that we all need to grow a thicker skin.

Really, does it offend a non-Christian to be given a Merry Christmas greeting? Can someone greet another person not of their tradition with their greeting? Such as Happy Hanukkah? Blessed Ramadan? I don't feel offense as much as that person happy with who they are and sharing their religious tradition. Or national tradition. If one is not a believer in any religion, you have to understand that the majority of people in the United States do have a religion. Instead of crying "I'm offended", why not use it as an opportunity to share why you do not believe? And I just noted that you who are non-believers can give thanks for the blessings in your life for you do have such things.

The more that we know about each other and what we are all about in human terms, we can avoid the fear of a retailer having to have a sign that reads

ORDER YOUR HOLIDAY TURKEY

 

 

 





HAPPY THANKSGIVING

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 
I Thesselonians 5:18 (KJV)
Today is Thanksgiving Day in the United States. It is a day that we put aside to give thanks in our own unique way. Through whatever one's religion is. Or even if one does not have religion. It is one of the most American of American holidays. For me, as a Christian, the above from the Holy Bible is one that I try to have on my heart, no matter what. 
So to you and yours, from Right View From The Left Coast, HAPPY THANKSGIVING! 

Pasadena's Idiocy Is My Church's Gain

Ahh, the hometown of RVFTLC bunker, Pasadena, California. Got to love it. I do in many ways, but this Thanksgiving, I really hate my hometown.
It appears that the city health department has found a state code, the California Retail Food Code, that prohibits a local charity, Union Station Homeless Services, from providing food for Thanksgiving that was donated by average citizens. In other words, if our family prepared food and took it to the charity where they would take it to Pasadena Central Park and distribute it, well now they can't.
It's not like they will not be able to feed the 5,000 down and outers according to Union Station director Rabbi Marvin Gross.
Rabbi Gross was so spot on with this comment:

"Its a shame that people can't come out and donate items that some of them have done for many years. It was a loving way in which people participated in this event."

Understand that the reason it is being done is because the city health department has after many years decided to be a supposed real health department. So they actually have a city environmental health director and her name is Lisa Frias. And oh is she working a fast track. For it is her that "discovered" this horrific lapse in judgement. Allowing people to participate by bringing actual home cooking to feed these people. Miss Frias was reviewing practices and found that because the home-cooked food was not prepared in an approved, regulated facility.
Hmm.
Maybe she should be working on the carts across the street at one of the city's parks that I have no idea if they prepare their food in an "approved" and "regulated" facility.
But back to this.
Miss Frias could not believe that people actually would do such a thing. Like make a full turkey and drive by the distribution point and hand them off to a volunteer. Read this:

"Quite honestly, I am surprised that for all these years nobody ever looked at this."

Oh wait, it gets better:

"It really took me by surprise. Are you kidding me that people really drive up and drop off turkeys?"

Uh, no. For if you know anything about this city, Pasadena, California, you would know that this has been a big deal for 37 years. As a city, we are very generous as noted in this article also in the Star-News. And these people, it wasn't just forking out cash. It was personal. A way for these people to really say that they cared in a tangible way.
The ball-dropping over the years was pretty much a shrug of the shoulders by the city health department director, Dr. Eric Walsh. His comment:

"I honestly can't say. I can only say that once it comes to our attention we tell them the best policies and procedures."

What a pass-the-buck tool you are Dr. Walsh.
Even Miss Frias could not say a time in 37 years that anyone, anyone has reported becoming sick due to eating at the Thanksgiving event. But that doesn't mean it was not prepared under unsanitary conditions and that is a point to be well taken.
But with no record of such things, wouldn't have been better to let the event go on as it has over the 37 years and dealt with it next year? Then people who have done their thing could have been more ready. And trust me, people will still go there tomorrow and be told that they cannot accept the food.
Well, you may ask, why am I so incensed by this? What have I done or do on Thanksgiving besides eat quite well?
Well, I help my church, Church Of Our Saviour in San Gabriel. We have an outreach center and an small mission church under our leadership. That is in El Monte. The church is Immanuel and the outreach center is Our Saviour Center including the Cleaver Wellness Clinic.
In fact, tonight Mrs. RVFTLC and I made 3 trays of mashed potatoes for the 1,000 people that we will be serving late tomorrow morning and afternoon. And we don't just make them. We take them and help serve the people. For many it will be the best meal of the week. Maybe the month. And it is all prepared by volunteers from the local Immanuel Episcopal Church and Church of Our Saviour. FTR, I just peeled 15 lbs of potatoes and Mrs. RVFTLC did the rest. OK I did a little mashing.
But as this article points out, we have been doing this for years and no one has ever gotten sick. Really. And if they had, there is a wellness clinic on site that would have been able to provide a minimal amount of care.
So, what is the difference between Church of Our Saviour and Union Station Homeless Services?
Church groups have an exemption from the California Retail Food Code.
And that moniker, the California Retail Food Code. Neither group is charging for the meal so how can it fall under a retail food code for one and not the other? Again, since this was found out recently, shouldn't Union Station be given at least a year reprieve so that they do not have to deprive people of doing something from their heart?
As noted by Julie Kelly, the rector's assistant, we need the food all year around. The Our Saviour Center is constantly looking for food. And they will not turn anyone away.
It is important that people but for one day of the year feel human. And while I have a lot of issues with the Episcopal Church, this is one thing that our parish does and does right. And yeah, I will promote it. And I will promote that those that wanted to help Union Station come over to Church of Our Saviour and help out our program. This is a big deal.
As I said in the headline and it is true.
Pasadena's idiocy is my church's gain.

No My Liberal Friends And Relatives I DON'T Want To Talk Obamacare Over Turkey

UPDATE:

And if the following post does not drive you insane, Nanny-state soon to be former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg wants you to squeeze the trigger for gun control in between turkey and the annoying Obamacare advocate. UGH!


And for me, the lefty libs are, well my entire family, living or dead. Oh, I do have a secret Republican nephew, but he'll probably be working.
And no, I will not be spending Thanksgiving with my family. Part of the reason is the poison of politics. The other part is that in the past we all gather at my retired school teacher brother's home in San Diego. About a 100 mile drive and usually four hours to and fro.
But enough of my family drama.
Many of you will face the same fate Thursday and will, sadly, be unable to avoid having those lefty relatives bring up not just politics that you have no agreement about. But they well specifically bring up the dreaded Obamacare.
No folks, its not just about a website. Its about what an abject failure O-Care is and will be.
So how will these annoying relatives begin conversing with you, you crazy right-winger that they are really embarrassed that you are related?
Well, because they need the assistance, they will get their talking points right from the website Health Care For The Holidays.
I kid you not.
But to remind these robots, they also get this e-mail, provided that they get off Facebook and Twitter. And remember this from the second line of the letter.

"Chances are, folks at the dinner table look to you mostly as a voice of reason on the subject."

Oh, BTW, if you go to Health Care For The Holidays, you have to sign up for the details about conversing with us Neanderthals on the subject. I already get enough junk e-mail so no thank you. I did not sign up.
Now if you are a split gathering, or almost split politically, won't you kind of have a lot of people that do not look to the initiator of O-Care conversation as a "voice of reason" on the subject. I know I would not think that person is a voice of reason.
But if you get corralled by that annoying, probably college-age dim bulb of a relative that is getting in your face, Ace at The Ace Of Spades has some helpful retorts to verbally pummel that relative you won't invite back next Thanksgiving. Its helpful to have the back up, but because most of us knew that this would not work, we could probably do well enough on our own. Oh yeah, when you bring up your concern about the "death panels" that former Alaska governor Sarah Palin brought up, maybe you can steer them over to this from Mark Halperin from Time magazine. NOW the leftywhore media is telling us that it was right there in the legislation. In black and white. And he has the testes to say that the media should have been doing more investigative reporting on the subject. No, these Obama lapdogs were too busy shilling for the bill and in fact mocking Mrs. Palin for bringing the subject up at all. When your O-Care warrior relative stems and stammers, just walk away. Which you probably should have done in the first place.
I don't know. Call me old fashioned but when a family gets together usually for the one time of the year in such a setting, the last thing on my mind is bringing up politics and certainly not O-Care. You have more than likely debated these relatives on Facebook already. Why must people ruin what should be a happy occasion with such crap?
Because as some dude said on the perpetual campaign trail, you have to get in the faces of those that do not fall in line with the Obama agenda.
Oh yeah, why it was the Dear Leader, President Obama, himself and the First Lady, Michelle Obama telling acolytes that. And what better time to get in their faces than Thanksgiving? What better time to shill for O-Care? What better time to impugn your relatives and or friends for having "bad" health care coverage that they were perfectly happy with?
This is the poison of the left. That nothing is sacred or that there can be a truce on a day where there should be fun and happiness. No, they are so hell bent that they are so damn right on any and everything that they have to spout off. And get talking points to do so. Really Obamot, you have nothing else going on in your life that you can talk about with those relatives that you have not seen in a year or longer? You don't have a social life? A girlfriend, boyfriend or even a same-sex relationship that's worth talking about? A job? Anything else than shilling for a dude, a party and an idea that really does not give a crap about you? If that is the case, you lead the most pathetic life I know.
So as Mrs. RVFTLC and I visit friends this Thanksgiving, if there is a lib in the house (probably not because these are pretty conservative folks, but maybe have that lefty interloper), I do NOT want to talk about O-Care with my turkey. Now give me that drumstick!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING 2012

" In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."

1 Thessalonians 5:18

Today is Thanksgiving day in the United States. A day that has been set aside to give thanks for whatever we want to give thanks for.
I for one am thankful to be living in the greatest nation in the history of the world.
And I am, without question, thankful for Mrs. RVFTLC. She does put up with a lot being Mrs. RVFTLC! And then there is our son. Our dogs, Master Cashew and amazingly Scout the Wonder dog. We thought that last thanksgiving might be the last one. But at 15 1/2 years old, she is alive and kicking.
And of course for other family and friends.
But most important, for me, is to give thanks to God for all that I do have in this life.
We do seem to emphasize what we percieve as falling short. But it is what we have that we should give thanks to. We should strive for what we may not have  but want. It should not consume us.
Yes, there is the wonderful food that is connected with Thanksgiving. Turkey, stuffing, ham, prime rib, mashed potatoes, candied yams, the actually God-forsaken green bean cassarole, pumpkin pie. But rememeber who we will be sharing it with. Yeah, some of the people we may only see once a year. Or even that day is the only time  we will see some people.
What I mean about sharing it with is those that do not have the life that most of us have.
Before we go to our Turkey day festivities, Mrs. RVFTLC will stop off at our mission church in El Monte, California and help serve Thanksgiving to those less fortunate than we are. It is something that gives a real meaning to the day. And solidifies what it means to give thanks.
So, remember that in between the turkey and football, give thanks to God for the life that you have. Not the one that you think that you want.

Its Time To Blog Again

I am back to the blog after a well-deserved Thanksgiving break.
Mrs. RVFTLC, Scout the Wonderdog and your humble blogger spent the Thanksgiving weekend in the Great State of Utah, visiting Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park.
While it was unusual not to celebrate Thanksgiving with family and or friends, we had a wonderful time exploring a part of the United States we have not been to before.
And I have to admit, Utah looks really good to this conservative, Republican.
It has now the most conservative, Republican county in the United States, Utah County. It has the obvious strong influence of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Yet because many people are moving from many different backgrounds, the Mormon influence is not as pronounced as at one time.
It is just the overall conservative way of life that makes Utah so attractive. Not to mention the total natural beauty.
I would advise everyone to visit Utah at least once and to see the two National Parks we visited. They are amazing.
But now, vacation is over and the real world beckons. Regretably. But we have wonderful memories of a great trip.

Holiday Hatred Starting Early This Year

BAH HUMBUG!
Well, not quite since it is not quite the Christmas holiday season just yet.
But the holiday season haters are getting a jump start this year. A real early start.
And where would you find such lunacy?
California? Hmm, not this time.
New York state? Close in geography.
Maybe, hmm, maybe. . .Massachusetts?
B I N G O!
Anne Foley is a principal at Kennedy School in Sommerville. And she has a real hate for the eeeeevvvvviiilllll Christopher Columbus.
But it does not end there.
Why she has delivered a sweeping ultimatum to her minion teachers.
That they are not to celebrate the eeeeevvvvviiilllll Columbus Day holiday. And while they are at it, not Halloween or Thanksgiving.
Whiskey! Tango! Foxtrot!
What is wrong with these Educrats?
Well here is some of the wisdom of Miss Foley:

"When we were young we might have been able to claim ignorance of the atrocities that Christopher Columbus committed against the indigenous peoples," Kennedy School Principal Anne Foley wrote. "We can no longer do so. For many of us and our students celebrating this particular person is an insult and a slight to the people he annihilated. On the same lines, we need to be careful around the Thanksgiving Day time as well."

In one fell swoop, Miss Foley smacks down three holidays and I am sure she will get really orgasmic around the Christmas holiday season.
OK, I get it. Christopher Columbus was a dastardly man that wanted to bring the plagues of Europe to the peaceful, indigenous peoples of the Western Hemisphere. Never mind that many of these so-called peaceful people were at war with each other, and performing ritualistic human sacrifice. No, no, no. It was Chris Columbus that brought evil to these people.
Columbus Day is a celebration of the Italian community of the United States. By and large. It is a celebration of the event of discovery. Christoper Columbus is not singlehandedly responsible for what happened after he discovered the Americas.
And Halloween.
Well, that is kind of a gray area.
In reality, it is a pagan event usurped by the early Christian church. Now it has been way secularized and yeah, seems like the pagans took it back.
However, I think that there is nothing wrong with the kiddies, small and big, dressing up. Only the kids, with parents or guardians, should be trick-or-treating. And for the young adult dudes and dudettes, you know who you are, stop pretending you are just hanging around your young charges. Don't trick-or-treat with the kids.
And lets also stop with the "Fall festivals" and other language that seeks to stop the H-word from being used. It's Halloween, OK?
But what gets me is Thanksgiving.
Look, you may not like the fact that the origin is traced back to 1621 and the celebration of a good harvest. You may not like the fact that while the Pilgrims were settling the New World to escape persecution, they themselves did not persecute the natives.
And who is to say that none of this would have happened eventually?
But to me, Thanksgiving is a special day to thank my God and Maker and for what He has done for us. It is a combo of secular and religious. And it is uniquely American.
But to people like Miss Foley, she sees her mission not as the administrator of a school but as the chief brain washer.
Yeah, chief brain washer.
For the kids are the youngest in schools. It is at this point that people like her can indoctrinate rather than educate.
Sorry, but kids this young are actually entitled to a childhood. They do not need to be drawn into the bad of the world. Hell, many of these kids may live in really bad conditions unknown to us. So what if they want to dress up on Halloween? Or celebrate Thanksgiving? Or even celebrate Columbus Day?
N O T H I N G!
The problem with education is twofold.
It is what they are learning and who is teaching them.
Miss Foley should be made to resign for such an attitude of contempt for the land that she is a citizen of. At the very least, she should be demoted.
And this is why we need to be ever vigilant about our local school boards and the decisions they make.
As for Kennedy chool, the parents need to rise up and tell off this Foley woman. And if the school board will not do anything, they need to keep Miss Foley on a short leash.
My hope is that the kiddies at this school are allowed to dress up for Halloween and celebrate Thanksgiving.
They are things to be celebrated, not swept aside to appease fringe people.
In other words, lets not start the Holiday Hatred so soon, please?