Patterico's Pontifications

11/26/2014

Thankfulness: God And Government

Filed under: General — Dana @ 10:44 am



[guest post by Dana]

I don’t know about you, but while I am making pear pies and pumpkin pies today, I will be thanking God for all that is good and great in my life. And I will also be thanking Him for all that isn’t so good and great in my life because I have learned that in faith, it is through walking the arduous and painful path of tribulation with Him that begets another layer of unfathomable richness in my being. And hope grows. How seemingly paradoxical. God is a mystery that can be known. A mystery to be revealed over a lifetime. And just when one thinks they have reached His deepest depths, they come to find that He is endless. Further, aside from being wholly thankful for love of family, I am also thankful to God to be able to live where I do. This is particularly significant to me because I recognize I could be living in some oppressive third-world instead. I am also thankful for the privilege and immense freedom we have to participate in and be critical of our government. Whether it is to work for change at the local level all the way up to the federal level, or to speak our mind with our vote, it is all a great privilege that many others are not accorded. I know we could all write a book about what we are grateful for, so abundant are our blessings.

With that, Juan Williams is also giving thanks. He would like all of us to thank God government for its provision to us (think Cash for Clunkers, Obamacare, Stimulus, Solyndra, etc.):

The endless assault on government has driven down trust in federal management and deflated confidence in political leaders.

So, this Thanksgiving, let us join hands as I offer my list of reasons to give thanks for the good work being done by our government to bring us prosperity, health and peace.

At Thanksgiving 2008, the American economy was on the brink of collapse.

This Thanksgiving unemployment is 5.8 percent, the lowest it has been since the Great Recession. The recovery is slow but it keeps going and going. Federal investment in the stimulus, the auto industry bailout, the “Cash-for Clunkers” program and the Wall Street bailout all worked.

Not only that, but income tax rates for most families are lower today than “at any time since the 1950s,” according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

Thanksgiving 2014 arrives with Wall Street investors collecting record levels of profit. Since February of 2010, nearly a million blue-collar, manufacturing jobs have come to America. The consumer confidence index, a critical indicator, is at its highest level since July 2007. The current national average price for a gallon of gasoline is the lowest it has been in four years.

“During the bleakest days of the financial crisis, it seemed the economy would never bounce back…” Business Insider magazine recently wrote in a report on the latest forecast from the financial consultants at JP Morgan. “But six years later…the economy has actually flourished…Five out of six indicators [corporate profits, stock prices, household net worth, GDP, and business investment] have not only reached their pre-crisis highs, but they have actually surpassed them.”

Even the much-maligned government program to boost America’s alternative energy industry, including the loan to solar panel company Solyndra, has been a success. Paul Krugman, the Nobel prize-winning economist and columnist for The New York Times, recently wrote that the energy program has returned $5 billion in profit for loans from the American people.

One last note on the new American prosperity: When President Obama took office in 2009 the deficit was $1.2 trillion. Today it is projected to be $483 billion. It has gone from 9.8 percent of the GDP to 2.8 percent, an incredible 71 percent reduction.

Here’s another reason to be thankful: The success of the Affordable Care Act.

Despite incessant political attacks and a horrendous start for the website, the program has cut the number of Americans without health insurance by 25 percent. That means about 3 million more of our fellow Americans have health insurance than did so before Democrats in Congress acted. And a Gallup poll recently reported 70 percent of people with “ObamaCare” rate the plan as excellent or good.

P.S. This also makes me thank God that we live in a country where we still have the freedom to publicly write, “What a moron!” without fear of retribution.

–Dana

143 Responses to “Thankfulness: God And Government”

  1. Hello.

    Dana (8e74ce) — 11/26/2014 @ 10:46 am

  2. It’s an early April Fool joke!

    Simon Jester (c8876d) — 11/26/2014 @ 10:48 am

  3. Seriously, change the “D” for “R” and watch the goalposts move FTL, leaving a Cheronkov burst of hypocrisy.

    Simon Jester (c8876d) — 11/26/2014 @ 10:49 am

  4. I am thankful I don’t have to take hacks like Juan Williams and Paul Krugman seriously.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 11/26/2014 @ 10:56 am

  5. I wrote to several people about this link:

    http://theweek.com/article/index/272656/dont-argue-about-politics-this-thanksgiving-just-dont

    So much about politics has become an odd twisted religion, just as it did for the early Soviets.

    Instead, be thankful for family, health, and happiness.

    My best wishes to all. Truly. Some things are more important than politics.

    Simon Jester (c8876d) — 11/26/2014 @ 10:58 am

  6. Juan should give thanks that PBS fired his sorry ass so that he could become the black Alan Colmes spouting inanities for a seven figure salary.

    Gazzer (cb9ee2) — 11/26/2014 @ 11:11 am

  7. Hi all
    I agree that stuff Williams is shoveling stinks.
    Nice link Simon. I especially liked this part:

    We surround ourselves with an invisible community of the “elect” who share our convictions, and convince ourselves that even our closest and beloved relatives are not only wrong, but enemies of goodness itself.

    That sounds eerily familiar to me.

    In closing happy thanksgiving to all. I hope at least some of you don’t need to resort to an invisible man in the sky to find someone to thank. I am thankful to the actual people who have done actual things to help me get where I am.

    Gil (c39449) — 11/26/2014 @ 11:13 am

  8. Thank you for the post, Dana. Very fitting.

    Juan —

    The endless assault on by government has driven down trust in federal management and deflated confidence in political leaders.

    Fixed that for you.

    A wonderful Thanksgiving to you all!

    htom (9b625a) — 11/26/2014 @ 11:32 am

  9. Be thankful that white liberals and black race hustlers use gun control to keep the black community from arming themselves so they can’t shot back at drug dealers or their police enablers.

    gun control (2f39f9) — 11/26/2014 @ 11:47 am

  10. i am thankful for all the different kinds of cheese

    happyfeet (a037ad) — 11/26/2014 @ 11:56 am

  11. Hello and Happy Thanksgiving
    Those pies must smell delicious.

    mg (31009b) — 11/26/2014 @ 11:58 am

  12. As htom pointed out

    The endless assault by government has driven down trust in federal management and deflated confidence in political leaders.

    And guys like Juan Williams and his ideological cohorts who have corrupted our government with lies and bogus statistics no one any longer believes. Hellen Keller could look around and see this nation is in decline because these clowns have replaced God with government. I would rather believe in an invisible man in the sky than Williams, Krugman, Obama or any of their sycophant, sociopath partners in crime.

    Hoagie (4dfb34) — 11/26/2014 @ 12:03 pm

  13. happyfeet-so good!!!
    http://www.faribaultdairy.com/about/

    mg (31009b) — 11/26/2014 @ 12:05 pm

  14. bookmarked the cheese that looks awesome I’m a do the blue in a spinach salad I think once i get my kitchen put together

    happyfeet (a037ad) — 11/26/2014 @ 12:25 pm

  15. I’m thankful for Gazzer’s post that shows Huwan Hawilliams for what he is.

    Colonel Haiku (3bf827) — 11/26/2014 @ 12:29 pm

  16. For you, Happyfeet. This is my favorite cheese shop.

    http://www.antonellischeese.com/

    felipe (40f0f0) — 11/26/2014 @ 12:30 pm

  17. Faribault, Minnesota is a doable destination now so I might go there this spring or summer

    happyfeet (a037ad) — 11/26/2014 @ 12:30 pm

  18. “In closing happy thanksgiving to all. I hope at least some of you don’t need to resort to an invisible man in the sky to find someone to thank. I am thankful to the actual people who have done actual things to help me get where I am.”

    I’m also thankful for Gil remaining in his van, down by the river.

    Colonel Haiku (3bf827) — 11/26/2014 @ 12:32 pm

  19. Thanks Colonel and a Happy Thanksgiving to all.

    Gazzer (cb9ee2) — 11/26/2014 @ 12:32 pm

  20. What a moron.

    I can picture the drool escaping his lips while he typed that. Good Allah.

    JD (86a5eb) — 11/26/2014 @ 12:32 pm

  21. I wish I could get to Austin more Mr. f

    but that’s bookmarked too

    happyfeet (a037ad) — 11/26/2014 @ 12:33 pm

  22. I am shocked that Perry still advocates leftists murdering those he disagrees with, under the 8262348625447th version of his insanity, and that Gil cannot comment on any topic without his creepy God hatred oozing out. May God bless you, Gil, and may he someday allow you to see you blinded you are by your hatred.

    JD (86a5eb) — 11/26/2014 @ 12:35 pm

  23. There are a couple new BBQ places in Austin that I was reading about, that are road trip worthy.

    JD (86a5eb) — 11/26/2014 @ 12:36 pm

  24. Pear pie! That sounds interesting. Throw in a splash of pear brandy from Normandy.

    AZ Bob (7d2a2c) — 11/26/2014 @ 12:39 pm

  25. Juan always is mindful of his obligation to the Plantation Masters.

    askeptic (efcf22) — 11/26/2014 @ 12:53 pm

  26. It’s that time of year. Lou and Peter Berryman, Uncle Dave’s Grace:

    Thanksgiving day Uncle Dave was our guest
    Who reads the Progressive which makes him depressed
    We asked Uncle Dave if he’d like to say grace
    A dark desolation crept over his face
    .
    Thanks he began as he gazed at his knife
    To poor Mr. Turkey for living his life
    All crowded and cramped in a great metal shed
    Where life was a drag then they cut off his head
    .
    Thanks he went on for the grapes in my wine
    Picked by sick women of seventy nine
    Scrambling all morning for bunch after bunch
    Then brushing the pesticide off of their lunch
    .
    Thanks for the stuffing all heaped on my fork
    Shiny with sausage descended from pork
    I think of the trucks full of pigs that I see
    And can’t help imagine what they think of me
    .
    Continuing, I’d like to thank if you please
    Our salad bowl hacked out of tropical trees
    And for this mahogany table and chair
    We thank all the jungles that used to be there
    .
    For cream in our coffee and milk in our mugs
    We thank all the cows full of hormones and drugs
    Whose calves are removed at a very young age
    And force-fed as veal in a minuscule cage
    .
    Oh thanks for the furnace that heats up these rooms
    And thanks for the rich fossil fuel it consumes
    Corrupting the atmosphere ounce after ounce
    But we’re warm and toasty and that is what counts
    .
    I’m grateful he said for these clothes on my back
    Lovely and comfy and cheap off the rack
    Fashioned in warehouses noisy and cold
    In China by seamstresses seven years old
    .
    And thanks for my silverware setting that shines
    In memory of miners who died in the mines
    Worn down by the shoveling of tailings in piles
    Whose runoff destroys all the rivers for miles
    .
    We thank the reactors for our chandelier
    Although the plutonium won’t disappear
    For hundreds of decades it still will be there
    But a few more Chernobyls and who’s gonna care
    .
    Sighed Uncle Dave though there’s more to be told
    The wine’s getting warm and the bird’s getting cold
    And with that he sat down as he mumbled again
    Thank you for everything, amen
    .
    We felt so guilty when he was all through
    It seemed there was one of two things we could do
    Live without food in the nude in a cave
    Or next year have someone say grace besides Dave

    The 60’s are still alive, we saw them last Saturday night.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0l5XHrXn3qQ

    htom (9b625a) — 11/26/2014 @ 1:04 pm

  27. I’m thankful we have an adversarial media who calls out the Obama administration for their made up unemployment numbers. Oh, wait….

    Ok, I’ll just get drink and watch football, like I do every thanksgiving.

    Edoc118 (8b952d) — 11/26/2014 @ 1:07 pm

  28. Pear pie? Never heard of it, but sounds yummy. I’ll be very thankful Dana for a recipe 🙂

    Angelo (cdad90) — 11/26/2014 @ 1:19 pm

  29. “During the bleakest days of the financial crisis, it seemed the economy would never bounce back…”

    Actually, the President’s 2009 claims about the future (with his “stimulus” bill) was much rosier than reality turned out to be.

    David Pittelli (b77425) — 11/26/2014 @ 1:44 pm

  30. I used to be able to tolerate Mr. Williams, but my annoyance at his his capacity for self-delusion has outstripped my sympathy for his battered but unshakeable naïveté.

    Beldar (fa637a) — 11/26/2014 @ 1:45 pm

  31. Once more proving you’re a Prince among Men, Beldar.

    askeptic (efcf22) — 11/26/2014 @ 1:59 pm

  32. From Rogue Man today:

    •Mortgage Applications -4.3%
    •Durable Goods Ex-Transports MISS -0.9% vs +0.5% Exp
    •Initial Jobless Claims MISS 313k vs 288k Exp
    •Personal Income MISS +0.2% vs +0.4% Exp
    •Personal Spending MISS +0.2% vs +0.3% Exp
    •Chicago PMI MISS 60.8 vs 63.0 Exp
    •UMich Confidence MISS 88.8 vs 90.0 Exp
    •Pending Home Sale MISS -1.1% vs +0.5% Exp
    •New Home Sales MISS +0.7% vs +0.8% Exp

    As The Burning Platform’s Jim Quinn explains,

    it really isn’t hard to connect the dots and see the real economy in the real world, outside Wall Street, is a disaster and getting worse by the hour. Below are a bunch of dots that have been issued in the last 24 hours. Here are the facts…

    Real disposable income has risen at a 1.8% annual rate over the last four months. Meanwhile, real consumer spending has increased at a 2.4% annual rate over the last four months. I thought all those jobs Obama talks about should result in wages. Why is disposable personal income so pitiful if the unemployment rate is really 5.9%? And of course, these figures are based upon a fake inflation rate of less than 2%. We all know it is 5% or higher.

    Wake up Juan and quit making excuses for your masser’s. Cast off the chains of slavery the leftist demoncrats have shackled your people with and join us conservatives who believe a hand-up is better than a hand-out.

    Hoagie (4dfb34) — 11/26/2014 @ 2:02 pm

  33. Angelo, I don’t have a “recipe” per se, which I know will make *real* bakers and cooks cringe, but unless I’m in the kitchen doing something mega-important like making daleyrocks’ sandwiches, I just sort of wing it and learn through trial and error. But I can tell you that through my trial and error, that a pear pie is indeed yummy! So, slice 8 or so red d’anjou pears (leave skin on). Mix in bowl with a half-handful of white sugar, handful of brown sugar, couple shakes of cinnamon, couple teaspoons of flour (to help absorb juice) and tad of butter. Pour mixture into pie shell. Use extra pie crust dough to do a lattice top or full top (remember to vent top with a few knife slices). If I have time and motivation, I will take leftover dough and and make little leaves and vines and put on top of crust top because it looks so pretty. Bake 350 for about 30-40 mins. Serve with fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

    Dana (8e74ce) — 11/26/2014 @ 2:09 pm

  34. They really do worship the state.

    If they could actually do anything it might be different but life sucks for libtards who demand the government wipe their bums because they lack the talent, intelligence and will-power to do it themselves…

    WarEagle82 (b18ccf) — 11/26/2014 @ 2:15 pm

  35. Thank you Dana; now it sounds yummier! I shall make one this weekend as a test run for Christmas.

    Angelo (cdad90) — 11/26/2014 @ 2:23 pm

  36. I made fig jelly with dried mustard seed, and spicy pickled cantaloupe.

    JD (a13448) — 11/26/2014 @ 2:56 pm

  37. I made pickled lemons about 2 months ago, specifically for roasting with the turkey.

    Sounds great JD

    Angelo (cdad90) — 11/26/2014 @ 3:11 pm

  38. Happy Thanksgiving to all! Great post, Dana. BTW, Dana, every time you say “hello” I hear the Beatles song “Hello” go through my head.

    May God bless you, Gil, and may he someday allow you to see you how blinded you are by your hatred.
    JD (86a5eb) — 11/26/2014 @ 12:35 pm

    I second that, JD.

    felipe (40f0f0) — 11/26/2014 @ 3:27 pm

  39. Dana: I’ve never heard of Pear Pie, but it sounds fabulous! And I find your recipe and its charming units of measure endearing…

    I only comment here once or twice per year, but Patterico is on my short list of daily reads and amongst the things for which I am grateful. Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

    Beasts of England (5bb16f) — 11/26/2014 @ 3:50 pm

  40. I second Beasts of England’s comment. Well done, Dana, and Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

    DRJ (a83b8b) — 11/26/2014 @ 3:57 pm

  41. i picture chunks of honeyed pear in bubbly brie with a dollop of some kind of super wonderful fruity preserves

    with a few odd chunks of white chocolate secreted here and there

    sprinkeled with cimanyms

    and served on a shelf provided by miss kardashian

    as michael bolton sings softly from the other room

    happyfeet (831175) — 11/26/2014 @ 3:57 pm

  42. Where is Joe Wilson when Juan needs him? Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

    PatAZ (094578) — 11/26/2014 @ 4:12 pm

  43. “The endless assault on government has driven down trust in federal management and deflated confidence in political leaders.”

    No, the leaders of both parties have managed to do that themselves from roughly the day Reagan went home.

    Bugg (f0dbc7) — 11/26/2014 @ 4:20 pm

  44. drove my chevy to the levy but the levy was dry

    happyfeet (831175) — 11/26/2014 @ 4:23 pm

  45. As some may not be aware, Juan Williams’ son Raffi works for the RNC. He was hired to coordinate reach-out to young and black voters. I think that is very interesting.

    He told BuzzFeed that even though it is not realistic to expect Republicans to “get a ridiculous amount of African Americans in the next election,” the party can “can start to make inroads, and the more inclusive we are as a party the better optics we get to other demographics as well — not just African Americans — and that helps us in the long run.” Williams was a Communications Director for the Republican Study Committee and worked for Rep. Dan Benishek’s (R-MI) reelection campaign.
    … Williams said RNC Chair Reince Priebus is enthusiastic about his efforts and it seems like he will be given the resources to succeed. “So it’s about making those new connections and getting the support I need. People are really enthused about it,” Williams said. “And that’s a nice thing for me. I didn’t know what I was walking into exactly but from the Chairman on down everyone is so on board with this.”

    Soo Thanksgiving Day dinner at the Williams household probably has some of the same “issues” a few others of us have shared about trying to avoid political minefields over turkey and pie.

    elissa (d592bd) — 11/26/2014 @ 4:48 pm

  46. my whole life i never told buzzfeed nuffin

    happyfeet (831175) — 11/26/2014 @ 4:49 pm

  47. i should get a cheese platter

    happyfeet (831175) — 11/26/2014 @ 4:50 pm

  48. gratis

    happyfeet (831175) — 11/26/2014 @ 4:53 pm

  49. My tummy is rumbling.

    Somebody is shirking their sammich duty.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 11/26/2014 @ 5:33 pm

  50. Insurance isn’t access to treatment or providers.

    http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2014/11/medicaid-obamacares-sleeping-giant.html

    Only 30 percent of doctors now accept Medicaid patients, and their numbers are growing. There’s a shortage of at least 50,000 primary care doctors, and the federal government says it needs to recruit 28,000 of them for the VA. There are too many Medicaid and VA recipients chasing too few doctors.

    What good is coverage without medical doctors or other providers to offer the care? And what are doctors to do if they cannot maintain their practices at Medicaid rates, which has 20 percent lower than private care rates? And what if the hospitals or states cannot afford the facilities and providers needed to care for the tsunami of new Medicaid beneficiaries? And what are these recipients to do in those 27 states that have opted out of Medicaid expansion?

    SarahW (267b14) — 11/26/2014 @ 5:35 pm

  51. Only 30 percent of doctors now accept Medicaid patients, and their numbers are growing.

    i write better than this

    i should get a cheese platter

    happyfeet (831175) — 11/26/2014 @ 5:42 pm

  52. My tummy is rumbling.

    Somebody is shirking their sammich duty.

    Oh be quiet and drink yer beer! I just pulled 3 pumpkin pies out of the oven! Be assured, if I weren’t barefoot (damn this gorgeous 75 degree weather!), I would toss a well-appointed heel your way.

    Dana (8e74ce) — 11/26/2014 @ 5:49 pm

  53. Bit chilly here today, too. “Bout 72 degrees.

    Gazzer (cb9ee2) — 11/26/2014 @ 6:08 pm

  54. that Gil cannot comment on any topic without his creepy God hatred oozing out. May God bless you, Gil, and may he someday allow you to see you blinded you are by your hatred.

    I’m going to go out on a limb and say I don’t hate god any more than you hate Thor or Hanuman. May the Flying Spaghetti Monster bless you and one day allow you to see how blinded you are by your dogma and faith.

    Gil (27c98f) — 11/26/2014 @ 6:15 pm

  55. Heh! In “The Master and Margarita”, Bulgakov showed the Devil judging sinners punishing sinners in accordance with their avowals if it suited his sense of irony. A devout atheist got sentenced to Nothing which might not be the “nothing” he preached. Are you sure you’re in good standing with the Flying Spaghetti Monster, Gil?

    nk (dbc370) — 11/26/2014 @ 6:26 pm

  56. Seems we are all “blinded” by our dogma and faith. You by the dogma and faith there is no God and we by the dogma and faith there is. The only difference is if you’re wrong, you’re screwed. If we’re wrong, so what?

    Hoagie (4dfb34) — 11/26/2014 @ 6:27 pm

  57. Nk. That sounds amusing. Let me ask you this. Are you a devout anti-toothfariest?
    And I’m sure you could tell I was referring to the spaghetti monster in jest.

    Gil (27c98f) — 11/26/2014 @ 6:30 pm

  58. Hoagie what of you’re wrong and you’re worshipping the wrong god? If a Muslim we’re to ask you “what if you’re wrong” would that argument hold any water with you?

    Gil (27c98f) — 11/26/2014 @ 6:32 pm

  59. But this is a case for Sammy. Sammy, why would someone got to such great lengths as Gil to proselytize people away from God? What skin is it off his nose?

    nk (dbc370) — 11/26/2014 @ 6:32 pm

  60. Juan has inoculated me against Fox News. Seriously, they have made a practice of hiring people just to spout nonsense so the viewers can say, “What a moron !”

    It helps me to read more.

    Mike K (90dfdc) — 11/26/2014 @ 6:35 pm

  61. Gil, it was pretty clear what interest of Stalin theism threatened, and why atheism was actively imposed. What interest of yours does theism threaten?

    nk (dbc370) — 11/26/2014 @ 6:39 pm

  62. Hi nk.
    There are plenty of wrong headed policies that are religion based. There are real world issues such as the preaching in Africa to not use condoms leading to spreading aids. The prevention of possibly life saving stem cell research. The teaching of kids that the earth is 6000 years old and that humans lived with dinosaurs resulting in our population being dumbed down. The economic impact of companies being closed on Sundays only because they choose to honor god. There’s tons of examples.

    Gil (27c98f) — 11/26/2014 @ 6:55 pm

  63. I do thank our gracious host for providing a space for us,

    narciso (ee1f88) — 11/26/2014 @ 6:57 pm

  64. ” I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.”

    DNF (3b2963) — 11/26/2014 @ 7:00 pm

  65. Nk. That sounds amusing. Let me ask you this. Are you a devout anti-toothfariest?
    And I’m sure you could tell I was referring to the spaghetti monster in jest.

    Gil (27c98f) — 11/26/2014 @ 6:30 pm

    This is obviously falacious since no serious person has ever contended those things exist. It smacks of circular reasoning.

    I have a lot to thank God for, including, but hardly limited to, a new job not long after the previous one ended.

    Happy Thanksgiving and God bless to all, including Gil.

    Gerald A (d65c67) — 11/26/2014 @ 7:01 pm

  66. if you were to weigh all the examples it would be in the tons

    happyfeet (831175) — 11/26/2014 @ 7:05 pm

  67. Be careful, gary err DNF. In an “enlightened” young person that verse from Philippians is called transcendence; in an old person they label it apathy. 😉

    nk (dbc370) — 11/26/2014 @ 7:06 pm

  68. I think it was wise, nk, to change to an anonymous handle – it could be argued that commenting under both a given and surname together could lead to troubles down the road.

    felipe (40f0f0) — 11/26/2014 @ 7:13 pm

  69. By Thor’s mighty hammer, by the suns of Warvan, you shall be made to eat your words, Gil, as the hound eats its own droppings.

    Colonel Haiku (3bf827) — 11/26/2014 @ 7:15 pm

  70. I am thankful for the scarcity of pig-wrestling.

    felipe (40f0f0) — 11/26/2014 @ 7:16 pm

  71. Mix me up a metaphor, barkeep!

    felipe (40f0f0) — 11/26/2014 @ 7:17 pm

  72. Q: Is it like a simile, or is it a metaphor?

    A: Yes.

    felipe (40f0f0) — 11/26/2014 @ 7:19 pm

  73. This is obviously falacious since no serious person has ever contended those things exist. It smacks of circular reasoning.

    There are many people who claim fairies are real. But forget that example. How about Bigfoott? The point is just because you don’t believe in something doesn’t make you a devout anything. Oh and it’s nice that you bring up circular reasoning. Do you mean how we know the bible is true because it’s the inerrant word of god?

    Gil (27c98f) — 11/26/2014 @ 7:23 pm

  74. please to pass the bong

    i pass it right back i promise

    happyfeet (831175) — 11/26/2014 @ 7:27 pm

  75. and the lighter

    happyfeet (831175) — 11/26/2014 @ 7:28 pm

  76. please

    happyfeet (831175) — 11/26/2014 @ 7:28 pm

  77. — What’s a metaphor?
    — I don’t know. Watsamatta for you?

    nk (dbc370) — 11/26/2014 @ 7:29 pm

  78. Why a duck?

    Gazzer (cb9ee2) — 11/26/2014 @ 7:34 pm

  79. any issue with this,

    https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Thessalonians%205:16-18

    narciso (ee1f88) — 11/26/2014 @ 7:35 pm

  80. Gil do you also post on Native American/First People’s sites to criticize them for their reverence toward the Great Spirit, or the Raven, or whatever they believe was involved in the earth’s creation or with the spiritual forces that oversee the role and space of humans in the natural world?

    elissa (d592bd) — 11/26/2014 @ 7:36 pm

  81. native americans lol

    happyfeet (831175) — 11/26/2014 @ 7:38 pm

  82. where exactly do they think the rest of us come from

    someone please to hand them a blanket and a fifth of whatever

    happyfeet (831175) — 11/26/2014 @ 7:50 pm

  83. meanwhile here’s a pic of rocco with david and mercy

    happyfeet (831175) — 11/26/2014 @ 7:53 pm

  84. “Professional educators” have been running schools, and spending more per student than ever before over the past decades. And test scores are declining every year, even though the same “professional educators” have been dumbing down the tests and organizing cheating schemes across the country. But Gil says the failures of modern secular education may be laid squarely on Christians.

    What did he say about blind faith and dogma?

    WarEagle82 (b18ccf) — 11/26/2014 @ 7:58 pm

  85. One time, before Amazon, before the internet even, I called this place http://aic-chicago.org/ looking for a book on Indian crafts and Indian lore. I said “Native American”, the lady on the other end of the phone said “Indian”.

    nk (dbc370) — 11/26/2014 @ 7:58 pm

  86. “Oh be quiet and drink yer beer! I just pulled 3 pumpkin pies out of the oven!”

    Dana – just back. You were the one who brought up my sammiches! You left a little crust last time.

    I cooked Thanksgiving dinner for two of my boys Sunday. Taking mashed rutabagas to friends tomorrow. Must get chopping.

    Pear pie sounds yummy. I cook a lot and also do not necessarily closely follow recipes – more by look, taste or feel. Last year’s dessert was an old family variation of a cheese cake.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 11/26/2014 @ 7:59 pm

  87. rutabagas are same as turnips

    i don’t understand this compulsion to obfuscate the turnips

    happyfeet (831175) — 11/26/2014 @ 8:01 pm

  88. maybe you should donate your rutabagas to AIC

    social justice ftw

    happyfeet (831175) — 11/26/2014 @ 8:03 pm

  89. Can’t help you with the taste or feel, but here’s some pictures, daleyrocks. http://www.magirema.com/tag/%CE%91%CF%87%CE%BB%CE%B1%CE%B4%CF%8C%CF%80%CE%B9%CF%84%CE%B1

    nk (dbc370) — 11/26/2014 @ 8:05 pm

  90. Do you actually like rutabagas, daleyrocks or do they serve more as a conversation piece when they appear on the table? What seasonings do you use? My former sister in law used to bring turnips to every Thanksgiving meal and everybody always lavishly admired her bowl but pretty much left the turnips alone beyond that. She was nothing if not persistent. They were not mashed, though.

    elissa (d592bd) — 11/26/2014 @ 8:08 pm

  91. As some may not be aware, Juan Williams’ son Raffi works for the RNC.

    If the son truly leans rights and isn’t just a squishy opportunist, then in the case of the Williams family, the acorn fortunately did fall far from the tree. If that started happening to a greater degree throughout black America, and liberal America in general, then Dana’s relief she isn’t living in the Third World will be applicable well into the future, for Thanksgivings well into the 21st century.

    Mark (c160ec) — 11/26/2014 @ 8:09 pm

  92. turnips

    you season them with butter mostly

    butter and slow cookin

    no?

    so effing good

    happyfeet (831175) — 11/26/2014 @ 8:11 pm

  93. I make turnips into chips. Slice them thin(ish), salt them, fry them in two fingers of oil, like home fried potatoes. They’re good.

    nk (dbc370) — 11/26/2014 @ 8:13 pm

  94. re #87: where are you from? rutabagas and turnips are not interchangeable on a whim.
    re #73: you got your sentence mixed up, it should be ‘the bible is the inerrant word of God therefore it is true’ which is not circular.

    re OP: Is Juan smoking or drinking? if smoking , i’ll pass. If drinking and it is not KoolAid(tm) then i want some of what he is having. (aside: check out Watkins Select Kentucky Bourbon)

    seeRpea (ff2cfe) — 11/26/2014 @ 8:13 pm

  95. So basically mashed potatoes but fewer carbs? Mashed cauliflower works really well for that too.

    elissa (d592bd) — 11/26/2014 @ 8:14 pm

  96. i’m from south texas

    we don’t get us no rutabagas down there

    just turnips

    and we’s goddamn thankful for it

    happyfeet (831175) — 11/26/2014 @ 8:16 pm

  97. I’m on Thanksgiving dinner veggie patrol this year, too. Jewel has very nice broccoli crowns for 39 cents a pound. Can you even believe that?

    elissa (d592bd) — 11/26/2014 @ 8:16 pm

  98. Do you dip them in batter and deep fry them? The broccoli crowns?

    nk (dbc370) — 11/26/2014 @ 8:18 pm

  99. turnip chips yes yes yes

    when the day comes that i deserveth carbs

    that is the day these turnip chips will be hunted nigh to extinction

    on my ventra card i swear this to be true

    happyfeet (831175) — 11/26/2014 @ 8:19 pm

  100. It is official. There is no topic that Gil cannontry to steer toward his bigotry towards religion.

    JD (86a5eb) — 11/26/2014 @ 8:19 pm

  101. there’s a jewel on foster

    but is it worth giving up my parking spot?

    i go back and forth

    and back

    happyfeet (831175) — 11/26/2014 @ 8:20 pm

  102. ==Do you dip them in batter and deep fry them? The broccoli crowns?==

    Sometimes, but not tomorrow, nk. Deep frying *anything* in boiling oil tomorrow in a kitchen filled with crazy people would not be a good idea.

    elissa (d592bd) — 11/26/2014 @ 8:23 pm

  103. That’s a call only you can make, Mr. Feets. But 39 cents is cheap cheap. I bought a little over five pounds and with whatever of it’s left from tomorrow’s dinner Ima make chicken divan for the weekend and soup to freeze.

    elissa (d592bd) — 11/26/2014 @ 8:28 pm

  104. i don’t get why you would batter and deep fry broccoli

    that’s more a catfish thang

    unless you mean “tempura”

    which is fun sometimes, but srsly

    is it worth the calories?

    happyfeet (831175) — 11/26/2014 @ 8:30 pm

  105. We batter and deep fry onion rings and mushrooms, and cauliflower here, too, feets. Not carrots or peas or lima beans though.

    elissa (d592bd) — 11/26/2014 @ 8:35 pm

  106. i love love love this (whole wheat) pasta salad with broccoli (no stems)

    slivered almonds

    maybe some white meat chicken

    a lil shredded carrot (mostly for color)

    shredded cabbage (mostly for texture – happyhappycrunchcrunch)

    and a splash of mayo + honey + sriracha

    happyfeet (831175) — 11/26/2014 @ 8:36 pm

  107. i do NOT get the whole fried chick peas/garbanzo beans thing

    i just wanna put that on record

    happyfeet (831175) — 11/26/2014 @ 8:37 pm

  108. i looked up a chicken divan recipe

    it starts with “Remove the outer wrappers from the boxes of broccoli”

    we have to aim higher as a people

    that’s all I’m gonna say

    happyfeet (831175) — 11/26/2014 @ 8:40 pm

  109. Ok, I know where we’re going for dinner next. Scroll down to side orders. http://www.lavillabanquets.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/LA_Villa_Menu.pdf#zoom=80

    nk (dbc370) — 11/26/2014 @ 8:44 pm

  110. let’s do walleye night!

    for sure

    mom somehow used to find that in south texas like once a year

    that and “torsk”

    which is sposed to be same as “cod” i think

    but damn if she wouldn’t find something labeled “torsk”

    happyfeet (831175) — 11/26/2014 @ 8:53 pm

  111. Nice post Dana, I absolutely agree.

    My new thing this year has been smoked deviled eggs. Had the recipe for years, finally made them and so far they are a big hit.

    MSL (5f601f) — 11/26/2014 @ 8:54 pm

  112. the eggs sound like a great accompaniment to a choice bourbon

    meanwhile the inimitable Mr. bour3 takes turkey to the next level

    god

    bless

    america

    happyfeet (831175) — 11/26/2014 @ 9:01 pm

  113. elissa – The rutabagas are a family tradition and my kids actually eat them. Since I am taking them to people outside the famdamily it will be an interesting experiment. I will be happy to bring home and eat any leftovers.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 11/26/2014 @ 9:08 pm

  114. It is official. There is no topic that Gil cannontry to steer toward his bigotry towards religion.

    And so we’ve come to our usual conclusion. Anyone with different views is a bigot. Good on you. Why don’t you go read That link from Simon jester at the top of the comments. I’m off to bed. Until next time enjoy your groupthink and take comfort in all the like minded views that will reinforce your flawed beliefs.

    Gil (27c98f) — 11/26/2014 @ 9:13 pm

  115. if you go to bed now you gonna miss out on all the tasty rutabagers

    for the love of god just take a beat

    happyfeet (831175) — 11/26/2014 @ 9:17 pm

  116. I’m going to leave a note for the tooth fairy to bring me some dinosaur stem cells. In a condom in case they have AIDS. Did dinosaurs catch AIDS in Africa?

    nk (dbc370) — 11/26/2014 @ 9:21 pm

  117. Rutabagels are the filet mignon of the vegetable world!

    daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 11/26/2014 @ 9:24 pm

  118. Gil can have sweet dreams about bonobos having butt sechs.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 11/26/2014 @ 9:25 pm

  119. Here’s some happy music: Give Thanks

    Milhouse (9d71c3) — 11/26/2014 @ 9:29 pm

  120. I know I’m going to dream about the Great Spaghetti Monster carbonara, unless I have a bedtime snack.

    nk (dbc370) — 11/26/2014 @ 9:29 pm

  121. For tomorrow I’m going to blanch fresh green beans and add a little Dijon and slivered almonds.

    Dana (8e74ce) — 11/26/2014 @ 9:33 pm

  122. Hello Milhouse,

    Happy Thanksgiving!

    Dana (8e74ce) — 11/26/2014 @ 9:37 pm

  123. Dana – Too late for my sammich, I’m eating leftover turkey and stuffing and gravy.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 11/26/2014 @ 9:43 pm

  124. #112 Mr Happy

    I suppose they would. I do know they are fine with any kind of beer one has on hand. So far 805, Wookey Jack & Guinness Blonde seems to pair nicely with them. I think I had a type of Saison in the mix also.

    MSL (5f601f) — 11/26/2014 @ 10:39 pm

  125. My turkeys got the run of the yard. They would be dancing on the cat if only i busted out with a warm metal shed for them to huddle in.

    papertiger (c2d6da) — 11/27/2014 @ 12:09 am

  126. Gil is a very silly person, almost enough to bring in Graham Chapman’s martinet, or the Billy Madison speech.

    narciso (ee1f88) — 11/27/2014 @ 5:20 am

  127. Oh well, narciso, if the President can pardon a turkey, on this one day we can too.

    Besides, this is very good thread and we should not let him harsh our buzz.

    nk (dbc370) — 11/27/2014 @ 5:24 am

  128. I don’t get the turnips fixation, I thought you were from Austin, pikachu, that’s in the center of Texas

    narciso (ee1f88) — 11/27/2014 @ 5:37 am

  129. Juan is the sort of flaming doofus who gives other doofuses a bad name.

    Skeptical Voter (12e67d) — 11/27/2014 @ 6:06 am

  130. http://images.businessweek.com/ss/05/11/egreetings/image/01.swf

    daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 11/27/2014 @ 7:08 am

  131. Heh!

    nk (dbc370) — 11/27/2014 @ 7:17 am

  132. http://www.zerohedge.com/sites/default/files/images/user3303/imageroot/2014/11/20141127_opec.jpg

    DNF (3b2963) — 11/27/2014 @ 7:18 am

  133. My family got into the roasted/baked root veggies when the kids were 7yo; seems in school they were covering the Pilgrims and wanted to try authentic. Parsnips, turnips, beets and rutabagas. I had never had rutabaga nor parsnips. It was a hit, kids are now 25 and we’ve had the roots every year since

    Angelo (cdad90) — 11/27/2014 @ 7:18 am

  134. i was born in houston and i grew up a few hours down the coast from there then did college up by dallas then grad school was in austin

    i love texas very very much it’s still the place I’ve spent more time than anywhere else in my whole life

    but at some point i wandered off to have adventures and now it’s a hard place to get back to really

    but me and Texas, we’re not done nonono

    happyfeet (831175) — 11/27/2014 @ 7:29 am

  135. Thank you for this post, Dana. Really thoughtful!

    And thank you to happyfeet for a laugh out loud comment on chicken divan.

    And thanks to Patrick for building a nice community here.

    And finally, Happy Thanksgiving to all!

    Patricia (5fc097) — 11/27/2014 @ 8:14 am

  136. Sometime today take a moment from the cooking and the football and watch President Reagan’s 1985 Thanksgiving message to the nation (linked below) .

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=6ejDVsfUQj4

    Then view President Obama’s 2014 Thanksgiving address this morning. (it’s his favorite holiday.)

    http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/11/27/weekly-address-happy-thanksgiving-obama-family

    Feel free to discuss.

    elissa (b8d331) — 11/27/2014 @ 8:55 am

  137. Happy Thanksgiving everyone. It’s great to see the discussions on family favorite recipe’s.

    At the risk of harshing our mallows: Juan Williams really is a moron. About Obamacare: he says 3 million who didn’t have insurance now have it (so fantastic!). But there are 319 million of us which means that we increased the insured by 1% at the expense of disrupting a mature medical insurance system: cancelled plans, loss of your previous doctor, inferior plan benefits, and significantly increased premium costs for the vast majority of citizens (85% at least) who had decent insurance already.

    Ken in Camarillo (06ff6f) — 11/27/2014 @ 9:46 am

  138. About the Thanksgiving addresses: Actually Obama’s was better than I expected, a decent message, though a bit heavily spiced with PC. It is very difficult for anyone to look great in a comparison to Reagan, who really was something special.

    Ken in Camarillo (06ff6f) — 11/27/2014 @ 9:56 am

  139. What struck me in comparing the two presidential addresses was how subtly yet clearly they staked out the ongoing philosophical tensions of the right and left. There was Reagan’s firm assurance that all the blessings of our country flow and always have, from the ideals of liberty and individual freedom which must be vigorously maintained, protected, and kept sacred by each new generation of Americans. Obama’s seemed more focused on the present–people and government helping others who are less fortunate and employing the melting pot approach to refreshing the nation’s ideals.

    I have to admit I could have lived without being wished a Happy Thanksgiving from the Obama dogs BO and Sunny.

    elissa (b8d331) — 11/27/2014 @ 10:42 am

  140. Thanksgiving story, Op-ed piece in the New York Times yesterday:

    http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/11/26/eat-turkey-on-thanksgiving-become-american/?_r=0&module=ArrowsNav&contentCollection=Opinion&action=keypress&region=FixedRight&pgtype=Blogs

    ….As children, my parents lived under the brutal Japanese occupation, through the end of World War II. Then came the partition of Korea. As the realities of what was fomenting in the new North Korea became apparent, people began to flee. My father had already moved to Seoul to attend college. My mother, only 14, fled south a day ahead of the rest of her family — but also the day the 38th Parallel was sealed, forever separating her from them.

    In 1953, my father came to the United States, and my mother followed him soon after. My father was a highly trained doctor who had worked as a translator for American generals during the war. Those connections got my parents a visa, even though at the time America had instituted laws that effectively barred most immigrants from East Asia.

    After a few years, my father was unable to get the visa renewed, but he was sure his immigration problems would soon work themselves out; a German doctor he knew had become a citizen with a minimum of fuss. My father got a job in a small mining town in Minnesota called Hibbing.[*] The hospital needed him: Northern Minnesota was a difficult sell for prospective doctors, with its arctic winters and lower salaries. And as the lone anesthesiologist, he was basically on call all the time.

    However, the racial difference between my father and his German friend became apparent when deportation notices for my parents arrived (on the day that I was born, according to family lore). My two older brothers and I were American citizens, but the Immigration and Naturalization Service didn’t care. My parents were approached by immigration “lawyers” who promised to help, and promptly disappeared with their money.

    Just when my parents thought all was lost, the townspeople of Hibbing turned out to sign a petition requesting that the government allow us to stay because my father was essential to the safety and well-being of the town. Our congressman took this scroll of names to Washington, where it was rejected out of hand on the assumption that if my father was given what was then the equivalent of a green card, he would pack up for more lucrative opportunities and Hibbing would lose a doctor anyway. That’s when another congressman, who knew my father personally, privately appealed to aver that no, William Chae-sik Lee, M.D., would stay put.

    This Jimmy Stewart-esque moment remained a high point for my parents, one that helped them get through the times when people drove by our house yelling “chink!” or when we kids were bullied at school. My parents were determined to return the favor America had done for them. They insisted that we were not Koreans or even Korean-Americans, but Americans…..

    [*\ This was obviously long before the 1986 bill, which prohibited the employment of illegal immigrants. It couldn’t happen today. If this was before 1965, the Congressman probably sponsored a private immigration bill. These had the effect of stpping deportation for the duration of that Congress. These were usually opposed by those people supporting no changes in the law, on grounds like what is in the article. When a second Congressman supported it, the bill must have passed. He stayed in that area for the rest of his 40-year medical career.

    Sammy Finkelman (d2951c) — 11/28/2014 @ 11:32 am

  141. I saw part of a show on the Food Network yesterday. It was about a Holiday Baking Championship.

    One of the contestants had baked something that included rugaleh, but she pronounced it like arugula ROOG-A-LEH not Rug-a-leh.

    Sammy Finkelman (d2951c) — 11/28/2014 @ 11:57 am

  142. Dana,

    I thought my mom was the only one who made pear pies! Good for you! I hope they were as tasty as my mom’s.

    norcal (10efb7) — 11/28/2014 @ 5:09 pm

  143. http://cnsnews.com/mrctv-blog/terence-p-jeffrey/ponzi-treasury-issues-1t-new-debt-8-weeks-pay-old-debt

    DNF (3b2963) — 11/29/2014 @ 7:27 pm


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