The persistent recession has cast doubt over numerous aspects of our national life and individual circumstances, eliminating countless jobs and shaking confidence in our financial institutions and our collective capacity to weather economic hardship. As Thanksgiving draws near, we recognize substantial reasons for gratitude about our place in this country at this particular moment. Despite economic challenges, we have not endured the catastrophic losses the Pilgrims faced during their initial winter in this land, when half their population perished. The American Promise endures and flourishes. We remain unattached to foreign nobility. We have not yet required financial rescue from other nations, which would almost certainly be unwilling to assist if American circumstances deteriorated to such a point. We remain the world’s beacon of hope for impoverished people seeking opportunity, who arrive here and successfully build new futures where possibilities are genuinely boundless for many. The national self-examination we are undertaking across all dimensions of our existence reflects our capacity for serious reflection and our commitment to vigorous public discourse about a dynamic society working to adapt to contemporary demands. Around Thanksgiving tables this year, conversations will focus on our direction and how we will confront tomorrow’s obstacles. Republicans are preparing to preserve the Bush tax cuts – even if this means $4 trillion less the US Treasury will collect. Why shouldn’t they? To most of us navigating daily life and working to sustain our businesses and families, the US national debt seems largely abstract. How would lowering the national debt tangibly affect our lives? Even its elimination would produce minimal practical change. This Thanksgiving calls for serious reconsideration of our participation in prolonged, expensive foreign wars with no apparent conclusion. This Thanksgiving would benefit from all Americans contemplating the profound sacrifice the Pilgrims demonstrated in 1620 when they abandoned their relatively comfortable existence in England for an uncertain future. They risked everything to forge a new beginning. This commitment is what we must embrace to preserve our position as the world’s strongest and most luminous nation. Thanksgiving 2010 extends beyond turkey and football. Thanksgiving has always centered on reflection.
Thanksgiving 2010
