Turkey Day Thoughts

With people like John Stossel attempting to connect on-existent dots between "socialism" and the first recorded Thanksgiving feast, to Congressman Todd Akin talking about the Pilgrims coming to the new world to get away from Unbiblical Socialism, on down to Glenn Beck issuing a talking points memo to use at the dinner table today in between helpings of cranberry sauce and slices of pecan pie, I am actually thankful that these men are doing what they are doing.

By that, I am glad for the Freedom of Speech - and it's counterpart - the right to use your freedom of speech to completely refute ( or as the woman who's reality show has recently seen nearly half her audience disappear, yet ends up having her complete and unblushing butchering of the English language recognized as ground-breaking would say - "refudiate" ) the nonsense that these same men spout.

But the things I am thankful for don't end there.

Here's a brief list of what I am truly thankful for this past year:

- That my grandmother is still with us. She's the true embodiment of what it means to be a southern conservatives that lived during two World Wars, survived the Great Depression, and doesn't take her religion to the utmost extreme where she is more concerned with telling people they are evil in favor of sharing her love for who they could be.

- My job. I am lucky enough to have a great job with healthcare benefits that mysteriously are going to be slashed or have costs increase like the bulk of the modern conservative movement claims they will be.

- My friends, both in the liberal/progressive blogging community and those I interact with in real life. I think, no matter who we are, we should be thankful that we have those select people in our lives that are willing to stand by us in tough times, yet show us the error of our ways or even correct us when we are wrong. I think that this is a fantastic signifier of how liberals/progressives differ with conservatives, as the later is more than willing to defend their "friends" when they are wrong more often than when they are right.

- My education, both on a traditional and non-traditional level. By that, I mean that I learned just as much - if not more - in college from what I didn't have to read, memorize, or was tested on. More often than not, as Einstein once rightfully pointed out, it is the aspects outside that traditional definition of scholastic learning that are our true education.

- Technology. It will never cease to amaze me that it is so easy to divine the truth from a statement or be able to destroy a specious claim through the use of technology. I think that this more than anything should be an aspect of the modern conservative movement- that technology is available to everyone that is willing to use it - and that the things you say are going to stay with you forever, no matter how inconsequential you feel they are at the time.

- Lastly, at least as far as this post is concerned, I am thankful that our democracy allows people like Rand Paul, Sharron Angle, or Christine O'Donnell to not only run for elected office but actually have the potential to win. And on that same token, I am glad that when those people win that most sacred of positions of power, I'm thankful that I - and others like me - will be here to shine a bright and cleansing light on who and what they are.

There are many other aspects of my life that I am happy and thankful for, but these are some that immediately came to mind. And, despite who you are, what you believe in, where you are, what you do, or why you do it, I hope that your Thanksgiving is filled with what makes you happy. While we may all not agree on that at this particular moment in time, I think I should point out that I'm not so heartless that I can't hope that you have at least one day of happiness.