Thanksgiving

First of all, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. May you be overwhelmed with home, hearth and bird.

This post started as was an attempt to write something profound about the day--it's certainly one of my favorite holidays--but in the process I came across some things heretofore unknown, some of which are represented in this quiz, take it or leave it. For instance, did you know president Jefferson really didn't like holiday proclamations very much (hint)? Better yet, for a truly profound read just direct your browser here because my post is about to go downhill fast.

Beer. For some reason my grade school teacher never taught us about the role beer played in the settling of America, in particular with the Pilgrims and Plymouth Rock. The beer story has actually been going around a long time, publicized back in the war years by Budweiser. Some might even say the Pilgrims must have been drunk to take port in Massachusetts when North Carolina or Virginny was a waiting option (the story goes they ran out of brew and dropped anchor at Plymouth) but now there's some dissent on the matter.

Sure, it's unlikely beer itself caused them to trek inland, meet Squanto (Tisquantum), learn to grow maze, discover the pitfalls of socialism and start Thanksgiving to give thanks to God and the Indians for saving them, but still, it was there. As Ben Franklin once mused, beer was proof that God loved us and wanted us to be happy. He also said, "early to bed, early to rise", obviously suggesting he was no advocate of getting sloppy drunk as he was, in all ways, a practical man according to his Almanack.

How does any of this relate to Thanksgiving? Well, other than pointing out our sometimes distorted view of the past, the Pilgrims, and beer, it really doesn't. So much for being profound. Oh well, have a great day.



ht Right Truth