Today is that most special of holidays down there in the good ole US of A, Thanksgiving.That holiday more important than Christmas. The holiday of stuffing one's face and watching football.
'Course Canadian Thanksgiving follows pretty much the same agenda, except, I think on a much smaller scale - here in Quebec at any rate. And I'm not sure about the football thing. I'm never sure of anything having to do with football since it's totally off my radar. Except real football (i.e. soccer). England was just eliminated from the qualification race for this summer's Euro. They didn't qualify!! But I digress don't I?
The most important aspect of the holdiay for me is a day off. And unfortunately since we celebrate T-day on a Monday, it makes for only one day off instead of the two most Americans get since they had the brilliant idea of doing it on a Thursday. That, in my book, was a stroke of genius.
Of course, here in Canada T-day is celebrated a month and a half earlier; surprisingly perhaps, at harvest time. Go figure.
The most bizarre aspect of the whole Thanksgiving circus for me is the presidential pardon. I mean seriously, what the fuck is with that? Who gets to choose the turkey? What are the criteria? Why this turkey rather than the next, and more to the point, what are they being pardoned for?
Isn't a presidential pardon granted to someone who is guilty of something? Aren't turkeys too damn dumb to be guilty of anything except being edible - which isn't their fault at all actually.
And isn't the irony of one turkey pardoning another just a bit too much? Will they pardon Dubbya next T-day?
24 comments:
Happy Thanksgiving and do they have "real" football on too? I can't imagine that watching guys lay on the ground for 20 minutes in mock pain to get a penalty on the opposition would make for good dinner fare.
Furiousball - No, there's no soccer on at Thanksgiving in Canada. Canadians are pretty much like Americans in that they just don't get the beauty of soccer. Thankfully, the rest of the universe does.
Actually, I don't see how 300 lb fat men in copious padding jumping on each other makes for better dinner fare, but what do I know from football.
Happy T-day to you while I sit here at work on a normal thursday. *sigh*
Seems only a couple of months since the last spate of thanksgiving posts, this year has gone way too fast.
G'day from Australia,
I can just see the turkeys checking out Dubya.
Which part of beautiful Quebec do you live in? Quebec City captivated me two years ago, during a photography assignment for the Canadian Tourism Commission .....
I don't think he should EVER be pardoned.
Nice to see another Canadian blogger!
Ive never understood the whole pardon the turkey thing either. its utterly silly. Which is probably the point...we Americans do like our sillyness. Too bad our sillyness isn't clever, like the Brits. No, we are just corny.
Boy, you pay more attention to stuff here than I do. There's a turkey pardon? How ridiculous is that? But it doesn't surprise me for even a second.
Speaking as a godless queer American, I hope they roast him next year. But then, that's been my hope for the last seven years. You can see how much the country cares about the wishes of degenerates like me.
:)
Turkey pardon... bwah, ha-ha. Ah those wacky Americans. And holy gluttony, do they ever take this Thanksgiving thing to the extreme. In Canada it's a day off; maybe we go visit someone and eat some turkey. They do 4 whole days of massive feasting with everyone they've ever known. The parades, the food, the drink, the football, the turkey pardons (bwah-ha-ha). And the blogosphere is completely saturated with turkey talk. It almost seems like some Americans don't even realize that this is not a world-wise weekend of turkey-related events.
Toastie - Ah the joys of turkey day posting.
David - Welcome to my blog. I love Melbourne and will be going back in early April. And I'm from Quebec city, but I've been living in Montreal for over 20 years now.
Tai - Ditto
TK - Hello to a fellow Canuck. Welcome to my blog. I'll be sure to visit yours when I have a minute.
Rachel - Silly is good. Even corny silly.
Geewits - Really? You didn't know? Damn I love that about you, that you don't bother with useless stuff like that.
Kwach - And when will a godless queer finally become president? Or at any rate just someone godless? It would be nice. Regardless, me, I love me a good degenerate.
UrbPed - I think American T-day is pretty much what Christmas is here in Quebec. Christmas seems to be much more low key in the states.
...and trust Bush to pick a turkey with bad taste.
Ah but let's not forget the shopping tradition Jazz. From what I understand it is THE busiest day of shopping, it is THE unofficial start of the Holiday (let's be PC here) season.
I share your indifference in football (not the real one of course even though I'm probably not as knowledgeable as you are, remember the form I was to fill out? lol). I see nothing interesting in a bunch of men running against each other for a few inches to gain points. Seems pointless to me.
As for pardoning the turkey, I vaguely remember hearing that it was what the natives had given to whomever "discovered" America as a pressie, or something like that...
"And isn't the irony of one turkey pardoning another just a bit too much? Will they pardon Dubbya next T-day?"
Let's hope not!
I had never heard of this turkey pardon thing. Can it even get any more ridiculous than that?
Well, I guess it could. I tried explaining Boxing Day to one of my American friends, but the more I tried to explain it, the more ridiculous it sounded.
Perhaps it's just the timing of it that seems odd. I'm all for pardoning the turkeys but they taste so yummy!
Cheers
The whole turkey pardon is bizarre - you know he ate some other turkey instead.
But, for my money, Thanksgiving is okay but doesn't hold a candle to CHristmas.
I can't imagine watching watching skinny men in funny shorts chasing a round ball on the ground (everyone knows round balls have to be bounced) and hardly ever scoring any points is entertaining.
But to each his own.
Not only did Dubya do the turkey pardon thing, he actually pardoned two of them this year. This guy doesn't seem to be able to get very much right.
I understand there's a move afoot to exile him to Mexico or Canada where it wouldn't matter much if can't speak English.
We don't seem to get history correct here in the U.S. We blame the "pardoning" on either of two great presidents, Abe Lincoln or Harry Truman. I don't either political party wants to take the blame for this bit of lunacy.
The even bigger idiocy is opening stores at four a.m. the Friday after Thanksgiving.
Those who still somehow think DUBYA is the "be all, know all" man seem to pardon him virtually every day of the year. Ack!
A bizarre thing if you ask me - granting pardon to an animal?
joy
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I really don't know what to think about the Presidential Pardon thing... I do agree however about the USA thanksgiving being on a larger scale... And the football... That's the best part! :-)
Maybe it was supposed to make bush look like he had a heart. Ha! We all know better than that.
"What are the criteria?"
Basically, they choose the one with the largest breast.
*ba-dump ching!*
You've hit on one of the U.S.' few strokes of genius: the four-day weekend. We lucked into it, of course; it's not like anyone saw that coming.
Joe - Yeah really. But maybe it was intelligent enough to try to peck off the presidential pecker
Foxtrot - Ah, black Friday. When stores open at 4:00 am... and people actually GO!
Josie - there's a blog for you. Explain boxing day. Hell, I'm Canadian and I don't quite understand what it's all about other than it's a day off. Please blog boxing day.
Maddy - Yeah, well, you pardon one, you're just gonna eat its neighbor which is just as worthy of pardon. But damn, I love me my turkey too.
CS - I'm beginning to hate Christmas. As an atheist the whole baby Jesus part of it does nothing for me... And the whole consumerist part of it drives me insane. The food though probably makes it worthwhile.
Catmoves - I understand there's a move afoot to exile him to Mexico or Canada where it wouldn't matter much if can't speak English. I beg to differ, it matters very much if he can't speak English in Canada. We are mostly English after all.
Jeni - I guess there's no accounting for taste.
Joy - and you can't even argue he needs pardon. I mean, it's not like a turkey is any sort of a predator...
Dave - Football Schmootball. And that's all I have to say about that.
POP - If he does, it's shrivelled and black
Ticknart - Bwwwahahahahahahahahahaa
Joce - I'm thinking someone as totally twisted as you thought of it very carefully, then sold it to the powers that be.
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