Much like the famous editorial, Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, it has become a tradition this time of year to see some newspapers reprint President George Washington’s Thanksgiving Day proclamation, it seemed appropriate to repeat here today:
George Washington’s 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation
Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me “to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:”
Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted’ for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.
And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have show kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.
Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3d day of October, A.D. 1789.
I can’t hold a candle to the prose of our nation’s first president, but I can say that I’m thankful for the health of my family, that I still have employment in debt ravaged California, for the WUWT community of people that help with content and moderations, and visit here every day, and for living in an age where I can make friends (and enemies) instantly across the globe with the click of a mouse. – Anthony
Happy Thanksgiving to all even those who aren’t celebrating, Wife and I are alone this
year so we are having Home made grass fed beef, chili, with home made corn bread, an
old family recipe pumpkin pie. (though that pumpkin crumble is gonna get a tryout, soon.)
Warm here, all the way up to 22F.
Thanks for that post ,Anthony…
Perhaps I’d better be more explicit: Virginia or vagina, but not Vergina.
1st line of the article.
I only came out of hospital this afternoon after a heart op. I need to keep my blood pressure down.
[Thanx, fixed. You can relax now. ~dbs]
‘and the increase of science among them and us’
Hear, hear to that, especially here, and thanks to Anthony and his helpers. Happy Thanksgiving to you all.
Anthony:
I am not an American so I hope you and all your WUWT team will accept my sincere good wishes for your enjoyment of your Holiday Celebrations.
And I add that I was moved to tears by your having written:
“I can say that I’m thankful for the health of my family”.
Please accept my deepest hope for continued health of all your family especially your good lady.
Richard
Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Excellent.
Happy Thanksgiving
I’m very thankful for Anthony and this site, and all the moderators. Also for Steve McIntyre and Ross McKittrick, “Bishop Hill,” Lord Christopher Monckton, and the many other skeptics around the world. And also for Drs. Pielke Sr. & Jr., Judith Curry, and Lucia. And most of all for whoever it was that anonymously pulled the giblets out of the University of East Anglia turkey and prepared it for stuffing and roasting. White meat or dark, people?
Minnesocold this morning: 6 F just before sunrise (predicted: 16 F).
Max today (now predicted) 13 to 14 F. 10 MPH wind = -10 F wind chill.
Translation: For MN this year, THANKSGIVING MEANS THANKS FOR THE WINTER! (We love it.)
Al Gore sighted flying over in his “carbon stomp” Gulf Stream. This does NOT bode well.
-20 F throughout most of Alaska by MID WEEK next week (I.e., Nov 30th, just before December!)
Max’s prediction for MN:
A couple more suprising “plains snowstorms” (large Lows held in place by lack of Jet Stream change…due to low “F1” ionization layer activity..) before Xmas (that’s CHI-mass for the un-informed, figure out what the X (chi) stands for!!!!)
Then, pronounced winter stationary “highs”, about Dec. 20 to 30, bringing -15, -20,
-25 F before usual January cold snap.
So next – MERRY X-MASS EVERYONE ! And to ALL A GOOD NIGHT! HO HO HO!
I had friends that raised the new genetically modified turkeys. Every time it threatened rain they would rush out to put the turkeys into their poultry shed. When I asked why, they said that if left out in the rain, the turkeys would look up at the raindrops. The rain would enter their airways and the turkeys would drown.
While I never saw a drowned turkey. I frequently saw a family of six frantically herding turkeys into their shed.
Presumably the wild ones are brighter.
Happy Thanksgiving to Anthony, his family, and the WUWT community. For all with children and all who teach, while few are a George Washington, we can try to raise some. Our country and the world would be greatly benefited!
(No global warming in Boulder at the moment, no snow either).
jorgekafkazar – I think Pamela meant wild turkeys , hence the reference to bird shot .
Anthony, Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. I do hope this can be an occasion for thanks, especially given your difficult personal circumstances of the last several months.
Thanks also to everyone who contributes and comments here. These are the kinds of “modern” social forums — not unlike the town square or town hall — that we so much need: the opportunity to share information and opinions in ways that are civil and that, hopefully, allow political outcomes that are far more modest and circumspect than would otherwise be possible.
Of course, it’s also kinda fun to watch science in the making — a new kind of science that is not insular and isolated and more concerned about certification, formal process, and position than about thoughtfully conducted and transparent research to shed light on how our world works. For this, I am especially thankful.
Happy thanksgiving to WUWT , though WUWT is virtual, hope Anthony and moderators will take care of the Turkey… 🙂 Giving thanks to God for such a big success.
Here’s a little Thanksgiving history lesson that should be taught to the delegates going to the Cancun Climate/Economic/Re-distribution Summit
(via Legal Insurrection)
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2010/11/24/happy_starvation_day_108049.html
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Happy Thanksgiving Anthony and the A-Team(Anthony’s team).
Many of us may not agree with each other but there is still the respect of one another, especially in the holiday seasons.
Happy Thanksgiving ALL!!!
To our American friends to the south, Happy Thanksgiving
Ah, the season when mostly Global Warming fades.
Happy Thanksgiving to all.
(and thanks for George’s wise words to us all)
Happy Thanksgiving to all, American or our extended family in other nations who wish us well. We appreciate the kind thoughts from those who live in other parts of the world, but share our hopes for a better world, and the freedom to enjoy it.
May you all share good food, good time and good health with your friends, family and associates. The formal Thanksgiving holiday may be an American Tradition but I am sure its sentiments are echoed in other locations as well in some fashion.
I know I have much to be thankful for, including a new job, and good friends, good health and a roof over my head. I am even thankful for the useful idiots that provide object lessons about how not to behave so others can learn from their mistakes.
Larry
Jamestown, the Virginia colony – not Plymouth – site of first Western Hemisphere, European, celebration. Google offers many references, but
http://mises.org/daily/336
gives us the back-story, briefly:
¨Before these free markets were established, the colonists had nothing for which to be thankful. They were in the same situation as Ethiopians are today, and for the same reasons. But after free markets were established, the resulting abundance was so dramatic that the annual Thanksgiving celebrations became common throughout the colonies, … Thus the real reason for Thanksgiving, deleted from the official story, is: Socialism does not work; the one and only source of abundance is free markets, and we thank God we live in a country where we can have them.¨
The original Thanksgiving was, as George Washington said, “to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:”
I would humbly submit that today he would add to this statement the endeavours of those such as Anthony Watts, Stephen McIntyre, Lord Christopher, 3rd Viscount Monckton of Brenchley and many, many others, together with the unmentioned, but ever-appreciated efforts of the Moderators in this particular Forum for “an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness”.
We, in what once Great Britain can say only “morituri te salutant”. Socialism and the total embrace by our new government of CAGW has doomed us.
Have a GREAT Thanksgiving and say a prayer for us.
Every day………Every day, I make a small attempt to spy something that inspires me to give thanks.
It’s good for my soul. It’s ESPECIALLY GOOD for an individual who loves TRUTH and suffers ‘hurt’ and ‘sadness’ when I see, oft times… too much of it, in our world of today.
Yet ~ when I pause and give contemplation over even the smallest item, that at one time would’ve caused me grief…(such as the vast army of Australian ‘sugar ants’ that found my pantry two days ago) and before I find my Windex (which melts them, p.s.) I stood amazed at their determination to find food for themselves ~ I stood kinda awestruck at their ways and tracked the route they took (convoluted, to be sure) in order to access any of our scraps. It was then, oddly, that I took time to really give thanks. Sound funny? It was, but I was amazed at their purpose in life and I began to wonder about ours.
Are we ‘mere sugar ants’ as the behaviorists/greenies/$oro$’s types claim???
NO. We’re not. We are thinking, caring, smart, compassionate (at times) adults who can ‘break the track we’re on’ and call out to others of our ilk, I reasoned.
That’s when ~ I thought of YOU, Anthony. I thought of your perseverance and diligence in getting this site together. How you ‘broke outta the mold’ (even if you’re still in zany California) and were prompted to make this site so many of us enjoy
and ‘vent’ our musings in.
I stood VERY THANKFUL in my pantry for individuals such as yourself, who have taken the bold step in ‘getting outta line’ as it were… and ‘alerting others’ that there IS another way. Kinda…”boldly going” rather than merely following the butt that’s in front of us. That takes COURAGE AND STRENGTH, my Friends.
You Scientist guys an’ gals are my personal HEROES ~ for rather than penning Washington’s address, which was His Part ~ in the inspiration of others ~ YOU have bucked ‘our current system’ in order to show others…to LEAD others…by uncovering falsehoods where someone like me……a scientist wanna-be…..truly couldn’t.
THAT’S WHAT I’M THANKFUL FOR (for the past 32 hours, in fact, ’cause I celebrated both yesterday AND today due to our time zone stuff) I’m gonna make
the attempt to be thankful in even little ways ~ each day ~ for men and women of your caliber, because you’ve inspired me. And, I BET there are even more of you ‘out there’ on this globe, who are meant to ‘lead and inspire’, as Geo. Washington and yes ~ Anthony (as a very smart ‘watchman on the wall’) does – many years after Geo.
Happy Thanksgiving to you all and to those we haven’t even met yet… an internet hug from your sis’ on the glorious South Australian Coast…….who began really enjoying Thanksgiving ‘way back when’ in 1957………..when I was born on that Day. THAT is honoring to me, and that’s all the honor I need…an’ No ‘turkey jokes’, Pilgrims! wry smiles…)
God bless all of you. In-deed, we can be Thankful for much.
Cynthia Lauren
I believe there is also an article written in 1950s or 60s that aims to inform non-Americans what Thanksgiving is all about. It is similar in tone to “Yes, Virginia” article and often repeated by a media outlet every so often.
There is a really charming quaintness about this celebration. This is probably the only day of the year that I wish I were an American, and no, not just because I like turkey. 🙂
Anyway… Happy Thanksgiving Day to all Americans. You earned it.
Yes, I meant wild turkeys. Any kind of domesticated animal will be difficult to raise. Wild Toms are hardy individuals. We have boatloads of them in Wallowa County.
Thank you for your hard work this past year Anthony and team.
Actually Thanksgiving has little to do with the alleged god that there is zero evidence for.
Thanking each other for the work we’ve done in the previous year is a perfectly natural thing to do, celebration can be wonderful, no need to spoil it by giving credit to imaginary friends of the super natural kind. Remember there are those of us who actually like taking credit for our deeds.
As a scientist I require evidence for the existence of anything and I consider the counter evidence against, and as it happens the counter evidence outweighs any and all faith. It’s just like in the case of AGW, take no one’s word for it, either provide the evidence and falsify all the counter evidence, or enjoy your fantasy. I find Star Wars much more rewarding.
I’m with Richard Feynman: “I’m trying to find out NOT how Nature could be, but how Nature IS.”
Thanks for your hard work this past year at uncovering some of the layers of the Earth’s climate onion. There are many more mysteries that can be solved to be solved.
Thanks and enjoy your meals and connecting with family and friends, hopefully in a good way.
We in the UK send best wishes for Thanksgiving to our WUWT American friends and particularly to Anthony and his family.