A National Day of Thanksgiving.....

So.....

The First Thanksgiving Proclamation
In the middle of the Civil War, prompted by a series of editorials written by Sarah Josepha Hale, the last of which appeared in the September 1863 issue of Godey's Lady's Book, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day, to be celebrated on the final Thursday in November 1863
It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully
acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed. Done at the city of Washington, this third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the independence of the United States the eighty-eighth.
A. Linclon

It was not until years later that the date became an official recognized federal holiday. In 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared that Thanksgiving would be the next to last Thursday of November rather than the last. With the country still in the midst of The Great Depression, Roosevelt thought this would give merchants a longer period to sell goods before Christmas. At the time, it was considered inappropriate to advertise goods for Christmas until after Thanksgiving. However, Roosevelt's declaration was not mandatory; twenty-three states went along with this recommendation, and 22 did not. Other states, like Texas, could not decide and took both weeks as government holidays. Roosevelt persisted in 1940 to celebrate his "Franksgiving," as it was termed.
In 1941 Congress passed a law making the holiday the last Thursday in November and President Roosevelt signed it into law that same year.

Here are a few of my favorites Thanksgiving Quotes

The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving. ~H.U. Westermayer

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Sam Seaborn: Well over three and half centuries ago, strengthened by faith and bound by a common desire for liberty, a small band of pilgrims sought out a place in the new world where they could worship according to their own beliefs - and solve crimes.
Toby Ziegler: Sam...
Sam Seaborn: It'd be good.
Toby Ziegler: Read the thing.
Sam Seaborn: By day they churn butter and worship according to their own beliefs, and by night they solve crimes.
Toby Ziegler: Read the thing.
Sam Seaborn: Pilgrim detectives.
Toby Ziegler: Do you see me laughing?
Sam Seaborn: I think you're laughing on the inside.
Toby Ziegler: Ok.
Sam Seaborn: With the big hats!


CJ : I need you to pardon a turkey.
Bartlet : I already pardoned a turkey... aren't I gonna get a reputation for being soft on turkeys? ...
CJ : They sent me two turkeys. The most photo-friendly of the two gets a Presidential pardon and a full life at a children's zoo. The runner-up gets eaten.
Bartlet : If the Oscars were like that, I'd watch. ...
Bartlet : CJ, I have really no judicial jurisdiction over birds.
CJ : Yes, I know that, and you know that, but Morton Horn doesn't know that.
Bartlet : He's in high school and he doesn't know I can't pardon his turkey? CJ, if we don't and I mean completely overhaul public education in this country...
Bartlet : Morton, I can't pardon a turkey. If you think I can pardon a turkey, then you have got to go back to your school and insist that you be better prepared to go out in the world.
Donna : You can't pardon a turkey?
Bartlet : No. I tell you what I can do. I'm drafting this turkey into military service.

Anyway folks ....I have much to be thankful for today and all the other 364 days of the year. I hope yall have a wonderful day.
Love to all

Pop some corn and dim the lights ......

So.....

I was tagged by Mary Tyler to let everyone know the top ten movies that I have to watch if they are on TV. You know the kind...you are flipping around and they happen to be on or someone suggests a movie and you always tend to mention of of these classics...

1. Gone With The Wind.


2. The Godfather


3. The Godfather II


4. Silence of the Lambs


5. The Breakfast Club


6. Love Actually


7. Junebug


8. Its A Wonderful Life


9. Almost Famous


10. Mr Smith Goes to Washington

So there ya go ....

Leaving on a Jet Plane.....

So....

This is old news by now but come on folks how CRAZY NUTS was it that the CEO's of the Big Three auto makers flew on private jets to Washington DC to ask for money. Money they need to help shore up the failing industry.

They could not have taken ONE jet?? Maybe the CEO of Ford calls the CEO of GM and the conversation goes like this .....

FORD GUY

" Hey man, you going to DC to ask for an insane amount of money too"

GM GUY

"Heck yeah brother, they are handing out money left and right, I want in on this"

FORD GUY

"I hear ya...Listen do you think we should all three take our private jets to DC or maybe jetpool it and all fly together on JUST ONE JET?"

GM GUY

"Well, I dont know man, the thought of flying first class on Delta gives me the willies"

FORD GUY

"True dat my friend...Three jets it is ...see you in DC. Wear a nice tie you know they are gonna have us on TV...and hit me up later and lets short sheet that prick from Chrysler"

Get a clue guys and realize that in order to compete with Asia you have to change your ways of doing business. Realize that this problem did not start a few weeks ago ...its been simmering on the back burner for YEARS!!

3 private jets ....WOW !

The Wagon Queen Family Truckster .....

So....

Tonight I was over visiting the Mielke's after church and we got to talking about all the cars/trucks we have owned or had the pleasure of driving since we became 16 years old.

My first car was my mothers old car and it was a 1980 or 82 Buick LeSabre. That's a lighter version above. It was a dark milky brown color with dark brown interior and a huge bench seat in the front. IT WAS A BEAST and it almost got me all the way through high school. The engine blew my senior year and after that my dad bought this....

A 1978 Chrysler New Yorker. In a word it was WET. For some reason something leaked ALL THE TIME and the front carpets were always wet. Not damp but wet...squishy,soppy,smelly wet. In the summer if you ran the air conditioner(which did not really work) and then got out and left the car in the heat...the moisture would build up inside and condensation would form on everything. From outside you would think two teenagers were going at in the backseat with the way the windows fogged up. On a side note I did feel alot like a Chicago gangster!

So I graduated and someone at Lou Gultz Motors decided it was a good idea to give me a loan and I purchased this ....

A 1994 Ford Taurus. It was a good decent car that ran really good but man did I put the miles on that sucker and at about 110,000 something went screwy with the transmission.

You would be sitting at a red light and when the light changed to green and you hit the gas the car would just REV up real high and there was a clicking noise....after about 10-15 second the gear would shift and the whole car would lurch forward....Violently!

In 2004 I bought a used 2001 Monterro Sport and have been driving it ever since ...It is a good car. Foreign made cars are just better. Its got almost 100,000 miles on it and i have had no troubles out of it ....

So there ya have it ...my car history....so its your turn ..

Tell us what you drove

Take two of these and call me in the morning .....

So....

I am sick. And it sucks.

I keep hacking up my lungs every two seconds while my brain feels like it is going to be bludgeoned to death from rattling in my skull. Which makes me light headed. It's hard to breathe. I am running a fever.

Heres the thing, I was feeling pretty good yesterday and then yesterday afternoon at church it started. I was up all night and went to the doctor today

I have been fighting something off and off for a few weeks but today I hit the grandslam!!

So anyway, just letting you know it's hard to blog when you feel like your head might actually explode at any second. This damn plague spreads its ugly tentacles around and rapes you without consent.

Being sick is awful.

Don't let it happen to you.

Q and A .....

So.....

Stephanie posted on here blog a list of questions centered around the idea of "getting to know you" and encourged everyone else to do the same on their blog and to then add a few questions of our own ....here goes .

What was your favorite birthday?

It had to be in 2005. I was visiting friends out in Oceanside, California and on the day of my birthday we decided to drive up to LA...just for the day. On our way out of town we stopped and got Starbucks and my friend mentioned to the folks there that I was from Alabama and it was my birthday....so the folks in the store sang to me.

We then decided to stop at a Dennys and eat breakfast and again they all sang to me there...

I made a casual comment that the Anaheim exit was coming up and we should have planned to go to Disneyland instead....since we had all visited LA before, we stopped and went to Disneyland .....My friend mentioned to anyone who would listen that it was my birthday that day and at the ride ITS A SMALL WORLD the entire group of people in line sang to me ....That was my favorite birthday that I can recall. A great day. Fun.

What is your favorite way to spend a day off?

I am off on most Fridays but many of those days find me at the church doing something...but on those days when I am not doing anything I enjoy sleeping a little later, making some coffee, listening to some music and just doing nothing.

What is the best song to turn up all the way and sing to ?

Thats a hard one for me but usually its anything Sinatra....Maybe New York New York or All of Me .

What television show will cause you to ignore your roomate/spouse/children/phone until the next commercial?

Hmmmm not sure again ...but maybe it would be the West Wing even though I have seen every episode at least 4 times. If not the WW then for sure LOST.

When was the last time you cursed at the TV?

Perhaps during one of the presidential debates this year or during one of Jay Love's ads for congress.

If you have kids, what are you most likely to let your kids get away with when you're tired?

I dont have kids.

Aside from major milestones, what is your best moment (to date)?

Getting to see my Nana back in the early summer before she passed away....her mind was as clear as a bell that day and we had a wonderful last visit.

Are you an extrovert or introvert? How do you know?

I would like to think that I am the life of the party but in reality that is very much NOT TRUE. It takes me a while to warm up to almost any situation unless its just me and very close friends and even then I can be distant to begin with....

If had the resources and chance to do it ...where would you live right now ?

Asheville North Carolina.

What would be the biggest achievement in your life ?

Trying to live who I am ....its perhaps the hardest challenge in my life so far.

Tagged

Laura tagged me with this crazy idea ....here's what you do

Go to 4th file folder holding pics on computer

pick the 4th pic in the folder and tell about that picture ...

The above picture was made on August 26, 2008 at the Homer Small Boat Fishing Dock in Homer Alaska. We had just returned from our first day of fishing off the coast of Alaska and the guy in the orange pants was off loading our haul. His name was Paul.

We were all exhausted from a long day of riding the boat and fishing. BUT IT WAS SO MUCH FUN !!

I dont know if i am supposed to tag anyone ...so I wont !!

No State Shall Deny any Person Within its Jurisdiction the Equal Protection of the Laws-US CONSTITUTION

I can't believe we elected an African American man to be President.

People always say, "why do you have to bring race into it?"

Because in America, race still matters. People can say they aren't racist, but they are. We as Americans are some of the most bigoted people in the world. Whether it's race, social class, sexual orientation, we discriminate, even though we learn it is wrong and the opposite of what this country was founded on.

But we are creatures of habit, and slowly, we bring in new generations who slowly change some of those habits.And now we've made history..... And I am so proud of my country right now in this moment..... As Arianna Huffington said, "Born Again Americans," people who have regained faith in their country.......And it's exciting.

Lets hope the dream is fulfilled and Barack Obama does bring change to America. I have faith right now. And that's all we can do right now. Believe in him and he will believe in us. And any other cliche kind of statement I can come up with.

But sorry to say , Prop 8 passed. In such an amazing day in history, gay rights were assaulted in states such as Arizona, Arkansas, and Florida. ...Arkansas outlawed gay adoption (who is going to take care of unwanted children now?) While Florida and Arizona passed anti gay marriage amendments.

And one fact that could very well be the nail in the coffin is that African Americans in California voted FOR PROP 8 70%.

70% of those people who voted for Obama also voted to TAKE AWAY the rights of homosexuals.

The same people who were DENIED the right to marry who they wanted to marry, and were granted said right by the very same court system .

How completely backwards can people be? .....

Lets look on the bright side, if Obama gets to nominate 3 Supreme Court Justices, we might just have a Federal Recognition of Gay Marriage, which would trump any Mormon funded Proposition and finally allow people the equality they deserve.

Still a great day for American but lots of work still left to do ....

Almost 24 hours ....

So......
I had a pretty nice day today. After seeing a friend off to bham I had ChikFilA biscuits with my brother and we had a nice talk about our dad and the election yesterday. Today would have been my Dads 63 birthday. Its always a bitter moment when you wake up and realize that someone you loved would have had something special going on in their lives that day.
My dad would have so loved seeing Sen Obama elected last night .....He worked hard in his life to help those around him and I love him for that and am proud of him for that....

The election of Senator Obama as our next president was a huge thing for this country. Its amazing to think that just a few decades ago african americans could not vote and now this ....I love this country.

As always I am always saddened when I talk to some folks at my church . I know most of the folks in my church were leaning or voting for McCain. I talked politics today with folks that I knew would share my feelings but I never once mentioned last night to some others.
At supper tonight I had three seperate people seem to go out of their way to say something to me about the election.....and none of what they had to say was positive in anyway . Thats unfortunate because I said from the beginning that if McCain won I would be upset but I would do my best to support and pray for him.
One man even asked was I comfortable with the fact that a known Muslim was elected.....I just walked away. What else am I supposed to do at this point in the game ?? Argue ? Fight for my man ? At this point it seems a tad bit crazy ....
But all three of these folks had this HUGE tone of bitterness in their voice. To hear them you would think we had opened the floodgates of hell last night .....

I dont know ....
And to add insult to injury I think I am getting sick with something...I have coughed like crazy today and just feel blah all over ....
Maybe Thursday will be better...

I love you Daddy and miss you so much ....

IT'S NOT WHAT WE HAVE AS A NATION THAT MAKES US GREAT ...IT'S HOW WE USE WHAT WE HAVE THAT MAKES US GREAT

So…
A little on Voting ….

A few weeks back Mr. Lucas posted a blog post encouraging each of us in the world of blogs to take a little time and post about voting, the democratic process and what it all means to us.

Here is what I think ….
As of today, I will have voted in 5 presidential elections. I first voted in 1992 and my ballot was cast for Bill Clinton. At that time he had this ability to connect with people…across the board. It did not matter if you were young, old, white, black…He got me excited to be voting.
We elect a new president every four years on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Congress set this date and it has been held this way for decades.
We have a process, we have a peaceful process. Something that many nations still strive to achieve.
Regardless if you are a democrat or republican. Black or white. Rich or poor. We all get to vote. I take comfort in that fact.
Some people say that it’s a waste of time to vote. Some will tell you that there is no honesty left in politics. I don’t know all the answers but here is why I vote.

I vote because of my friend Rick Varacalle. He served two tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. Whether you hate the war or are totally behind it I have all the respect in the world for that man. He served in the US Marines for 22 years. I vote because he fought.

I vote because of my Uncle Jim who served in Vietnam as a Ranger. I still to this day do not know what all he did over there but it was bad enough that he decided decades ago not to discuss it. I vote because he was reviled when he returned home and that was wrong.

I vote because men like Jefferson, Washington, Franklin and Adams put their lives on the line to change things for the better. They saw far into the future and what they saw was a world that would be better because of democracy. A world where every person could be heard. They said WE THE PEOPLE and that includes me … Its not been an easy process and it has been tweaked over the years but it works and we owe our thanks to those patriots.

I vote because Frankling D Roosevelt said
“Let us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a President and senators and congressmen and government officials, but the voters of this country.”

I vote because so many people over the years were denied that right. From women to blacks. I vote because I realize that any one of us could have been or might still be denied for some reason. You are an immigrant? Cant vote. You are gay? Cant vote.

I vote for my friend Jason who lives in Birmingham and as of last Wednesday became a US citizen. He missed the deadline for registering but he achieved something that many people never get in their lives and that’s the chance to live in a true democracy.

I vote because when we elect a new president or congress its peaceful, even during wars and uncertain economic times. In the 232 years as a nation and in the 43 times a man has taken the oath of office never has there been a tank in the street or an attempted overthrow of our government .

I vote because of my grandfather Oman P Miller. He served in North Africa under Gen Patton and fought Gen Rommel of Germany. He served in Italy and southern Europe under Gen Clark. He was wounded twice and received two purple hearts and one silver star. I vote because even in his worst days of being sick and crippled he got up and went to vote. He paid a price for his volunteering to serve his country. The least I can do is drive less than a mile to honor his sacrifice.

I vote because my Dad and Mom made sure they never pressured me to chose a side in politics ,they urged me and my brother to decide on our own. They just wanted us to be informed and to vote.

And finally I vote because THIS is the year ….this is the year that we turn the corner and we become once again that country that Jefferson and Adams talked about…This is the year that we become the country that Grandaddy bled for ….the country that my parents told us to work hard for and to become involved with on some level. This is the year that someone different arrives in the White House.

Senator Barack Obama does not represent change…in some ways I think that phrase has been overused this year. To me he represents Excitement. Energy. Commitment. Love of Country. Good.

He represents me….I am excited and have energy about our political process for the first time in years.

I vote today for Barack Obama and Joe Biden !

God Bless America

Now its your turn….Go Vote!

Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting. President Franklin D. Roosevelt

Do you have one of these ??

Voter ID Implementation
In the 2003 regular session, the Alabama Legislature approved, and Governor Riley signed into law, Act 2003-381, Alabama's new voter identification law. The law was precleared by the United States Department of Justice on August 7, 2003, and, therefore, will be in effect beginning with the September 9, 2003, special constitutional amendment election. Following is a list of acceptable forms of identification under this new law. Each voter should ensure that he or she has one form of identification available when he or she goes to vote.

Current, Valid Photo Identification
Government-issued photo identifications (current and valid)
Employee identification for employee with photo of employee produced by the employer
Photo identification card issued by Alabama college or university
Photo identification issued from Alabama technical or professional school (current and valid)

OR

One of the following
Utility bill of voter with voter's name and address
Bank statement with voter's name and address
Government check with voter's name and address
Paycheck with voter's name and address
Valid identification card (authorized by law) issued by the State of Alabama (including any branch, department, agency, or entity of the State of Alabama)
Valid identification card (authorized by law) issued by any of the other 49 states (including any branch, department, agency, or entity of that State)
Valid identification card (authorized by law) issued by the government of the United States of America (including any branch, department, agency, or entity of the federal government
Valid United States passport
Valid Alabama hunting license
Valid Alabama fishing license
Valid Alabama pistol/revolver permit
Valid pilot's license issued by the FAA or other authorized agency of the federal government
Valid United States military identification
Birth certificate (certified copy)
Valid Social Security card
Naturalization document (certified copy)
Court record of adoption (certified copy)
Court record of name change (certified copy)
Valid Medicaid card
Valid Medicare card
Valid electronic benefits transfer (EBT) card
Government document that shows the name and address of the voter
Note: Those items listed in Section B can be the original document (license, card, etc.) or a photocopy of the document. Without one of these forms of identification, a voter is permitted to:
vote a challenged or provisional ballot
vote, if he or she is identified as a voter on the poll list who is eligible to vote by two poll workers and both poll workers sign the voting sign-in register by the voter's name

NO REASON NOT TO GO VOTE ...