Spare The Bird, Spoil The Holiday

Today being Thanksgiving, I thought I might actually address the occasion for once. Usually it seems that notable dates pass by without comment from me. I'll think of something some months in advance and resolve to write it when the time comes. Of course I forget, but not this time. The centerpiece of Thanksgiving, of course, is the turkey. Boy, I love turkey. You know, I have read that the tryptophan in it is no more conducive to drowsiness than that in any large quantity of food.

That's really not what interests me. At this time, we always hear of the president pardoning a turkey. No one has done otherwise since Reagan, I believe. In that, Reagan might be our last honest president. He openly declared his intentions to eat a turkey. Since then, they pardon one turkey, and presumably eat others. That is not much of a merciful gesture to me. What is that, to spare one and consume the rest? That's meaningless to me.

I don't mean to say that the president should eat no turkey, or that any of us should go without. I love turkey, as I said. I could eat a bunch of it. I have empathy for animals, but never have contemplated denying myself the benefit of eating them. I don't begrudge others making that choice, provided their motives are sound. Some go without eating meat for dietary reasons, and others for ethical reasons. I can appreciate both, I guess.

I just can't relate to people who seem to put animals above people. What a peculiar thing that is. I can't imagine there are any animals returning the favor and consciously elevating humans above themselves. They do what is in their nature. A peculiar part of our nature is our ability to override our baser instincts, and so we may do without meat, but why abdicate our place in the hierarchy? I enjoy being on top of the heap.