Plenty for which to be thankful

link Wendel Sloan

During Thanksgiving, which originated with illegal immigrants celebrating fall harvests with Native Americans until the pale-faces wore out their welcome with entitlement claims, I am thankful for friends daring to post:

• “If you weren’t shot in the face for calling your president a ‘Marxist Dictator’ — then he’s probably not a Marxist dictator.”

• “Evil Gay Agenda: 1. Monogamy 2. Family 3. Love 4. Puppies”

• “We began by declaring ‘all men are created equal.’ We now practically read it ‘all men are created equal, except negroes.’ When the Know-Nothings get control, it will read ‘all men are created equal, except negroes, foreigners and Catholics.’ ” — Abraham Lincoln

• “Every gun made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and not clothed.” — Dwight Eisenhower

I am thankful for hard-working parents who thought for themselves, never cheated in any sense, never acted self-important nor condescending, valued people over possessions, raised grandchildren of different colors equally, and stood up against the prejudiced and powerful.

When outsiders “attack” (as recently described by local media) the east Texas public school I attended for promoting one religion with Bible-oriented verses and crosses on walls and T-Shirts (and reportedly favoring church-attending athletes), I am thankful a few hometown Christian friends courageously admit such displays could lead to school-ground proselytizing by all religions, including Satanists. (How interesting life would be if their leader actually existed.)

I am thankful for holiday football, a dependable car, a modest house that provides everything I need, friends who — despite our differences — extend mutual respect, not feeling inclined to disingenuously forgive self-ordained Father and Mother Superiors figuratively slapping the wrist of independent souls, and getting to stir the Thanksgiving pot by panning patronizing, pseudo-patriotic turkeys in delicious freedom-of-speech basting — topped off, of course, by All-American

pumpkin pie.

• • •

Thank you to readers for the supportive comments about my sister Reba. Your written bouquets decorated her final days before she lost her battle with Hodgkin’s lymphoma on Tuesday.

Contact Wendel Sloan at: [email protected]