Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Otto von Bismarck, known as the “Iron Chancellor,” is arguably Germany’s greatest statesman and was responsible for transforming a collection of small German states into the German Empire.
Bismarck was its first chancellor and served in that position from 1862-1890. He once said, “God has a special providence for fools, drunkards and the United States of America.” If Bismarck could watch the evening news today, he’d be saying, “I told you so.”
On Thanksgiving, families all over this great country gathered to stuff themselves on turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie and watch football. I read an article in my local paper where some expert listed 12 ways to ensure no major arguments would be started at dinner. Summed up, it was, “No Politics Discussed at This Table.”
After dinner is also the time to plot strategies on how the shoppers in the family are going to outmaneuver the mobs storming the business emporiums on Black Friday in their cities and towns. It seems to me that major holidays have become platforms for sales, starting with the after-Christmas sales, onto the Presidents Day sales, the Memorial Day sales, Independence Day sales, Labor Day sales and on to Thanksgiving. For some unknown reason, Halloween seems to have been left to the kids, so they can costume up and beg for candy.
No matter where I was or how old I was, from the time I can first remember, Thanksgiving was and is a time to pause and ponder how lucky I am. To start with, I’m on this side of the sod, can still drive myself and I’m able to live on my own in a small house and do for myself. My house is attached to my daughter and son-in-law’s house, so they can keep a weather eye on me.
One more thing to be thankful for: We still live in the best country ever devised by man. There is nowhere else we can go for a better deal than what we have right here.
We have some warts, but we can work them out. See the Bismarck quote above.
There is one more Bismarck quote that we should take note of. When asked about politics in general, he replied, “The secret of politics? Make a good treaty with Russia.”
I hope nobody got hurt during the fight at dinner.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Rube Render is a former Clovis city commissioner and former chair of the Curry County Republican Party. Contact him:
