Reflections of being Thankful

Must be something in the air, that makes us want to take a minute, and in some cases 30 seconds, to reflect on what we have to be thankful for.
I have a multitude of things to be thankful for, my family, good friends, a business; that while not making me rich is at least keeping me out of mischief, being able to get a first class education in this state, and being healthy. OH YEAH, and living in a country that even with its warts bumps and sometimes down right ugliness, I love.

In no other country in the world do we live as well as we do in the USA, that includes some of the most industrialized nations in the world. Our umemployment is down, our interest rates are not going through the roof, and we can live comfortably in a nation where we can call the President a nut case and get away with it. I don't think that kind of comment would be recieved well in most countries in the world. Not that I think President Bush is a nut case, in fact I think that for the most part he should be hailed as a hero.

In America today, you can proclaim a terrorist a victim, Hail a tinpot dictator from a small country with lots of oil a visionary, and support a religion that promotes killing innocent children. All that and tell our enemies that we as a government think our current policies are so distorted that we should be offering civil rightes to people who wouldn't hesitate to take ours away.

I am excited by the fact that in this country, we can remove crooked politicians legally, we can let our representatives know where WE stand on issues and remind them occasionally who is really the boss. I can write to my congressmen(or women) and remind them that as their employer they have to listen to what I say or come next election, there will be a new employee in their place.

What I am astounded at, and you'd think that at my age I wouldn't be, is the apathy of the people who should be in charge of keeping our politicians on the straight and narrow, how through ignorance or laziness, the 3rd estate manages to misrepresent, or twist the truth so a common reader, watcher, listener, doesn't really have enough honest facts to form an opinion.
How the ones whom we've put in charge think that the general populace are idiots, or children, unable to make or form their own opinion. And the number of people who are willing to put up with just about anything, as long as it doesn't "affect them or their children". Who believe that welfare is a good idea, in any way shape or form, and that they "can't be bothered" to do a little discovery themselves but are willing to take the word of a journalist who has an agenda so wide open it looks like an atlas.

Like I said, at the beginning, I'm proud to be an American, who can speak her mind here and in the public arena. I am more than proud of the vets and the soldiers who gave their time, energy and in some cases their lives to allow me to publish my thoughts. Shame on the people who would not hear, or carry this message along, because heaven forbid, it's truely an honest statement of feeling.

Wake up, if we don't stand together, we will surely hang apart.
Now back to the turkey left overs.