Happy Thanksgiving

Many years ago after a heated Thanksgiving Day discussion with my father, he quoted Winston Churchill who said "Any man who is under 30, and is not a liberal, has no heart; any man who is over 30, and is not a conservative, has no brains." I can't help but think of this quote as families gather round the Thanksgiving dinner table today.

A big part of the charm of Thanksgiving is that it does bring together multiple generations. No surprise then that these differing generations will result in children of all ages clashing with parents. And thanks to our longer living elders, it is not unusual for the middle aged to be the parent while carving the turkey and then the child by the time the pumpkin pie is being served.

I worry, however, that the family arguments this Thanksgiving will be more heated, more divisive then in the past. Even though we all know better than to discuss religion, sex or politics within the family nonetheless our political differences will permeate the dinner table like an unwanted guest. Make a toast to every one's health and the next thing you know there is an argument about the health care plan. Offer a prayer of thanksgiving and it turns into a heated discussion about religion and schools. I worry that nearly any innocent word or gesture will become a launching point for a vitriolic discussion from either the Liberals or the Conservatives.

I had forgotten that Abraham Lincoln was the President who nationalized this holiday. I mention this because it seems to me that the chasm between the Liberals and Conservatives today is not necessarily due to Churchill's generational gulf such as we had in the 1960's but that it dates back another hundred years to the 1860's Civil War's North vs. South division. I realize that it is dangerous for me to say this out loud because Liberals will now label me as a bigot because I am a Southerner. Their tunnel vision will immediately conclude that I, like all Southerners, dislike Obama because he is an African American and therefore all Conservative Southerners, must be racists. I am not naive enough to believe that there are no racists; I am sure that Obama's heritage is a problem for some Southerners.

But I think it is just as racist to feel compelled to like someone because of his race, religion, sexual orientation, etc. as it is to dislike someone for the same reason. The people I know who dislike Obama do so not because of his race but because of his politics. Conservatives are fearful that Obama is rapidly changing our country by gathering more and more power to the federal government by taking power away from the individuals and states. Just as this was a major factor in the Civil War, it is again a division between the North and South rather than a generational chasm.

It just occurred to me that this argument is even older than the Civil War and in fact stems back to the very beginning of our country. While writing the Declaration of Independence and setting up our first government a feud broke out between Northerner John Adams and Southerner Thomas Jefferson. Adams sounding like Kennedy, Kerry or any other fellow Massachusetts politician argued for more power for the federal government and less for the individual. While the Southern tea bag parties echoed the refrain first stated by Thomas Jefferson who wanted greater state and individual rights and a weaker federal government.

And now here we are 250 years later sitting around the Thanksgiving dinner table and still arguing for a stronger central government while others heatedly argue against it. Perhaps the very fact that our forefathers were divided over the issues that divide us today will help put it into perspective.

So whether you love him or hate him, the truth is that Obama's policies probably won't matter in the long run. The United States has been arguing the very same topics since our beginning and yet we still stand tall and strong as a beacon of freedom for the whole world to see. Now that is something for which we can all be thankful.

Finally, on a personal note, I have an awful lot to be thankful for this year. Just the fact that I am alive, healthy and have both legs is a minor miracle. And I am thrilled that although I missed the family reunion because of my health I was still eventually able to be with my family and will sit down to our Thanksgiving dinner with four generations. But most of all, I am thankful for all my friends and family's help, prayers and thoughts during this very difficult year. Thank you and may y'all have a wonderful and peaceful Thanksgiving.