All the politicians are turkeys, what don’t you understand?

Rolo...

Is  that it Rolomatic?

Pardoning turkeys gets votes???

Forgive my naivety but Bush doesn't need them any more as he is too old to stand again, and Palin blew that one even before she lost r.e. Jonny's video of person stuffing turkeys in killing machine.

Still don't get pardoning turkeys, sorry

W

Did I just get it.

You can pardon a turkey i.e. save it from death and being eaten, and it shows a merciful nature, but if you pardon a prisoner on Death Row you run a REAL risk that they were guilty.

ergo if you are a politician you should pardon the turkey?????

W

sorry, left-field brain late at night here 

STILL confused Roland (not many of you around but is my brother's name! honestly!)

Why not pardon the "deserving" instead of ugly turkeys who only really exist for food as they are too ugly for owt else) and who are these deserving?

W

I got it!

Politics there makes no more sense than here, but yours are more weird


happy now

W

Presidential Pardon
The turkey that lives to see another day;
2008 marks the 19th anniversary of the practice




Origins
Each year since 1947, the National Turkey Federation and the Poultry and Egg National Board have given a turkey to the President of the United States at a White House ceremony. Since then, presidents have been more likely to eat the turkey rather than give it a reprieve. A notable exception occurred in 1963, when President Kennedy, referring to the turkey given to him, said, "Let's just keep him." It wasn't until the first Thanksgiving of President George H.W. Bush, in 1989, that a turkey was officially pardoned for the first time.

Confusing the Practice
Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush have continued the pardons begun under the first Bush. Some confusion about the true origin of this practice has crept into recent presidential speeches though. One story claims that Harry Truman pardoned the turkey given to him in 1947, but the Truman Library has been unable to find any evidence of this. Another story claims the tradition dates back to Abraham Lincoln pardoning his son Tad's pet turkey.

From Frying Pan Park to Disneyland
What's certain is that since 1989 a turkey—and its alternate—have been pardoned each year. An alternate is chosen just in case the first bird is unable to perform its duties. For fifteen years through 2004, the turkeys were given to Kidwell Farm, a petting zoo at Frying Pan Park in Herndon, Virginia. The turkeys would receive a last minute pardon before arriving, and were then led to their new home at the Turkey Barn after enduring a turkey "roast" full of poultry humor and history.

In 2005 and 2006, however, the turkeys were flown to Disneyland in California where they served as honorary grand marshals for Disneyland's Thanksgiving Day parade. After that, they spent the rest of their lives at a Disneyland ranch. A spot in sunny Disneyland seems immensely preferable to a place called Frying Pan Park if you happen to be a turkey who has just escaped from becoming the main course of someone's Thanksgiving feast.

The People's Choice
On Wednesday, November 26, 2008, President Bush gave two turkeys named Pumpkin and Pecan a last-minute reprieve. The two hail from Ellsworth, Iowa, and were raised under the direction of National Turkey Federation Chairman Paul Hill. The American public was allowed to vote for the turkeys' names on the White House web site. 2007's turkeys were named May and Flower, 2006's were Flyer and Fryer; 2005's were Marshmallow and Yam; and 2004's were Biscuit and Gravy.

Maybe some things just aren't meant to be understood????

Charlotte

George wrote on Nov 27^th, 2008 at 11:35pm:


Thank you Donna- make a little more sense now.

George -It is even more scary here actually- those are Judges! We also have annual cheese rolling competitions- that has to be nuts.

At least you still have wild turkeys there- can't imagine how they survive without all being shot for Thanksgiving dinners or captured for Presidentail photoshoots

W