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President Pardons Turkey!
As is customary, the President of the United States is expected to pardon a turkey...
on the eve of Thanksgiving at a White House ceremony. The presidential tradition of pardoning a turkey dates back over 50 years to Harry Truman and has until this day been a custom of the Whitehouse executive. As in previous years, this year's turkey will be given to Kidwell Farm at Frying Pan Park, in Herndon, Virginia. Kidwell Farm is a petting farm which recreates a farm era from 1920 to 1940.
The residents there include draft horses, chickens, peacocks, rabbits, sheep, goats, pigs, cows and other livestock common to the early farms of Fairfax County. 
Visitors can pet the friendly farm animals, watch the farm hands at work, enjoy a picnic, hop on a hay ride, or take a walk through the country. 
Starting around 4:30-5:30 pm fresh from a last minute pardon, the official "Presidential Turkey" arrives at Frying Pan Park to enjoy his reprieve from the oven. A Turkey "roast" celebration full of poultry humor, love and history will be held. Reservations are required along with a $1 cover. Following the event the Turkey will then be ushered to his new home at the Turkey Barn.
This year as the Presidential last-minute Pardon spares the would-be main course... it is anticipated that President Bush will take this last chance opportunity to voice some telling "turkey jokes". Last year President Bush was quoted as saying "I see the turkey standing there, he looks a little nervous, doesn't he? He probably thinks he's going to have a press conference!" The official pardon was then offered "By virtue of this pardon, Katie (the turkey) is on her way not to the dinner table but to Kidwell Farm in Herndon, VA. There she'll live out her days as safe and comfortable as she can be". Members of the Boy Scouts, Boys and Girls Clubs, and school students from the Washington, DC area were in attendance.
Looking forward, this Thanksgiving precedes an election year, and not just any election, but a Presidential election. If all the clawing and mud flinging of the recent California Governor's race is an indicator of things to come, how close will this election represent a "Total Recall" of four years ago where the fate of the election ended up in court? If the activities of Government were as simple as Pardoning a turkey, national elections would be benign affairs. The politicians would be highly qualified and respected individuals, Washington DC would be a "Pleasantville" of the 1950's where everything appears black and white, and power and personalities would play together in harmony. But this year's election will include new and contentious sets of issues, ranging from the aftermath of 911 to the state of economy. It is likely to be anything but pleasant. The participants will undoubtedly be qualified in their own right, each bringing their own skill sets and partisan viewpoints to the dinner table. As each issue of national importance reveals its good points and bad points, so do the people who represent them. But as we all know, along with great ability can come great posturing. This is where the fun begins! This is where we begin to separate the Turkeys from the truth. The election process helps us to distinguish the difference between a Turkey the real deal.
As Thanksgiving represents an opportune time for thankful reflection upon the year, we must include with it the process of democracy, the people who created it, those who now fight to preserve it and to support it, and the American people who live under it. Why even the turkeys contribute to the process, and while we hope they won't get elected, they play important roles, if nothing more than to be the brunt of some Thanksgiving political humor. But seriously, after all is said and done, and the cloud of feathers finally comes to a rest, lets hope it will make a difference when the baddest bird of them all steps through those Presidential Barn Doors!
gobble... gobble...
Review 2000 "Post-election Turkey" Thanksgiving Highlight!
Review 1999 "Pre-election Turkey"Thanksgiving Highlight! Review 1998 "Presidential Turkey in the Pen" Thanksgiving Highlight!
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