An American Thanksgiving

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?  As I was looking around a department store the other day while thinking about Thanksgiving and all that I was thankful for this year, I saw a sign that read, “There is always, always something to be thankful for.”  It struck me as odd that we as Americans might require such a sign.  Was there really even one person out there who needed to be reminded that they have a reason to be thankful?

Then I started to think about how a person could possibly doubt their blessings in this country.  I immediately thought about the last five years and the current administration that has been in control.  Considering how our Constitutional freedoms are threatened each and every day under this administration I began to empathize with those who may have doubts about their blessings.

We’ve seen a presidential election and re-election decided, some would argue, by those who would vote for a President merely because of the color of his skin and out of political correctness remain silent when he violates his presidential powers under the U.S. Constitution each and every time he creates or changes laws.

We’ve watched that same President declare it to be an injustice for any person to be judged by the color of his or her skin while making judgments, time and time again, against those of a race with which he does not identify.

We’ve also seen a President go out of his way to dishonor the veterans of this country by unnecessarily closing down war memorials during a government shutdown that he blamed on Republicans, in order to make a political point.

In addition, we have seen a President who is terminating top military officers at an alarming rate, more than any other President in the history of America, or so it would seem.

Finally, based upon information learned to date, we’ve watched as a President looked directly into the eyes of the American public and lied about the deaths of four American heroes in Benghazi.  As hard as it is to fathom, it appears that our President and his administration, turned their backs on these men who fought to their deaths while most likely expecting to see U.S. military troops coming to their rescue at any moment.  However, reinforcements were never ordered.  While this President slept comfortably in his bed, four men were being savagely brutalized beyond imagination.

Other than this President, we have also seen members of the Republican Party fail to support or even turn against members of their own party. Senators John McCain, John Boehner, and Mitch McConnell come to mind as three of the biggest culprits. Senators Ted Cruz and Mike Lee were left hanging out to dry as they fought against the encroachment of socialist principles sanctioned by this administration, in attempting to dismantle Obamacare.

So you may ask, is there “always, always” something to be thankful for in America?  Yes!

We can be thankful that our history has in it another black or African American man who didn’t attempt to undermine the relations between people.  Quite the opposite!  As a man who was judged solely because of the color of his skin, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. knew the importance of uniting people of all races for a better America.

Although Dr. King faced insurmountable struggles because of the color of his skin, he maintained that we are all God’s children and equal under His eyes.  He advocated for equality under the law by bringing people together not by tearing them apart.  Dr. King’s legacy brings hope that the people of the United States will once again follow his leadership principles and look beyond color to insure that the President of the United States abides by the U.S. Constitution and that America’s people will not allow divisiveness to destroy it.

We can also be thankful that no president can permanently dishonor the service that our veterans and military members have given to this country.  Men and women put their lives on the line each and every day for this great country.  There is a long history in the United States of honoring our servicemen and women.  No president is powerful enough to erase over two hundred years of pride and respect for those that protect our freedoms.

We can be thankful also that this President represents the only president that has ever turned his back on our American heroes.  More importantly we can be thankful that there were men of honor willing to sacrifice their lives for American principles.  They stood up and fought to their dying breath for what they believed in.  While we currently may have a President who does not value those principles, Americans will never forget those men and will not allow their memory to die.  We will never forget that this President betrayed the trust of those in Benghazi and we will not rest until those responsible for their deaths are brought to justice.

Finally, we can be thankful that we still have men and women in Congress who represent America’s interests and those who are willing to stand for truth even when it means that people in their own party will attempt to destroy their political career.  The U.S. Constitution and what the Founding Fathers envisioned remain these Congress members’ driving force rather than their own political gain.  We can also be thankful that there are Americans such as the Tea Party and FreedomWorks who do support Congress members willing to stand for the truth.

We are Americans who are blessed beyond what this President may ever hope to understand. We are one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.  We are thankful for that fact every day and because of it, we know that we are “always, always” blessed!

Susan Knowles is an author, psychotherapist and former practicing attorney. Her latest book, a political fiction, is entitled, “Freedom’s Fight: A Call to Remember” available on Amazon.com. Her website is www.susanknowles.com, where this article may also be seen.

Images:

• Pictures of the Million Vet March courtesy of theBlaze.