Critter Alley

Critter Alley

Sunday, November 23, 2008

The Presidential Pardon


Here's a Thanksgiving tradition that always attracts my attention. Each year, the President of the United States pardons a turkey (the fowl not the felon) to save it from becoming the main course at Thanksgiving dinner. I'm sure the turkey is grateful. And based upon some of the more dubious pardons I've seen bestowed in my time, this one seems far more deserved.

Here's a quiz. Who was the first president to pardon a Thanksgiving turkey?

a) Harry S. Truman
b) Abraham Lincoln
c) George H.W. Bush
d) Theodore Roosevelt

I'll let you check out the answer for yourself:

http://www.snopes.com/holidays/thanksgiving/pardon.asp

2 comments:

The Word Place said...

Well, well, I'd have said Truman and been totally incorrect! But just let me say that if I had to go catch the turkey, execute him, pluck him, clean him, and cook him, I wouldn't eat him! In fact, I don't even mess with the frozen fowls anymore--told the daughters-in-law that the poultry was in their court. . .um, kitchen. . . now!]
Thanks for the interesting bit of historical lore.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for that interesting fact about Thanksgiving! LOL, I don't mind you all celebrating getting rid of we Brits:)