Maggie's Farm

Your editor is going off duty until tomorrow. 20 people arriving in a while (all bringing pies or vegetable dishes) - and a few more just for dessert. Here's what we're doing:

One just begun on the grill:

One in the oven, stuffed:

The cranberry sauce:

Squash pies (with heavy cream, spices, and brandy). More Pilgrim-authentic than Pumpkin:

George Washington's 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation

Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to "recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"

Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3d day of October, A.D. 1789.

"Lord, you gotta help me now." Who has never felt that way? New Orleans blues:

Newsweek pulled the Mallard Fillmore toon below. Good comments on the post at Daily Cartoonist. Yes, I certainly do hate hate, and I hate the concept of "hate crimes." Maybe I'm just a "hater."

"The makers of the Constitution conferred, as against the government, the Right to be left alone; the most comprehensive of rights, and the right most valued by civilized men.”

United States Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, Olmstead v. United States (1928). h/t, reader.

WSJ:

...we do now have hundreds of emails that give every appearance of testifying to concerted and coordinated efforts by leading climatologists to fit the data to their conclusions while attempting to silence and discredit their critics. In the department of inconvenient truths, this one surely deserves a closer look by the media, the U.S. Congress and other investigative bodies.

Our ongoing series on Woodstock, CT by guest poster Capt. Tom Francis -

Quasset School

At Town Meeting in 1690, the citizens voted to teach and instruct their children to "read and cipher". At that time, the first "public instruction" was held at a local farmer's barn. Sometime around 1736/1739, the Quasset School was built and began formal classes ending in 1946 when the first Elementary School was built, thus the distinction of being the oldest continuously operating school in the US.

The school was moved from it's original location in 1956 and became a National Historic Landmark. In 1963 the Lt. Ambassador of England representing Woodstock, England
presented Quasset School with a portrait of King George the Second and a replica of the Union Jack that would have flown for the 27 years that the school was under British rule. Two oak trees from the grounds of Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, England, birthplace of Winston Churchill, were planted near the building (partially seen in the photo).

The Quasset School is still in operation today as part of the Third Grade local history immersion program.  The three Third Grade teachers take turns for one week taking the kids back to another time and place.  The kids get to dress up and role play leaning arithmetic by rote, spelling by playing Hangman and - this is really amusing - manners which actually were an important part of the education of 18th and 19th century education. They learn about gender roles as the girls learn hand crafts like sewing,
knitting and cross stitch and the boys, under supervision, get to bring in wood, "light" the stove, sweep and clean the blackboard.

Anchoress: Reporting Climategate would be like an attack on the religion of many. Some religions are more sacred than others.

Indeed. Here's the BBC on the climate issue of the day: Scientists fudge data It's hot in Africa Climate has been a major driver of armed conflict in Africa,
research shows - and future warming is likely to increase the number of
deaths from war.

(That's odd - the experts said the tropics weren't affected by AGW, didn't they?)

And here's how ABC handles it: ABC News Instead Runs Headline, "Worse Than the Worst: Climate Report Says Even Most Dire Predictions Too Tame"

Putting one of the BD pups and friends on the plane today to Barcelona or Madrid - I forget which - heading to the wedding of a friend since nursery school and a little vacation. I advised them to live on tapas, and, even if it is a boring food, to try paella in Spain once, just to be able to have done it.

Paella in Spain for Thanksgiving? The American yoots of today have it good. We often forget that Squanto had been to Spain - and to England too, before the Pilgrims met the fine dude who doubtless spoke his English with a refined Brit accent.

And we picked up the BD baby at the airport Friday night after the first few eventful months at college (including a grueling hospitalization with Swine Flu pneumonia - she has been otherwise in perfect health and is finally all better now).

After the airport, right to the baby's favorite little Thai place for a late supper. Very hot mango curry. Then home, at which point the likable and polite boyfriend shortly appears, and out they go.

The yoots of today have it good.

Saturday, she slept until 11, then did the big drive down to NYC - If You Can Drive It in NY, You Can Drive it Anywhere - to meet her big sister to see Men of Iron (basically Troilus and Cressida - I saw it the previous weekend with the $10 tix). Then home for supper (steak and string beans with lemon juice and olive oil), then out again with pals. She was out all day Sunday after throwing in a few loads of wash for us to deal with. I have no idea where, but that's fine with me.

The really good news is that she is obeying the "who pays the piper calls the tune" Bird Dog College Rules (which I once posted here): You gotta take the list of courses I require, since colleges these days do not require much real education despite the big $. Thus she is taking the year-long Great Books course (modeled after my Columbia required course), so I can now happily discuss Genesis, Augustine, Hesiod, Boethius, Aquinas, Homer, etc with her. It's about time. Good fun. Can't wait to discuss Calvin and Adam Smith and Locke with her. And later, Chem and Biochem - but especially Geology 1. (I believe if you don't know basic geology, you don't know what the heck you are looking at when you go outdoors just like if you don't take Econ 1 and 2 you don't know how the world works - unless or until you have a real job or two in the real world, of course.)

She said at supper Friday "Everybody I know at school is studious as hell."

She also said "My friends and I can't decide whether we like Augustine or not."

Said I, with the wisdom of age, "What does 'like' have to do with it?"

Before AGW/climate change, Mars was wet and humid.

By 1940, essentially all American Chestnuts, a dominant climax tree (and a major mast-producing tree - once the major food of Turkey, Deer and lots of other critters) of American forests, were killed by the blight. Their wood has a remarkable durability and their somewhat rusty-colored carcasses can still be seen in our woodlands.

That is a bunch of Christmas Fern behind the fallen log.

From the climate scientists, via SDA:

    Here's HARRY himself;

        ARGH. Just went back to check on synthetic production. Apparently - I have no memory of this at all - we're not doing observed rain days! It's all synthetic from 1990 onwards. So I'm going to need conditionals in the update program to handle that. And separate gridding before 1989. And what TF happens to station counts?

        OH FUCK THIS. It's Sunday evening, I've worked all weekend, and just when I thought it was done I'm hitting yet another problem that's based on the hopeless state of our databases. There is no uniform data integrity, it's just a catalogue of issues that continues to grow as they're found.

    Upon this rests the wealth of nations.

NYT

Benjamin Franklin's Advice to a Young Man on the Choice of a Mistress (1745).

"Lost your job, dear? I'll bring home the bacon... just don't expect our marriage to survive"

How it works. Speeding protons. Very cool video.

This is an annual re-post:

You go around the table or car until someone gets stuck. Then they are "out," just like the great game of dodge-ball. You will be surprised by how long it can continue.  It goes like this:

My first job was in an orange juice factory, but I couldn't concentrate.

I worked as a lumberjack but I couldn't hack it, so they gave me the ax. (a 3 pointer)

After that, I tried to be a tailor, but I just wasn't suited for it.

Next I tried working in a muffler factory, but this was exhausting.

Then I tried to be a chef, but didn't have the thyme.

I attempted to be a deli worker but any way I sliced it, I just couldn't cut the mustard.

My best job was as a musician, but eventually I found I wasn't noteworthy.

I studied a long time to be a doctor, but I didn't have any patience.

I became a fisherman, but couldn't live on my net income.

I managed to find work with a pool company, but the work was too draining.

So then I got a job with a health club, but they said I wasn't fit for the job.

My last job was at Starbucks, but it was the same old grind.

Eventually, I got a job as a historian, but there was no future in it.

I tried being a house painter, but it didn't stick.

So I tried to be a urologist, but I couldn't get the hang of it.

Then I tried being a cosmologist, but it was all too much for me.

Among numerous problems, I think the biggest problem with the Dem medical care bill is that there is no national consensus for this.

It is unwise to do things this large without a national consensus, but the Left is intoxicated with their (temporary, cocaine-like) power. With Medicare - for better or worse - there was a consensus. With Medicaid for the very poor, there was too. As it stands now, the Dems are proposing a solution without a problem. Or, a government solution seeking a problem...

It's a manufactured "crisis." There are easy, simple, cheap, non-governmental solutions to medical insurance unfairnesses which do not increase Federal power. (Yes, we have already noted that Federal employees are the only ones exempt from the bill.)

Cui bono?

Well, the Dems think they will benefit with their names on an historic take-over of 1/6th of the American economy by being rewarded with the gratitude and eternal dependency of the voters. Secondarily, the government will benefit by accruing more money and bureaucracies (111 of them by the last count I read, for our enjoyment) - which means jobs to distribute and more power over our lives. Third, unions will benefit - or so they believe. (Just wait until your doc is a de facto government employee treating you the cost-benefit-analyzed-by-experts government way - and his or her nurse is a member of SEIU.)

The 81% of Americans who are satisfied with their medical care will not. Nor will those increasingly-few who actually pay the Federal income and capital gains taxes to pay the bills.

I did get a kick out of Harry Reid's statement yesterday:

Today we vote whether to even discuss one of the greatest issues of our generation - indeed, one of the greatest issues this body has ever faced: whether this nation will finally guarantee its people the right to live free from the fear of illness and death, which can be prevented by decent health care for all.

Yes, we already knew that Government is the Church for the Left. It ain't my religion. And I don't want to work on Maggie's Farm No More.

Psalm 100

Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

Dylan Radio. You can request, too. We like it.

Just push "Tune in" and let it play. You do not need to log in.

The Great American Songbook. Guy has great taste in folk/pop music, whether his own stuff or that of his betters (?).

You can have these sent to you daily via email. Here's today's:

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

Hebrews 13:5  (New International Version)

This is the season for gratitude.