Thanksgiving has to be one of my all-time favorite holidays.  Not just because I get to eat as much as I want without counting the calories, but because it is a truly American holiday.  While it is true that Congress made Thanksgiving an official holiday on the fourth Thursday of the month in 1941, its celebration can be traced all the way back to 1789 with George Washington proclaiming a day of thanksgiving.  Lincoln did so as well in 1863.  What a great idea to sit around and count our blessings.  Too often we forget just how fortunate we are, well everyone except the turkey.

There are so many things to be thankful for, and today is the day set aside to reflect on those things and thank God for them!  Yesterday I passed a homeless lady in the street, and it made me think about the many things we have as a family that she does not have.  We have a home, cars, food, and most of all each other.  Even the homeless in San Diego have something to be thankful for that other beggars do not.  In our city, thousands of pounds of food are donated to feed the homeless and shelters all around this county will be feeding the unfortunate.  As I have traveled all over this world, I have seen many beggars in other countries, and most of those people do not have the shelters, churches, and many other civic organizations which go out of their way to provide for the homeless like we do in America.  Homelessness is awful, but once again even the homeless in this country have something to be thankful for today.  

We as Americans have many things to be thankful for, and while our country is by no means perfect, it is the most tolerant in the entire world.  Often I hear people complaining about intolerance in our country, but the very ability to complain of intolerance proves what a great country America is.  In many other parts of the world the mere whisper of things that are anti-government are squelched decisively.  Don't believe me?  Go to Iran and try to practice religious freedom, or try China.  In Islamic countries it is fine to go and pray towards Mecca 5 times a day, or is it three, but try to openly worship another God and see what is allowed.  Things such as homosexuality, or same sex marriage, and living together are not only illegal, but in many cases punished severely.  Not so in America.  We not only tolerate all of these things, but we have sitcoms on television which openly celebrate them.  If you don't believe me, just try to get Will and Grace on the Al Jazirah network. 

My point is not to bash Iran or any other country.  That is the culture they have chosen.  The point is that in America, we are made up of individuals who came here to seek religious freedom.  America is not perfect, but in comparison to most other countries I have visited, we are a tolerant nation and it is one of the many things that make America great.  (Even Bush gets a pardon today for his many mistakes) So sit back today and enjoy your turkey and dressing while the Colts beat up on the Falcons.  Spend some time with your family and give thanks for the many blessings each of us has including the one true American Holiday, Thanksgiving.

Socalsportsfan

Where do I begin?  So much to talk about, and yet so little time to post.  That is why I enjoy these weekly rants where I can vent all the frustrations for an entire week, or in my case the past month.

BCS:  It looks like no one wants to be number two in the BCS.  Certainly Kansas can control their destiny, but I think Missouri will beat them to win the Big 12 North, and then they will have to beat either Texas or Oklahoma to face LSU in the BCS final.  Of course, that is assuming LSU wins the SEC Championship which is no easy task.  They will have to face a Georgia team that is looking tougher with each passing game.

Kevin Garnett trade: Back when Danny Ainge pulled the trigger on Kevin Garnett, I was one of the few who said it was a brilliant move.  People kept saying, "They can't win without a bench!"  Well guess who is looking brilliant now?  Yep, the Celtics are rolling and Minnesota is struggling.  Jefferson is great, but without a supporting cast the Timberwolves are right where the Celts were last year, in last place.  You need superstars in this league to win.  The Celtics have three and are well on their way to winning the East. 

Oden or Durant:  Once again, it shows you why you don't sign a big man who only plays one injury ridden year of college.  Big guys are prone to injuries, and Oden is no exception.  When you are trying to make that number one pick, a big man is always the way to go, if he has proved himself in college.  Big men like Shaquille Oneal played for three seasons and proved he could take the pounding.  So did Patrick Ewing, Kareem, and Mourning, but not Oden.  People made fun of Durant for not benching more than his weight, but Seattle is very happy Portland went big.  Durant is strong enough to lift a basketball, shoot it in the air, and sink a 3 pointer when the game is on the line.  That is strong enough for me.

Barry Bonds:  Well it took the feds 4 years to bring an indictment, and I say it will take another 4 for anything to stick.  Perjury is one of the hardest crimes to prosecute someone for.  Not only do they have to prove you are lying, but they have to prove intent.  Victor Conte has gone on record that Barry was not given steroids, as has his personal trainer Greg Anderson.  Unless they have a smoking gun somewhere, and I don't mean that so called positive test, they will have to do a lot better.  So far they have only had to try Barry in the court of public opinion, a place he will always lose, but in a real court where witnesses are cross examined it will be a different story.  Let's see Kim  Bell and a few others stand up and testify and we will see how they like being put on trial.  Barry will never see any jail time nor will he be found guilty.  The one thing this possibly accomplishes is keeping him from suiting it up next year.

Socalsportsfan

This has been one interesting week for sure.