Turkey pardon is an insult
The eve before Thanksgiving, a tradition that dates back to President Harry Truman is still faithfully carried out. The presidential pardon of a turkey, the bird around which all Thanksgiving feasts are centered, spares one turkey. While the ritual is symbolic, it is a ridiculous tradition.
Who knows what President Truman was going for when he started this tradition 50 years ago? Maybe it was a way to illustrate the president as more compassionate or sympathetic to the hundreds of thousands of turkeys that are slaughtered every year. Whatever the reasoning, the tradition seems good for a laugh and not much else.
These turkeys are sacrificed every November and the whole year round in order to feed Americans. None of these birds get the benefit of a presidential pardon. They are raised and killed to fill empty stomachs. That is their purpose.
And what singles out a particular turkey to be pardoned? It seems to be like the Christmas tree that stands stories high in Rockefeller Center; the biggest one wins.
There are many ways to illustrate thoughtfulness; sparing one turkey the eve before a national holiday that is nicknamed “Turkey Day” isn’t the way to do it. To pardon one turkey is a gesture that, while started with good intentions, has devolved into something empty and devoid of meaning.
Maybe the president should spare some citizens of Iraq or Afghanistan a bombing. That would be truly compassionate.
More Stories
Meet the Team
Oracle EditorProfile
USF gives it away in Memphis 34-33
At the half, a 14-point lead meant USF was on track to win its first conference game in over a calendar year. That energy was kept up even with under five minutes to go when the Bulls were up 33-20. Then USF watched as its lead went from comfortable, to slim, to nonexistent in the […]
Club teams missing competition, friendship due to COVID-19
Under normal circumstances, Grant Nolder, president of the USF flag football team would be preparing for the club’s biggest competition of the year, the Swamp Bowl. The annual tournament, hosted at UF, typically takes place during the fall semester and features some of the best club flag football teams in the country. Winners of the […]
Bulls battle with ECU in OT win
Coach Brian Gregory said Tuesday the Bulls didn’t play complete, 40-minute games in their two losses last week. It’s debatable if they did Wednesday night against East Carolina (11-18, 5-11) at the Yuengling Center, but it was more than enough to put up a 73-68 overtime win. “It’s funny. There were stretches where we played […]
First SG scholarship rewards student leaders
Student Government (SG) launched the first-of-its-kind, merit-based scholarship to students Nov. 5 on USF’s Tampa campus. As a part of Student Body President Britney Deas and Student Body Vice President Travis McCloskey’s platform, Bull S.H.I.F.T., — Success, Health, Innovation, Finance and Tradition — the SG’s Student Leadership Scholarship consists of two merit-based scholarships which will […]
On-campus Jabil institute sparks anticipation from students
A plan drafted on a bar napkin two years ago has now become the USF Jabil Innovation Institute, a multi-million dollar institute combining the College of Engineering and the Muma College of Business. Senior Vice President of Advancement and CEO of the USF Foundation Joel Momberg and Jabil CEO Mark Mondello jotted the idea down […]