President Obama Pardons Turkey for Shooting Down Russian Fighter Jet

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Oh, wait….wrong Turkey.

[youtube]https://youtu.be/Wf0I1h1w3UU[/youtube]

Nothing quite like seeing a lame duck president pardoning the national turkey (can you tell which one’s which?).

Actually, I think our comedian-in-chief is pretty good in this role. Nor did I mind his jab at GOP presidential candidates (I think some of them are turkeys). It was done in lighthearted jest. No harm, no foul, however fowl.

While I am sympathetic to the plight of Syrian refugees and consider some of the rhetoric against allowing these refugees into the States to be tinged with hysteria, exaggerations, xenophobia, and Islamophobia, I also find legitimate concerns as well.

Social media is a wasteland of brainless memes drawing apples to tomato comparisons.

One of the lamest memes I’ve seen mentions Steve Jobs as Syrian, as if that even makes any kind of logical point in allowing for Syrian refugees to pour in. Steve Jobs’ biological father was an immigrant- not a refugee.

By the same token, the meme about the Tsarnaev brothers is also wrong- these were not let in as refugees; their parent was let in as an asylee (and who did not bomb anyone).

Another annoying meme sees fit to compare the Pilgrims to the Syrian refugees.

Pilgrims-should-be-supportive-of-immigration

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At risk of evening dignifying this type of logical fallacy with a response, had the natives as a collective nation instead of separate tribes been threatened by the hypothetical possibility that European Bible-thumping terrorists they were at war with might cloak themselves amongst a group of innocent refugees, with the goal of murdering as many native-American Indians as possible, the Native-Americans would have been justified in taking an anti-refugee position to protect themselves.

So of course, President Obama today: Syrian refugees are like pilgrims on the Mayflower:

“Nearly four centuries after the Mayflower set sail, the world is still full of pilgrims – men and women who want nothing more than the chance for a safer, better future for themselves and their families,” Obama said in his weekly address Thursday. “What makes America America is that we offer that chance.”

The president praised Americans who have offered to open their homes to refugees fleeing war-torn Syria.

“One woman from Pennsylvania wrote to me to say, ‘Money is tight for us in my household. … But I have a guest room. I have a pantry full of food. We can do this,’ ” Obama said.

“Another woman from Florida told me her family’s history dates back to the Mayflower — and she said that welcoming others is part of ‘what it means to be an American,’ ” he added.

Obama called for citizens to put the “generosity” of America on full display by welcoming refugees into the country with arms wide open.

You know what would be an extraordinary show of leading by example? If the president himself welcomed in Syrian families to live with him and his family. It would be a great example of putting your money where your mouth is and showing leadership from up front.

“I hope that you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving, surrounded by loved ones and full of joy and gratitude,” he said. “And together, may we all play our own small part in the American story, and write a next chapter that future generations can be thankful for.”

The House passed a measure earlier this month making it more difficult for Syrian refugees fleeing the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) to enter the country.

Republicans have cast doubt on whether refugees can be properly vetted to ensure that they are not terrorists.

At least one assailant in the Nov. 13 Paris terrorist attack, in which 130 people were killed, is suspected of entering France posed as a migrant.

I see a lot of boneheaded rhetoric coming from both sides and good arguments for and against.

I hope FA readers enjoy their time with family and friends and feel gratitude for all that we have in our lives; and feel genuine compassion for those less fortunate than ourselves.

There’s a great piece in the WSJ on Squanto, for those not so familiar with the role Tisquantum played in American history. Full article here for those who aren’t paid subscribers.

Merry Thanksgiving! I am blessed to be an American.

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While I am sympathetic to the plight of Syrian refugees….., I also find legitimate concerns as well.

I totally agree with this.
One of my concerns is that Obama is allowing the U.N. to do the vetting.
But the U.N. is so over-run by Islamist countries that Christian refugees are not vetted as often as Muslim ones.
10-20% of Syria was Christian.
But only 2% of U.N. vetted refugees are Christians.
something is off.
Kind of like how often Christians are thrown overboard the refugee-filled boats off the coast of Greece.

Getting them signed up for benefits: 1620s

The lies come out of his mouth faster than his lip move. Surprise! bet he has no idea who is daddy is? The difference between his cheque an welfare is the colour, of course it is not black…………