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The Search for Freedom and a Better Life

What most Americans now commonly call the “First Thanksgiving” was a religious event celebrated to give thanks to God for guiding the Pilgrims safely to the New World. It is the story of dissenters rejected by English society, who came to America in search of religious freedom and a better life.

Having arrived in the New World, these early settlers gave thanks to the Author of Life for granting them safe passage to this abundant land and protecting them through a bitter winter â€" along with the help of some generous Native Americans.

In his Thansgiving Proclamation for 2012, President Barack Obama and his staff writers get history wrong. He attributes the first official day to President George Washington on October 3, 1789.

The very first official Thanksgiving Day in America was actually declared on October 11, 1782, by the Continental Congress.

Take time to go back and read that document and you will understand why current “politically correct” types will be shocked at its overt religious character.

Might one of our modern sins be the conversion of a national day of thankful prayer into an orgy of shopping, gastronomic gluttony and family friction fueled by alcohol and intolerance?


Thanksgiving officially has been an annual national tradition since 1863, when during the Civil War President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving to be celebrated on Thursday, November 26.

Both the proclamations of Lincoln and Washington emphasized the religious aspect of the day. Washington said: “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.”

Certainly among the many things for which we should be thankful are family and friends. When all else fails, it is to family and friends we turn for help and support. This annual family holiday underscores just such ties and their vital importance.

Gratitude defines us at our best. It does this by pointing away from self toward others, or toward a Higher Power some of us choose to call God.

So, too, our national day of Thanksgiving reminds us that there always is hope that life can be good and better â€" especially so in the United States of America, even in times of economic suffering and social turmoil.

So take a few minutes to review and understand the true meaning of this Thanksgiving Day. We should give thanks and be grateful for our liberty, thanks for those who fought and died to preserve it, for our own family and friends, most important among our many blessings.

And let us be thankful that we have our fantastic website where we can post anything to our heart's content. But we should not abuse this privilege and refrain from degrading our fellow members like what a legend is doing.


We can all count and realize our blessings this Thanksgiving 2012 and be grateful.

It is my wish that you and your loved ones experience a very enjoyable Thanksgiving in the true historic sense of the day â€" and in the coming days may God bless you and our America.

Faithfully yours,

ZANGGO

Prosperity Prayer

Prayer connects us to the Universe (God, All-That-Is) and provides us with a way to receive help, insight and wisdom.

The “Prosperity Prayer” began circulating around the world via the Internet in 2001. Since then, many have reported they’ve found new work, received unexpected sources of money, and experienced a renewed faith as the result of making the “Prosperity Prayer” a part of their lives.


“The Prosperity Prayer”

Dear God â€"

I surrender my financial affairs and concerns about money to your Divine care and love.

I ask that you remove my worries, anxieties and fears about money, and replace them with faith.

I know and trust that my debts will be paid and money will flow into my life.

I have only to look to nature to see proof of the abundance you provide.

I release all negative thoughts about money, and know that prosperity is my true state.

I commit to being grateful for all that I now have in my life.

I learn to manage my finances wisely, seeking help where needed.

And finally, I ask you to help me understand my purpose in life and to act on that purpose with courage and strength. I know that prosperity will come, in part, by doing work I love. Please help me use my skills and knowledge to be of service in the world.

Thank you, God.

Amen

Mitt Romney could have easily won the presidential election if he and his party had realized that they were turning people off, according to Matt Taibbi.

"If they were self-aware at all, Mitt Romney would probably be president right now," Taibbi wrote in a blog post for Rolling Stone late Thursday.

He argued that Republicans' message about financial responsibility could resonate with a lot of people, but unfortunately it is a cover for their belief that women and minorities are "parasites."

Modern Republicans "have so much of their own collective identity wrapped up in the belief that they're surrounded by free-loading, job-averse parasites who not only want to smoke weed and have recreational abortions all day long, but want hardworking white Christians like them to pay the tab," Taibbi wrote. "Their whole belief system...is inherently insulting to everyone outside the tent â€" and you can't win votes when you're calling people lazy, stoned moochers."

Minorities and women voted overwhelmingly for Obama in the presidential election. Fifty-five percent of women voted for Obama, according to CNN's exit polls. Obama also won nearly three-quarters of the Latino vote, more than 90 percent of the black vote, and 73 percent of the Asian-American vote, according to exit polls.

Some comments by Romney may have played a role. Romney told donors in a video leaked before the election that 47 percent of Americans "are dependent upon government," "believe that they are victims," and "believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it."

President Barack Obama trounced Romney in the electoral college, winning 332 electoral votes compared to Romney's 206. But the election was not a total victory for Democrats. Obama won the popular vote by a closer margin: 50.5 percent compared to Romney's 48.0 percent. Republicans also kept the House of Representatives, and Democrats did not gain enough seats in the Senate to prevent future filibusters by Republicans.

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