Presidential turkey pardons
Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2007 4:29 pm
Saw a newspaper photo today of Bush doing the traditional Thanksgiving turkey pardon. One thing that comes to mind: Well, at least he'll remove somebody's death sentence.
But putting aside this particular president, does the tradition strike you guys as silly? Far be it from me to object to an innocent animal not getting killed, but as a gesture, it seems meaningless. More often than not, the same president is going to eat another turkey for Thanksgiving. The pardoned turkey, I'm sure, is chosen at random, not for being the most well-behaved or even the most photogenic.
Also, doesn't "pardon" imply that the turkey has been charged with an offense? Is it pardoned for happening to be a turkey?
But putting aside this particular president, does the tradition strike you guys as silly? Far be it from me to object to an innocent animal not getting killed, but as a gesture, it seems meaningless. More often than not, the same president is going to eat another turkey for Thanksgiving. The pardoned turkey, I'm sure, is chosen at random, not for being the most well-behaved or even the most photogenic.
Also, doesn't "pardon" imply that the turkey has been charged with an offense? Is it pardoned for happening to be a turkey?