Pardon Me Please!!!

By Cody McCann

The holiday season is definitely upon us, and amongst the traditions such as going Shopping on Black Friday, the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, and going to Grandma's on Christmas morning is one tradition which may not be very old, but gains national news coverage; the pardoning of the National Turkey. While it is unclear who started the tradition of pardoning the turkey the only presidents who we can be certain to have actually PARDONED the bird were George H.W. Bush, William J. Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack H. Obama. Stories exist that Kennedy when presented with the bird said "lets just keep him" but didn't officially pardon the bird, Truman may have pardoned a turkey in 1947 (the first year that the National Turkey Federation and the Poultry and Egg Board presented the president with a Turkey) but the Truman Presidential Library can not find documentation to support that claim, and another story exists that Lincoln pardoned his son Tad's pet turkey.

While every President since the Missouri native has received turkeys from The NTF (National Turkey Federation), I just wonder what message pardoning the bird sends. I know that the whole event is supposed to be light hearted and a feel good ceremony, and that there is another bird being cooked in the White House kitchen as the ceremony goes on outside. According to the NTF they estimate that 68 million turkeys were consumed Thanksgiving and Christmas last year, and is one of the holiday staples. But are the president and the NTF sending the wrong message?

The Presidents public statement that they are not going to eat the turkey could be telling the public that it is better to not eat turkey, by pardoning it is to personify it, and personification of animals is the primary tactic of Animal Rights groups. Its not too far of a stretch of the imagination for PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) or HSUS (Humane Society of the United States) to have an ad campaign next Thanksgiving showing clips of pardoning's past and then some commercial turkey farm and trying to make the case that why should only one be sparred when millions of other turkeys are not.

Ok so I know that most people are still going to fight over the drumstick during the holidays no matter what HSUS and PETA says, simply because it is tradition, but that type of message may be able to convince a segment of society to have a Tofu Turkey instead, and thats not what is best for Agriculture. So Mr. Obama in 2011 I would prefer not to see a turkey pardoned, but rather images of Sasha and Malia pulling the wish bone, or the president carving the bird, as it sends a better message to the public; that the first family prefers  their poultry on a platter rather than pardoned.

Works Cited

Brunner, Borgna, and Mark Hughes. "Presidential Pardon ." Infoplease. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2010.   

            <http://www.infoplease.com/spot/tgturkey2.html>.

Edwards, Cynthia. "Did Truman Pardon a Turkey?." Harry S. Truman Library & Museum. N.p., 5 Dec. 2003. Web. 13 Dec. 
             2010. <http://www.trumanlibrary.org/trivia/turkey.htm>.

Knoller, Mark. "The History of the Presidential Turkey Pardon ." CBS News Politics. CBS News, 25 Nov. 2009. Web. 13 Dec. 2010. <http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-5774739-503544.html>.

"Turkey History & Trivia." Turkey the Perfect Protein. National Turkey Federation, 2010. Web. 13 Dec. 2010. <http://www.eatturkey.com/consumer/history/history.html>.