Grateful Thanksgiving

by Bob McDowell, Contributing Author: As we enter the fourth full week of November, it becomes the time that we, in the USA, pause to observe our annual "THANKSGIVING DAY" on the fourth Thursday of November. If historical reports are true, and I have no reason to doubt, the first one occurred in 1493 after the harvest of the first full year living in the ‘New World’ of the Puritan Christians who had fled the persecution of the British Crown and it’s ‘Anglican Church’.

Their departure from ‘home’ to Holland was followed by the same treatment from the Roman Catholic Church there. They then risked all to find freedom to practice their faith as they understood it, and indeed, it has been reported that by November of 1493 half of them had died, either from starvation, disease, or freezing, including the wife of the leader.

Little reported was the fact that they originally practiced what we now call a ‘Communist’ society where their local government owned all property and each was to work for the common good and all were to share in the successes. As is usually the case, there were some who did most of the productive work while some others expected to benefit from that work. When they found that to not be effective, they turned to property ownership where each had their own land and could ‘make it or break’ from their own efforts.

Of course, it has been well covered that they had substantial help from friendly tribesmen and women it the arts of farming and hunting. And the Indians were invited to the first Thanksgiving dinner. While appreciation was the underlying theme of the invitation, it stands to reason that the possibility of evangelism was not overlooked.

Now, 523 years later, we come to another observance of this solemn occasion and celebration. In 2016, we have just completed the most divisive and contentious presidential campaigns in my memory. One filled with myriad lies and, in my opinion, vote fraud activities. The end of this two year ordeal is quite enough reason to be completely thankful.

But there is far more. We are privileged to live in a nation that is unique in the history of the World. A nation that was founded on the principles of government being limited in power by a, in my opinion, GOD inspired Constitution. One where a person’s body and property were supposed to be protected and not owned by the government. Where each person’s freedom was limited by the length of arm of each other person. Where each of us would be free to follow the faith we were drawn to, so long as others were not actually harmed by our actions.

For the last 28 years, I believe that these freedoms and property rights have been under continuing and increasing attacks by elected officials who seemed, or even announced, to be determined to ‘fundamentally change America’. In this their efforts, these officials were aided and abetted by a continually increasing size of like minded bureaucrats who believe their duty was to publish more restrictive regulations  And the end effect was the lowering of our prosperity, standard of living, and freedoms.

Now, the past presidential election appears to have yielded a person professing to believe in the ‘rule of law’ and restoration of the greatness of the USA.  And,  we who revere the Constitution and rule of law have an even greater reason to be thankful to the GOD who must have heard the massive number of prayers uttered by the previously "silent majority."  Hopefully this will bring about a return and renewal of the original ‘covenant’ with GOD  who  has for so long kept us under HIS protection. I am looking forward to the new administration with optimism that we will once again be free of the biases that have been prevalent in that time.

May HE richly bless, comfort and prosper you during this Thanksgiving and in the future years!
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Robert "Bob" McDowell, Jr. is a retired Professional Engineer and Geologist with over 50 years experience in creating drilling prospects, supervising drilling, well completion, production operation, and pipeline design for oil and gas including repair of problem wells. McDowell is a conservative activist and member of the Oklahoma Republican Assembly. He Contributes opinion and commentary articles to the ARRA News Service.

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