Redneck Review
No. 83 11/21/2016
With an eye fixed firmly on this coming Thursday, and the truly American celebration we call Thanksgiving, let's pause awhile, catch our political breath, and ponder the things we have in this country for which we should be truly thankful! And along with the thoughts which go through our minds, and hearts, let's add a prayer or two, or three..., or more!
For starters, what do we owe those early pioneers who risked life and limb to leave their old homes, cross a perilous ocean, and struggle to set up a new life in a country unknown to them other than stories heard from different sources? How many hundreds of deaths are hidden in the unreported pages of history, of those who never made it, who perished on a stormy sea, or died along with hundreds of others during periods like the "starving time" which struck early families in Jamestown? We rarely think of this, but cannot help but be reminded when we see stories like those in our local news lately. The Lewiston Tribune reported Nov.18 that "Four Mediterranean Sea shipwrecks in the last 2.5 days have caused about 340 migrants to die or go missing, making 2016 the deadliest year on record...bringing to over 4500 the number of migrants who have died or are missing" attempting to cross from Africa to southern Europe.
And how thankful should we be that some 600,000 fathers, brothers, cousins, and friends gave their lives in the brutal battle it took to give freedom to the slave culture in our so easily forgotten Civil War? True, we have endured almost constant warfare during our last several decades, but no where near the personal body count history records then. We must admit it seems, that our present generations have lived during unusual periods of peace that have been rare in the annals of history. Seems our most dangerous moments nowadays are the riots of the unhappy because a certain presidential candidate failed to get elected! Or else the deadly outbreak of some unhappy individual who takes out a vicious vengeance on other innocent people because of some perceived wrong that has been done.
In what other country, past or present, can the poorest of the population receive all kinds of benefits from a paternal government: free food, free education, free medical care, low cost entertainment from TV that can be found in nearly every home, and still be the envy of many less fortunate outside of our borders? How many families do we read about who are today desperately migrating to other areas? And oh yes, how many very unfortunate families and individuals do we see struggling to enter our land, a recent wave that threatens to engulf us and overwhelm the free society they find here?
Yes, America! It is time and Thursday is the day, we should pause and give thanks for the unique blessings we have been given. It is time we widen our understanding, and then very humbly admit we are the most fortunate people in all of recorded history! Perhaps a careful reading of times past or of conditions elsewhere would help give us a new perspective, and one which would make us more thankful for what we have! Maybe each of us could put together an impressive food or gift package that could appear suddenly and without any identification on the doorstep of some less fortunate family! Maybe we could pick out some reliable charity or food bank which could deliver the gift for us! Maybe it would also be very worthwhile for each of us to say a fervent prayer of thanks for what we have and been given!
O Lord and heavenly Father, we thank you for life in America and the good things we should be thankful for: families, freedom, food, and relative tranquility! We pray and beg You to bring peace and happiness to our country and to the many people who live in our troubled world! 
Jake Wren

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