Misc. Reflections on Thanksgiving Weekend

A few quick comments on some loose ends and items that attracted passing attention this week.....

Obama and the Peace Prize - I don't have much to add to the extensive analysis and mostly negative reaction to Obama being awarded the Nobel Prize. It seems even Obama himself was surprised and most of his supporters agree that this is premature at best. When Al Gore was awarded the prize two years ago, I opined that it was time to rename the prize in order to preserve the honour that previous worthy recepients deserved. Yesterday's events simply confirm the validity of that argument.

Ignatieff down but not out - There is little doubt that the past month has been tough for the Liberal leader and for the many reasons I have repeatedly outlined here, I think he has made significant mistakes in his strategy. All that being said, I am a bit surprised skimming the columns on Newswatch today to see how the tone of the columnists is coming close to writing him off. I think it is a bit premature. I would guess he is learning well at the University of Political Hard Knocks and soon will have a much better literacy in political gamesmanship. It is hardly a sure thing, but the electorate is quite fickle and the outcome of a 2010 /11 election is quite up in the air.

Alberta in the News - I notice the Globe today has a feature on Danielle Smith and the Wildrose Alliance which follows an op-ed on the same general subject by yours truly they published earlier in the week. This national attention is following a poll released earlier this week which suggested the WRA was in a statistical tie with the Liberals for second place against the struggling Tories. There are lots of "buts and maybes" that could cause this plot to go in almost any direction, but given the stature of some of the players involved, this is no ordinary "fringe party" uprising - something significant is happening in the politics of this province and it will be interesting to try and monitor it. Given the significance of the Alberta economy in the national scene, it is not simply a matter of provincial significance either.

Thanksgiving - I was asked by an American colleague this week about the origins of the Canadian Thanksgiving Day (and implicitly, why we hold it on the second Monday of October rather than the third Thursday of November.) I did not know and so just looked it up. Turns out Canadian Thanksgiving started 43 years before the American Pilgrims landed although it wasn't til 1879 (just 12 years after Confederation I would point out) that the holiday was formalized by Parliament. It also turns out Martin Frobisher's thankfulness for safely landing in Newfoundland in 1578 also has something to do with it.

Whatever the historical reasons, it is an important holiday to celebrate as the giving of thanks reminds us that what we have is not deserved but a gift from God. We will be spending Thanksgiving Day worshipping with our local congregation to be followed by an intimate family meal with the three of us, and then some visiting with friends later in the day.

Blogging is unlikely to be on the menu. Have a enjoyable Thanksgiving. See you next week.