Sentiments of a Redneck Thanksgiving...

I will be honest that I haven't exactly spent my entire life in VA.  In fact, my family only lived there for about 6 or so years before we moved.  I was there for less than that.  But in that relatively small time, we were sure good at picking up on a few "primola" redneck habits and/or pastimes.  This Thanksgiving was one good way of our proving to ourselves that we did indeed still have a little bit of VA in us.  Without further ado, here's a few pictures that help illustrate my point...

 

Yup... that's a picture of a big ole' turkey just cooking away in a big deep fryer.  Now, on one hand, you have the fact that this is indeed pretty "redneckesque."  But on the other hand, and this is something that must be stressed, it was absolutely ridiculously delicious.  In fact this isn't the first time we've prepared our turkey like this, and there is a reason for it, because it is just plain down home cookin' good.  Here's a picture of my Dad enjoying himself, perhaps a little too much: 

There's the setup!  If any of you have not tried frying your turkey, then next year by all means bring up the idea, you won't regret it.  You may feel a bit like a redneck-ish... but as long as you read up on it and make sure you don't burn your house down, you'll be in "delish" city.  That's a redneck promise from the Cavender household.

Hope you all enjoyed your turkey and fixins...

Thoughts as Thanksgiving is upon us...

Weird, a cannibal turkey...

  

When I first looked at this picture, the first thing that caught my attention was this little dude's eyes.  Pretty smug, creepy look wouldn't ya say?  It's like this guy really sincerely thinks he fits in and won't get eaten himself.  I guess that's an easier way to look at things then this next little turkey man is considering his present circumstances...

I think this turkey is still holding onto tiny scraps of hope that someone 

will think he's good to go.  I respect him a little more than the first turkey, since at least he hasn't given up on his small hope for continued existence. 

Most people after Thanksgiving will look a little like this:

 

(I'm sorry I had to force that on you).

Let's hope that that's not the case for me.  First of all, ewwww.  Secondly, and perhaps far more important actually, I really don't think I look very good in a neon green bikini of any size.  This is a guess based entirely on assumption, not actual experience, I promise.  I think someone somewhere is looking for their tent fly, which unfortunately has been stolen and forced into stretchy, torturous labor.  It's not doing a good job either, especially if part of it's job description is to cover...well...anything.     

That's really I've got in my head right now.   

Done with it...

I have officially decided that I won't have anymore blogs based in politics. There are a good number of reasons for this, but the most important, I feel, is that I'm kinda done getting pointed at even by friends just because I don't agree with Obama. No government is perfect, exactly, and that's why I have the right to question policies. I apologize that I disagree with certain people on certain things, but in the long run that's what makes this nation so great. I don't have to believe the same thing that everyone else does. And there is nothing wrong with that. The tough part is that I never said that anyone who agreed with Obama was wrong, but have heard that I myself am wrong for not agreeing with him. Don't really understand that one, especially since the biggest controversy of the election this year has probably been prop. 8, and my idea of what should happen is actually identical to whose? Yup, Obama's. Funny how that works. And for those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, yes, Pres. elect Barack Obama supports bans on gay marriage, and has openly declared his belief that marriage is indeed between a man and a woman.

As to my choice to not vote... I believe it's just as much a right in this country to exercise your right to not vote as it is to vote. If you don't because you just don't care, then ya, stay out of politics. But if you don't because (as I've said before) A) you don't agree with any of the candidates, and B) you live in Utah and your vote means nothing (yes, even on a county and city level), then that's a personal choice, and it means nothing as to revoking your right to voice an opinion. I did vote, in the primaries when there was a candidate I believed in. When I see another one that deserves it, I'll vote for him too.

As I said though, that's it, all I have to say on the topic. Don't expect anything else about it, and I apologize to anyone who found these particular thoughts, or those of earlier blogs offensive.

Thoughts...

Ok, so now that the deed is indeed done and we as a country have "made history," I've begun to hear from several different political analysts and supporters a comparison of Barack Obama to Abraham Lincoln.  Technically there is not much other than their similar background, rise in youth and origin in obscurity.  Both of them had messages based in "change."  But how similar is it really beyond that point?  Let's see what Honest Abe had to say about it...

"You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.

You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.

You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.

You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down.

You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.

You cannot build character and courage by taking away people's initiative and independence.

You cannot help people permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves."  

I want to have faith in Obama's change.  I am not as certain as other "conservatives" that it's the end of the world because Obama is president elect.  I, to be honest, wouldn't even really call myself a Republican nowadays because of how many times we've seen Republican "conservative" politicians involved in ridiculous scandals where they've taken horrible advantage of their positions.  But one thing I do hope for is that this "spread the wealth" economic plan does not do exactly that which Lincoln here is counseling against.  I don't want to be taxed someday because I make money in order to pay for the life of those who don't.  I've seen personally too many welfare families to believe they just plain can't do anything about their poverty.  I don't buy that.

"Socialism" or not...  I can't say I have too much faith in the system yet...