Welcome back to another installment of the Watercooler, RedState’s daily Open Thread! Today, we’ve got…

Musings on Thankfulness

I thought since Thanksgiving is upon us I’d maintain a little tradition I’ve picked up and kept on every year that I’ve participated in various internet communities, from wargaming to aviation to scale modeling to politics to firearms, and bring it to RedState–and with all the news about treacherous politicians and duplicitous media, I thought we could use a little something positive to brighten spirits for the holidays. Just one simple question I’d like to invite you all to ponder whether you post an answer here or not, and I’ll go first: What are YOU thankful for this Thanksgiving?

For me, in no particular order since all of these have been of great importance to the life I’ve lived and making me the man (or something passing for one) I am today:

• Having been lucky enough to live a life where I’ve never known real need and little want–never had to learn what it’s like to worry about keeping the heat on or a roof over my head or where my next meal’s coming from.
• Living in a country where I have the freedom to pursue whatever path my heart and mind lead me to that my body and means will let me, rather than someplace that forcibly pounds “square pegs” into whatever round hole needs filling.
• My family, what few I have still living, and friends, what few of them I’ve had and managed to stay in touch with.
• A supportive Significant Other who’s put up with my crazy ass through all these years across the many miles of a long-distance long-term relationship, who’s been there to support me through some of my darkest times of loss over those years and despite being an internalizing, go-it-alone sort sometimes letting me in to help her with hers, and not only tolerates my gun-nuttery but encourages it and even wants to Join The Fun herself. (When your GF is a foreign national that thinks the principles of the Second Amendment should be not just USA but worldwide, and include anything that can be kept and borne by a single operator, anytime, anywhere, by anyone not a danger to self or others, you know you have a keeper–I just wish we could get the cross-border issues and a few other things squared away so I could put a ring on her finger, even with the knowledge that such a union would be more likely For Poorer than Richer and In Sickness than Health.)
• Stronger and better men than I who’ve taken the watch through the night in faraway lands and on our streets defending the homeland so all I have to watch over is my humble little homestead, such as it is, and those dwelling therein.
• The many, many men and women who’ve generously shared their wisdom and experiences with me over the decades, most asking nothing in return, the others asking only that I share with others as they shared with me, or that when the time comes for their stories to be told that I make sure they’re told right.
• A just, merciful and wise Creator who truly does, as Bismarck said, take special care of fools, children and the USA, and for some reason utterly incomprehensible to any except Him, particularly takes better care of me than I deserve.
• Far better people than I who tolerate my presence within their ranks, and help keep me generally tacking along the right path toward becoming something better than what it is my nature to be.

Well, that’s enough from me… I yield the floor to you guys, for anyone who feels like sharing to do so.

This Week In History

• Sunday, 11/19: Jay’s Treaty signed, 1794; Gettysburg Address, 1863; National Review‘s first issue published, 1955
• Monday, 11/20: New Jersey (oh, the irony) first state to ratify Bill of Rights, 1789; Marines land on Tarawa, 1943; Windows 1.0 public release, 1985
• Tuesday, 11/21: Mayflower Compact signed, 1620; Edison reveals phonograph, 1877; Son Tay POW-camp raid, 1970
• Wednesday, 11/22: Blackbeard killed off North Carolina coast, 1718; Hood begins Franklin-Nashville counteroffensive, 1864; JFK assassination, 1963
• Thursday, 11/23: Battle of Chattanooga begins, 1863; American forces leave Veracruz, 1914; IBM’s Simon introduced as world’s first smartphone, 1992
• Friday, 11/24: Texas Rangers established, 1835; Battle of Lookout Mountain, 1863; Apollo 12 splashdown, 1969; D. B. Cooper skyjacking, 1971
• Saturday, 11/25: Last Redcoats leave NYC, 1783; Battle of Missionary Ridge, 1863; B-26 Marauder bomber first flies, 1940

Today’s Birthdays: First Lady Abigail Adams, 1744; engineer Harley Earl, 1893; aviator Wiley Post, 1898; filmmaker Terry Gilliam, 1940; actress Jamie Lee Curtis, 1958.

Holidays Around the World: Azerbaijan observes Day of Justice, Albania has Day of the Albanian Alphabet and Costa Rica celebrates Teacher’s Day.

This Week In History is compiled with assistance from History.com and Wikipedia. Something interesting not listed here? Please share in the Comments section–this is an Audience Participation Encouraged featurette.

Gratuitous Gun Giveaways

• *American Handgunner magazine, for an SCCY CPX-3 .380ACP or Glock 19 Gen 5 9mm pistol package: http://americanhandgunner.com/giveaway/
• *Guns Magazine, for a Canik TP9 SFx 9mm, CZ-USA P-10C 9mm, Coonan Arms .357 Magnum 1911 or Auto-Ordnance 1911BKOW WWII-style .45 pistol package: http://gunsmagazine.com/giveaway/
• Davidson’s Gallery of Guns, for a Henry Golden Boy 2nd Amendment Tribute Edition .22LR lever-action rifle or lever-action .410 shotgun: https://ggg.galleryofguns.com/
• *Aero Precision, for a custom AR15: http://gvwy.io/w0oxqya
• GrabAGun, for a Savage Model 11 Long Range Hunter 6.5 Creedmoor bolt-action rifle: http://grabagun.com/giveaway
• Springfield Armory, for assorted XD and 1911 pistols and SAINT 5.56mm AR15 pistols and rifles: http://www.springfield-armory.com/resources/giveaways/

*Note: FMG Publishing giveaways require you to provide an FFL dealer’s info at entry. Aero Precision giveaways give me one entry each per person who uses my referral link.

Quote of the Day

Cherish all your happy moments; they make a fine cushion for old age.–Christopher Morley

As always, the Watercooler is an Open Thread. And as so eloquently coined by ntrepid, “Thanks for the click! Your effort helps fund future posts of this nature.”

“It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong.”–Voltaire

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