It's Hot as Hell In Philadelphia

It is slated to be 97 degrees in Philadelphia as the Democrat National Convention starts at the Wells Fargo Center.  The estimated 50,000 protester will be sweltering outside but they will be separated from the proceeding by an four mile security fence, colloquially called the Bernie Barrier.  Who said that Democrats were against Security Walls?

The broiling conditions outside calls into question the wisdom of calling a convention in the City of Brotherly Love in late July.  The Founding Fathers had a good reason for convening in a locale which the musical musical 1776 (1972) exclaimed "It's hot as hell in Phil-a-del-ph-a" -- it was the colonial capital. 

Flippant Food for Thought on Turkey Day

As most Americans are recovering from their tryptophan induced comas from enjoying the bounty of a Thanksgiving meal, it is worth considering that had Ben Franklin had his way, America’s national bird might have been a turkey.

In a letter to his daughter in 1782, Ben Franklin championed the virtues of the turkey over the bald eagle.  Franklin wrote:

For the Truth the Turkey is in Comparison a much more respectable Bird, and withal a true original Native of America... He is besides, though a little vain & silly, a Bird of Courage, and would not hesitate to attack a Grenadier of the British Guards who should presume to invade his Farm Yard with a red Coat on.

Franklin’s spirited defense of the flightless fowl was depicted in the 1972 Peter Hunt directed film 1776.



In defense of the colonial sage, Franklin was probably referring to barnyard turkeys protecting their territory rather than the feckless wild turkeys who tended to run and hide from intruders.

So as we consider the manifold blessings bestowed upon America, we should thank God that we feast upon the turkey rather than festoon it as our national icon.