Paradox of the Poultry Pardon

"You can tell what a nation is like by the way it treats its turkeys"

In just a few days, we will once again endure the annual spectacle of the President of the United States pardoning a turkey that would otherwise have been fated for the Thanksgiving table. So this is a good time to ask why a nation that bemoans the bloated prison system and proclaims that "life is all about second chances" is--on the matter of clemency--one of the stingiest in the world?

1) Put another way: If a turkey deserves a second chance, why not America's Prisoners?

2) Which States/ Countries are part of the unique club that still have the death penalty?

3) How does the United States' rate of capital punishment compare to the rest of the world?

4) Is the death penalty 'Cruel and Unusual' punishment?

5) Which modern US President has given the most pardons?

6) If you were President who would you pardon? Why?

7) What can/ should be done to fix America's bloated prison system?

8) Which Presidents have given the most pardons?  The least?

Beg Your Pardon?!

Each year since 1947, the National Turkey Federation and the Poultry and Egg National Board have given a turkey to the President of the United States at a White House ceremony. Since then, presidents have been more likely to eat the turkey rather than give it a reprieve. A notable exception occurred in 1963, when President Kennedy, referring to the turkey given to him, said, "Let's just keep him." It wasn't until the first Thanksgiving of President George H.W. Bush, in 1989, that a turkey was officially pardoned for the first time.

For fifteen years through 2004, the turkeys were given to Kidwell Farm, a petting zoo at Frying Pan Park in Herndon, Virginia. The turkeys would receive a last minute pardon before arriving, and were then led to their new home at the Turkey Barn after enduring a turkey "roast" full of poultry humor and history.

In 2005 and 2006, however, Presdident George W. Bush continued his father's traditions but the turkeys were flown to Disneyland in California where they served as honorary grand marshals for Disneyland's Thanksgiving Day parade. After that, they spent the rest of their lives at a Disneyland ranch. A spot in sunny Disneyland seems immensely preferable to a place called Frying Pan Park.

1) How has this tradition been kept ALIVE?

2) What is a real pardon and how is it used?

3) How have Presidents abused pardon power?

4) Can a President pardon himself?

5) Is the death penalty cruel and unusual punishment? Why or why not?

Want to pardon a turkey of your own? Click here.

Who Do You Trust?

1) Who do you trust the most?  Friends? Family? Yourself?

2) What conclusions can we draw from this chart?  Who ranked high/ low?

3) When was this survey taken?  Have the numbers changed? Why/not?

4) Can polls and pollsters be trusted? Why/not?

5) Should we trust our first impressions about a person?

6) Who is the most trusted person in America? Do you agree?  Why/  not?

Full Disclosure

In Chapter 9 Brooke proposed that reporters aren't supposed to make the world better.

Their job is to tell us what is going on, so WE can make it better...

Would you trust them more if you knew more about them?

Video conferencing is pulling back the curtain on our private lives, as our friends  & colleagues finally get a peek into our homes. Correspondent Mo Rocca talks with designer Jonathan Adler, fashion commentator Simon Doonan, and New York Times critic-at-large Amanda Hess about what Zoom is divulging about us.

1) What can we learn about our reporters and celebrities by 'peeking' into their living rooms and offices?

2) Do you trust them more or less? Why?

3) What is in your 'Zoom' background and what does it 'disclose' about you?

Objectivity pt. 1

Objectivity emerged as a selling point in American Journalism when the price of a newspaper dropped to a penny.  In 1833 The New York Sun slashed the price of their paper to multiply readership and increase advertising.  Profits soared.

Yet all around their was a grinding, dehumanizing poverty reflected in the eyes of these 'newsies' selling papers on city streets.  Before WWI people viewed the world as being cruel but rich with opportunity.  Horatio Alger novels told stories of how the humblest orphans could ascend into the middle class through hard work.

This view changed following the war.  As damaged soldiers returned home with stories and the hideous and meaningless death of millions of young men a deep cynicism sets in and 'Dadaism' is born.  Its basic philosophy:  everything is meaningless.

Should Voting be Mandatory?

Do the election results for Butler County confirm or refute this graph?

What should the title of this map be?  What do the colors represent?  What other conclusions can we draw from this map?  Who votes more:  educated or non-educated? Rich or poor?  If you were running for office where would you campaign?

Over twenty countries have some form of compulsory voting which requires citizens to register to vote and to go to their polling place or vote on election day. Should the United States be next?

Read the Discussion

Who is in favor of Compulsory Voting?  Opposed?  What do you think?

Why shouldn't you be forced to vote?

Why are we making voting harder, not easier, for many Americans?