Thanksgiving 2020

There are good reasons, of course, we may wish to forget the year 2020, which need not be recited here. Indeed, the jokes about ushering 2020 out the door are already legion, like this one: "I'm going to stay up on New Year's Eve this year. Not to see the New Year in, but to make sure this one leaves." Or this one: "The dumbest thing I ever did was to purchase a 2020 planner."

But Thanksgiving, by definition, is not a time of forgetting, but rather of remembering. The act of giving thanks – and counting blessings – necessarily requires remembrance.

On this particular Thanksgiving, especially in the midst of our current travails, we should not forget that this is the 400^th anniversary of the Mayflower voyage, the founding of Plymouth Colony, and the signing, on November 11, 1620, of the Mayflower Compact. Less than half of the 102 passengers aboard the Mayflower were members of the English separatist group that earlier had fled to Leyden in the Netherlands in search of religious freedom. It was only later that the entire group became known as Pilgrims.

The Mayflower Compact, brief as it is, is worthy of more attention than it has received on this 400^th anniversary, during a year in which so much attention has been focused on America's supposed ills rather than the ideas and ideals embodied in its foundational principles. The Mayflower's original destination was near the mouth of the Hudson River. But when rough seas blew the Mayflower off-course and the Pilgrims landed at what is now Plymouth, they understood that they were in territory beyond the authority that they had been granted. Hence the need for an agreement – which we now call the Mayflower Compact and which the Pilgrims called a "covenant" – to govern their affairs. The covenant was signed by all 41 of the male passengers aboard the Mayflower.

The agreement declares the Pilgrims' purpose "to covenant & combine ourselves together into a civill body politick, for our better ordering, & preservation & furtherance of the ends" of planting a colony. And it continues, "to enacte, constitute, and frame shuch just & equall lawes, ordinances, Acts, constitutions, & offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meete & convenient for the generall good of the Colonie: unto which we promise all submission and obedience." I've retained the original spelling here, but hopefully the meaning is clear.

The Compact is simple but nevertheless foundational as a declaration of self-government. Those combining together in a "civil body politic" agree to submit to the rule of law under "just and equal" laws, not merely any laws.

The Compact was not a full-blown plan of government. That would await the Constitution of 1787. But it was a foundation upon which future advances in self-government would be built. And in light of the principles established in November 1620 on the Mayflower, the Compact is an important part of the American story.

Fully half of the Mayflower's Pilgrims died of disease and starvation in their first winter in the New World. So there was reason enough for those who survived to assemble in the autumn of 1621 for a feast of "Thanksgiving" with the Pokanoket Wampanoags, who had shared advice on planting and harvesting.

The year 2020 will always be associated with this pandemic, which has caused so much suffering. But in America, as always, we have much for which to be grateful on this Thanksgiving. The prospect of a highly effective vaccine developed in record time, along with the quickening availability of more proven therapeutics, is reason enough to be hopeful – and thankful.

Of course, for many, our Thanksgiving holiday necessarily will be much different this year than ever before, or even than we had envisioned a couple of weeks ago. But amidst whatever other thoughts we entertain this Thanksgiving, recalling the Mayflower Compact should be cause for celebrating the 400^th anniversary of an agreement articulating what became fundamental American principles – rule by consent of the governed under just and equal laws.

In closing, it is worth recalling this Thanksgiving, as much now as when James Madison published Federalist No. 14 on November 30, 1787, his plea to his fellow countrymen: "Harken not to the unnatural voice which tells you that the people of America, knit together as they are by so many cords of affection, can no longer live together as members of the same family."

May this Thanksgiving help bring us all closer to our families, friends, and countrymen, bound together by what Madison called our "many cords of affection." 

With best wishes,

Thanksgiving Day 2012

Five years ago in my Thanksgiving message, I explained that I eagerly awaited the Wednesday-before-Thanksgiving Wall Street Journal almost as eagerly as the Thanksgiving Day turkey and stuffing. Well, almost, but not quite. 

But I do look forward each Thanksgiving eve to the Journal’s reprinting on its editorial page of the very same two lead pieces that have appeared each year since 1961. The first, “The Desolate Wilderness,” is a chronicle, based on the account of William Bradford, of the Pilgrims taking leave of the port of Delftshaven in 1620, crossing the Atlantic, and settling in Plymouth Colony. 

Of the Pilgrims’ journey, William Bradford's account ends this way: 

“Besides, what could they see but a hideous and desolate wilderness, full of wilde beasts and wilde men? and what multitudes of them there were, they then knew not: for which way soever they turned their eyes (save upward to Heaven) they could have but little solace or content in respect of any outward object; for summer being ended, all things stand in appearance with a weatherbeaten face, and the whole country, full of woods and thickets, represented a wild and savage hew. If they looked behind them, there was a mighty ocean they had passed, and was now as a main bar or gulph to separate them from all the civil parts of the world.”

The second, “And the Fair Land,”  written by long-time WSJ editor Vermont Royster, ends this way:

"But we can all remind ourselves that the richness of this country was not born in the resources of the earth, though they be plentiful, but in the men that took its measure. For that reminder is everywhere -- in the cities, towns, farms, roads, factories, homes, hospitals, schools that spread everywhere over that wilderness. We can remind ourselves that for all our social discord we yet remain the longest enduring society of free men governing themselves without benefit of kings or dictators. Being so, we are the marvel and the mystery of the world, for that enduring liberty is no less a blessing than the abundance of the earth. And we might remind ourselves also, that if those men setting out from Delftshaven had been daunted by the troubles they saw around them, then we could not this autumn be thankful for a fair land." 

When these two pieces are read together – and at our Thanksgiving meal we usually read aloud "The Desolate Wilderness" before cutting the turkey – and when we consider America's journey from the land with "a wild and savage hew" in 1620 to the "fair land" described by Vermont Royster in 1961, it is evident we have much for which to be thankful. 

It is worth reminding ourselves, and perhaps particularly so after a closely contested election, that, as Vermont Royster said, "for all our social discord we yet remain the longest enduring society of free men governing themselves without benefit of kings or dictators." 

If the idea of America is about anything, it is about the aspiration of those who inhabit our land to live in freedom under the rule of law, not under the rule of men. This is not to say that the reality of America has always lived up to the idea of America. It obviously hasn't. 

But that should not detract from the fact that the Pilgrims who landed at Plymouth Rock did not come to America primarily seeking riches; they came seeking individual freedom – freedom to worship, speak, and think as they pleased. And most of those who have followed the first Pilgrims to our shores have not come primarily seeking riches; most have come seeking the freedom that America offers, and the opportunity for personal fulfillment that individual liberty provides. 

For me, Thanksgiving is a holiday, of course, for giving thanks for America’s bounty. But it is also a holiday for celebrating, and giving thanks for, the freedom we enjoy, as a self-governing people, under our constitutional system of limited government, separated powers, and checks and balances. 

So, as we celebrate this Thanksgiving, it is worth remembering Ronald Reagan’s injunction: 

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free." 

At the Free State Foundation, we are thankful that we live in a land – unlike many lands around the world – where we are free to advocate the principles in which we believe: limited government, free markets, property rights, the rule of law, and especially, in the context of much of our work in the communications law and policy field, free speech guaranteed by the First Amendment. 

As you enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday, we want you to know we are grateful for your support for our work, and, most of all, for your friendship.

Thanksgiving Day - 2011

If calendars weren't so infallible, and I didn't smell the turkey roasting in the oven, I wouldn't believe it is already Thanksgiving.

But it is. And long-time readers know that I always – well, almost always – try to offer some special thoughts on Memorial Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and New Year's.

Most every day of the year, including often weekend days, here at the Free State Foundation we're focused on espousing free market, property rights, and rule of the law principles. And in order for our work to be impactful, oftentimes we're focused on the nitty-gritty of thinking hard about how to translate those broad principles into sound policy recommendations that enhance the nation's welfare.

There aren't too many days that go by that I don't think, at least for a moment, about how fortunate I am to live in a country where I have the freedom to do what we do at FSF – advocate fundamental principles in which we believe. Too many people around the globe still lack this basic freedom.

So, I am thankful for this First Amendment freedom I have, and I am thankful for our Constitution that guarantees it.

And I am thankful for the opportunity to play a part in the ongoing American experiment in democratic republicanism (note the lower case) that has provided the American people with so much bounty and continuing promise.

Nevertheless, it would be foolish on this Thanksgiving, while rightly giving thanks for America's bounty and its promise, to ignore the serious challenges confronting our country in the months ahead. I especially have in mind today the severe fiscal straits in which we find ourselves, with an ever-rising $15 trillion national debt, the result of years of profligate overspending.

It is not the time today to ascribe blame or to push policy proposals. Instead, I want to share one of my favorite poems. There is something in the simplicity of it, and its simple meaning, that comports with the Thanksgiving spirit. And which does so in a way that makes us think anew about how one person extending a hand to another can make our communities and our nation stronger.

The Bridge Builder

by

Will Allen Dromgoole

An old man, going a lone highway,

Came, at the evening, cold and gray,

To a chasm, vast, and deep, and wide.

Through which was flowing a sullen tide.

The old man crossed in the twilight dim;

The sullen stream had no fear for him;

But he turned, when safe on the other side,

And built a bridge to span the tide.

“Old man,” said a fellow pilgrim, near,

“You are wasting your strength with building here;

Your journey will end with the ending day;

You never again must pass this way;

You’ve crossed the chasm, deep and wide --

Why build this bridge at the eventide?”

The builder lifted his old gray head:

“Good friend, in the path I have come,” he said,

“There followeth after me today

A youth, whose feet must pass this way.

This chasm, that has been as naught to me

To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be.

He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;

Good friend, I am building this bridge for him!”

So, best wishes from those of us at the Free State Foundation for a Happy Thanksgiving and safe travels. And may the bridges you build be many and strong.

Thanksgiving 2009 -- "Free Markets and Free Speech"

With Thanksgiving 2009 upon us, in the last several days I have been reflecting upon its meaning to me this year, and relating this meaning to the Free State Foundation's work, where we proclaim our mission to promote free market, limited government, and rule of law principles.

Of course, there are many ways we Americans think about Thanksgiving, including conjuring up our favorite cranberry sauce or stuffing, or deciding which team we're rooting for in the traditional Thanksgiving Day football games. Not to mention which Black Friday sales will draw us out of bed pre-dawn on Friday morning.

But I have no doubt that, aside from enjoying the turkey, the football games, and the shopping sprees, most Americans, and especially those who are more recent arrivals to our shores, marvel at the sheer abundance that prevails in America as we approach the end of 2009. And, even amidst the more difficult economic times, I have no doubt that, although not always consciously, and at times perhaps even grudgingly, most Americans recognize, and are thankful for, that abundance -- and for the success of the American experiment in democratic capitalism that has made such abundance possible.

The success of this experiment depends at its core on the protection of individual liberty – that is, the preservation of sufficient freedom from government interference and control that individuals and businesses can nurture the entrepreneurial spirit that fosters the drive for self-betterment, the willingness to take risks on new ideas and to innovate, and the willingness to invest capital in new businesses.

With the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall earlier this month, we were reminded, but perhaps not often enough, of President Reagan's famous June 1987 injunction: "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" Later in his Berlin speech, President Reagan proclaimed: "This wall cannot withstand freedom."

On this Thanksgiving, Reagan's freedom cry in Berlin called to mind for me that part of his January 1989 Oval Office Farewell Address in which, for the last time, he invoked John Winthrop's "shining city upon the hill" image. Here is what Reagan said:

"And that's about all I have to say tonight. Except for one thing. The past few days when I've been at that window upstairs, I've thought a bit of the "shining city upon a hill." The phrase comes from John Winthrop, who wrote it to describe the America he imagined. What he imagined was important because he was an early Pilgrim, an early freedom man. He journeyed here on what today we'd call a little wooden boat; and like the other Pilgrims, he was looking for a home that would be free. I've spoken of the shining city all my political life, but I don't know if I ever quite communicated what I saw when I said it. But in my mind it was a tall proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, wind-swept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace, a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity, and if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That's how I saw it, and see it still."

"An early Pilgrim. An early freedom man."

The Pilgrims didn't set sail seeking the prospect of more government control over the way they lived their lives, and practiced their beliefs. They were seeking less.

In that same farewell address, President Reagan also proclaimed:

"Countries across the globe are turning to free markets and free speech and turning away from the ideologies of the past. For them, the great rediscovery of the 1980s has been that, lo and behold, the moral way of government is the practical way of government: Democracy, the profoundly good, is also profoundly productive."

"Free markets and free speech."

This is not the time to rehearse the Free State Foundation's voluminous scholarly position papers, commentaries, blogs, event transcripts, and the like. They are available on the FSF website for the taking. But if America is to continue to be that "shining city on the hill," it is always a proper time – and, yes, Thanksgiving, is a particularly proper time – to reflect upon the importance of preserving free markets and free speech. For without free markets and free speech, America would not enjoy the abundance that we do today.

Much of the work we do at the Free State Foundation involves the ongoing fight to preserve free markets and free speech. It happens this is especially true with respect to our work in the communications law and policy realm, where, for example, new proposals for government regulation of the Internet threaten both. Indeed, as I have explained here, here, and here, proponents of the benign-sounding Internet regulatory regime called "net neutrality" turn the First Amendment on its head, arguing we have more to fear from private Internet providers censoring speech than from the government enforcing its own brand of content neutrality. History and our founding principles belie this notion. Our liberty is more secure when the promotion of "fairness" and "non-discrimination" in our media resides in the hands of citizens exercising choice in the competitive marketplace rather than in the hands of the government as enforcer.

For now, it is enough to reflect and be thankful. And I am especially grateful for the support of so many friends of FSF. There will be time enough to carry on the battles for free market, limited government, and rule of law principles.

In the meantime, and for now, Happy Thanksgiving to all!