Today I Give Thanks

Today I Give Thanks

On October 3,1863 President Abraham Lincoln issued a Proclamation of Thanksgiving asking the American people to set aside the last Thursday in November to give thanksgiving to God for the gifts bestowed upon the American people.  Below is the actual Proclamation by President Lincoln:


By the President of the United States of America.

A Proclamation.

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consiousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the Unites States the Eighty-eighth.

By the President: Abraham Lincoln

William H. Seward,
Secretary of State


I was intending to cut a YouTube today to wish all Virginians a most blessed Thanksgiving. However, due to personal circumstances that occurred earlier this week I am unable to do so.  My wife and service dog were in a collision on Tuesday morning which nearly totaled our van. I'm happy to report that neither my wife nor my service dog Buddy were seriously injured.  Today I give thanks for their safety and health, among other things.

I would ask each Virginian to take a moment today to remember the blessings that Almighty God has bestowed on our Commonwealth and Country.  I hope and pray that you will all have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving weekend.

The Moral Obligation

The Moral Obligation

It is a core principle of my campaign for Governor to ensure the safeguarding of the environment.  Those who argue against the theory of climate change have been, and still are, ignoring the facts that are right in front of them.  The latest dramatic example of climate change is Hurricane Sandy, which devastated parts of the East Coast last week, and which is still causing misery for millions of our fellow citizens.

Hurricane Sandy was the second major hurricane to impact large parts of the East Coast in the last 14 months.  A year ago Hurricane Irene impacted many of the same areas as Sandy impacted last week, including New York.  During Irene, much of lower Manhattan and Staten Island were inundated with floodwaters. At the time, Irene was considered a storm that occurs every 100 years.  Now, just over a year later, we've had another hurricane hit New York, with greater ferocity and death and destruction than Irene.

This past spring we saw the mid-West raked by a series of F5 tornados, which destroyed multiple towns.  These tornados were also called one hundred year events.  The United States has recorded the warmest year on record since weather records started being kept in 1895.  That is 132 years ago.  Yet, we are told, by a significant minority of Americans, that climate change is not real and that these are just isolated events, just part of a normal weather pattern.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  These events keep occurring. They are not isolated in nature.  They will continue to increase in number and ferocity if we do not do something to end our dependence on fossil fuels.

The United States has 2% of the world's oil, and 25% of the world's population.  It is clear that even if we were to drill every last drop of oil on the continent of the United States it would not be sufficient to meet our energy needs.  There is no way on God's green earth (pun intended) that we are going to dig our way out of our energy addiction.  As long as we are dependent on fossil fuels in any great amount we will lack the political will to develop the green energy solutions that are technically available today, including the use of solar, wind, and bio-fuels.  The question before us is how many deaths and how much more destruction we are going to allow before we accept that we must change.

If we do not face reality, and if we do not have leaders who will help us face that reality, the seas will continue to rise, the planet will continue to warm, the ice caps will continue to melt, and the human race will ultimately cease to exist.  As a Christian, I feel I have a moral duty placed upon me by God, to be a good caretaker of the planet, and I believe that the vast majority of the American people feel the same way.  There is no reason why we cannot create a more sustainable planet and, by doing so, create economic prosperity at the same time.  My favorite quote, by a leader of vision, is that of John Kennedy who said in part  in his inaugural, that "here on earth God's work must truly be our own", and I believe that part of our work, and part of doing God's work, is to preserve the planet, not only for ourselves, but for future generations.

I am asking each Virginian, regardless of party or religious affiliation, to join my campaign to help us provide a more sustainable planet and to create economic prosperity.

Vote for Tim Kaine for Senate Tuesday

Vote for Tim Kaine for Senate Tuesday, November 6, 2012

I am asking all my fellow Virginians to vote for Tim Kaine for US Senate this coming Tuesday.  It is important that we have a capable United States Senator to replace the retiring Jim Webb.  Governor Kaine has shown that he has tremendous leadership skills and will continue to work together with our Congressional Delegation to do what is best for Virginia and the people of the Commonwealth.

Vote for Barack

Vote for Barack Tuesday, November 6, 2012