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A Quirky American Tradition: The Turkey Pardon
Every year, we can't help but scratch our heads at the U.S. President's annual turkey pardoning ritual. This oddity has been taking place since the 1940s, with the first official ceremony during George H.W. Bush's presidency in 1989.
Here's the lowdown: turkeys, you ask? Yeah, that's right! Every year, the National Turkey Federation presents the president with a live domestic turkey, starting back in the 40s with Harry Truman. But don't be fooled - it ain't all fun and games.
Originally, this spectacle was a shrewd marketing move by the poultry industry, designed to counteract the Truman administration's "poultry-free Thursday" campaign. The industrialists knew they had three lucrative holiday seasons on a Thursday – Turkey Day, Christmas, and New Year – so they played their cards right. They even presented a turkey to ol' Harry himself in a little publicity stunt.
Nowadays, the turkey in question is usually a broad-breasted white male, which just happens to be the preferred breed of, well, let's call 'em the other humans Trump's been pardoning lately – the insurrectionists charged for the Capitol riots in January 2021.
On Trump's first day in office this year, he granted clemency to those folks. According to the Associated Press, he "freed from prison people caught on camera viciously attacking police, as well as leaders of far-right extremist groups convicted of orchestrating violent plots to stop the peaceful transfer of power."
But wait, it gets even stranger. There's Mel Gibson, the actor and antisemite, who was convicted of domestic violence in 2011. Apparently, the Trump administration wants to restore Gibson's gun ownership rights, despite the strong opposition of the justice department's former "pardon attorney," Elizabeth Oyer.
Trump's actions, however bizarre, are far from original. Centuries ago, Pontius Pilate himself was affected by political pressure not to pardon Jesus. Instead, he let Barabbas go, choosing the lesser of two evils. And it seems Trump would've made the same choice had he been in charge back then.
So, what's the takeaway from all this? Well, it seems presidents are more inclined to pardon for political expediency, as the centuries have shown us. As for the turkeys, they've become nothing more than a political pawn in this game of chess called Western politics. But hey, at least they get a better deal than those insurrectionists and Mel Gibson, eh?
Presidents' pardoning rituals, like the turkey pardoning, have a history that dates back to the 1940s, as seen during Harry Truman's administration. Initially, it was a strategic marketing move by the poultry industry to counteract the government's "poultry-free Thursday" policy.
Today, presidents may use pardoning as a tool for political expediency, as Donald Trump demonstrated when he granted clemency to individuals charged for the Capitol riots in January 2021. Similarly, controversies surround Trump's potential plans to restore Mel Gibson's gun ownership rights, even facing opposition from the justice department.
Historically, political pressure has played a part in such decisions, such as when Pontius Pilate let Barabbas go instead of pardoning Jesus. Echoing this historical precedent, some argue that Trump, too, would have favored the lesser of two evils.
Parallels can be drawn between the annual turkey pardoning and political pardons, as both are perhaps more influenced by politics than general news or crime and justice considerations. Meanwhile, the turkeys themselves seem to have become political pawns, much like the insurrectionists and Mel Gibson caught in the crossfire.
Under this quirky American tradition, it appears that some individuals and animals are exchanged for political gains, reflecting the intricate nature of politics and policy-and-legislation, as well as the casino-and-gambling world when it comes to matters of war-and-conflicts, crime-and-justice, business, and casino-personalities.
