“Instead, we should atone for the genocide that was incited -- and condoned -- by the very men we idolize as our 'heroic' founding fathers.”
A year ago, Dr Robert Jensen, a professor of journalism at the University of Texas at Austin, proposed replacing Thanksgiving Day with a national Day of Atonement. It evoked such a debate that, as Thanksgiving 2006 approaches, bloggers are recycling it.
American history is long and complex. Genocide is a part of it, as Dr Jensen reminds us. But so is freedom of worship and constitutional government and individual liberty and economic opportunity. American history is a messy mix, but even though America has reasons to atone, America also has reasons to be thankful for its blessings. How about instead of replacing the Thanksgiving holiday with a Day of Atonement, we find room on our calendars (and in our hearts) for both?
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