I always figured Thanksgiving was our version of the post-harvest feast, like Christmas is our version of the mid-winter feast. I believe lots of societies have had traditions of a post-harvest feast. Did the Native Americans have a post-harvest feast?

I also think that different events mean different things to different people. Most people I know see Thanksgiving as a time of, well, giving thanks. These same people are aware of and care deeply about downtrodden people, but are intelligent enough to know that they aren't responsible for the atrocious things that were done to Native Americans, and that giving thanks for a day doesn't have anything to do -- for them -- with killing or dispossessing anyone.

Lizzie, please pay attention to those who tell you that many people who care deeply about the same issues you care about won't talk about it in your presence. If you stay true to form, you are now going to tell me that I don't care about the plight of Native Americans. You'd be wrong, but I can't prove that to you. The fact is that I don't want to be associated with you. I think you do more harm to the cause than good and I don't want anyone thinking I'm anything like you at all. And yet I still care deeply about oppressed people everywhere. Go figure.

If you really want to help the causes you espouse, learn to get along with others. Learn that not everyone approaches these issues in the same way that you do. Learn that people can disagree with you strongly while still believing in the same things you believe in. Instead of getting angry at and insulting lots of people whose politics and awareness on this subject you don't know, try finding the individuals who are actually harming others and work on them. There are certainly enough bigots that make themselves obvious, even here on Mudcat, that a more well-directed approach is fairly easy and doesn't have the disadvantage of turning those who agree with your basic message against you.

You spend so much time being angry about bigotry that you don't seem to notice that you exhibit extreme bigotry toward everyone who doesn't immediately agree with your sensibilities and tactics. When you clump a bunch of strangers together and made assumptions about their mental or emotional state, the reasons for their actions, and whether or not they are good people, you are displaying the exact definition of bigotry. Please stop, or at least please stop doing it on Mudcat where I have to see it.