When November comes around, every turkey hides in fear, afraid that they will end up on a platter on Thanksgiving Day. However, there is one turkey that can safely live in peace as the others scramble to escape the terror of Thanksgiving.
Since 1989, the President pardons a turkey on the day before Thanksgiving, granting it a happy life without the worry of being eaten.
According to a Nov. 23, 2011 article on the Official White House website, while a few presidents before 1989, including Kennedy and Nixon, have spared their Thanksgiving turkey, George H.W. Bush was the first President to officially pardon a turkey.
Continuing this tradition, Obama pardoned two turkeys this Thanksgiving: Popcorn and Caramel. In fact, a webpage was created for the two turkeys in which viewers could either choose Team Popcorn or Team Caramel. Voters casted their ballots via all the latest social media, like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
According to a Nov. 23 USA Today article, Popcorn won and was granted “a full reprieve from cranberry sauce and stuffing.” Obama continued to joke that Caramel, the runner-up, is now “busy raising money for his next campaign.”
Though the President enjoys this light-hearted tradition, some CHS students find it downright silly.
“I think the idea of a presidential pardon for a turkey is absolutely preposterous,” junior Kevin Wang said. “A turkey is a turkey, and it belongs in someone’s belly.”
