The tradition of pardoning Thanksgiving turkeys began with President Kennedy in 1963 when he chose to spare a live turkey from being eaten, leading to a media-defined 'pardon'.
President George H.W. Bush was the first to stage an official turkey pardon, but the concept is absurd since no one claims that the turkeys have committed any wrong.
The turkeys pardoned by President Biden last Thanksgiving were provided by Jennie-O Turkey Store, a major turkey producer that has benefitted from significant government subsidies.
The idea of pardoning turkeys is convoluted as modern law no longer sees animals as capable of crimes, making the annual tradition seem farcical.
Collection
[
|
...
]