Helium, happiness: a first Thanksgiving Amend this

KELLY MCKEE STAFFWRITER KMM732@CABRINI EDU

Thanksgiving to me has always been a special episode of ‘Friends’once a season, where there is some escapade with a turkey or an argument that ends up in a clichéd giving thanks for friendship. In case some of you don’t know, Thanksgiving is not a globally celebrated holiday but is one specific to America. Yes, shock- horror, we don’t get a holiday from classes, we don’t gather for dinner and we save our turkey until Christmas. This year, however, I got to experience my first real Thanksgiving in the United States. Armed with a popup map another first-timer, my friend Natalie from Belfast, currently studying in Delaware, and I headed for the bright lights of New York City.

My first taste of the big day was the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade. Waking up at some ridiculous hour in the Brooklyn apartment which we were staying, I poured over the subway maps planning the route ahead. I have been known for my terrible sense of direction so finding my way around the maze that is New York seemed a daunting affair. Surprisingly we made our way to the parade route and headed towards the masses of people. We struggled to see over the throng of parents complete with child on shoulders, sensing the polite hostility that their child had a greater right than every other to see the parade. Finding a less dense crowd further along 67th Street we took camp and waited for the parade.

Soon enough the distant sound of a marching band filled the crowd with anticipation. Inevitably the fathers with their four megabyte, zoom lens monstrosities of cameras jumped to action, each one eager to get the best pictures. Then came the floats. The parade was an impressive helium and happiness filled extravaganza. My highlight was the Sesame Street float which carried “the actual people from the show.” Needless to say my enthusiastic shouts about this gained some odd looks from the surrounding crowd, even the children.

And so we traveled out Long Island for the highlight of the day, the dinner. We were dining with my step-mothers family and were warmly welcomed. Afamily of Irish heritage, of course Natalie and I were grilled about our knowledge of their ancestry. This is something I have become accustomed to and think now my geography of Ireland is much improved; for of course I must know the little town of Loughlornan in County Mayo that the Grandmother’s mother came from.

Before the meal was served we were given a history of the holiday from numerous voices around the table. From what I made sense of it is something to do with pilgrims, Native Americans and corn. This may be a little off but having spent most of the day trudging through New York, my concentration was mainly focused on the food waiting in the next room. And so it was served. It was great to have a home-cooked meal of turkey, ham, mashed potatoes complete with lumps and yams- a wondrous invention of the holiday.

After dinner, and dessert, we lounged in easy chairs watching football and fighting sleep. As the Grandmothers urged the children to perform “God bless America” and play instruments only taken up a few weeks previous, I was reminded of my holidays at home where my own Grandmother would start the rendition of “Danny Boy” after dinner as I played along on my keyboard. I felt comforted and happy.

A holiday of no religious, racial or cultural connotation Thanksgiving is a great day to gather with loved ones, eat and be merry. Without the financial tensions that often arise at Christmas, the day merely calls for the wealth of family, or extended family in my case. If you know someone that has not experienced the holiday like I hadn’t I urge you to think of them next year and invite them along. And if anyone has an extra seat at their table next year let me know and I’ll book my flight now.

PAUL NASELLA STAFF WRITER PJN722@CABRINI EDU

Recently, there has been a lot of discussion, especially by Arnold Schwarzenegger, about amending the Constitution so a foreign-born person, like himself, can run for the presidency of the United States. Now, I can understand why Arnold would lobby for such a thing. He is a man that has been very successful throughout his life. He was Mr. Universe countless times and has done very well as an actor in Hollywood. Besides that, he is the governor of California.

However, the presidency of the United States of America is a position that should only be open to those who are born in America. I mean, this is our land and our people. It would only make sense that a person who was born in America rule its citizens. By allowing someone who was born elsewhere run for president, America is assuming that person is going to be loyal to the United States and govern it in America’s best interests. As we all know, assumption is the mother of disaster. I feel that even though America might not have made the right choice in the last election, at least the person they chose was an American.

By amending the Constitution to allow such a thing to occur, then what else are we as Americans going to allow next? Not only that, but what message would we be sending to the rest of the world? I mean, if we allow foreigners to run for president, we might as well as allow anyone to run for president. I feel that by amending the Constitution to allow this legislation, we as Americans would be sending the message of “we don’t care who rules over us.” It would be as if Americans just didn’t care who ruled over them.

However, the results of the last election show us that this would not be true at all. In the last election, more people than ever voted. This to me says that people do care who rules over them and do care that their commander-in-chief is an American just like themselves. That is why if such legislation ever came about, it wouldn’t last very long due to the amount of opposition to it.

In the Constitution, it clearly states in Article 2, Section 1, Clause 5 that, “No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.”

This clause clearly states that the only people eligible to run for president are those who are naturalized citizens, meaning they are born in this country, 35 years old, and have lived in this country for 14 years. However, Arnold wants to change all of this. He must think that if he can conquer California, which is one of the biggest states in the Union, he will be able to conquer the rest of the United States. I’m sorry Arnold, but this is one land Conan cannot conquer.

According to Arnold’s website, http://www.amendus.org/, Lissa Morgenthaler-Jones, one of Schwarzenegger’s top fund-raisers, says that, “In the 20th century alone, the Constitution was amended 12 times, the last one was in 1992. When there is a good reason and the time is right, the process works. This is a good reason and the time is absolutely right.” So you’re telling me that as the country stands as divided as ever, in the midst of a war, that the time is right to allow people born in other nations to have the opportunity to run for president?

So this woman is saying that in our heightened state of security, where those from foreign countries are more suspect than ever, that the time is right to allow them the chance to run for our nation’s highest office?

I also feel that another reason why this amendment wouldn’t stand would be how the general public would react to it. I feel that a lot of this has to do with people feeling comfortable with it. I don’t think people would feel too comfortable knowing that the president was born in another country. I feel that people really connect with a president when they see he’s a lot like themselves. I blame this reason for George W. Bush’s presidential victory on Nov. 2.

Even though there are many in congress introducing and pushing for bills such as this, we can that they do not have much of a chance at all. With American’s disagreement for such a bill as well as the effect this could have on America itself, we can see that unless something happens to allow such legislation to be passed, the presidency is going to continue to be securely nestled inside the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C.