Texas governor, incoming border czar celebrate Thanksgiving on the border

NEWS AND OPINION:

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and incoming border czar Tom Homan thanked and served meals to hundreds of Texas National Guard soldiers, Texas Department of Public Safety troopers, and its director, Steve McCraw, plus other service members stationed along the southern U.S. border near the towns of Eagle Pass and Edinburg.

Also in attendance: Paul Perez, National Border Patrol Council president; Maj. Gen. Thomas Suelzer, Texas adjutant general; and Mike Banks, Texas border czar.

“You are essential to keep Texas sovereign, secure, and safe,” Mr. Abbott told his audience at the event, which took place Tuesday.

“Someone has to stand up for the rule of law, and the people who do that are the men and women of the Texas National Guard and the Texas Department of Public Safety. This mission is critical to our future. I have never been more proud of what you all have stepped up to do. During this time of Thanksgiving, we as Texans and Americans at the top of our list have thanks for you and the job you are doing today,” Mr. Abbott said.

“You cannot have strong national security if you do not have border security,” Mr. Homan told the group.

“There is unprecedented success in Texas. This is the model we can take across the country. Everyone here needs to understand that you are national heroes and are saving the nation. What you have done has not only protected Texas and the citizens of Texas, you are protecting this nation,” he said.

After their early Thanksgiving meal in Eagle Pass, Mr. Abbott and Mr. Homan received an intelligence briefing, then took an aerial tour over the Eagle Pass area, including razor-wire barriers and storage containers to deter and repel illegal immigration.

THANKSGIVING HERITAGE

George Washington issued a proclamation on Oct. 3, 1789, that designated Nov. 26 of that year as a national day of thanks. Here is a portion of this statement — verbatim and complete with the punctuation of the day:

“Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor — and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness,” Washington wrote.

“Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be — That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks — for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation — for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war — for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed — for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted — for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us,” Washington said.

Find the complete proclamation at MountVernon.org.

IN CASE YOU WONDERED

Thanksgiving became a permanent holiday on a fixed day under President Abraham Lincoln.

“President Lincoln declared the last Thursday in November to be regularly commemorated as Thanksgiving Day. His Thanksgiving holiday proclamation implored the nation to heal its wounds and restore peace, harmony, tranquility throughout the nation,” according to an advisory from the White House Historical Association, found at whitehousehistory.org.

REAGAN’S PROCLAMATION, 1981

Here’s what the 40th president had to say on Thanksgiving Day that year.

“Thanksgiving has become a day when Americans extend a helping hand to the less fortunate. Long before there was a government welfare program, this spirit of voluntary giving was ingrained in the American character. Americans have always understood that, truly, one must give in order to receive. This should be a day of giving as well as a day of thanks,” President Ronald Reagan said in his Thanksgiving proclamation, released Nov. 12, 1981, two weeks in advance of the holiday that year.

“As we celebrate Thanksgiving in 1981, we should reflect on the full meaning of this day as we enjoy the fellowship that is so much a part of the holiday festivities. Searching our hearts, we should ask what we can do as individuals to demonstrate our gratitude to God for all He has done. Such reflection can only add to the significance of this precious day of remembrance,” he said.

“Let us recommit ourselves to that devotion to God and family that has played such an important role in making this a great nation, and which will be needed as a source of strength if we are to remain a great people,” the president said.

THE DEVILED-EGG FACTOR

One Thanksgiving staple has taken on a new political slant.

“Those deviled eggs are going to cost you,” cautions Rep. Rich McCormick, a Georgia Republican who has released a survey asking his constituents whether inflation affected their Thanksgiving dinner plans.

“Over the last four years families across our nation have experienced crippling inflation, chaos at our southern border, dangerous crime, foreign policy failures, and skyrocketing energy costs. Egg prices alone have risen by 40%! As we approach Thanksgiving, soaring costs of groceries and other everyday goods will continue to have a tangible impact on the choices American families must make when it comes to putting food on the table,” he said in a written statement released Wednesday.

“This cannot continue. I am looking forward to working with President Trump in the new year to pass critical legislation that will address these issues and deliver real results for you and your family. We will secure the border, create new jobs, lower inflation, rein in federal spending, unleash American energy, conduct government oversight, and much more. House Republicans are committed to championing an economy that is strong, communities that are safe, government that is accountable, and an American dream that is within reach for everyone,” the lawmaker said.

POLL DU JOUR

• 38% of U.S. adults say their personal economic situation is “getting worse.”

• 25% of Democrats, 43% of independents and 43% of Republicans agree; 31% of men and 44% of women also agree.

• 43% overall say their financial situation is “about the same” as in the past.

• 51% of Democrats, 41% of independents and 40% of Republicans agree; 46% of men and 39% of women also agree.

• 15% overall say their financial situation is “getting better.”

• 20% of Democrats, 11% of independents and 15% of Republicans agree; 18% of men and 12% of women also agree.

• 5% overall are “not sure“ about their financial situation.

• 3% of Democrats, 6% of independents and 2% of Republicans agree; 5% of men and 5% of women also agree.

SOURCE: A Yahoo News/YouGov survey of 1,612 U.S. adults conducted Nov. 14-18.

• Happy Thanksgiving, and thank you for reading Inside the Beltway.