Happy Thanksgiving 2008!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

There's a lot to be thankful for this Turkey Day (or maybe Tofurky Day, for some of you :) but no matter how you plan on celebrating, we hope you'll pause for a moment to reflect and give thanks for all that we have.

Here are some of the things we're thankful for:

• We're thankful for the service of our country's many brave men and women in uniform. May they have a blessed Thanksgiving.
• We're thankful that the Bush error is coming to an end on January 20th, 2009, after eight long and dark years.
• We're thankful that this historic election has begun restoring America's reputation around the world as a trailblazing democracy.
• We're thankful that Governor Chris Gregoire will be at the helm of our great state of Washington for another four years.
• We're thankful for Darcy Burner's candidacy in the 8th Congressional District, which helped galvanize and organize the Eastside Democratic grassroots.
• We're thankful that our next Lands Commissioner will be Okanogan rancher Peter Goldmark, who is set to take over the Department of Natural Resources in just a few short weeks.
• We're thankful that we were able to help voters realize the folly of Tim Eyman's Initiative 985, which was overwhelmingly rejected on Election Day.
• We're thankful for the passage of transit measures across the country, including California's high speed rail plan and our own Mass Transit Now package here in Puget Sound, which will extend light rail in three directions and expand bus and commuter rail service.
• We're thankful that Jim McIntire will be our next Treasurer.
• We're thankful that the Greater Pacific Northwest is sending two new Democratic senators to the District of Columbia - Jeff Merkley and Mark Begich, from Oregon and Alaska, respectively.
• We're thankful that we can finally say a jury has indicted Dick Cheney and Alberto Gonzales.
• We're thankful for the support you and so many other people have shown NPI this year. Our first Spring Fundraising Gala was an incredible success!
• We're thankful for Al Gore's work to educate people about the dangers of the climate crisis - and his willingness to come to Netroots Nation this year.

Finally, we're thankful that a community organizer from Chicago named Barack Obama defied all the naysayers, doubters, critics, and skeptics to win election as the Forty Fourth President of the United States of America.

Here's a snippet from Obama's Thanksgiving Day address:

[T]his Thanksgiving, we are reminded that the renewal of our economy won't come from policies and plans alone -- it will take the hard work, innovation, service, and strength of the American people.

I have seen this strength firsthand over many months -- in workers who are ready to power new industries, and farmers and scientists who can tap new sources of energy; in teachers who stay late after school, and parents who put in that extra hour reading to their kids; in young Americans enlisting in a time of war, seniors who volunteer their time, and service programs that bring hope to the hopeless.

Read and or watch the whole thing at Change.gov.