Column:

Americans have plenty to be thankful for

By Trevor Turner

Published Dec. 5, 2008

Another Thanksgiving has come and gone and I have to say it was a good one. I ate lots of food because I had two Thanksgivings (and it wasn't because my parents are divorced)! Now it's coming down to the final weeks at MU. Time to start stressing out over finals and pulling up a grade in class that I never went to.

I have to say, we have it good in America. We have a holiday where we try to eat as much food as we can and then go out next day and spend as much money as we can on plasma TVs and Miley Cyrus CDs.

I bring this up because though we Americans were busy stuffing our faces, more than 300 people died in Nigeria due to sectarian violence. At least three more people died in the Darfur region of Sudan, adding to the death toll of more than 400,000 people. One hundred and seventy-one Iraqi civilians have been killed since Thanksgiving and 11 U.S. soldiers died in Iraq and Afghanistan in November. As you've probably already heard, more than 170 people were killed in a terrorist attack in Mumbai, India. Finally, there are thousands of children all over the world who die from hunger everyday.

Now, I'm not trying to make everyone feel guilty for eating their weight in turkey and green bean casserole, but I hope Americans appreciate the stability and the horn o' plenty we have within our borders.

Ghana is having elections next week to select its leaders and many are worried that the results will lead to widespread violence. Ghana has rarely had a peaceful transfer of power and that, to me, is hard to fathom. Could you imagine, every four years in America, having Democrats and Republicans literally killing each other because of the results of the election? Sure, the campaigns can get a little nasty, but that is nothing compared to the democratic processes in some Third World countries.

Barack Obama has chosen Hillary Clinton to be our top diplomat, the secretary of state. In the 1990s, Hillary Clinton was one of the most proactive first ladies and traveled the world fighting for women's and children's rights abroad. I believe she will be a fantastic secretary of state, but she and Obama have a tough road ahead of them.

It is crucial that our new administration seek to restore our good diplomatic reputation and actually develop good relations with our brethren abroad. The world becomes more globalized everyday and the health of the U.S. becomes more dependent on the health of the world as a whole. We cannot turn a blind eye to the crisis abroad and it is no longer beneficial for the U.S. to continue its selfish foreign policy.

So this holiday season, when you are pressed for money, freaking out about finals, pissed off of at KU and dreading seeing those weird relatives, be glad that those are the only things you have to worry about. Also, being trampled to death at Wal-Mart.

Trevor Turner is a member of the MU College Democrats. He can be reached at tturner@themaneater.com.