![](media/image1.jpeg){width="6.4944444444444445in"
height="0.9923611111111111in"}November 17, 2006

A Time to Give Thanks

By Congressman Joe Pitts

There is seemingly no off-season from political campaigning in the
modern reality of 24-hour news cycles, the Internet, and endless
political punditry.

America just completed a midterm election cycle that spent record
amounts of money, attracted widespread media coverage, and left many
Americans worn out from the bare-knuckled political campaigns waged over
the airwaves in advance of Election Day.

Yet, the dust had barely settled -- indeed, several Congressional races
remain to be called -- before speculation shifted to 2008. Who will run,
who can win, and what will it all mean for America.

Elections matter. And we do well to keep up on the issues and inform
ourselves about where our leaders stand. But with the Thanksgiving
holiday upon us, we have the opportunity to take a brief timeout from
the incessant political maneuvering and remember the countless things we
all have to be thankful for as Americans.

Ironically, free elections and the right to self-rule sit high on the
list. While the inundation of campaign phone calls, yard signs,
literature, and commercials can be exasperating, they also point to the
open, free, and robust political process we enjoy in America. Though the
outcome of any given election will always please some and dismay others,
ours is a system that truly places the power in voters' hands.

If there's any doubt about the value of free elections, just look at
countries whose citizens are given the right to vote after years of
totalitarian rule. Iraq, for example, has experienced tremendous turnout
in its post-Saddam elections, despite the violence that has threatened
potential voters there. These people understand that open and fair
elections are not free.

Another thing we can all be thankful for is America's deep and abiding
belief in individual freedom and our willingness to promote and defend
it wherever it is under attack. Despite all of its critics, including
some within our own borders, our American democracy is a standard-bearer
for individual liberty around the world.

One of my top priorities as a Member of Congress is to promote human
rights and justice for oppressed peoples around the world. In this role,
I encounter story after story of horrible injustice and the denial of
basic freedoms.

I've met with refugees who are afraid to publicly show their faces for
fear that they will be recognized and returned to their home country
where they will face torture or even death. I've spoken with men and
women of faith who must risk their lives each day simply to worship God
as they choose.

My heart breaks when I meet these people and hear their stories. It
motivates me to fight for justice on their behalf, but it also reminds
me of how exceptional the American system of freedom and democracy is on
the world stage.

This Thanksgiving, every American can also be thankful for the skill,
dedication, and courage of our United States military, and their
willingness to defend our nation and our interests in every corner of
the globe. We give great thanks for our freedoms, but without our
soldiers, sailors and airmen to defend those freedoms, they would
quickly be lost.

While we gather with friends and family to celebrate the holidays, there
will be thousands of young men and women in uniform standing guard in
some of the most far reaching posts on earth. We owe each of them a debt
of gratitude.

In the coming two years, there will be no shortage of time for
politicians to debate their competing ideas in the political arena. But,
this Thanksgiving, I'm hopeful all Americans can pause to remember those
things for which we can all give thanks. The list is long.

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