    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1994, Book II)]
    [November 23, 1994]
    [Pages 2123-2124]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks and an Exchange With Reporters at the Thanksgiving
    Turkey Presentation Ceremony
    November 23, 1994

        The President. Well, good morning.
        Audience members. Good morning!
        The President. It's nice to see all of you here. I want to
    especially welcome the fifth graders from Murch Elementary School. I'm
    glad you're here and hope you're having a good time. And I'm glad the
    Sun is shining down at least on some of you. I want to thank Larry
    Fanella, the chairman of the National Turkey Federation, and say a
    special word of thanks to Robert Strickler and to Shawn Arbogast, the
    10-year-old boy who raised this year's turkey in Dayton, Virginia. Let's
    give him a hand. [Applause]
        Tomorrow we'll all celebrate Thanksgiving. It's an opportunity and a
    responsibility for all of us to give thanks for our many blessings in
    this life, to appreciate the good things we have in this country, and to
    think about those who still live among our ranks who don't have the
    things that many of us take for granted. In a few hours, Hillary and I
    will visit So Others Might Eat, a local soup kitchen, to help prepare
    Thanksgiving dinner for some of Washington's less fortunate families. I
    think that this is an important time for all of us to think about the
    larger American community of which we are a part.
        The very presence of these children from schools and the different
    walks of life and backgrounds from which they come reminds us that this
    has always been a country of great diversity, and the great strength of
    America is that we offer an opportunity for all different kinds of
    people to live up to the fullest of their God-given capacities. We can
    only do that if we're committed to creating a stronger and better
    American community every day. That is the commitment of our
    administration. That is the commitment of the public education movement
    in this country. That is the commitment of everybody devoted to the idea
    that every child can learn and that we can all do better if we work
    together.
        So I would like to leave you with that thought on this Thanksgiving.
    And now I want to accept the turkey, and a lot of you know this already,
    but this will be the second official Presidential pardon of my
    administration. I granted one to a turkey last year. Unlike the 45
    million American turkeys who will make the supreme sacrifice this
    Thanksgiving for the rest of us, this turkey will retire to Kidwell
    Farms, a replica of the 1930's working farm in Frying Pan Park in
    northern Virginia. So I'm glad I can make at least one turkey happy this
    year. [Laughter]
        Thank you very much.
        Are we going to let the kids come up and see the turkey?
        Q. Mr. President, what do you have to be thankful for this year?

    [[Page 2124]]

        The President. A lot, but let me just--I'll mention two things. One
    is there's more than 5 million Americans more who have jobs, and who
    therefore can afford to have Thanksgiving, this Thanksgiving than there
    were two Thanksgivings ago, right after I was elected. And I'm very
    thankful for that. And I'm very thankful for the opportunity that my
    family and I have been given to get up here every day and work on the
    problems and the opportunities of this country. Those are the two things
    that I feel very grateful for.
        Q. When are you going to Camp David?
        The President. When am I going? Tonight when Chelsea gets home from
    her activities. We're going up late tonight.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:10 a.m. in the Rose Garden at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to Robert Strickler, assistant to the
    general manager, Rocco Turkeys, Inc.