    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book II)]
    [November 22, 2006]
    [Pages 2117-2118]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at the Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation Ceremony
    November 22, 2006

        Good morning. Thanks for coming. Welcome to the Rose Garden. I
    appreciate being up here with Mike Briggs and
    Alice Johnson of the National Turkey
    Federation, and I thank you for bringing along our feathery guest.
    [Laughter] We're glad you're here. Mike, thanks for bringing your family
    as well.
        The name of the National Thanksgiving Turkey has been chosen by
    online voting at the White House web site. By the decision of the
    voters, this turkey is going to be called Flyer. And there's always a
    backup bird, just in case the guest of honor can't perform his duties,
    and the backup bird's name is Fryer. [Laughter] Probably better to be
    called Flyer than Fryer.
        These birds were hatched on a farm in Missouri and raised there by
    Matthew Nutt and his mom and dad, Carol
    [Donna]* and Lynn, and
    we're glad you all are here. Thanks for coming. They did a fine job of
    raising these birds.
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        *White House correction.
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        I also welcome the Girl Scouts who've joined us. Thanks for coming--
    [applause]--yes, I'm glad you're here. These are troops from Virginia
    and Maryland and Washington, DC. And we thank you for being in scouting,
    and we thank your scout masters and your parents for setting such a good
    example for you.
        We're here in the Rose Garden. This is a place where Barney likes to
    hang out. Barney is my dog. And he likes to chase a soccer ball here. He
    came out a little early, as did Flyer, and instead of chasing the soccer
    ball, he chased the bird. [Laughter] And it kind of made the turkey
    nervous. See, the turkey was already nervous to begin with. Nobody has
    told him yet about the pardon I'm about to give him. [Laughter]
        Tomorrow is our day of thanksgiving. It's a national observance
    first proclaimed by George Washington. In our journey across the
    centuries from a few tiny settlements to a prosperous and powerful
    nation, Americans have always been a grateful people,

    [[Page 2118]]

    and we are this year as well. We're grateful for our beautiful land.
    We're grateful for a harvest big enough to feed us all, plus much of the
    world. We're grateful for our freedom. We're grateful for our families,
    and we're grateful for life itself.
        So on Thanksgiving Day, we gather with loved ones and we lift our
    hearts toward heaven in humility and gratitude. As we count our
    blessings, Americans also share our blessings. We're a generous country.
    We're filled with caring citizens who reach out to others, people who've
    heard the universal call to love a neighbor as we want to be loved
    ourself. On Thanksgiving and every day of the year, Americans live out
    of a spirit of compassion and care, and I thank you for that. It's the
    spirit that moves men and women to be mentors to the young, to be scout
    leaders, to be helpers of the elderly, to be comforters of the lonely
    and those who are left out.
        We love our country, and the greatest example of that devotion is
    the citizen who steps forward to defend our Nation from harm. The
    members of our military have set aside their own comfort and convenience
    and safety to protect the rest of us. Their courage keeps us free. Their
    sacrifice makes us grateful, and their character makes us proud.
    Especially during the holidays, our whole Nation keeps them and their
    families in our thoughts and prayers.
        And now to the ceremonial task of the day. Why don't we have a look
    at Flyer? There you go. I think Flyer heard Barney barking over there.
    [Laughter] It's a fine looking bird, isn't it? Flyer is probably
    wondering where he's going to wind up tomorrow. He's probably thinking
    he's going to end up on somebody's table. Well, I'm happy to report that
    he and Fryer both have many tomorrows ahead of them. This morning I am
    grateful I am granting a full Presidential pardon so they can live out
    their lives as safe as can be.
        In fact, it gets even better. Later today Flyer and Fryer will be on
    a plane to Disneyland--[laughter]--where they're going to achieve
    further celebrity as the honorary grand marshal of the Thanksgiving Day
    Parade.
        Thank you all for coming. God bless, and happy Thanksgiving.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:22 a.m. in the Rose Garden at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to Mike Briggs, chairman, and Alice
    L. Johnson, president, National Turkey Federation. The Thanksgiving Day
    proclamation of November 16 is listed in Appendix D at the end of this
    volume.