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In 1621, after a year of extreme hardship and deadly danger, the fortitude of our Pilgrim forefathers was finally rewarded.
Some had come to the "howling wilderness" of the New World seeking religious freedom, and some were adventurers more interested in augmenting their own personal wealth. Freedom there was, but not wealth, and not even enough food - British agricultural techniques did not work well in the New England of the Little Ice Age.
With the assistance of some friendly Indians, though, the surviving Pilgrims managed to make it through the winter and reap a successful harvest in the fall. We all know the story - how they supplemented their harvest by hunting turkeys, shared their bounty with their Indian friends, and enjoyed their deer in return.
Edward Winslow's firsthand account of these near-mythic events ends with these words:
And although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want that we often wish you partakers of our plenty.
We could not do better than to echo Mr. Winslow's overwhelmed words when we reflect on our politics this year.
First, what we nearly could not imagine took place: a far-left politician ran credibly for the Democratic nomination, on a far-left platform, but without any of the usual lies, corruption, race-baiting or filth the Democrats are infamous for. We disagree with Bernie Sanders on the vast majority of his ideas, but we deeply respect his honesty about his beliefs, a trait nearly unique among his colleagues on that side of the aisle.
The fact that Bernie Sanders ran for the nomination and probably would have won had it not been stolen from him by the corrupt shenanigans of the DNC and the Clinton machine gives us hope that America may someday once again have a credible two-party system. Make no mistake, we need two legitimate parties: anywhere only one party is the foregone winner, there will be nothing but misgovernance and corruption no matter what policies that party claims to represent. Anyone who doubts this should ponder the disaster cities which have been ruled by Democrats for decades on end, and we know all too well that Republicans would be no better if they held power that long.
The sorry truth that the Democratic Party as an organization has been dedicated to the destruction of American principles for some years is a deadly danger. Where are Democrats like Franklin Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy - deeply flawed men and mistaken leaders, but without doubt patriots who loved their country and their fellow Americans? Sen. Sanders harks back to this nobler past and, we pray, represents the future of his adopted party.
Second, as pleasant as it is to see Hillary Clinton not selling the Oval Office to the highest bidder, it's far more gratifying to watch the media standing naked and ashamed in their arrogance, venality, and incompetence. Everyone knows that politicians seek their own power, but journalists high-mindedly claim to serve the public good with "all the news that's fit to print."
Thanks to Wikipedia, we now know that our media centers are every bit as corrupt as Crooked Hillary and even more dishonest than she, difficult as that is for us to believe. Even better, all America knows it, and yet the media still can't stop their transparent lies. By the next election, will anyone even listen to them? They certainly don't give anyone to the right of Joe Biden much reason to.
Third, we are profoundly grateful for what you no doubt expected us to be. Say it once again: President Trump! We can't keep from smiling, the more so as the media gasps and wrings its hands at the disgustingly conservative "extremists" being paraded as candidates for his Cabinet.
But most important by far, we are thankful for the revival of something we nearly lost: hope.
Since the founding of Scragged, we have nearly always fought losing battles. Let's be honest - most of the battles we've fought with our virtual pen have been lost so conclusively and catastrophically that you'd hardly know anybody'd bothered to fight them at all.
Where Scragged stands, like National Review, "athwart history yelling 'Stop!'", history seems to take all the notice of a speeding freight train and with the same lack of our having any effect on it. In a world where it is possible for a decades-long crook (if not traitor) like Hillary Clinton to not only be a candidate for the Presidency, but to be the odds-on favorite - well, we must be so far gone, how is a return even possible?
Maybe it isn't - but at least now we have a chance! We stand awestruck at living proof that it is still possible for an anti-candidate to flummox the massed minions of elite opinion despite being outspent at least 3 to 1, out-organized by more than 10 to 1, and criticized slanderously by just about all of the media. So far, Donald Trump's proposed cabinet members have ranged from very good to spectacular. Maybe, just maybe, we have finally found someone who is willing to fight for, if not doctrinaire conservatism, at least traditional Americanism.
And if not - nevertheless, it has been proven that it can be done. The path blazed by Mr. Trump could be followed by someone else - maybe, even, as Mr. Trump has claimed, by a movement.
By the laws of physics, of course, "movement" in any sense requires work and effort. But that's a job for next year. For today - join us in giving heartfelt thanks!