Obama gives a Thanksgiving speech without mentioning What's His Name

It's been 27 years  since the Burger Court  ruled in Lynch v. Donnelly that a Nativity scene at Christmastide is "a neutral harbinger of the holiday season, useful for commercial purposes but devoid of any inherent meaning." For quite a while now, it's been legally OK for stores and even municipalities to give a nod to Jesus on the day when His birthday is celebrated, even if on the ground that such acknowledgement is inherently meaningless.

One would think that the generic god of American civil religion, the great To Whom it May Concern, might fare better on that least sectarian of religious holidays, Thanksgiving. But alas, President Obama decided to give a speech commemorating a holiday whose whole point is the giving of thanks to the Deity (whatever deity one may acknowledge, that is) without even bothering to mention- much less thank- any.

Chuck Colson wrote years ago about a confrontation between irate parents and a public school principal over children being taught that the first Thanksgiving was celebrated so that the Pilgrims could give thanks to the Indians. When the parents corrected this absurd assertion, the principal replied, "That's your opinion." A post-modern moment if there ever was one.

One would hope that President Obama knows better than that grammar school principal why we celebrate Thanksgiving. Which makes his omission all the more disturbing.