I, for one, am thankful to live in a country of immense beauty and potential. Seriously.

[taterguy]

Now what were we arguing about again?

[MrSlayer]

1. I agree, warts and all I'll take America anyday.

We can be great when we want to.

[appal_jack]

23. word-up!

I love my country. During those times that we act to change and improve America, that is (hopefully) an expression of our love.

On this Thanksgiving Day, I am very grateful to live in America. Warts and all, we have just completed an election that will (again, hopefully) lead to a peaceful and substantive change of power. And it IS a beautiful place.

-app

K&R to help give taterguy a sense that we're not ALWAYS negative here at DU.

[kelly4hope]

2. Nice pics. I'll take America too!

[LaurenG]

3. There is a really good song about being thankful-it goes well with your photos

it's cheesy to some but beautiful to me. (I hope you don't mind if I post it but if you do you only have 30 minutes to ask me to remove it). :hi:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44ZeNXqEuTQ&feature=related

[taterguy]

4. You can post anything you want in this thread

Personally I'm not a fan of Josh but others might be

[LaurenG]

5. Happy Thanksgiving taterguy.

Good thread. :)

[taterguy]

6. I suspect it'll sink like a stone

That's what usually happens when I get a wild hair up my ass to post a positive thread.

[LaurenG]

7. I hope not, the pictures are beautiful - I wish I could rec it again. nt

[taterguy]

18. You could always just give it a few gratuitous kicks

[LaurenG]

24. OK

:kick:

It made it to the greatest page - :7

[Kind of Blue]

8. From sea to shining sea! Thanks for the reminder.

[taterguy]

9. You're welcome

[Mugu]

10. There's nothing quite like a sunset in the American Midwest...

taterguy, I thought that your photos were very nicely done.

[madrchsod]

12. where is that nuke plant in illinois?

[Mugu]

14. Yes, the plant is located just south of Byron, IL. n/t

[madrchsod]

17. i live 30 miles south of there

you can see that plant for over 50 miles around northern illinois...

[ProfessorGAC]

32. 30 Miles??? That's Nothin'

I live about 5 miles from the Braidwood plant. (Straight line. It's more like 8 or 9 miles on the road.)

When we first moved down here it seemed a little intimidating, but after a while i guess i became fatalistic about it. If nothing happens, no reason to worry. If something happens, well, it's too late to start worrying about it then.

Happy T Day, fellow Illinoisan!
GAC

[JDwho]

11. Have you noticed the optomistic threads don't get too many views?

Wonder why? Perhaps, Plaid Adder was right when he wrote we should let go (mostly) to the paranoia and disgust with the govt. and focus on hope, again. I know I've felt hopeful for the first time in a looooong time.

[taterguy]

13. It's easier to tear something down than build something up

[JDwho]

15. Perhaps, that's part of the problem. I wanna be part of the solution.

Who's with me??? Great pics from everyone, btw. :)

[taterguy]

16. Half an hour since you asked whose with you and no replies

Sigh

[Terran]

19. Lovely pictures

Happy Thanksgiving, and I so agree.

The second pic look likes my awesome adopted home state of Missouri...a really rather exotic place, topography-wise.

[taterguy]

20. Second pic is southwestern Virginia

The New River State Park, a 58 mile multi-use trail on an abandoned railroad line.

[Withywindle]

25. Aw, makes me homesick.

I grew up very near there.


Beautiful thread, thank you.

[progressoid]

21. Yep.

And I think we have a lot more to be thankful for now than a year ago!

[Adelante]

22. Beautiful

Thank you for this nice post and Happy Thanksgiving :hi:

[Fireweed247]

26. I am incredibly grateful for my stomping grounds

The Great Spirit is very kind in Alaska (and no Sarah Palin jokes:P )

[northofdenali]

28. Amen. And it is despite Sarah and her ilk.

Not too far from my house:



Hatcher Pass View, near (gulp) Wasilla:



HAPPY THANKSGIVING, EVERYONE!

[Neshanic]

27. I am too, but for every pic you have there, people fought to keep it that way, and were

probably called bad Americans.

[fortyfeetunder]

29. Makes me think of the song "America the Beautiful"

for post 7900, it's all beautiful!!

[babylonsister]

30. You're right. Thanks, and those pics are beautiful. nt

[warren pease]

31. Free of humans or any symbols of what only a blind idiot would call progress...

Only trouble with America is there's too damn many Americans in it.

And the trouble with that is the dangerously high percentage of them who have become the monumentally greedy pathological American "I've got mine, so fuck you" thieving parasites who have pretty much ruined the country.

They see no beauty in those glorious stills; their concept of beauty is limited to trophy wives and appreciation for some expertly engraved, stylized little decoration on some high-denomination US currency -- which they'll immediately convert to Euros, dollars being a sucker's play these days.

And because the rules are made to encourage these sons of bitches in their endless quest for more and more money, everything on, under or above the earth's surface is just another exploitable resource, its value measured against extraction costs and the length of time until it yields return on investment.

Which is why people with a broader world view say Americans know the cost of everything and the value of nothing. The shitheel commodities speculators and futures traders do, in fact, know the cost of everything that's worth exploiting, probably to the penny.

They know absolutely nothing, and are proudly ignorant, of the intrinsic value of a shady spot by a slow-moving river that's perfect for a picnic and an afternoon nap. And gawd help anyplace that's unlucky enough to have our oil hidden under their sand, as the saying goes. Could be the garden of eden or the aquifer feeding the fountain of youth. If there's drilling required, fuck eden and if you want eternal youth, find a good plastic surgeon.


wp

[asteroid2003QQ47]

33. "... too damn many Americans in it."--BINGO! n/t

[DeepModem Mom]

34. K&R

[taterguy]

35. Glad you enjoyed it