In his Thanksgiving message this year, Barack Obama reminded us that the economy still sucks and that we are our brother’s keeper.
We’re also grateful for the Americans who are taking time out of their holiday to serve in soup kitchens and shelters, making sure their neighbors have a hot meal and a place to stay. This sense of mutual responsibility – the idea that I am my brother’s keeper; that I am my sister’s keeper – has always been a part of what makes our country special. And it’s one of the reasons the Thanksgiving tradition has endured…
I know that for many of you, this Thanksgiving is more difficult than most. But no matter how tough things are right now, we still give thanks for that most American of blessings, the chance to determine our own destiny. The problems we face didn’t develop overnight, and we won’t solve them overnight. But we will solve them. All it takes is for each of us to do our part.
With all the partisanship and gridlock here in Washington, it’s easy to wonder if such unity is really possible. But think about what’s happening at this very moment: Americans from all walks of life are coming together as one people, grateful for the blessings of family, community, and country.
Of course, when Obama reminded us that we are our brother’s keeper, he wasn’t talking about his brother George. High as a kite, George Obama poses outside his foul-smelling Kenyan slum hut with his friends in Huruma estate.
Left to Right : Rastaman, One of the girls in George’s room, George Hussein Obama, Jack, a body guard in the Kenyan slum. (Thaindian)
Barack Obama’s brother George, also a community organizer, was arrested on a charge of marijuana possession in 2009. He was interviewed in his slum in 2008.
In 2010, George Obama, a former gang member, moved to an apartment near the slum in Kenya.