Poems and Thoughts    by Frank Maurer

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The Fallacy of Pardoning Turkeys. This is a reconstruction of a letter I wrote years ago To President Obama concerning the pardoning of turkeys. Dear Sir, (or whichever president you now may be). I am a biologist (Ph.D.) and a small farmer, Raising many fowl for forty years. The custom of 'pardoning the Thanksgiving turkey' Is a terrible disservice to our farming traditions. FIRST, the turkey has done NOTHING for which to be pardoned. Its 'crime' was to be selectively bred to have an extra large breast, Rendering it defenceless to survive more than a year or two. SECOND, google the survival of 'pardoned' turkeys And realize they do not live for years, Retired on a 'retirement farm' in luxury, but rather, Their weight is so excessive, they eventually cannot walk And their legs collapse under the unusual weight. This is just a falsehood to comfort children and squeamish adults. THIRD, for children considering this action seriously, They do not receive necessary and accurate information, Concerning of what food is, and the reality Of the necessary transfer of energy of all life, One kind or another, to maintain the earthly food chain. Some become vegetarians to avoid the problem, But most relish meat and do not understand what 'food' really is. We are biologically omnivores, consuming both plants and animals. Consider our similar molar tooth structure, compared with bears and pigs-- We clearly evolved to have a wide diet as that of the above mentioned animals. Please might we stop this horrible misconception, Pardoning a selectively reconstructed creature which would have never lived, Except for the agricultural human desire to produce a larger bird, Much like we have 'created' cows producing abnormally large amounts of milk, And chickens which, unnaturally, lay an egg a day, Not the normal twelve, to create a 'family'. Please stop this artificial misconception about our food chain, And absolutely cease creating the illusion that humans Could ever have the right, pardoning innocent creatures. Frank Maurer 23 November 2025 1805 Hours.