As you might have noticed, we’re powering down a bit for the holiday this week – which is appropriate given that the world seems to be powering down a little as well, particularly in the realm of state and regional politics which is our usual fare. As such, your publisher is off for a long-awaited and badly-needed vacation.

We’ll be back to normal on Tuesday, and it’ll be that way until the week of Christmas which, as you would expect, will look a little like this week.

So in the meantime, we hope you and yours have a happy Thanksgiving, and we wish you fond reflections on the meaning of the holiday – gratitude for this wonderful republic and society of ours which we are entrusted to maintain and grow. We perhaps have not done as complete a job of that in recent years, but Thanksgiving is an opportunity to recharge the batteries and renew the commitment to stand up for our families, communities and nation.

For us here at the Hayride, Thanksgiving is about three things – God, country and family. As our readers have become a family of sorts over the past 13 years of the site’s existence – the Hayride was actually conceived and born over the Thanksgiving holiday in 2009 – this i a holiday which has a bit of a special meaning to us.

We hope it does for you as well, and we wish you much joy this week.