Since 1621 Thanksgiving Day has been a political holiday. Usually wrapped in warm family and patriotic values, our rulers have shaped it to meet their needs. But is this tradition something to celebrate? In 1620, Pilgrims from England came ashore in Massachusetts. They were able to avoid disaster and starvation when the Wampanoag Nation brought them gifts of food and offered advice on planting, hunting, and fishing. But Pilgrim thanks were not extended to the Wampanoag hosts but to their white God and deep Christian faith. If the Wampanoags were invited by the newcomers to the first Thanksgiving, it was likely as inferiors and servants.

Thanksgiving could honor those Native Americans and African Americans who became our first freedom-fighters and the unity these two peoples often forged during five hundred years of resistance. Their rich history of heroism and unity deserves a Thanksgiving holiday. Read More in Fault Lines | Indigenous Peoples Sunrise Gathering at Alcatraz | Listen to audio from Alcatraz

Meanwhile, thousands of US troops are conducting Operation Plymouth Rock south of Baghdad. Iraq news