I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with those that are most important in your lives … your family and friends. Mine was great and as usual my wife outdid herself. Although I’m a vegetarian I more than made up for things, especially with the four pies we had for dessert!

I really do have a lot to be thankful for. My family foremost, and a life lived on my own terms, doing the things I felt were important and made me happy. My work enabled me to travel all over the world, but I was always grateful to be back. It was great to be an American. I felt lucky.

This year it’s a little different, isn’t it … a year in which our freedoms and much of what America has stood for are being challenged on a daily basis.

So what am I be thankful for right now?

Here are just a few things.

First, that I’m not a woman who has had a man point his finger at my face while telling me to be “quiet, piggy”.

Or that I’m not a Ukrainian child, cold and afraid, huddled in a damp basement while the so-called leader of the free world tries to sell my freedom out with a 28 point plan written by the Russians with some help by his “special envoy”/real estate buddy Steve Witcoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Or that I’m not someone who has had his or her door knocked down, been pepper sprayed, been taken away while my family members screamed in terror or have been unlawfully detained in a third world-like detention center because my language is Spanish and/or my skin color isn’t white.

Here is another thing I’m thankful for. For the courage of six democratic lawmakers, all former veterans or members of intelligence community who spoke out in a video to make sure current members of the military and intelligence community know “Our laws are clear: You can refuse illegal orders; you must refuse illegal orders. No one has to carry out orders that violate the law or our Constitution. We know this is hard and that it’s a difficult time to be a public servant. But whether you’re serving in the CIA, the Army, our Navy, the Air Force, your vigilance is critical.” They went on to say “Know that we have your back, because now, more than ever, the American people need you. We need you to stand up for our laws, our Constitution, and who we are as Americans.”  These brave Americans are continuing to stand tall and are not backing down even after the dear leader called for their arrest and execution and others in the regime look for other ways to try to intimidate them.

I’m also thankful I can still write this and not land in jail, or worse for “seditious” behavior.

Look, I know America is far from perfect. It never was and never will be. But it is worth fighting for our democracy and all that is good about America. So, finally, I’m thankful that more and more Americans are waking up to the clear and present danger we all face and are making their stand in both big and small ways.

Remember, 2026 is around the corner and with continuing vigilance we will vote out enough of the collaborators in November so that next Thanksgiving all of us will have even more to be thankful for!

As the “seditious six” said in closing their video, “Don’t give up the ship”!

Oh, and by the way, keep making photographs.

Stay well,

Michael