Yesterday, per tradition, the President “pardoned” a couple of turkeys.  Those celebrated birds were named Drumstick and Wishbone.  The names are a rather unfortunate reference to parts of their anatomy.  Still, having been selected for the White House ceremony, those turkeys will now happily retire to an enclosure called “Gobbler’s Rest” at Virginia Tech.  Sadly, 46 million other turkeys will not be as lucky.  That’s the annual consumption of turkeys on Thanksgiving.  And it breaks my heart to know that most of those birds lived miserable lives in large, dark sheds with up to 75,000 other individuals.  Those factory-farmed animals likely never saw daylight or felt the grass beneath their feet.  Instead, they waded through excrement and urine, which is known to cause painful ulcers on their feet and breasts.  And the air in these sheds was probably so polluted with dust, pathogens, and ammonia that many of the turkeys suffered from painful respiratory diseases and eye disorders.  It’s sad but true.