Morning Reads: Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Back in 1621, the Pilgrims celebrated their first successful harvest with three days of eating, drinking, music and games. Historians know they feasted on venison because local native Americans brought five deer as a gift. But it’s more likely that they ate ducks and geese than turkeys. It’s also likely that there was plenty of seafood — eels, cod, sealmeat, lobster and mussels. Potatoes hadn’t been introduced to the Americas yet, and while they enjoyed pumpkins and other squash, they lacked the necessary ingredients to bake a pie. They probably washed it all down with hard apple cider.

“Unorthodox police procedures” –> The WaPo’s Jerry Markon and Tom Hamburger report that the Michael Brown grand jury documents revealed that among the ways Ferguson police “violated protocols for handling a crime scene and securing evidence” after the shooting was letting Darren Wilson return to the station by himself, wash up and bag his own gun. AND: A freelance TV crew shooting at the site of the killing says they were robbed and chased away from the area by a large group of masked gunmen. Jessica Lussenhop has that story for Riverfront Times.

RBG –> MSNBC reports that “Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg underwent heart surgery Wednesday morning after experiencing discomfort during exercise.” Ginsburg had a stent implanted. She’s reportedly recovering well and should be released from the hospital within the next two days.

Happy holidays, you’re fired –> Pierre Omidyar’s Firstlook Media announced that it was folding The Racket news site before it had even begun publishing and firing its staff after Matt Taibbi’s sudden departure last month. At In These Times, Chris Lehmann looks at some of the cultural clashes that have plagued the startup and suggests that Silicon Valley tech money may not be suited to supporting independent journalism.

Not big on that whole free speech thing –> A Wisconsin man is suing his local police department for allegedly violating his civil rights. Thomas Smith accused the Arena police department of racial profiling in a Facebook post, and was shocked when officers showed up to his home and arrested him for disorderly conduct and unlawful use of computerized communications. Smith was convicted, but the verdict was overturned on appeal. David Edwards reports for Raw Story.

Executive amnesty –> Barack Obama got a few digs in against opponents of his recent immigration action when he announced that he was granting “amnesty” to two turkeys, “Mac” and “Cheese.” AND: National Journal’s Marina Koren looks at the posh lifestyle the pardoned turkeys experience at a fancy DC hotel in the days before the ceremony. BUT: Last year, CNN reported that these turkeys are designed for consumption rather than longevity, and tend to die shortly after arriving at George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate.

Have dinnertime fun with the family…