THE ANNUAL ‘TURKEY pardoning’ – when the US President picks a turkey that will survive the Thanksgiving slaughter – is a rather grim White House tradition.
It’s unusual for a turkey pardoning to happen anywhere else in the world, but Reece Smyth, Chargé d’Affaires at the US Embassy in Dublin, hosted his own ceremony yesterday evening.
The bird he chose to pardon ahead of the Thanksgiving feast on Thursday was… Dustin the Turkey.
Smyth told Dustin that he had to think ‘long and hard’ about sparing him:
While opinion was divided on whether it was time to finally roast this turkey, ultimately I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and spare him. I just hope he appreciates this second chance and doesn’t let me down in the future.
Unfortunately, the next big holiday is not in Smyth’s remit: “I’m going to pardon you for every Thanksgiving but Christmas – that’s not in my authority, sorry.
Dustin, for his part, urged people to go vegan and vegetarian, and implored Michael D Higgins to do something about December 25.
What do you say, Michael D? Dustin is a whopping 29 years old now, there can’t be good eating in him at this stage. Think about it, sure.
