Whereas: The Minnesota Constitution begins, “We the people of Minnesota, grateful to God for our civil and religious liberty, and desiring to perpetuate its blessing and secure the same to ourselves and our posterity do ordain and establish this Constitution;” and
Whereas: We have much to be thankful for in this past year:
The bounty of Minnesota's land and the hard work of our farm families that put food on the tables of the nation and the world;
The progress of scientific discovery, which yields new ways of understanding and utilizing the world around us;
The increasing productivity of our workers, which raises our standard of living and stretches our resources to provide expanding prosperity;
The growth in learning and service of Minnesota’s youngest generation as they prepare to take their rightful place of leadership; and
Whereas: We are thankful for the continuing service of our military men and women, law enforcement personnel, and their families who shoulder the burden of keeping us safe and free, especially those Minnesotans who gave their lives in service to our state and nation this past year; and
Whereas: We are thankful for the awareness of great needs among our people for justice, equality, and health and for the resilience and resolve of our people to tackle Minnesota’s and America's unfinished business of liberty; and
Whereas: We go forward in the spirit of President Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1863, observing Thanksgiving as a day to “heal the wounds of the nation and to restore… peace, harmony, tranquility and union.”
Now, Therefore, I, TIM PAWLENTY, Governor of Minnesota, do hereby proclaim Thursday, November 23, 2006, to be Thanksgiving Day in the State of Minnesota, as a time to enjoy family togetherness and the bounty of our land, to give thanks for our many blessings, and to recommit ourselves to the unfinished business of our democracy. On this day I urge all Minnesotans who are so inclined and inspired, to pray that we can come together, in spite of our differences, to build a state and a nation of peace, harmony, tranquility, and union.
