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US President George W. Bush (C) stands with the Hill family who raised "Pumpkin", the National Thanksgiving Turkey after Bush officially pardoned the bird in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC. Bush Wednesday pardoned his last national Thanksgiving turkey, which will now fly first-class to Disneyland in California instead of ending up on a dinner table.
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With nostalgic words, US President George W. Bush Wednesday pardoned his last national Thanksgiving turkey, which will now fly first-class to Disneyland in California instead of ending up on a dinner table.
With the necessary gravity and gobbling accompanying the ceremony, Bush pardoned the bird, dubbed Pumpkin and a backup bird, Pecan, who was nowhere to be seen, "in an undisclosed location," Bush joked.
"In recent weeks, I've talked a lot about sprinting to the finish. Yet I've assured these turkeys they will not be trotting to their finish," Bush said on the eve of the Thanksgiving holiday, his last before his term ends in January.
"That's because in keeping with a longstanding tradition, Pumpkin and Pecan are hereby granted a full and unconditional presidential pardon."
Both birds will fly to Disneyland, where Pumpkin is set to be the honorary marshal of the Thanksgiving Day Parade.
"Together, these birds will gobble the rest of their days in 'The Happiest Place on Earth.' I just hope they stay humble there," Bush added to laughter from the crowd.
But in a letter to Bush on Tuesday, the animal rights group PETA called on the president to send the turkeys to an animal sanctuary instead.
"You might be a lame duck, but you still have the power to help lame turkeys, who are made that way by the cruelty of the meat industry," PETA president Ingrid Newkirk wrote in the letter.
Bush expressed his thanks to American troops and his family and gave a shout out to the newest addition to the Bush family, Henry Hager, Jenna's husband.
"We are looking forward to having another place at our Thanksgiving table with a son-in-law."
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(Agencies)
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帶著濃濃的懷舊之情，布什總統于本周三在他任期內最后一次赦免感恩節火雞，這只火雞幸免一死，并將乘坐頭等艙飛往加州的迪斯尼樂園。
特赦儀式氣氛莊嚴，火雞“咕咕”地叫個不停，布什總統赦免了這只名叫“南瓜”的火雞，同時獲得赦免的還有一只名叫“胡桃”的替補火雞，但“胡桃”并未出現在典禮上，布什開玩笑說：“它在一個秘密地點?！?/font>
布什在節前發表他的最后一次感恩節講話時說：“這幾周，我說了很多關于結束的話。但我要保證這兩只火雞不會很快結束（生命）。”
“因為按照長期以來的傳統，‘南瓜’和‘胡桃’得到了總統的免死金牌?！?/font>
這兩只火雞將飛往迪斯尼樂園，“南瓜”將擔任在此舉行的感恩節游行活動的榮譽大禮官。
人群中發出陣陣笑聲，布什接著說：“這兩只火雞將在‘地球上最快樂的地方’度過它們的余生，我只希望它們能表現得謙遜一點。”
PETA動物保護組織于本周二致信布什，希望他能將這兩只火雞送往動物收容所。
PETA主席英格里德?紐科克在信中說：“現在你可能成了跛腳鴨，但你仍然能決定跛腳火雞的命運，這都是殘忍的肉禽業干的好事?！?/font>
在節前的講話中，布什對美國士兵及他的家人表示了感謝，并向新“進門”的女婿、詹娜的老公亨利?哈格發出了節日邀請。
“希望女婿能與我們共進感恩節大餐”。
（英語點津姍姍編輯）
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