One of the ubiquitous symbols of US superiority is the insignia of the bald eagle. To my amusement, I found out that the original bald eagle designed by Charles Thomson and submitted before the Congress wasn't as graceful as the one we see today. It looks like the one above actually !!!! Now why do I care? Well it all started with me eating a turkey breast sandwich at the local subway store. Somehow in my off time I thought of gathering some info about turkey from wikipedia. One interesting piece of info caught my attention. Seems like Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding members of USA was opposed to using bald eagle as the insignia of a brave new country. In a letter to his daughter, he writes "He is a Bird of bad moral Character. He does not get his Living honestly." Whoa!!!! He went on to say about bald eagle "he is never in good Case but like those among Men who live by Sharping & Robbing...". So he had an alternate suggestion. He suggested Turkey to be made the national insignia!!!! Yeah, the same turkey that Americans feast on every thanksgiving!! Under todays global political conditions I think it would have been real injustice towards a harmless, foolish bird like turkey. With the three trillion dollar war still going on somehow I have a feeling Charles Thomson was more of a visionary than Benjamin Franklin. After all seeing 200 years ahead of time ain't a small thing!!
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