Here’s why we need to be thankful:

For the past week, we’ve spent a fair amount of ink and air time discussing and conducting raids on local grocery stores to prepare for the potential demise of the Twinkie.

During that same time, Palestinians were dodging an onslaught of military armament and Israelis were praying the “Iron Dome” would stop every missile headed for a high-density population area. Similar stories:

Bob Bestler | ‘Today’ won’t be on the TV tomorrow

Recliner Reviews for Nov. 15, 2012

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College football means more than fun for fans

We will hyperventilate this weekend about the fortunes of the Chanticleers and Gamecocks and Tigers and Fighting Irish.

We will plop down on Thursday after eating more food than necessary and watch the Cowboys play the Redskins, then switch the channel to watch more men chase specially-shaped pigskin.

We have been fretting about a potential tax increase from 35 percent to 39.6 percent for the wealthiest among us.

We’ve also been taking our children to plush theaters to laugh at “Madagascar 3.”

The per capita income of that all-too-real country is about $900.

The last serious secession attempt, which began in Charleston in December of 1860, led to the death of at least 620,000 Americans, a war from which the South has yet to fully recover a century and a half later.

Tens of thousands of us in every state have been openly talking about secession again since the election. All that has led to is a string of funny bits by late-night talk show hosts and funny jokes by amateur and professional comedians.

Maybe hundreds of us will be willing to trample on others to buy the latest version of Elmo or the iPad after we’ve stuffed ourselves with turkey or stood in long lines outside department stores before the break of day Friday.

There are millions of people on the planet who wait in line for rice rations and other necessities to stave off not hunger, but to not have to watch their newborns die in their arms of starvation.

A faith hardship for us is debating whether a religiously-affiliated school or business must provide contraceptives as part of its insurance plan.

A faith hardship for a young girl in Afghanistan was a bullet to the head when she insulted the Taliban by talking about equality and freedom.

Sometimes we forget just how good we have it here.

This is the time of year set aside for us to remember.