Obama Pardons 'Liberty'

Two lucky ducks, er, turkeys dodged a dark fate this year. Liberty, who is 19 weeks old and weighs 45 pounds, received a presidential Thanksgiving pardon; her alternate, Peace, also got one, USA Today notes. President Obama said it was his latest “executive order” that didn’t require Congressional approval. Thanksgiving, he said, is “a day to count our blessings, spend time with the ones we love, and enjoy some good food and some great company."

"It's also one of the worst days of the year to be a turkey,” he added. After the 64th annual Thanksgiving presentation at the White House today, the turkeys will be on display in Mount Vernon until January 6, the Washington Post reports. Liberty and Peace, who are from Minnesota, were picked from more than 100 turkey-pardon submissions and named with help from Twin Cities schoolkids, the Christian Science Monitor notes. (More Thanksgiving stories.)