Follow me on Twitter at: Twitter.com/joshsimeone

EL PASO COUNTY – New details are emerging in the Thanksgiving Day murder in Security allegedly involving a father and his son.

Aylais Oliver, 76, faces a first-degree murder charge in the shooting death of his son, 49-year-old Keith Oliver. Keith Oliver was killed around 3:00 PM Thanksgiving Day at a home at 4030 Oberding Drive in Security.

According to an arrest affidavit obtained by NEWSCHANNEL 13, Aylais Oliver told an El Paso County Sheriff’s Deputy he harmed his son. The affidavit describes a daylong argument between father and son over chores that ended in the death of his son.

According to the affidavit, Aylais’ wife, Marjorie, asked his son Keith to leave. The son did not leave and that’s when Aylais allegedly went upstairs to retrieve his gun. The affidavit goes on to describe Aylais confronting his son in the garage of the family home and having an argument that lasted “5 words” before allegedly shooting his son once.

During the argument, according to the affidavit, something along the lines of “stand up like a man” was heard from the victim prior to him being shot.

The affidavit goes onto describe Aylais sitting down on a step before being asked by his wife to lay the gun down.

Upon arrival, a deputy with the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office contacted Aylais and noticed the man was breathing heavily. when asked if he was alright, Alyais responded, “that he had harmed his son,” according to the affidavit.

Alyais served in the military and worked at a steel mill for several years to support his family. according to the arrest affidavit, he was paying the rent and car payments for his twin sons.

By Jo Tweedy
Last updated at 3:24 PM on 27th November 2009

A vision of green kicked off new York’s famous Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade yesterday when a 60-foot-tall Kermit the frog floated high above Manhattan’s streets.

Thousands of tourists and holiday revellers gatheredto watch giant inflatable versions of their favourite characters – including Dora the Explorer, Spiderman and Father Christmas – sail along between the skyscrapers.

Father Christmas flies high – perhaps having eaten one too many mince pies – at the 83rd annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

new additions to the parade this year included a blown up Pillsbury Doughboy. Alongside him walked marching bands, clowns, performers and a healthy sprinkling of celebrities.

The carnival took a different route in 2009 after parts of Broadway, the city’s famous theatre district, were pedestrianised earlier this year. The big Apple’s green lung, Central Park, was the starting point for the parade which followed a winding 2.65-mile route to its final destination in Herald Square.

Thousands of tourists and new Yorkers lined the streets of Manhattan to watch giant inflatable versions of their favourite cartoon characters.

Tourists lined the streets to help celebrate Thanksgiving, which marks the first harvest feast of English pilgrims in 1621. a traditional turkey dinner is served up in homes across the U.S.

Famous faces turning out in Manhattan included Cindy Lauper and Scottish actor Alan Cummings. Hollywood stars Melanie Griffith and husband Antonio Banderas were pictured filming the festivities from a new York apartment block and Michael Douglas made an appearance with his children in tow.

The ultimate traveller? Dora the Explorer strides forth through the big Apple.

The city’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg admitted Snoopy was his favourite cartoon balloon. “I’mvery loyal,” he said. “There’s an old saying – ‘You dance with thewoman that brung you,’ and Snoopy’s been with me a long time.”

Filming stars: Actor Antonio Banderas, armed with a video camera, captures the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade from a high-rise window while wife Melanie Griffith waves to the crowds.

Elsewhere in the US, Philadelphia’s famous carnival celebrated its 90thyear, while thousands of people in Detroit turned out for the city’s83rd annual parade.

Share this article:

Presidential Thanksgiving messages are a routine bit of executive prose that most attentive citizens happily ignore in this moment of national gratitude. But the sky-is-falling mood that now pervades Obama commentary couldnt let this 435-word document pass without a few sniffs of disapproval.

The Gawker Web site called it an uninspiring first effort from our most literary president and expressed hope that he would spend a little more time on it next year. Politico damned it with faint analysis it was basic and brief and tread lightly to avoid controversy.

Mostly, the message reiterated familiar Obama themes of diversity, community and service. the opening line referred to Thanksgiving as a harvest celebration between European settlers and indigenous communities, and Obama called attention to the contributions of Native Americans, who helped the early colonists survive their first harsh winter and continue to strengthen our Nation.

The holiday was also a time for us to renew our bonds with one another, and we can fulfill that commitment by serving our communities and our Nation throughout the year.

Maybe theyll surprise me, but Im willing to bet that a right-wing talk jock near you will soon be declaring the indigenous communities reference as un-American, and the call to service as yet another shout-out to socialism. Well also hear that the document never uses the word prayer, and that its one nod to God is in a quotation from George Washington (unless you count its mention of houses of worship, and the year of Our Lord in the date).

Yes, Im afraid things have gotten so vexed for Obama that Thanksgiving itself has become thankless. As it happens, that proclamation is revealing, but not necessarily in the ways his critics are likely to suggest.

You wonder if Obama will use this brief respite for reflection to ponder how, in a year, he has been transformed from a man once seen as capable of parting raging seas to the object of a terrible hatred on the right and mild disappointment among his allies. His opponents are on the march, his friends are grumpy.

Obama might fairly repair to the comforting thought that he inherited an unparalleled combination of disasters in the economy and foreign policy, and created such a surge of hope that he was expected, unrealistically, to have put everything right by now.

He will eventually get to claim a great victory on health care.

He helped the country avoid financial catastrophe. And isnt he doing pretty well in the polls, given the afflictions of unemployment and other forms of economic carnage? this line of thinking animates the White House. Obamas aides say it reflects a side of him that many have found attractive: a cool, detached confidence in the long-term that refuses to be disturbed by passing controversies and criticisms.

Yet there is a lesson for the president in the rote quality of his Thanksgiving proclamation that is significant only because it reveals Obamas underlying problem: what the document lacked was any sense of fighting spirit, any larger purpose, any gauntlet thrown down before his foes.

Contrast it to a Thanksgiving message Franklin D. Roosevelt offered in 1934 that was unapologetic in declaring his political goals. Our sense of social justice has deepened, Roosevelt insisted. We have been given vision to make new provisions for human welfare and happiness, and in a spirit of mutual helpfulness we have cooperated to translate vision into reality. … We can truly say, what profiteth it a nation if it gain the whole world and lose its own soul.

A year later, Roosevelt was at it again. We can be grateful, he wrote, that selfish purpose of personal gain, at our neighbors loss, less strongly asserts itself.

Roosevelt was no less pragmatic than Obama. He, too, was attacked demagogically as a socialist, and was equally loathed by his adversaries.

Yet Roosevelt was a happy warrior, a phrase he used about Al Smith that actually described FDR himself. He relished taking the fight to his enemies, once boasting: I welcome their hatred.

Obama will have more to be grateful for next Thanksgiving if he accepts that his foes intend to fight him for the next three years.

He needs to discover the joy that FDR took in fighting back, even in official documents that normally pass unnoticed.

E.J. Dionne Jr. is a columnist for the Washington Post. E-mail him atejdionne@washpost.com.

All rights reserved. this copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.

Law enforcement authorities broadened their search over the weekend for the Miami man they say shot and killed four relatives in Palm Beach County during a family gathering on Thanksgiving Day, and details have surfaced that provide background into a troubled relationship with one alleged victim.

Paul Michael Merhige, 35, fatally shot his twin sisters, Carla Merhige and Lisa Knight, both 33 years old and from Miami, along with two other relatives — Raymonde Joseph, 76, and 6-year-old Maykayla Sitton. Authorities said Lisa Knight was pregnant. he also injured two others, including Patrick Knight, Lisa Knight’s husband, police said.

Police say Michael Merhige had been at the home in Jupiter, where more than a dozen relatives were celebrating the holiday. he then left and returned about 10 p.m. and began shooting.

Appearing Saturday on Good Morning America, Maykayla’s father Jim Sitton recounted the incident. Sitton said the evening was coming to an end and the family was saying their goodbyes when Merhige left the front door of the home, went to his car, returned through the back door and opened fire.

“I tried to lead [Maykayla] out, because I thought it was coming from the front, and I led her right to . . .” said a visibly shaken Sitton, before breaking into tears.

Sitton — a South Florida photo and video journalist — added that while he was aware that Merhige had “past problems,” when he was told Merhige would be at the family’s Thanksgiving dinner he assumed he “was getting better.”

“I sat two seats down from him [during dinner],” Sitton said.

It’s unclear what happened to send Merhige on the rampage, but he and Carla had previously gone to court in connection charges of domestic violence, records show.

In 1996, Carla Merhige appeared as a defendant in a case of domestic violence against her brother. an injunction was filed, and was later dismissed.

In April of 2006, court records show that Paul Michael Merhige answered to a domestic violence charge against him from his sister. Carla petitioned the court to drop that injunction a month later.

No criminal charges were filed in either case.

the manhunt for Merhige has been broadened as far as Birmingham, Michigan, where police there have issued a Be on the Lookout — or BOLO — alert for Merhige and his royal blue Camry, license plate W42-7JT.

Merhige may have spent time in Michigan, perhaps to seek medical treatment. At least one source who knew Merhige said he had a history of mental problems and suicide attempts.

Police ask that anyone with knowledge of Paul Michael Merhige’s whereabouts call 1-800-458-TIPS.

JUPITER, Fla. — Authorities in Florida were searching Saturday for a man police said opened fire on his family after Thanksgiving dinner and killed four people, including his pregnant sister and a 6-year-old cousin who was sleeping in her bed.

There had been “ongoing resentment” in the family, but investigators weren’t sure what specifically prompted the shooting, officials said. Police were looking for Paul Michael Merhige, 35, of Miami. he was believed to be driving a royal blue 2007 Toyota Camry with a rear spoiler and Florida license plate.

Merhige is also accused of gunning down his pregnant sister’s twin and his 79-year-old aunt.

“What led to this incident, we’re not quite sure,” said Jupiter Police Sgt. Scott Pascarella. “It did not appear there was any altercation prior to this shooting.”

Pascarella said Merhige left briefly before returning to the home where 17 relatives had gathered in Jupiter, a small beach town about 90 miles north of Miami. the town is known as a home to celebrities including Michael Jordan and Burt Reynolds.

Pascarella said police first received a 911 call from a neighbor, then another from someone inside the home. the residence, in a well-kept new subdivision with brick-paved driveways, is owned by local TV videojournalist Jim Sitton and his wife. the home was surrounded Friday by yellow crime scene tape and police crime unit vans.

Sitton’s daughter Makayla had gone to bed before the rampage, police said.

“God packed a lot of sweetness into that little body,” Sitton said. “She’s just our life. I don’t know how we are ever going to recover.”

Sitton told local media that his daughter was supposed to perform in a holiday production of “The Nutcracker.” the Florida Classical Ballet Theatre had two shows Friday.

“Makayla was part of our family, and as one of the youngest dancers, she was to be one of Mother Ginger’s Children,” artistic director Colleen Smith said. “She was a beautiful, dear girl. She was a beam.”

The other victims were Merhige’s twin sisters, Carla Merhige and Lisa Knight, and an aunt, Raymonde Joseph. Merhige’s brother-in-law Patrick Knight was in critical but stable condition at a local hospital. another man, Clifford Gebara, 52, was grazed by a bullet.

Carla Merhige was a real estate agent in Miami.

“She was a wonderful agent,” said Joanna Sherman, a manager at Coldwell Banker Residential real estate. “She was very active in the community and in charities. She was just a genuine, beautiful individual. She always had a smile for everybody.”

Neighbors in the Palm Beach County community were shocked as police processed the home.

“Our kids walk the streets by themselves,” said Nicole Kemp, 67, who did not know any of the victims. “I thought it was the safest place to live. I guess it doesn’t matter, if there’s a maniac here.”

Associated Press writers Suzette Laboy and Tamara Lush in Miami contributed to this report.

Thanksgiving Day in the US is normally a time for forgiving and forgetting and Obama, shining beacon of forgiveness that he is, has pardoned Turkey!

This news spread round the world like wildfire and Istanbul reacted swiftly to the news.

Turkey’s President sent an urgent message to the States asking “what the fuck have we done now, murdered Kurds, tried to enter the ECC, sent more of our countrymen to Germany to annoy the NSPD, extreme right?”

The whole thing exploded into a diplomatic crisis with Turkey asking the US why have they been pardoned!

Obviously on Thanksgiving Day in the US nobody works including Obama so a special envoy was sent disturbing Obama and his family enjoying their “Turkey” dinner.

“What the f**k is it now” Obama screamed down the corridors of the White House, “a man can’t even eat his Turkey on Thanksgiving day in peace!”

After being informed about the crisis with the Turks, he realised what the problem was, Obama had pardoned a real TURKEY and the TURKEY is now living the rest of his life in Disneyland.

Obama promptly informed the Turkish President about the slight misunderstanding and wished him a happy Thanksgiving Day, told him to keep his filthy Turkish hands off of the Kurds and don’t upset my Deutsche friends!

Make Jaggedone’s day – rate this story with the stars, they’re just down there!

Four people died in a Thanksgiving Day shooting rampage when a Florida man finished his dinner, departed, returned with a handgun and turned it on relatives.

All the victims were relatives of the suspect, 35-year-old Paul Michael Merhige of Miami, who is still at large, according to Jupiter police.

“We know the suspect had an ongoing resentment toward family members and at some point in the evening left the residence for a short period of time, then returned and started shooting without warning,” police Sgt. Scott Pascarella told ABCNews.com.

Pascarella said there were 17 guests at the holiday dinner at the home of one of the victims. He did not if anyone had been targeted by the suspect.

“The suspect was an invited guest into the home, spending Thanksgiving with members of his family and he started shooting,” Pascarella said.

A neighbor called 911 after family members sought her out for help, according to ABC affiliate WPBF.

Police said the victims were relatives of the suspect: Makayla Sitton, 6, a second or third cousin; Raymonde Joseph, 76, an aunt; and Carla and Lisa Knight, 33, his twin sisters. A fifth victim, Patrick Knight, 37 and the husband of Lisa Knight, was treated and released at St. Mary’s Hospital in West Palm Beach after after being grazed by a bullet, police said. The suspect also injured a cousin, Clifford Gebara, 52.

The dinner was at the Jupiter home of the dead girl’s father, James Sitton.

The youngest victim was asleep in her room when she was shot and died after being helicoptered to St. Mary’s Medical Center, according to ABC affiliate WPBF.

U.S. Marshalls are assisting local police in the manhunt.

The suspect was last seen leaving the home at about 10 p.m. Thursday night in a blue, four-door 2007 Toyota Camry, bearing Florida license plate W427JT. He is considered armed and dangerous.

NEW YORK — Giant balloons, floats, marching bands and clowns with confetti brought smiles to hundreds of thousands of revelers eager to catch a glimpse of a parade as steeped in Thanksgiving Day tradition as turkey and pumpkin pie.

Crowds six to seven people deep lined the streets of Manhattan on Thursday for the 83rd annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade as merrymakers gathered nationwide for massive parades in cities such as Detroit and Philadelphia.

Soldiers in war zones received phone calls of appreciation from President Barack Obama, while astronauts hovering above the Earth’s surface feasted on turkey smuggled aboard the space shuttle Atlantis.

In new York City, Miss America Katie Stam waved to crowds from a Statue of Liberty float she shared with Meb Keflezighi, the first American in 27 years to win the new York City Marathon.

Shailesh Dighe and his family came to the fabled parade to snap pictures of celebrities including rapper Jay Sean and singer-actress Keke Palmer. Despite the crowds, Dighe said the parade is “totally worth it.”

“When you watch it on TV, you don’t get that feeling,” said Dighe, who splits his time between Manhattan and Princeton, N.J.

For the first time, the parade route bypassed Broadway, which cuts a diagonal slice through Manhattan, as it made its way south from the Upper West Side to the finish at Macy’s flagship store in Herald Square.

The new route traverses the grid of the city’s streets and avenues, includes turns around five corners, and is slightly longer than in previous years — 2.65 miles compared with 2.5 miles.

Johanna Castillo, 38, of Guttenberg, N.J., said the new route seemed to better accommodate the crowds.

“I was very blessed to get here at the time I did and find a spot” a half-hour before parade time, said Castillo, who arrived with her two children.

Maryann Alonzo, 48, of Queens, N.Y., has been coming to the parade since she was a baby. She showed up Thursday with her daughter and friends to cheer on her father, who’s been performing in the parade for 25 years as a clown.

“This is our Thanksgiving,” Alonzo said. “More than the food.”

Celebrity entertainment included Italian tenor Andrea Boccelli, comedian Jimmy Fallon, former “American Idol” star Katharine McPhee and singers Gloria Gaynor and Carly Simon.

Elsewhere, tens of thousands gathered in the streets of downtown Detroit for the 83rd annual America’s Thanksgiving Parade. The country’s longest-run Thanksgiving Day parade was held in Philadelphia for its 90th year.

In Detroit, where the September unemployment rate was 17.3 percent, parade organizers set up three locations where revelers could drop off donations of canned food for the area food bank.

Eugene Peterson, 35, an unemployed construction worker from Detroit, said he had plenty to be thankful for.

“I’m thankful we have a president who understands we’re going through a hard time,” Peterson said. “I’m thankful they extended unemployment (benefits) because there ain’t no jobs around here. It’s kind of like government showing yeah, they care.”

Aboard Atlantis, astronauts expecting to give thanks with pantry leftovers were surprised by turkey dinners with candied yams, freeze-dried cornbread stuffing and green beans — just add water. NASA suspected the station’s new skipper was responsible for the Thanksgiving feast.

Obama enjoyed a quiet holiday at the White House with his family and telephoned 10 members of the U.S. military stationed in war zones to thank them for their service.

As daylight faded in Afghanistan, soldiers huddled inside a crude wooden hut to tuck into Thanksgiving turkeys the unit itself had fattened and to give thanks for having survived a year of combat.

Dense fog delayed some flights Thursday for Thanksgiving travelers headed to the Washington and Baltimore areas.

The Federal Aviation Administration says the fog prompted a ground stop for flights arriving Thursday morning at all three Washington-area airports. Departing flights were apparently not affected. The FAA lifted its ground stop by 10:30 a.m.

Associated Press writers Jim Irwin in Detroit and Denis D. Gray in Baraki-Barak, Afghanistan, and AP Aerospace Writer Marcia Dunn in Cape Canaveral, Fla., contributed to this report.

(This version CORRECTS that Keflezighi is the first American in 27 years to win the new York City Marathon.)

Oakland travel to Dallas in the second of three NFL games on Thanksgiving in week twelve of the NFL season. The Raiders have had a poor season so far and are now 3-7, but will take heart from their shock 20-17 win over the Bengals last week. The Cowboys also won last week, edging out the Redskins 7-6 in a very tight game, and now sit top of the NFC East at 7-3 after winning five of their previous six games.

Dallas are heavy favourites on the money line for this game at -800 (bet $800 to win $100 profit), leaving Oakland as big underdogs at +614 (bet $100 to win $614 profit). Betting so far on the money line has mainly been in favour of the Raiders, with 83% of money so far backing them to produce an upset.

The point spread has been set at 13.5 points for the game, making Dallas favourites at -13.5 points and giving Oakland a handicap of +13.5 points. Betting against the spread has so far been fairly evenly split with 52% of money behind the Cowboys even with the large handicap. last time the teams met, however, the Raiders did not need any advantage at all as they beat Dallas 19-13 in week four of the 2005 season.

Oakland have performed better against the spread so far this season than they have on the field, covering at 5-5 while winning at only 3-7. Dallas, however, are better winning than beating the spot, covering at 5-5 even while succeeding on the field at 7-3.

The Over/Under for the game has been set 40 points with 62% of betting so far in favour of the over. This seems strange, however, as Dallas has split 5-5 on the Over/Under and Oakland have recorded six Unders in their ten decisions so far.

The hosts tonight are seen as having some chance of mounting a challenge for the Super Bowl this year, priced at 25/1 for glory this year. Oakland, however, are not and at 1000/1 they are effectively out of contention for the postseason already.

Live NFL football scores

Oakland vs Dallas betting odds

Super Bowl betting odds

Other NFL betting previews

tags: american football, betting, dallas cowboys, football, live scores, nfl, oakland raiders, odds, super bowl, superbowl, thanksgiving, thursday, tony romo

(Compiled by CNN’s Emily Sherman)Washington (CNN) – Members of the Best Political Team on Television – and some of the politicians they cover – say they have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, from the service of the U.S. military to healthy kids, “a brand new hip” and a recount-free holiday season:

CNN Senior Political Correspondent Candy Crowley: “Always and forever I am most grateful for my healthy, amazing, wise children who teach me things everyday. I am also grateful it is not an election year, and I’m not celebrating Thanksgiving in a hotel covering a recount or a transition.”

CNN Anchor John King: “I’m most thankful for the love and support of my wife and two remarkable children. and grateful for the opportunity to visit 45 states in the past 11 months and meet so many wonderful people.”

Democratic strategist and CNN Political Analyst Paul Begala: “This Thanksgiving I am especially thankful for America’s military families. I never even finished the Boy Scouts, much less wore the uniform. But I am keenly aware that I owe my freedom to the men and women who have served in the past and who serve today.

“I married an Army brat. Her mother and father raised four children while moving over a dozen times to bases across America and in Europe. Twice my father in law was deployed to Viet Nam. He served with honor and distinction – and he would be the first to tell you his service would not have been possible without the support of his wife and children.

“So to every military mom and dad, every service spouse, and every child who has to move every year or two; who has to soldier on at home while a loved one risks life and limb abroad, I say thank you. About one percent of Americans bear the burden of defending the other 99 percent of us. so on behalf of the 99, thank you, thank you, thank you.”

(After the jump: President Obama, congressional leaders and others weigh in)

President Obama: “Every single day I am thankful for the extraordinary responsibility that the American people have placed in me, I am humbled by the privilege that it is to serve them and the tremendous honor it is to serve as commander in chief of the finest military in the world.”

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid “is thankful for the prospect of ensuring quality, affordable healthcare for all Americans,” as well as his health.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is thankful for his family, and for getting to spend the holidays with them.

House Minority Whip Eric Cantor is thankful for three happy and healthy kids.

National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn is “thankful to the brave men and women putting themselves in harms way all over the world, fighting to preserve those gifts.”

Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman Bob Menendez is thankful for “each job created by the economic stimulus plan.”

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs is thankful for the good health of friends and family.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is thankful for “all the troops serving in Afghanistan, Iraq and around the world, separated by oceans from their loved ones in order to defend liberty and freedom at home.”

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger: “As we come together with our loved ones for this fantastic American tradition, I ask that we also remember those who cannot be with their family and friends today, including our brave first responders and-troops, especially those I recently visited in Iraq. They have my gratitude for working so hard to keep us safe.”

Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry: “I’ve got a ton to be thankful for this year starting with the love and health of my family and friends, including a new son-in law. my friend and mentor Ted Kennedy’s passing especially reminds me how lucky I am to have the gift of his teaching over the years and also the blessing of good health, and a brand new hip that feels better by the day.

“I’m grateful for the skill and commitment of our troops, especially those who are spending this holiday away from families and loved ones. The funerals of two Massachusetts soldiers this month were a tough reminder of the ultimate sacrifice made for our country, and their families and all the families of the fallen are on our minds this Thanksgiving. I’m thankful that Massachusetts has continued to give me the privilege of serving in the Senate when so many big issues are being debated and decided, and I’ll continue to do my best to meet the expectations folks have placed in me.”

Carly Fiorina is thankful for “successfully battling breast cancer, good health, the love of family and friends and the opportunities ahead.”