oh gawd, another year ended. i hate those end-of-the-year resolution-type lists of popular events that try to encapsulate the American psyche. So, as a good American, I'm gonna create one of my own, of course, and call it...

Top ten things for which i'm glad 2001 is over:

1. The days of conspicuous over-consumption of mass-market products are finally behind us.
2. The nuclear arms race is a thing of the past.
3. National forests are protected from commercial logging.
4. Thanks to efforts by the FCC to allow community organizations to create their own radio stations, media conglomerates no longer have a strangle-hold on the airwaves.
5. Our country can now deal honestly with the underlying causes of terrorism, and no longer claim that the instigators are purely evil.
6. SUV drivers have recognized the error of their ways, and their link to petroleum and reliance on oil-producing countries, and are purchasing fuel-efficient hybrid automobiles.
7. There is no longer any doubt that global warming is caused by human consumption habits.
8. People will no longer have to struggle for equal rights or to get their voices heard by their congressional leaders.
9. The United States has adopted a policy of cooperation with all countries in 2002 and is leading the way in environmental protection and international disarmament.
10. We now live in a truly free country. You have my word on it.