Thanksgiving 1997 Last year I made a list of what to be thankful for in 1996. A year has passed, and Thansgiving 1997 is upon us. Here is a list, in random order, of what I am thankful for as I sit down to Thanksgiving dinner in this year, 1997. Bob Dornan is still a former member of Congress In spite of an overall drift to the right of the country, liberal ideals such as protecting the environment, opposition to racism, and consumer protection are now entrenched in society as a whole. There has now been peace in Bosnia for two full years 1997 was a year of spectacular progress in the battle for equal rights for gay Americans Freedom of speech was protected on the Internet as a result of ACLU v Reno. The way conservatives sputter helplessly with rage when they try to comprehend why Clinton was re-elected, even a full year later. Apple Computers is still in business, and you, the consumer, still has a choice of what computer system to buy. The Indigo Girls are considered stars My partner and my family, for sharing their love with me; without them the rest of the world is nothing America, for giving us the freedom to thank God for a good year. America, for giving us the freedom not to thank God for a good year. Public schools, the engines of democracy. The Internet, for giving one person in the isolated center of the country the ability to publish to the whole world. There are thousands of public servants, from firefighters, to police officers, to public health inspectors, to social workers, to nurses, to everyone in between whose job it is to protect us, and who do an admirable job of it. People of faith who use their belief in God to do good in this world All of the organizations such as the ACLU, Southern Poverty Law Center, Human Rights Campaign, and others who are fighting to protect and enhance our freedom. "Congress shall make no law..." "We hold these truths to be self-evident..." Progress