So, it's 2007, and will anything in the world change much in the next 12 months?

Did we hold out hope for 2006? Here we are, 12 months later, and we're still at war, gas prices are climbing back toward $3.00 a gallon here in Oregon and our celebrity-obsessed culture is more concerned with whether Britney's wearing panties than whether people's human rights are being violated right here in our own country. So, the electorate seemed to care back in November, but will it really make a difference? It sounds like no matter who's in power, we won't be leaving Iraq for a long time to come.

Yeah, we all need to escape and we have the right to play and party. I do it all the time. And maybe it's not good for you to be cynical.

But I can't help it.

A couple days ago a man considered a horrible Criminal against Humanity was executed and buried. We'll be hearing about him and reading about him for years to come, but his life on the planet has been ended. And no doubt he was guilty of too many crimes to even count.

But this other man sits comfortably on vaca right now where he couldn't even bother to attend the funeral of someone we're all told we should honor and respect. This guy is responsible for invasion, for terror, for thousands of deaths of both military personnel and civilians. And he'll never stand before a tribunal for his crimes. History will be his only judge.

I'm glad to see 2007 begin. But I doubt much will change.