 t year's end, individuals usually take
time to assess their accomplishments and review the good and the bad they
have participated in during the previous trip around the sun. More important,
however, is the making of resolutions for the upcoming year. And like drunk
drivers, these futile gestures are a integral part of our New Year celebrations.
 Luckily, I am not burdened with the
need to diet or quit smoking, due to the fact I never succumbed to the graveyard
glamor of cigarettes or some twisted body image problem. With that said,
I must admit that I find it difficult to come up with a resolution to break
year after year after year.
I gave up animal products in the
mid-eighties, so that is out. I have no desire to run a marathon, take up
painting, or climb a mountain, so these too are not even considered. I won't
give up television because I'm addicted to Star Trek and my soaps. My resolution
will not pertain to feeding the homeless in America or famine victims in
developing nations because I support population control in whatever form
it takes.
Also not on my to-do list is: voting
republican or libertarian, or going to church or anything else that resembles
organized religion, such as professional sports. It is also safe to say
I will not take up sky diving, snow boarding or any martial art. Resolutions
that involve keeping my opinions to myself are beyond the realm of possibility.
"Why make resolutions, if you
know you are going to break them?" you ask. In the defense of empty
promises, being American has given me the right to say one thing while doing
just the opposite. If you doubt this, just pick up a newspaper on any given
day for proof of this exalted American tradition.
Recently Congressmen Henry Hyde,
Bob Livingston, and Newt Gingrich voted to impeach President Clinton for
lying under oath. Funny, but these men did the same thing when they conveniently
forgot their marriage vows.
This year I am going to make two
resolutions: one designed to be broken and one to be fulfilled. By using
the tried and true Nanninga Resolution System, you too can break promises
to yourself while keeping those made to the environment.
The resolution I plan to make and
break this year is to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. This is not
to say I won't try, but considering that I have to deal with the forces
of greed and human indifference on a daily basis, I'm sure this resolution
will last a month at best. Developer Doug Manchester and Oceanside City
Councilman Terry Johnson will see to the early demise of this resolution.
The resolution I plan to keep, and
the one I encourage others to adopt as well, is to plant one native tree
every month. Just think: if every San Diego County resident were to plant
twelve native species in 1999, we would well be on our way to restoring
the natural ecosystem that are currently under siege. Coupled with the planting
resolution should be a resolution to remove one nonnative species as well.
This is how we begin to repair the mess we have made.
So, if you haven't made your resolutions
for 1999 you still have time. To do otherwise is just un-American. For those
of you who don't make resolutions, you should know that not making resolutions
is a resolution in and of itself.  | 
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