Dear Readers:

In 1955, the year I began writing this column, I wrote an essay for
Christmas Day. Reader response was extremely rewarding, and I have
reprinted it every year, with topical modifications. This is my
Christmas message for 2000:

Today is Christmas. What has happened to peace on Earth, goodwill
toward men? In many parts of the world, there is no peace, and in the
hearts of many men, there is nothing that could pass for goodwill.

Our youth insist that we are poisoning the environment, and they are
right. They resent living in a world they didn't make, and who can
blame them? But what generation ever made the world it had to live in?

Although our universities are once again peaceful places of higher
learning, racism still exists on some campuses. And despite the
warnings, college students are still drinking too much, too often,
with deadly results.

Unfortunately, the "war on drugs" has turned out to be a colossal
failure. The increase in the number of homicides is staggering, and
most of it is drug-related. Guns and knives are standard equipment
among too many teenagers. It is not uncommon for a teenager to get
shot or stabbed for his jacket or his shoes. And now, our children
are vulnerable even in their schools and places of worship. Metal
detectors in schools help some, but not enough. It seems no place is
safe.

While alcohol is still the most abused drug of all, marijuana and
stronger substances, like crack and ecstasy, are common in junior and
senior high schools. Heroin is having a resurgence. The dropout rate
is appalling. Why should a kid stay in school when he can get rich
dealing drugs? This is the message too many young people are getting.

Suicide is the third most frequent cause of death in the United
States among teenagers ages 15 to 24. (The first is accidents.) Every
100 minutes, a young person under 24 in America will kill himself.
More bad news is that venereal disease is still very much with us,
not to mention AIDS, for which there is no vaccine and no cure,
although new drugs are providing hope.

We are becoming increasingly desensitized to filthy language, garbage
"art" and disgusting stuff on TV. Violence, bigotry, and talking
dirty must be tolerated, we are told, because we dare not endanger
"freedom of speech." I am firmly against censorship, but where is the
moral outrage against all the filth? What has happened to plain,
everyday decency?

Because this is an advice column, I spend the greater part of each
day with grief and trouble. I am adored by some, despised by others,
chastised, castigated, and dumped on. Does it depress me? No, it does
not. After 45 years, I still find writing this column immensely
rewarding. I realize that many people who write to me don't want
advice. They just need someone who will listen.

My column has provided me with an opportunity to shine a spotlight on
ignorance and fear, to comfort the afflicted, and afflict the
comfortable. I am well aware that mine is an enormous responsibility,
and I try hard, 365 days a year, never to let you down.

You, dear readers, are my friends. You invite me into your homes, and
often, we have breakfast together. I want to be there for you when
you need me. So, if you feel the need to unburden yourself, blow your
top, register a gripe, or tell me off, I'm as close as your mailbox
- -- and your computer. Write on!

God bless you all. I hope 2001 will be your best year ever. Ann Landers

To find out more about Ann Landers and read her past columns, visit
the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.