We should be flush with pride in U.S.A.

I don't mean to sound like some over-the-top, flag-waving patriot but if you don't believe America is the greatest nation on this good earth then you need your head examined. Granted, we spend useless time pursuing useless agendas from time to time but generally speaking, I suspect we truly don't fully appreciate just how great we have it here in the good ol' U.S.A.

What, you might ask, has prompted this America-first pride? Well, quite frankly, it's toilets. We have them and apparently billions don't.

A non-profit group called the World Toilet Organization is tackling the toilet topic and, from most accounts, they have their hands full.

Worldwide, 2.6 billion people on this planet lack toilets. I envision tribes in Africa or primitive bands in South America, but apparently the problem is much more widespread. In India alone, 730 million people lack toilets and you can only imagine the problems that flow from that lack of sanitary facilities.

When I first read of this organization and their goals, I will admit it opened a host of humorous possibilities. But reading fully it became abundantly clear that this was a very serious topic. To catch momentum on the current environmental madness, the group also says that the lack of toilets adds to the global warming problem that is the current rage. Who am I to question them on the subject?

India wants to have fully functioning toilets for their huge population for another reason as well. Officials there say the waste collected could be converted to cooking fuel, electricity and fertilizer. The addition of 730 million new toilets could certainly give them the opportunity to see if their theory is practical.

But here's the bottom line. This great nation of ours may have flaws and waste and fraud and abuse. But by golly, we've got toilets. And as basic as that may sound, it seems pretty darned fundamental to me for a civilized society. And those who complain and moan about this country might want to investigate a bit more before they point to some other location as superior to ours.