John Hawkins Recommend this article    13) The End of Don't Ask,
Don't Tell: The Clinton era compromise that allowed gays to be
in the military as long as they didn't reveal their sexual
orientation, fell during the lame duck session of Congress. This
was despite that the troops fighting in the field didn't like
the idea. Unfortunately for the soldiers who'll have to live
with the decision day-to-day, the American people did like the
idea, and the politicians caved to their will.  12) Haitian
Earthquake: It seems like there's always something or another
horrible going on in Haiti, but the powerful earthquake that hit
Haiti in January of this year killed a staggering 230,000
people. That sort of horror stands out even in a snake-bitten
nation like Haiti.  11) The Tea Party Soldiers On: The Tea Party
has become so influential and ever present in politics that it's
easy to forget it really only got started last year. Yet, the
Tea Party played a huge role in getting Republicans elected,
powerfully steered their a