Lolita is the new star in town; Leopoldo bought her for The Fourth and we took turns blowing her up. The weather was typically glorious on the holiday and I awoke early and was cooking by 8 AM. Riley questioned just why anyone would be cooking so early and, the answer of course was that if one wanted everything perfect one didn't wait until the last minute. We hardly ever utilize the pool and backyard, but Mr. Astor so wanted to have a real holiday that I could not--and never can--say no.

Today I awoke to CNN playing the usual claptrap about Patriotism and--although I share The Countess's love of this country--I feel Patriotism has been kidnapped and enslaved by the hooligans in charge of this country. And, here is what CNN doesn't say:

A patriot never manipulates a national tragedy to acquire total power.

A patriot doesn't conspire to fool a country into war with lies.

A patriot doesn't loot the national treasury for the gain of a few friends.

A patriot doesn't mortgage the future by borrowing from The Chinese.

One could go on and on, but what CNN misses is that it is not necessarily what a patriot is, but what a patriot is not. Hopefully, next Fourth of July will find George W. Bush and his gang of thieves facing war crime charges and a host of other trials for what they did to this country, its middle class, and its soldiers. A scaffold on the Washington Mall with dangling wing-tipped shoes would be more touching than any parade or fireworks display.