So many things to write about on July 4.

It's the middle of the summer vacation down here in Georgia. Schools start back on Aug 7. And yes. I am rested and beginning to be anxious to work again. Still I have many days of preparation left to do. My assistant director for the last 5 years has moved to Virginia. My new assistant director arrives from New York on Thursday.

The crepe myrtles have begun to bloom in ernest and I don't recall them ever being more beautiful. The long stems are packed with pink and white blooms. On my morning walks I see bluebirds and hear mockingbirds heralding my approach. I guess they are more open area birds for they don't come to the feeders which are dominated right now by cardinals and house finches. There is an occasional gold finch as well.

There's no doubt that the rhetoric has ramped up to threat level orange! The Republicans are really feeling the heat of the low poll numbers now. I haven't seen any local level polls being quoted. I wonder if there are Republican congressmen who have realized that their district is about to make an historic swing to the left? I was amused that the independance day holiday should be chosen for the viscious and blatantly partisan charges of treason against the NY Times. No one even bothers to mention that the Wall Street Journal printed the same story. No one cares that the information, while more specific than previous administration comments is just revealing the same tactics the administration has already proclaimed.

So the whole point of the conflagration (treason! gas chamber! hang the NY Times), is to attack the media. They are falling back on another of their old war horses, "the liberal media is ruining the war and putting our lives in jeopardy." I'd insert profanity here if I were that kind of fellow.

This is just drawing attention away from the fact that the Cut and Run policy of the Democrats has become the actual policy of the Republicans in the last week. Why don't they just say, "You are right, let's begin a withdrawal." I think that might raise their poll ratings. But they are going to stay the course of never admitting and error. Arrogance will be their downfall.

The emperor not only has no clothes, he has no war. Oh he has troops stuck in a foreign country and can't get them out. But he has no enemy to fight there. We are just targets for angry Iraqis. And since our policies there have led to the deaths of 100,000 Iraqis, there are a lot of angry Iraqis. The whole war talk thing "I am a war president" is bogus. It's the ultimate power grab. If the emperor were able to put the Times in jail, he really would be emperor and might even proclaim himself thus in order to "protect the American people against terrorism." (Did you see that the homeland security money for NYC was reduced by 40%?) Gotta have more air conditioned garbage trucks in another more Republican district.

Well I'm off to the Fourth of July Parade, flags unfurled on the golf cart, wearing my star spangled banner shirt. Woohah!