There were not many flags flying in our neighborhood celebrating American Independence Day. Neighbors were just as friendly, just as busy and ready to party, but not ready to brag about America as "the greatest country on earth."
Years of outrageous and ugly Bush scandals have taken their toll. The "bring it on" fantasy of empowerment and triumph in a world at war is exposed. Kicking over that rock and really looking at the dangerous reality of tricky George is not what Americans want to do on their day off. So, we went for a walk this morning.
Lurking among the few flags that were waving in the morning heat was Wile E. Coyote, a comically ineffectual predator whose hunts always end in disaster. He strolled down the sidewalk, took a dump on someone's front lawn, grabbed a drink or two from a garden hose, ignored the traffic, the neighbors, the barking dogs and me. No one chased him away or even acknowledged his unwanted existence. He and his growing pack of predators are thriving while we all look the other way.
