At least I thought so.

Until mi casa became Casa Putin.

OK, so I'm a big-time critic of the U. S. of Arrogance. I'm deeply unhappy with the way law enforcement treats minorities; I find it offensive to outlaw Muslims; I think the War on Drugs is a failure that we need to acknowledge. I want teachers to be better paid, differences to be respected, trannies and grannies to be treated with dignity.

I complain about all of this because my expectations are so much higher, because I know we can do better. The people I meet, on the street, may not be strutters, they may not tweet and snap and unfriend and de-Face. But they are by and large good people, hard-working, trying to build a solid life for themselves and their families, hoping to instill a sense of fairness in their kids, struggling to learn new skills in order just to survive. I salute them, and all of you.

But there's a limit, because at bottom I love this blasted country. I love what we have accomplished in a brief whisper of time. I love what we stand for, what we offer, what we represent.

What really ticked me off was the elimination of American journalists from the Oval Office while the Russian press was admitted. Other offenses aside, I am after all not an attorney, although it does appear that at the very least obstruction of justice has been committed. But American media shut out while Russian photographers and journalists were welcomed? Hell no! That White House is mine, and yours, and a heritage for our children. It holds valuable history. In its hands rest hundreds of thousands of memories, priceless artifacts. It is not, nor will it ever be, Moscow on the Potomac. The current occupant is a tenant, whose rent is paid by you and me. He has at best a temporary toehold on our shared heritage.

Why do you think so many people from so many countries want to live here, suffer untold hardships to get here, work their tails off to stay and put down roots?

Comey was asked to swear loyalty to Trump? First Trump needs to swear loyalty to the Constitution of the United States. If he is so entranced by all things Russian, let him move there, live with the Kremlin, answer to the KGB.

But don't - ever - besmirch my House. If a black man could accept life in the White House, then surely Trump can gracefully accept its beauties. If Mar el Lago and Trump Tower are so much more palatable, then he is welcome to resign and go live in gold-plated isolation.

We offered him the prime piece of real estate in the free world. He had best serve it well, or he will find himself served with an eviction notice.

c. Corinne Whitaker 2017