The Idle American That my Uncle Mort is determined to keep his enlightened self-interest inflated to the max is a foregone conclusion. For more than a century, he has claimed much from Independence Day celebrations, since he and Uncle Sam share the same July 4 birthday. Mort, who turned 107 recently, has always chosen red, white and blue birthday colors, for example. Don’t waste your breath trying to convince him that some of the fireworks lighting up the sky aren’t fired to celebrate his day of birth. At day’s end this year, he admitted to being “plumb tuckered out.” I took the bait,