A Certain Point of View: Writing, Film and Stuff

You'd think that after 64 days as President of the United States of America, Donald J. Trump, the self-styled master of The Art of the Deal, would drop his "alternative facts" shtick and, for once, tell the truth about his words and deeds. Especially his words, because now that he sits in the Oval Office, every utterance (or Twitter tweet) has the potential of becoming national policy.  Well, you would think that if Mr. Trump had learned anything about the Presidency and real leadership before he made his fateful decision to throw his hat in the Presidential campaign ring two years ago. There are plenty of books about the good, the bad, and the ugly Administrations that have led our government since 1789 that Mr. Trump can read, for Pete's sake. Or, since the 45th Chief Executive doesn't like to read, he could probably log on to Netflix, Amazon Video, or any streaming channel that offers documentaries along the lines of The Roosevelts: An Intimate History. 

President Donald J. Trump's choice for Labor Secretary, Andrew Puzder, has withdrawn his nomination one day before his Senate-delayed confirmation hearing. Puzder, the chairman of CKE Restaurants (the parent company of Hardees and Carl's Jr. fast food chains), has had lukewarm support in the Republican-controlled Congress due to worker complaints, his plan to use robots to replace human employees in some restaurants, and his own issues with hiring undocumented immigrants in his home. Trump announced Puzder's nomination on December 8, 2016, but the 66-year-old former lawyer and businessman has been criticized for abusing workers, resisting calls to raise the minimum wage, and being a champion for dismantling of federal regulations.  According to CNN, "Puzder's confirmation hearing (in the Senate) was pushed back four times. It was finally scheduled for Thursday, but on Wednesday he withdrew his nomination." On his Twitter feed, Puzder wrote:

" A house divided against itself cannot stand....." - Abraham Lincoln, June 16, 1858  Illustration credit: xkcd, (C) 2016 by Randall Munroe It's twilight in America.  Since the beginning of President Donald J. Trump's Administration on January 20, the mood of the nation is ugly. The President's ultra-conservative base, perhaps unaware of the irony, seems to be perplexed by the dismally low approval ratings of Mr. Trump in his first two weeks as our Chief Executive. I say, with no small amount of sadness, that it's ironic that the true believers of Make America Great Again simply don't understand how hypocritical their "Give him a chance" pleas sound to those of us who don't like Mr. Trump or his policies. Have they not forgotten that the Republican Party proudly proclaimed itself the "Party of No" when Barack Obama became President eight years ago?  Have they such a selective memory that they don't recall Rush Limbau

Donald John Trump, the 45th President of the United States, has been in office for only six days, and everyone - except his hard-core supporters - is extremely worried about America's future. I know that many people who come across this post probably think that I'm either a "liberal sore loser" who dislikes President Trump because he beat the Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton, back in November. Or that I'm an anti-American, unpatriotic, bleeding heart idiot who can't admit that Mr. Trump will make America great again. It is true that I don't like the current occupant of the Oval Office, but not for merely partisan reasons. I have never been a member of either the Democratic or Republican Parties; when I registered to vote back in 1984, I told the Department of Elections person who handled my paperwork that I wanted to register as an Independent. I hate extremism, whether it is from the Right or the Left. I am leery of any movement that calls for