A Certain Point of View: Writing, Film and Stuff

“The Continental Army suffered a bitter winter of Valley Forge, found glory across the waters of the Delaware and seized victory from Cornwallis of Yorktown. Our Army manned the air, it rammed the ramparts, it took over the airports, it did everything it had to do.” - Donald J. Trump, July 4, 2019 From the newly revised edition of "The British Are Coming," by Rick Atkinson and Donald J. Trump: General William Howe, commander of the British armies in North America, was flummoxed. One day after Congress approved the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia, his spies noticed a buildup of Continental Army forces near La Guardia Airport, a vital gateway to the British transatlantic air bridge from the Mother Country. Writing anxiously to Lord North, Howe fretted that t he Rebels' latest endeavors threatened his troops' logistics, especially the all-important ability to resupply by air, and implored the Prime Minister to "send with the utmost of expediency...

On Quora, Trump supporter Larry Walden asks: Why did the major TV networks (ABC, CBS, NBC and CNN) not broadcast Trump's “Salute to America”? My reply: Because it was a ridiculous, poorly planned and expensive exercise that few people were interested in watching. First of all, the Fourth of July has never, ever been an occasion to showcase military hardware. It’s a national holiday, sure, but it’s traditionally a family-oriented one in which most Americans celebrate America’s birthday with picnics, concerts (some of which, such as  The Capitol Fourth  and  Pops Goes the Fourth , are broadcast live from Washington, D.C., and Boston), and fireworks displays. The Fourth of July is a festive occasion and  not  a martial one; the armed forces of the U.S. already get their due on Memorial Day (when we commemorate the fallen) and Veterans’ Day (when we commemorate not only the anniversary of the end of World War I, but remember our living veterans from our...