A Certain Point of View: Writing, Film and Stuff

On Quora, our old friend "Anonymous" asks: What does Queen Elizabeth think of President Trump? This is my reply to "Anonymous," complete with links to actual sources and the conservative meme in question.  Queen Elizabeth II is a dignified woman, a head of state (strictly ceremonial) not only of the United Kingdom but also of several other nations that are members of the Commonwealth of Nations, including Australia, Canada, the Bahamas, and New Zealand. She has been on the throne, metaphorically speaking, for slightly over 67 years, the longest reign of a British monarch in history. And although she’s 93, she’s in excellent health and will probably be around for a few years more, setting a record for regal longevity that will be hard to break. Because the Queen is not an absolute monarch who issues commands to her ministers (save strictly ceremonial ones on certain occasions) or is directly involved in government operations, Elizabeth is not someone who giv...

If you are an American that still supports Donald J. Trump and his inept Administration, you really need to re-evaluate your position, because the future is not looking too bright for the Twitterer-in-Chief. Consider these facts. Over the past eight weeks, the nation's Chief Executive has been the least Presidential occupant of the White House in American history. Even Gerald R. Ford, who was appointed  Vice President after Spiro Agnew resigned in 1973 and replaced Richard Milhouse Nixon as President after the latter's resignation in August of 1974, had more character in his pinky finger than Mr. Trump has in his entire body. Seriously, Ford wasn't elected to his last two leadership posts, but he served his country with decency and honor during those dark, depressing post-Watergate years. Mr. Trump, in contrast, has outdone Nixon in paranoia, narcissism, and combativeness since his Inauguration on January 20. His first television interview , with ABC News' David M...

1. We will only use American steel to build the Keystone pipeline Remember when, during the 2016 campaign, President Trump promised to make America great again by reducing dependence on imports and relying on American corporations to create jobs for American workers?  Well, that was one reason why many voters in the Rust Belt went crazy for The Donald. He promised to revitalize U.S. manufacturing - which meant more jobs for factory workers in states such as Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Michigan.  One of the specific projects Mr. Trump highlighted was the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, which carries oil from Alberta, Canada, to oil storage and distribution facilities in Texas and Illinois. Owned by TransCanada Corporation, the Keystone pipeline is partly complete; in the face of protests and worries about climate change and environmental damage, the Obama Administration rejected Phase IV (the XL part of the pipeline) in June of 2015. President Trump and the Republicans...