The queen and all that


As the Beatles famously observed "Her Majesty's a pretty nice girl." I greeted the news of her passing with sadness for the personage but none for the office. England doesn't need a queen (or king) and isn't particularly well-served by continuing the idea of a royalty.
But it seems like Elizabeth was, overall, a pretty decent sort, and so I'm a little sad at her death, although she led a long and prosperous life.
In contrast, I wasn't the least bit sorry to learn of the deaths of Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan. The world is poorer because they lived. They only earned my contempt.

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