Ted, bone-up on the British Commonwealth, 50-plus countries, some with their own monarchs. ANZACS, Australia and New Zealand, buttle to no one, their tough, disciplined military always welcomed by American forces in combat, as are our own. The queen's role is symbolic, mostly ceremonial. Citizens make policy for how they want to be governed.

When the UN-US line crumbled in Korea, the Commonwealth held, honoured with US Presidential citation. Canada took on British prime minister Thatcher for not joining sanctions against South Africa's apartheid government; Mandela's first call of thanks his first day of freedom was to Canada, senior member of the Commonwealth.

Our parliamentary systems wouldn't confer on US citizens their current yo-yo dysfunction, abandoning traditional interests for partisan advantage, loss of trust among its world partners. Loss of confidence in ruling parties in Houses of Commons would result in a call for a new government.

I admire Queen Elizabeth for the way she's doing her job. I was a barely-20 night editor for The Canadian Press when the king died, and covered the young queen and her insufferable royal consort on her first tour of Canada. Other than that, I respect a few members of the royal family for traditionally not shirking combat duties, but no time for monarchy.