I feel sad today. The country has lost its way. We used to care about the most vulnerable people in our society, and now we demonize them. We no longer think of those less fortunate than us as anything but numbers, numbers that should be cut from our bulging budget. We’ve become a cruel nation, just like the ones we used to fight against and criticize. I served my country for over twenty years in the United States Navy from 1975 to 1997. We defended this country from the “Evil Empire” during the Cold War. We would have given our lives to save our country; I swore an oath to defend the Constitution, and now, people ignore the Constitution as if it meant nothing. The Rule of Law has meaning just like the teachings of Christ. Christians who hate are not Christians. I despise what I see, and I am saddened by what this country is becoming. So, Happy Birthday, America. Happy 249 years! Let’s hope we still have the country we started with on our 250th birthday. Peace and compassion, Chris