Each day as I hear the news, my stomach starts to turn. I am sick over the actions coming out of Washington. Those actions threaten all creatures on this planet and our environment. Those actions are detrimental to a global future based on peace. Those actions are detrimental to our country’s integrity and are alienating this nation from its closest allies.

I read the posts of my fellow Americans. While some still have faith this “president” (and I use that term loosely) will turn it around, most do not. It is hard to understand the motives behind the manipulation and atrocities currently being committed against the constitution, the people, and this great Nation. It is hard to understand how we got to this point. This nation is being severely tested right now by a short-sighted political party who has lost control of the person in the Oval Office. That person lacks the mental health and capacity to function as our leader-in-chief.

Clearly, those who followed the republican campaign message saw something I didn’t see. They didn’t see the risk in looking at this nation as a business deal instead of looking at it as a land of freedom and liberty for all. They could not see a person who doesn’t understand our political system and who clearly doesn’t differentiate between: a president and a dictator. They missed the fact that this person has no respect for and objectifies every mother, sister, and daughter. They ignore the fact that this person and his political party are taking catastrophic and possibly irreversible risks with our environment and the living creatures within that environment. Those who believed in his campaign have a right to their opinions, and a right to express those opinions, constitutionally.

The constitution. I stop and I take a breath. I think about the constitution. I think about why it was written and all that it represents. This country was built on a solid foundation and on a belief in hope, not oppression; in good, not evil; in equality, not elitism. Thru out history, that foundation has been tested. Inside and out, this country has been tested. It is not easy. It can be heartbreaking. But with each test, this nation has survived on its foundation. Each time, this nation comes back older…wiser.

This is my country. This is my home. This was my father’s home. He taught me to honor it, believe in it and be grateful for it. As my father did before me, I believe in this great nation and the foundation it was built upon and as he did before me, I will fight to keep it strong.