Dear editor,

On this year’s Memorial Day, when we honored our soldiers and others who believed in and stepped forward to serve our country, it seems to be a time of reflection and self examination. Our country is now well over 200 years old. That is older than many nations of Europe. We were the child of stargazers and pragmatists who dared to dream of a constitutional republic in which individual rights and the common good were balanced to create the strongest country militarily and economically, the most compassionate and self-sacrificing country, and the most open and welcoming country in the history of the world. These dreamers were willing to do more than talk; they were willing to fight for our independence.