Dear United States of America,

Happy Birthday!

How does it feel to be 241 (or any other number of ages, depending on how you determine the birth of of the US, not to be confused with the 1915 or 2016 films titled Birth of a Nation)?

While we’re on filmology, I think the two Birth of a Nation films, separated by a century, say a lot of the state or our union.  Both films depict the racial clash that has characterized our country since before its inception.

I wanted to write about national unity, but I can’t.  The current state of our union is anything but, and it’s been that way for the whole of our existence.  When we have times of national unity, they are far too transient.

I believe the unity that has eluded us for 241 years is within our reach, but we need your help.  We need you to remind us of what we stand for as a country and help us to fight once again for liberty and justice for all.

Enjoy your big day today, because tomorrow we’ve got a lot of work to do.

Proudly,