There is some hope for our country. 

In Orlando, FL., last night, a horrible thing happened, and it happened only about twenty-five miles from our house. 

What follows is a Facebook post from Christopher Duffy…yes, a Son of HouseSpouse.  I thought that what he wrote, as a thirty-something living with wife and children in Orlando, was deep enough and profound enough that the HouseSpouseLife followers might like to see.

HouseSpouseLife is not about politics, news, or controversial commentary.  But with the tragedy in Orlando as a backdrop, we hope you will agree that there is hope for the upcoming generation of leaders in America.

By Christopher Duffy, Guest Author and Apprentice HouseSpouseLifer…

Being an American means you believe in the core values of the country. Unlike some countries, and contrary to popular belief, these core values do not include anything related to sex, race, religion, ethnicity, or sexual orientation.

Traditionalism will try to convince you that American’s core values are church-going white people in traditional marriages with 2.2 children and a dog. These are definitely the core values of some individuals, but not the core values the nation was founded on (and should be governed with). Keep them separate.

The nation has many core values, but they all boil down to this: Everyone, regardless of everything, has the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

If you don’t believe in the right to Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of Happiness for All, you don’t believe in America. You aren’t American.

The ‪#‎OrlandoShooting‬ gunman wasn’t American. Sure, he was born here, but there’s a few things we can infer from his actions:

* He didn’t believe people should have the Liberty to live how they wanted.

* Due to that, he decided they did not have a right to Life.

* He deprived friends, family, the whole nation, and really the whole world, of Happiness. The outpouring of support we see all over shows this.

He clearly wasn’t American in the sense that he clearly did not believe in America’s core values.

This event wasn’t terrorism.

This event was treason on the most basic level, a direct violation of the nation’s founding principals. It was also driven by ignorant, unfounded, and unlawful hate.

All of it is absolutely 100% disgusting.

So now it turns political, because that’s what the media and politicians have taught us to do in times like these.

I do support tightening our borders. Not to keep people out, people who want to come to America and share our nation’s values should be able to, easily.

And certainly not to keep specific demographics out. America’s values are not based on categorizing people any more granularly than “Everyone.” Everyone has the same rights; everyone should be treated and accepted the same ways.

I support making sure that those who enter our country, and in some ways those who are here already, support America’s core values of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness for Everyone, and additionally believe in the democratic process of non-violently causing change in our society and nation.

Those are the requirements. Pretty basic. If you agree, you can be here. If you don’t, we don’t want you – and you probably don’t want us.

That’s how we should be determining what individuals can come into our country, not by deriving some story from their background.

Chris Duffy is a Professional Computer Nerd and Systems Guy in Orlando Florida, where he lives with his wife and three young children.  Beyond computers, Chris is also a licensed pilot and talented high-performance driving instructor.  He is the son of Barbara and Kevin Duffy, principals in HouseSpouseLife.com.