I never had the chance to choose where I was born. Perhaps when I was in the womb kicking, I was not merely developing into a small human being, but urging my mother to venture north to Canada or south to Mexico.
Nonetheless, I was born in Marquette. I came out crying and screaming as a U.S. citizen.
Does that make me an American?
Citizenship seems like such a simple concept, but I wonder if there isn’t more to this subject than just the place where your mother’s water broke.
After all, America is a nation of immigrants, a vast melting pot of ethnicity, culture and religion.
People have been coming to America for a better life ever since the birth of this nation. My great grandparents were immigrants. My great grandfather hailed from Belgium; he left at the end of WWI, when his family ran out of dogs to feed the German soldiers who occupied his home. My great grandmother came from England; she made trips back and forth, bringing her siblings to America because their mother was ill and they wanted an opportunity for a better life.
Isn’t that the quintessential American story? Two young people coming from their homeland to a new place, hoping their lives won’t be wrought with loss, that maybe they won’t have to suffer like their parents did.
I think of these things and ask myself, what does it mean to be an American?
I am unsure when I watch the news, when I listen to NPR or when I read the newspaper. It seems politicians are saying illegal immigrants are coming and stealing jobs; they’re living off the government and receiving a free education; they are having children and staying illegally. They don’t immigrate because they harbor a dark past, so I’ve heard.
I wonder if these politicians, those naysayers, realize just how hard it is to become an American citizen or get a greencard.
Well, there are many exceptions for refugees or those seeking asylum, so I’ll focus on the typical naturalization process to become a U.S. citizen.
To take the naturalization test, you must have had your green card for at least five years. Before you can take the test, you have to submit the N-400 application and $680 in processing fees. Assuming you pass round one, you’ll be fingerprinted, which is part of round two. Round three is the naturalization test and interview process.
The test is part-English, part- American civics. You have to pass both written portions and oral testing. Afterwards, you are interviewed.
If you pass through all of these requirements, you’ll take the Oath of Allegiance.
Now you’re a citizen. While this seems simple and straightforward, take a few things into account.
What if you are from a struggling, impoverished family? The $680 fee is substantial when considering that the average household income for a family in Mexico is $995 a month. That’s a middle class family’s income in Mexico.
Then there is the getting to America. That takes a considerable amount of money. It is no wonder there are people immigrating illegally into America.
U.S. citizens often say it is unfair that these people get to stay. I think this has to do with the rhetoric that surrounds immigration.
Immigrant, alien, foreigner: these are the words we use to refer to those that come to the United States. They are not exactly welcoming. Those born in the United States don’t realize how much we depend on immigration.
Think of some of the most influential people in history. Albert Einstein, renowned physicist from Germany; Ieoh Ming Pei, famous 20th century architect from China; Madeleine Albright, first female secretary of state from Czechoslovakia; Joseph Pulitzer, famed 19th century journalist from Hungary; Irving Berlin, song writer from Russia who wrote famous tunes such as “White Christmas” and “God Bless America.”
Imagine a world where these people were denied citizenship to the United States. Would we know E=MC2 had Einstein stayed in Germany during WWII? What would a patriot be without “God Bless America?”
It happens every day. People are turned away and deported. While the issue is more complex than just this column or the debates occurring in communities around the country, it would do you good to think about that question: what does it mean to be an American? Why do you deserve citizenship?
It’s easy to forget that we live in a prosperous, wealthy nation. On a global level, we are the one percent.
How do we help the other 99 percent elsewhere, the ones that want to be among the wealthy?
The streets paved with gold still entice people from all over the world. Let us not liquidate our most precious resource, our global magnetism.
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So the disreputable Eric Holder, Attorney General, head honcho and known for his alleged involvement in the gun running scandal (Fast & Furious) who took the oath of office to protect and defend America’s citizens, stating that Voter fraud, ““does not really exist,” Plus he has used the huge resources of the taxpayer to hound the unprotected states of Arizona, Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, South Carolina and possible other states in the future, who have been sued for trying to save their citizen and residents from illegal alien public assistance programs.
But what has been just been exposed in Florida, is that non citizens have been caught simply because when called in for jury duty, they have told the court officials that they cannot perform jury duty as they are not citizens. But what really clinched this failure of the election law in Florida and most probably thousands of U.S. counties and voting districts throughout America, it the reason they were held accountable is that these non citizens, were caught because they had registered to vote.
One Naples voter admitted she was not a U.S. Citizen, nor a legal immigrant – but election records show she voted six times in the past eleven years. My only hope is that potential president Mitt Romney investigates these violations of the federal election laws, as it might overshadow his election in November. Even now there are the protests in the streets, specifically over Arizona’s legitimate pressure to inform the U.S. government, they cannot afford to subsidize every illegal alien who circumvents the border looking for a better life? What about the American impoverished, who have had their welfare rights cut back because the insidious invasion from other countries. Very shortly the people will know if SB1070 is constitutional or not and then all hell could break loose. This has been forced on them over thirty years, because not only has been occupied, but because Ronald Reagan signing the amnesty program in 1986, was the beginning of the failure for four administrations to stop illegal immigration.
The stunning investigative report by Andy Pierroti of NBC-2 in Fort Myers included interviews and voting documents illuminating nearly 100 non-citizens who are illegally registered and in some cases have voted in elections as far back as 2001. Election officials tell the television station that thanks to Florida’s 1992 Motor Voter Law, it is not acceptable to ask potential voters for proof of citizenship; accordingly, they can only investigate fraud if they get a tip. As a consequence, election officials have contacted these persons discovered in the NBC-2 report. . His investigative report came just two days after the Tampa Bay Times claimed voter fraud in Florida was imaginary.
Since only official investigators checked a very small sample of jury relief forms, one can only envision how many thousands, or even tens of thousands of illegal’s aliens statewide who may have voted since the Motor Voter law was introduced in 1993.
William Gheen, president of Americans for Legal Immigration PAC (ALIPAC), evidence exists that illegal nationals are voting in mass numbers in several states. Gheen has made this statement, but other organizations think it is nationwide.
“He also stated, “In the states of Texas, California, and Florida, this gives them the ability to control national electoral politics,” adding “The Democrats are registering and voting illegal immigrants en masse — especially west of the Mississippi, where we believe they saved [Nevada Senator] Harry Reid’s campaign.” The ALIPAC spokesman says fraudulent voting has dire consequences for the future of the country.
“If you’re a conservative voter and you ever want to win elections again, you have to stop this,” he argues. “… No conservative is going to get elected to anything in this country in another five to ten years if we don’t stop the massive theft of U.S. elections happening right now in America with illegal alien voters.”
The left are facing a harsh election year and are furious, ready to do everything in their power to stop Voter ID laws from being enacted. The Obama Department of Justice is on the warpath against South Carolina Texas and – inventing fictional “racial profiling” to block the popular voter ID laws in those states. With Liberal backing the Democrats will do anything to halt the use of photo ID, and are trying to accomplish this currently.
Every voting precinct in America need to check their election rolls, as Non-citizen voting is a Federal felony and should be prosecuted as such. We can no longer trust this great price of the vote offered to us by the founding fathers and the U.S. Constitution. And now, an outstanding reporter in Florida has uncovered shocking fraud in that state – registration and voting by non-citizens – which officials had no idea what is was happening, since they are prohibited from asking immigration status under Motor Voter Act of 1993.
The NBC2 investigators established that a voter after examining “jury forms, where the person excused themselves said they couldn’t serve because they were not U.S. Citizens. They reporters took those names and found dozens of those people in the database of Florida registered voters.
The FL Secretary of State told NBC2 they were investigating the case:
“…we will be exploring how many of the state’s clerks of court and supervisors of elections could work together to verify that persons excused from jury duty, because they are non-citizens, are not illegally registered to vote.”
The question to ask all citizen voters is how many illegal aliens have sent in a “Voter Motor” application to intentionally or unknowingly register to vote. Consider this that non voters could be changing your voting power to such an extent, by not just altering close races in local and county elections, but a widespread violation across American states. In furtherance, with our nation future pivoting on an agenda of Socialist, that it is already seen with the hindrance of our freedoms by this present administration.
According to Roger Hedgecock detailed, “the Democrats have what he calls “machinery of fraud” in full gear and ready for November.” The Department of In-justice down to its leftist advocacy groups are already registering illegal aliens door to door in every city. Are Republicans just going to sit back and let them steal the election of 2012? He further has said,”the voter rolls of this country are stuffed with illegal aliens, felons and dead people, who not only vote, they vote overwhelmingly Democrat.
J. Christian Adams, attorney formally attached to the Voting Rights Section of the Department of Justice, eventually left his position and wrote an expose on the racial motivations which entirely poisoned the department on Eric Holder’s agency. In his book, “Injustice: Exposing the Racial Agenda of the Obama Justice Department” he coldly warned our sovereign country that the end result of this violation of trust, if not appropriately addressed, would be “lawlessness.” He Divulged never-before-published details on several important cases—including the Black Panther case—Adams “Injustice” exposes how the very (DOJ) accountable for enforcing equal protection has been infested by radicals hell bent on furthering a fringe political agenda.
In a similar manner, Investigative reporter James O’Keefe rendered proof positive that organized hordes of illegal “voters” can extensively warp the results of elections throughout the nation. Just by claiming the identities of registered voters in those particular districts, specifically if they do not have the financial resources to oversee irregularities. And to nobody’s real shocker, Eric Holder is the most forceful benefactor of maintaining the present system just as it is, while seeking to ridicule and disgrace O’Keefe. In 2009, he and an accomplice, 20 year old Hannah Giles, laid bare the rampant criminal activities being perpetrated nationwide by ACORN, the subversive network of leftist activists whose seditious political work had previously remained largely under the radar. As a result of that exposure, ACORN was forced to officially disband and reorganize, though its activity is ongoing and has already raided its ugly head under another assumed new name in New York.
Voters must punish the Politicians, Governors, Mayors and the whole mix of elected officials that are harboring foreign nationals, who have implemented Sanctuary cities ordinances, who have driven policies of Dream Acts, Chain migration and other catastrophic Comprehensive Reform packages. Even citizen voting privileges are not safe anymore, from groups like ACORN involved with voter fraud. The U.S. citizenry must step forward and adjoin with the TEA PARTY “THE PEOPLE’S PARTY” to stop the erosion of legal rights, which are being reduced by this administration. Both parties have abused immigration enforcement, by neglecting the fence and the incompetence of acknowledging that ID theft is out of control, that every foreign worker is committing a felony by using U.S. victim’s Social security number and identity in the majority of cases, but nothing has been accomplished to halt these issues.
The illegal alien occupation are racking up over a $100 Billion dollars a year, with no end in sight. Additionally, illegal foreign workers are estimated to wire over $40 Billion dollars annually outside this country to foreign banks. Obama is skirting the laws of the Congress, to implement another sordid avenue, to covertly allow illegal aliens to stay and in addition allow family members to join them. You can also learn more of the Obama government ignoring your Constitutional rights at ‘NumbersUSA’. http://Www.numbersusa.com. Even better explore the ‘American Patrol’ http://www.americanpatrol.com website that the Democrats and Liberals don’t want you to view.
It appears dave franscis just got off of a 5 day bender of nothing but fox news and rush limbaugh.
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