Becoming American

Yesterday I became an American Citizen. I swore an oath of allegiance and swore to protect the constitution, and defend the republic of the United States of America.

I met my wife almost eight years ago, and four years ago we decided to marry. After three years of permanent residency within this country, I decided to become an American citizen. I chose to do this because this is the country that my wife and I will always live in, and I chose to make it my country because its values are in line with my own.

This is how the day went:

I woke up around 8:30, let our dog out, had some breakfast, then took a shower. I shaved, gelled my hair, and generally made myself look presentable, before putting on the same suit I wore on our wedding day almost 4 years ago. After dressing, tying my shoes, and looking at myself in the mirror, I grabbed my wallet, keys and phone, and headed out toward my in-laws mini-van with my wife, as they picked us up and drove us down to Cincinnati. It was quite cold outside, the coldest day of the year so far, and there were slight swirls of snow fluttering in the wind. We listened to the radio as Brooke punched in the address for my ceremony on her phone. When we arrived at the address, we were surprised to find out that it was a school, and found out when we walked inside that the court uses a different place each month for oath of allegiance ceremony’s, so that people from schools, universities and other places, can get a change to see new citizens being sworn in. I said hello to Brooke’s family, and took a seat up front with the rest of the immigrants who were to become citizens, and Brooke and her family took seats in the back. The immigration officials took our green-cards and remaining paperwork, and sat us in a particular order for our certificates to be handed out. The school choir then came out and sang some patriotic songs. The judge arrived and we stood up, the boy scouts then presented the colors, and we sat down again. The judge welcomed us and explained some of our new rights and responsibilities. A microphone was then handed around to each immigrant, and we said our name and where we were from. There were 123 immigrants from 49 different countries, and 4 Brits including myself. After we had stated our names and where we were from, we said the pledge of allegiance, and we were then asked to raise our right hands.

We then, as a group, pledged our allegiance to the United states, this is what we confirmed:

The Oath of Allegiance

I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely

renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign

prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty of whom or which I

have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support

and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of

America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will

bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms

on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that

I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of

the United States when required by the law; that I will perform

work of national importance under civilian direction when

required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely

without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion;

so help me God.

After the pledge, the court was adjourned, and we walked up line by line from our seating arrangement to receive our certificates of citizenship.

I went over and thanked Brooke’s family for being there with me, and we took a group photograph together, and also a picture of Brooke and I together.

After pictures were taken, and I shook everyone’s hand, we all headed over to the Hofbrauhaus to celebrate. The Hofbrauhaus is a German beer-hall, and the first to be built within the US. Although its not strictly as American as a hamburger restaurant, Cincinnati does have a rich German heritage, and it seemed appropriate to go there with such a large crowd, as they have great food, drink, and big long wooden tables. While we were there, I received gifts from Brooke’s grandparents and aunties and uncles. All of the presents were very patriotic, and had american flag themes to them. I felt honored to have them all there with me, and very humbled to feel like I was so much a part of the family. I stood up and gave a quick speech to thank them all. I really have felt like one of the family for years now, and to finally become a United States citizen, cements my future with my wife, and with her family.

Thank you to all of you who made it to my event, and to all those who couldn’t, thank you for sending your good wishes.

Now, many people may wonder why I would decide to become a citizen of a country that seems to have reached its peak, and looks to be on the decline. And to those people I say:

This country is the most free country in the world. There is no other country on this planet that protects its citizens from an overbearing government, and no other country which was founded upon the belief of freedom and self determination.

Unfortunately this country has become very corrupt, and bureaucracy has taken over. It is up to each individual within the US to protect him or herself from an overbearing government. The documents I listed in yesterdays post ‘documents to live by’ state that all men are created equal, and that it is the duty of the people to overthrow the government when it becomes too powerful.

In a civilized world, we do not wish to have bloodshed by a bloody revolution. Currently there are many grassroots campaigns going on to help the US elect better politicians to combat the corruption, such as one of the local tea party groups close to where I live:

As an American Citizen I will do my best to help elect local officials who will stay true to their words, and help cut corruption, so that productivity can resume and continue in my local community, and eventually the leaders of the local communities can become a part of the federal government and help combat corruption on a more national level.

I can see where Americans have lost their way. There are many distractions in the world, and it is all too easy to get wrapped up in what the mainstream media spews out on our television sets. It seems that the very technology that enhances our lives, has also eroded it from within.

I decided to start this blog a week ago, with the knowledge of my becoming a citizen, as my duty toward the country I call my home. Just as the American patriots of the past decided to part away from England and establish a free country of their own. I have decided to revolt away from modern England also, with all its socialist agendas holding its people back. America, for all its faults, is still a capitalist country, and despite the mountains of legalities and restrictions, is still a country driven by free enterprise. If there was any country left in the world, which could recover from a financial meltdown, it would be the United States.

My goal is to expose the truth that I see in the world, and to help teach people the true meaning of freedom and self determination. That if enough people stand up against totalitarianism and special interests, that if enough people sit down and read articles that expose the truth swept under the rug, that they can, with well informed minds, decide the future of their country.

One last thing about my citizenship ceremony yesterday. The judge showed us a copy of two documents of her grandparents. Both of whom were Italian immigrants. They had come to the US in the early 20th century, and she said that she would not be where she is today without them coming over here. She said that aside from native Americans, all 300 million Americans are either immigrants or descendent of immigrants, and that it is up to each and everyone of us to preserve and defend the united states, and to maintain the freedoms that we all enjoy.

Here’s to the judge and the speech she gave, here is to my wife and her family for supporting me, and here is too all the groups and organizations who are actively working to maintain, preserve and enrich the freedoms of this great nation:

God bless the United States of America!