Over at NRO, Mark Krikorian is decidedly not neutral about Michele Bachmann's choice to take out Swiss citizenship along with her family: People obviously have multiple connections -- church memberships, community groups, fraternities, ethnic associations, professional societies, etc. But one's chief political allegiance is expressed through citizenship, through being a member of We the People -- and claiming membership in two national communities is like belonging to two different religions, which means neither is accorded the respect due it. Nonsense. Krikorian readily acknowledges that Bachmann is a patriot - twice. The fact that she has taken out Swiss citizenship makes her no less a patriot than she was yesterday. Bachmann also finds herself in pretty excellent company. Albert Einstein was also a dual U.S. and Swiss citizen . Krikorian goes on to write: And there is no justification for such a thing when we demand that foreigners seeking to become Americans take an oath that reads, in part: "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." But this represents a fundamental misunderstanding of the oath of allegiance. A person who is sworn in as a U.S. citizen does not lose the citizenship of their land of birth . While the United States does not encourage Americans to become dual nationals it does not prohibit it either . On?a personal note, those familiar with my writing will know that I was born in Canada to a mother from Alberta and a father from the Bronx - an unorthodox combination to say the least. But unorthodox or not, me and my siblings had a claim to U.S. citizenship which all of us have exercised. I must confess though that I exercised my claim later than everyone else.?During my NDP days I was guilty of harboring anti-American sentiment and initially declined to take out U.S. citizenship. But by 1999, the realities of the Canadian labor market had hit me like a blinding flash and that my stubborness was both counterproductive and closed minded. I reconsidered and took the oath at the U.S. Consular Office in Ottawa. In March 2000, I went to Boston and have been here ever since. It's the best choice I've ever made.
See the original post: Krikorian: Not Neutral About Bachmann's Swiss CitizenshipAfter several rounds of bilateral talks between the United States and North Korea in Beijing, North Korea has apparently agreed to a moratorium on uranium enrichment, nuclear tests and long range missile launches as well as allowing the return of IAEA inspectors to the Yongbyon nuclear complex and the resumption of six-party talks. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said it represented "a modest first step in the right direction." And exactly how many first steps have we had with North Korea over the years? To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog .
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A New Leaf for North Korea?
Last week, Reporters Without Borders released its Press Freedom Index 2011-2012. Out of 179 countries, the Paris based organization ranked the United States tied for 47th place with Argentina and Romania. In fact, the United States fell from 27th place because of the arrest of reporters during the Occupy protests last fall. To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog .
Originally posted here:Reporters Without Borders: U.S. & Argentina Tied for 47th in Press Freedom
In previous eras, those coming to the United States were the ones obligated to learn about and open their minds to a culture other than their buy Actoplus Met online own. In this era of political correctness where Westerns particularly of a Northern European extraction are to be blamed for every disappointment known to man, it is now we Americans that are not only obligated to go out of our way to familiarize ourselves with the backwards peculiarities of the new arrivals but to also degrade our own cultural standards. A flier for a Hispanic Heritage Month celebration sponsored by a suburban Maryland municipal agency admonishes, "Join us in honoring the traditions and heritage of our Hispanic/Latino neighbors...You will be introduced to the songs and rhythms of Latin America in an exciting interactive performance for the entire family." No thank you. Many have already had this experience, irrespective of whether they wanted it or not, at two or three o'clock in the morning thanks to rowdy neighbors that civic authorities are extremely reluctant to tell to tune it down for dread of appearing ethnically insensitive but whom would just as easily crack down on you with SWAT raids and tear gas for removing a tree from your own property if failing to make the proper procedural oblations on bended knee before assorted eco-bureaucracies. Though few possess the cahonies to say it, it is doubtful that many actual Americans still even remain in the area where this concert is being held. Most of those that will likely attend will be Hispanic to start with. Basically scarce public money is being expended in what amounts to small more than Hispanics wallowing in their Hispanicness. In the present day, tolerancemongers would never permit government funds going to finance an activity to lavish praise upon White people over how wonderful White people are by asking minorities to fawn all over White people for simply being White. If there is tax money burning a hole in the public pocket that just has to be spent on Hispanics, perhaps it should done in such a way that acclimates this population to our bizarre American ways. The average American wasn't consulted as to how many migrants both legal and illegal would be permitted entrance into the country because immigration policy is crafted to meet the needs of elites rather than the excellent of the nation as a whole. Perhaps high on that list of things to be taught ought to be not playing music so loud at 3 AM that it rocks windows half of a block away. By Frederick Meekins
View original post here:Teach Immigrants About America Rather Than America About Immigrants

