Tuesday March 29, 2005

"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."

As people born into citizenship, we have taken much for granted and might consider a military draft an incovenience. I remember feeling impetulant about registering with the Selective Service when I turned 18. Immigrants are faced directly with the bi-directional nature of American citizenship. My wife expressed concern over how many new citizens there were. My response was that these legal immigrants are the ideal people with which to swell the ranks of America; hard working, law abiding and hopefully sincere in their oaths. (2005-03-29 15:28:26.0) Permalink Comments [3]