Not even remotely comparable. My father served in the United States Army in WWII. My brother served in the United States Air Force in Viet Nam. I served in the United States Navy during peacetime. We are or were as the case may be, Americans.
One must emigrate from Germany to France. It's quite a process that involves dissolving prior allegiances and swearing to new ones, with a host of other legalities and responsibilities thrown in just because.
To get from South Carolina to Colorado (as my father did in 1946) required a bus ticket and $50 in his pocket. He never even actually applied for a driver's license until the 50's. Things were much rougher for me moving from Colorado to Texas in the 1990's. Horrors, I had 90 days to get a new driver's license.
It's not 1820 anymore. Currently my immediate family, counting only siblings and children are in Colorado, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas. Looking ahead 10 years, only my wife and I plan on residing in the same state. It's a mobile American population, and state citizenship means little. That's just a fact of the 21st century. Love it or hate it, it's a fact.
Yes they are; the Articles of Confederation expressly state that the States are Sovereign States. The Articles, furthermore are part of the organic law of the United States; but if that isn't enough read the 10th amendment. The right of secession is not denied to the States by the Constitution, nor is it given to the federal government to prevent such secession, therefore it must remain with the States themselves or the people. (See the cites in this paper.)
My father served in the United States Army in WWII. My brother served in the United States Air Force in Viet Nam. I served in the United States Navy during peacetime. We are or were as the case may be, Americans.
By virtue of being citizens of your State, and your State being a member of the United States, yes. No one here is saying differently.
One must emigrate from Germany to France. It's quite a process that involves dissolving prior allegiances and swearing to new ones, with a host of other legalities and responsibilities thrown in just because.
Ah, and when you move, changing States, you don't have to re-register your voting location? Re-license your vehicles? Just because our system's streamlined it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. (Just because you don't have to do it right away doesn't mean you don't have to do it.)
It's a mobile American population, and state citizenship means little. That's just a fact of the 21st century. Love it or hate it, it's a fact.
And like I said, that's precisely the problem. You equate 'mobile' with "state citizenship means little."
In so doing you demean the State and align yourself with the Federal.
You can fly any flag you want.