Posted on 06/11/2007 1:46:24 PM PDT by 2banana
What does it mean to be a true American?
By GEMA MARIA DUARTE Bucks County Courier Times
EDITOR'S NOTE: Reporter Gema Mara Duarte will write about her journey to become a United States citizen as she moves through the process.
OK. It's confession time.
I haven't studied for my citizenship test since I filed for American citizenship on April 2. I went to my finger-printing appointment in Philadelphia in May and now I'm waiting for another appointment to take a U.S. history test.
I have printed out the 100 questions and answers. I have taken a glance at them, and they don't seem too hard.
I need a study buddy to get me going.
Actually, I challenged Lower Southampton solicitor Mike Savona to take the test without looking at the questions before hand.
He agreed.
It's on. You and me, Savona.
Let's see how good a citizen he is.
I have to say in the last couple of weeks I have been giving my citizenship process more thought.
I spoke to Grace Fu Jia Xiang Kennedy, a 6-year-old Washington Crossing resident. She was adopted from China by an American family and became an American citizen in March.
She didn't have to take the test. Lucky her.
I spoke to her over the phone a couple of weeks ago.
“I feel closer to my parents,” she said about being an American citizen.
“What are you Chinese or American?” I asked.
“I'm Chinese-American,” she responded.
When Grace received her citizenship certificate, she cried because she had to give up her green card.
Grace got me thinking about my own situation.
Then on Memorial Day, I covered the Veterans of Foreign Wars John Billington Post 6495 ceremony. Tullytown Councilman Joe Shellenberger was the guest speaker. He had recently returned from serving in Afghanistan as an Air Force reservist.
He told me he would never regret serving his country in the U.S. military.
Another thing I won't ever forget since I don't even have a country.
I was born in Nicaragua, but I mostly learned about my culture from my parents and a couple of vacations to Nicaragua. I wasn't born in the United States, but live here.
I feel like an orphan.
Will I consider myself Nicaraguan-American like Grace describes herself as Chinese-American?
I have been thinking about this for weeks and I still don't have an answer.
I know more about American history than Nicaraguan history, though. Does that count for anything? Maybe I'm already American?
Or maybe I'll just let the Department of Homeland Security U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services figure it out for me.
OK, I better start studying.
Gema Maria Duarte can be reached at 215-949-4195 or gduarte@phillyBurbs.com.
I do not know your current immigration status. My grandparents came here in the 1920’s from Slovakia and Germany. They came from absolute and grinding poverty for another chance. They worked as maids and cooks for a better life for themselves and for their family.
I have been lucky enough to travel around the world both as an American tourist and American soldier. Some insights I have picked up along the way:
I can honestly say, most of the world loves America and Americans. Even the French. They admire our "can do attitude," our eternal optimism, our individual independence and our absolute fearlessness in taking on "city hall" and the powers in charge. They are also very grateful for our generosity. Americans are by far the most friendliest and giving people (individual and collectively) on the face of the planet. I could present statistic after statistic, but just ask any bartender or waitress in any remote town of any third world country who would they like as customers, and they will reply "Americans."
Our enemies, who I have also met and talked with, believe this optimism and generosity are a weakness. They feel that any country foolish enough to try to help other people (instead of crushing them) or permits dissenting points of view is weak. They feel our wealth (ironically made by extremely hard work) has made us soft and unwilling to fight very hard.
Our course, they do not know our military history and ignore our fighting traditions and legends. They do not understand that Americans do not really want to make war and want nothing to do with conquering the planet (too much paperwork). We would rather stay home with our families, enjoy life and go to work. But if we must fight, then we go all out; that we will kill our enemies as fast and as a numerously as humanly possible, that we will bring relentless devastation and carnage to our adversaries and not stop until they are either dead or have surrendered. We want to get the miserable job of war done as fast, efficiently and as brutally as possible so that we can go home.
Our enemies look at our military as the strength of machines. They feel if we did not have our wonderful helicopters, F-16’s, Abrams Tanks, aircraft carriers, etc. that our soldiers would melt away. However, it is a rare event when an American soldier surrenders, even against overwhelming odds. The American soldier has slugged it out toe-to-toe with every enemy we have ever faced (even after all the wonder machines have broken down) and have always emerged the victor. This warrior spirit has been proven in regular army units, special op units and militia/National Guard units. It is not something that is taught, it is just always understood; that the soldiers of liberty and freedom will always defeat the soldiers of dictators and tyrants no matter what.
The men and women of the American Armed Forces understand that Freedom is not free. It has been purchased with a terrible price. American soldiers have suffered, bled and died under horrific conditions in dreadful places all across this hard world. Unlike most armies, Americans have put themselves in harm's way willingly. They fight not for treasure, glory or power but for an idea; that essential Liberty "shall not perish from the earth" as long as I can do something about it.
We should never take our liberty for granted. Since the dawn of humanity, tyrants have and will always try to gather more power by enslaving others. There is only one thing that they fear; when a free people look them in the eye and proclaim, "This we will defend."
That is what it means to be an American. Not the hyphenated PC crap that is pushed around now-a-days.
Best Regards,
2banana
Just for fun, here are some sample questions to the US Citizenship test:
http://usgovinfo.about.com/blinstst.htm
1. What are the colors of our flag?
2. How many stars are there in our flag?
3. What color are the stars on our flag?
4. What do the stars on the flag mean?
5. How many stripes are there in the flag?
6. What color are the stripes?
7. What do the stripes on the flag mean?
8. How many states are there in the Union?
9. What is the 4th of July?
10. What is the date of Independence Day?
11. Independence from whom?
12. What country did we fight during the Revolutionary War?
13. Who was the first President of the United States?
14. Who is the President of the United States today?
15. Who is the vice-president of the United States today?
16. Who elects the President of the United States?
17. Who becomes President of the United States if the President should die?
18. For how long do we elect the President?
19. What is the Constitution?
20. Can the Constitution be changed?
21. What do we call a change to the Constitution?
22. How many changes or amendments are there to the Constitution?
23. How many branches are there in our government?
24. What are the three branches of our government?
25. What is the legislative branch of our government?
26. Who makes the laws in the United States?
27. What is the Congress?
28. What are the duties of Congress?
29. Who elects the Congress?
30. How many senators are there in Congress?
31. Can you name the two senators from your state?
32. For how long do we elect each senator?
33. How many representatives are there in Congress?
34. For how long do we elect the representatives?
35. What is the executive branch of our government?
36. What is the judiciary branch of our government?
37. What are the duties of the Supreme Court?
38. What is the supreme court law of the United States?
39. What is the Bill of Rights?
40. What is the capital of your state?
41. Who is the current governor of your state?
42. Who becomes President of the United States if the President and the vice-president should die?
43. Who is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court?
44. Can you name thirteen original states?
45. Who said, “Give me liberty or give me death.”?
46. Which countries were our enemies during World War II?
47. What are the 49th and 50th states of the Union?
48. How many terms can the President serve?
49. Who was Martin Luther King, Jr.?
50. Who is the head of your local government?
51. According to the Constitution, a person must meet certain requirements in order to be eligible to become President. Name one of these requirements.
52. Why are there 100 Senators in the Senate?
53. Who selects the Supreme Court justice?
54. How many Supreme Court justice are there?
55. Why did the Pilgrims come to America?
56. What is the head executive of a state government called?
57. What is the head executive of a city government called?
58. What holiday was celebrated for the first time by the Americans colonists?
59. Who was the main writer of the Declaration of Independence?
60. When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
61. What is the basic belief of the Declaration of Independence?
62. What is the national anthem of the United States?
63. Who wrote the Star-Spangled Banner?
64. Where does freedom of speech come from?
65. What is a minimum voting age in the United States?
66. Who signs bills into law?
67. What is the highest court in the United States?
68. Who was the President during the Civil War?
69. What did the Emancipation Declaration do?
70. What special group advises the President?
71. Which President is called the “Father of our country”?
72. What Immigration and Naturalization Service form is used to apply to become a naturalized citizen?
73. Who helped the Pilgrims in America?
74. What is the name of the ship that brought the Pilgrims to America?
75. What are the 13 original states of the U.S. called?
76. Name 3 rights of freedom guaranteed by the Bill of Rights.
77. Who has the power to declare the war?
78. What kind of government does the United States have?
79. Which President freed the slaves?
80. In what year was the Constitution written?
81. What are the first 10 amendments to the Constitution called?
82. Name one purpose of the United Nations?
83. Where does Congress meet?
84. Whose rights are guaranteed by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights?
85. What is the introduction to the Constitution called?
86. Name one benefit of being citizen of the United States.
87. What is the most important right granted to U.S. citizens?
88. What is the United States Capitol?
89. What is the White House?
90. Where is the White House located?
91. What is the name of the President’s official home?
92. Name the right guaranteed by the first amendment.
93. Who is the Commander in Chief of the U.S. military?
94. Which President was the first Commander in Chief of the U.S. military?
95. In what month do we vote for the President?
96. In what month is the new President inaugurated?
97. How many times may a Senator be re-elected?
98. How many times may a Congressman be re-elected?
99. What are the 2 major political parties in the U.S. today?
100. How many states are there in the United States today?
Look at my tag line, that summarizes it.
Dear Gema ,
If you dont want to become an American dont let anyone force it on you. Go back to Nicaragua if you like it there better. In case you are wondering try reading what Teddy roosevelt said about being American, If you need a hyphen,we dont need you.
“What does it mean to be a true American?”
You’ll know that you’re on your way to becoming a “true American” when you stop thinking about yourself as a “Nicaraguan-American.”
outstanding!!!!!! well said
BUMP!
82. Name one purpose of the United Nations?
To subvert the Constitution and guide us into global government. Evidence is that this question is in a test on U.S. citizenship.
Does this crap actually pass for professional journalism in Philadelphia?
If so, the mainstream media is far worse off than I thought, and dying for more reasons than just a biased agenda. On my worst day I could write a more compelling editorial.
Oh, and Gema, please note that even 6-year olds are brainwashed today to believe they have dual citizenship or split allegiance to dual cultures.
When a Chinese girl is adopted and receives US citizenship, she becomes an American of Chinese descent, and ceases to be Chinese.
There is no such thing as a “Chinese-American”.
To be fair... a majority of Americans have no clue on most of those questions.
Gema sounds confused. She should take one year and go back to Nicaragua. Then, she would be in a much better position to see what kind of life she wants, as an American or as a Nicaraguan. No hyphen necessary.
What an idiot.
What else is there to say.
You are one or the other, that’s what it means to declare national allegiance.
These people obviously didn’t study for their citizenship nor know our Pledge of allegiance: “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
Maybe she pledges allegiance to the Chinese-American, or African-American, or Russian-American, flags? I don’t get it either.
I think it is odd that the (written by...that doesn’t get it) I think it is well written and having shared this experience I thought the writer is interesting. Why was that part added?
I hope these questions are multiple choice because, some of them, like “WHAT IS CONGRESS”, would be hard for me to answer.
Answer: thieves, liars and perverts.
IF I was born in another country and then came here, I might be a hyphenated American. BUT if you’re a born here, you are an American. Plain and simple. You are a “native American”! If you want to be a hypenated something even if you were born here, it’s time to find a new country to call home!
Watch it, Buddy!
I'm a proud California-Oregon-South Dakotan-American, with NOTHING PC about me!
If it is just a capitalist co-op, then it doesn’t matter who comes here, what cultures they bring with them, or how they live their lives, just as long as they don’t harm anyone else. I would say, just as long as they obey our laws, but that doesn’t seem to be the criteria any longer.
If we allow millions of Mexicans to come here in a big wave, like is presently being allowed, indeed seemingly encouraged by a wink-and-nod policy agreement between Washington and Mexico City, will it really matter when (not if) these people bring Mexico with them, that is, that what used to be America subsumes and is smothered by people who want to stay “Mexican” while living here?
I think so. But the elephant in the room is the following:
Dare we mention the racial mixture of my parent’s United States with the racial mixture of my daughter’s children? To what extent does race influence culture? Dare we ask if people who are of a different race naturally prefer different cultural values? If not, then it doesn’t matter what races we allow in. The more the better.
We “celebrate diversity” a bit too much. By that I mean, it is now clear to me that diversity means: not of the same culture that colonized this country. “Celebrate” is a Orwell-speak word that is meant to excuse suppression of historical culture and to adopt any other culture except it.
This is dis-assimiliation. The advocates of the present immigration “reform” show no real interest in border security or in assimilation. It seems that they are just hell-bent on taking their best shot at flooding so many people into this country that the historic culture will disappear.
This is ubber-self-loathing. If we go back to the time of our grandparents, it was common for people to say that they were working to leave a better country for their children than their parents passed to them. Could we expect that they fought to preserve and advance their lives and society so we could act like it didn’t matter who we allowed in, or how many? I don’t think so.
So many people appear to loath their own lives that by projection they loath the country. Maybe replacing this culture and society with another one (maybe a quaint native one) will make life better for everyone. As crazy as it seems, this is the only explanation I can come up for what is just a dangerous, almost loony fixation on allowing tens of millions of Mexicans into the US.
There is a story in Genesis 25 about Esau and Jacob. Esau came in from hunting and was hungry. Jacob had fixed a meal. Esau was so hungry that he traded his birthright inheritance to Jacob for a bowl of food. This would not be noteworthy, except the birthright was of very great value. As a result, the Bible carries for all time the lesson of Esau, who “despised” the blessings that he was given.
It appears to me that too many Americans support this bill because, like Esau, they despise their blessings, blessings of liberty, prosperity and safety. This is beyond shameful. It is, in a roundabout way, treason. It is seeking the destruction of the country of my grandparents, not by force of arms, but by the flood of people from foreign lands and foreign cultures. It is the ultimate overthrow of America, for the shell of the country will remain but over time, the people of America will be supplanted and replaced with the New American.
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