Independence Day!

[Annie]

I liked this story. Unfortuately there is a real long registration process. So many think the US is against immigration, so little truth in it. Here's the real story, when the person enters LEGALLY. I just began working in a bank for the summer and part time in the fall. There is a woman from Albania, she came here with her husband at 22, 6 months pregnant. She now has 2 daughters, both born here. She misses her parents and siblings so much, but not enough to return. Why? "Her children will have a good life here, in Albania, not so good." Same story whenever one talks to most immigrants.

Too bad some Americans aren't as convinced:

http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/local_news/article/0,1406,KNS_347_3900530,00.html

U.S. Gal

After 20 years of planning and dreaming, a Zambian becomes an American

By JIGSHA DESAI, [email protected]
July 3, 2005

Gathered in a stately courtroom in Chattanooga with 51 people from 21 different countries, I became an American citizen. This journey of 20 years was finally over.

I was born in Zambia in south-central Africa 23 years ago. My parents had applied for residency to the United States about 20 years ago and 12 years later, our application file came through.

I recall our interview at the American Embassy in the capital city of Lusaka in the early part of 1997. My dad, Bhupendra "Bob" R. Desai, had planned for that day for years and he had the biggest grin on his face when the officer told us we would be able to travel to the United States and become permanent residents. My dad couldn't believe his lifelong dream of becoming an American citizen was taking form.

My father had a lifelong love of this country. That dream quickly became mine, too. As a young girl, three of my friends and I started a club called "U.S. Gals" where we imagined how clean and amazing America would be - a stark contrast from the dusty and plain lives we felt we lived in Zambia.

My permanent move to the United States in 1998 - two years before my parents came over - made me realize the sacrifices one makes when he or she becomes an immigrant. Television shows like "Friends" or "Santa Barbara" had clearly not prepared me for America. Life here was extremely tough. My cousins and my brother, who had been here longer, had already adapted to the fast way of American life. I, on the other hand, felt very much alone. I missed my family and my life back home miserably. I couldn't find anyone in college who related to my Zambian-Indian upbringing.

I quickly adapted though. Trying to quell the loneliness, I joined various student organizations and started to learn a lot about myself. I learned the value of money and started working at the student admissions office. The American characteristics of speed, drive and ambition were coming out in me. When I returned to Zambia six months later to visit my parents I was immediately bored by the slower pace of life.

After graduating college and moving to Knoxville to begin work at the News Sentinel, my dad started encouraging me to apply for citizenship. I had lived in the United States for five years continuously and was eligible for citizenship. At first I was hesitant. While I embraced life here, I still liked to cling to my Zambian roots. I felt proud for coming from a country that not many knew of. Perhaps it was my way for sticking up for the forlorn and oft-forgotten continent of Africa.

But my father's love for this country had deepened. He kept on hounding me to apply and after a few months I relented. I was still caught in a tough situation: I felt if I became a citizen, it would mean I was denouncing my Zambian heritage. But I also realized that America had become my home. I was paying taxes and wanted to be able to vote. I wanted the freedom of joining the Peace Corps, which only allowed American citizens to apply. I wanted to freely travel with an American passport. I wanted to secure my life here.

I applied for citizenship in April 2004 filling out the 10-page form with my history of the past five years. I was called to Nashville in July to be fingerprinted and to Memphis in December for my interview with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. While on the drive to Memphis, I had my boyfriend quiz me on the 100 questions I could potentially be asked.

The interview process was quick and efficient, which surprised me. I was expecting a slow bureaucratic process. Once I stepped away from the interview area I called my family. "I passed!" I whispered. I was on my way to becoming a citizen.

With all the legwork taken care of, I waited for the next letter that would tell me where and when I should appear to take my naturalization oath. The letter informing me to appear at the federal courthouse in Chattanooga on June 9, finally came in May. My parents, who live in Missouri, and my brother and his wife, who live in Georgia, would drive up for the ceremony.

The ceremony was to begin at 9:15 a.m. That morning I checked my envelope and made sure I had the Department of Justice letter, my green card and my passport. I wanted to make sure nothing would get in the way of my becoming a citizen.

The Chattanooga courtroom was filled with a diverse group of people. Aside from the slight rustling of paper and a few whispered mummers, the room was quiet. I softly spoke to a woman from the Philippines and a man from Mexico as we waited on the bench to be called. I grinned with a young mother from Mexico who waited in line with me. I was assigned to sit between two people from India. The person on my right, Klin Rodrigues, clutched a crossword puzzle book. He had lived in America for 20 years and his wife and kids are all American. He said the events on Sept. 11 pushed him to apply for citizenship. I met the person sitting in front of me: Tamer Akhoury, a 25-year-old from Egypt, who had just left the U.S. military where he had been stationed in Alaska. It felt like a mini United Nations.

We turned in our green cards and listened to Debbie Emory, an examiner from the immigration department, describe the process. Everything was efficient and seemed surprisingly quick when compared to the 20 years it had taken to get to this day.

Boy Scouts advanced and presented the American flag while other scouts beat a drum and played bagpipes. U.S. District Judge Curtis L. Collier asked us to introduce ourselves and mention our native country to the courtroom. Fifty-one voices in all ranges and accents called out "Japan, United Kingdom, Vietnam, Guatemala, Laos, Czech Republic " and so on. We said the Pledge of Allegiance and after repeating the naturalization oath we became citizens. The yearlong process had ended with the judge welcoming us: "You are now all citizens of this great country."

At the small reception held thereafter by the Daughters of the American Revolution, I shared smiles with these people who had witnessed and had taken part in my naturalization. We had all shared in the "American Dream" and had finally made it. Various groups handed out little trinkets with the American flag and others encouraged us to register to vote. And while I sipped on a soda and nibbled on a cookie, I realized that I was now an American citizen.

Prior to the ceremony, I wondered if I would feel different. Would I feel a sense of newness now that I was an American citizen? I felt proud and happy and yet I still felt the same. I still felt like a Zambian-Indian. When would I hyphenate American at the end of it?

But as I write this I realize I've been American for a while. I've cared for its politics; I've called it home for several years now. I know how to order my Subway sandwich, and how to confidently navigate the interstate system. I no longer say I'm from Zambia when asked where I come from. Instead, I answer Tennessee.

The naturalization only confirmed something that I had already innately become - an American.

 

[William Joyce]

I think you're buying into the Hollywood version of immigration. The truth is that immigration is killing America. We are sliding from a mostly-white first world country of peace and prosperity into a Third World non-white hell of crime, confusion and mess. Are 14 languages on every street sign the sign of a strong nation? By swallowing the liberal view that everyone everywhere is "equal" in every possible way, we are foolishly squandering the heritage our founding fathers delivered. Your children will be minorities in their own country --- in the country their ancestors bled for. What type of insanity is needed to make yourself a minority --- VOLUNTARILY?

I think you need to concentrate harder on your avatar. The 19 brown-skinned MURDERERS who attacked our nation on Sept. 11 were all LEGAL IMMIGRANTS.

 

[Hobbit]

I think you're buying into the Hollywood version of immigration. The truth is that immigration is killing America. We are sliding from a mostly-white first world country of peace and prosperity into a Third World non-white hell of crime, confusion and mess. Are 14 languages on every street sign the sign of a strong nation? By swallowing the liberal view that everyone everywhere is "equal" in every possible way, we are foolishly squandering the heritage our founding fathers delivered. Your children will be minorities in their own country --- in the country their ancestors bled for. What type of insanity is needed to make yourself a minority --- VOLUNTARILY?

I think you need to concentrate harder on your avatar. The 19 brown-skinned MURDERERS who attacked our nation on Sept. 11 were all LEGAL IMMIGRANTS.

No they weren't. They used false identities.

Our culture is not in danger because people come here. It is in danger because of illegals. Illegals rarely attempt to learn anything about us. They don't know the language, history, or culture. They expect us to change to fit them while they turn the town into a miniature version of the motherland. Legal immigrants are required to know English and a U.S. history test is required for citizenship.

Oh wait, you're racist and assume that people of different cultures can't adapt to their environment. Never mind.

 

[William Joyce]

No they weren't. They used false identities.

Maybe some did, but then, given our nation's treatment of immigration, you'll excuse me for blurring the line between legal and illegal --- because the U.S. doesn't seem to think it's that important. Here they are with their licenses:

http://www.fairus.org/Media/Media.cfm?ID=2398&c=34

And if we don't make the distinction, we can't defend it either way.

Our culture is not in danger because people come here. It is in danger because of illegals. Illegals rarely attempt to learn anything about us. They don't know the language, history, or culture. They expect us to change to fit them while they turn the town into a miniature version of the motherland. Legal immigrants are required to know English and a U.S. history test is required for citizenship.

Oh wait, you're racist and assume that people of different cultures can't adapt to their environment. Never mind.

Agree with the first part, not sure about the second. Race is important. Race is the necessary precondition for culture. "Adaptation" has its limits. A black Nigerian wearing a kilt is not a Scotsman. A Muslim terrorist who speaks English is not an American --- demonstrated by the very simple fact that he has interests that are, shall we agree, contrary to most Americans.

 

[MissileMan]

Agree with the first part, not sure about the second. Race is important. Race is the necessary precondition for culture. "Adaptation" has its limits. A black Nigerian wearing a kilt is not a Scotsman. A Muslim terrorist who speaks English is not an American --- demonstrated by the very simple fact that he has interests that are, shall we agree, contrary to most Americans.

What you seem unable to grasp is that there is no American race. Since our founding, we have been a melting pot of races, religions, and cultures. Race is only a precondition for prejudice and bigotry on the part of the intellectually challenged.

 

[Gem]

William,

Your understanding of "race" is as confused and backwards as your comprehension of immigration.

MissileMan is exactly correct in his statement that "race is only a precondition for prejudice and bigotry." When the Irish first started immigrating to this country they were viewed as the worst type of slime...lower than dogs. Signs in the windows of businesses read, "Help Wanted: Irish Need Not Apply." Sound familiar? It should. Eventually the Irish became "White" as the Eastern Europeans began to immigrate in large numbers. Suddenly the Irish were the ones hiring...and guess what...they wanted nothing to do with the dirty immigrants.

We should be pushing for safe, legal, documented immigration. But to state that legal immigration, one of the cornerstones of what has made this nation great, is the problem...is asinine.