What does it mean to be a citizen of the United States of America? Sunday, Feb 4 2007 

Being an American and Politics tcs157 11:32 pm

What does it mean to be a citizen? The American Heritage Dictionary defines “Citizen” as: “A person owing loyalty to and entitled by birth or naturalization to the protection of a state or nation.” Dictionary.com Unabridged defines it as: “a native or naturalized member of a state or nation who owes allegiance to its government and is entitled to its protection (distinguished from alien).”

This first thing we have to approach is “Loyalty”. What is loyalty? It is defined as “faithful adherence to a sovereign, government, leader, cause, etc.” Okay then. If it is a adherence which is define as: “Faithful attachment; devotion: “Adherence to the rule of law . . . is a very important principle” (William H. Webster).” then we must look at what that actually means. So to be a citizen you must have a loyalty to state or nation. Does this mean that you follow blindly and do exactly what the state says. No it didn’t say that but you would hold up the points and structure of the nation that you claim citizenship to.

There is an exchange factor here for your loyalty as well. For being loyal to the original structure of your country and it’s constitution you are entitled to protection from interior as well as exterior threats.

In the United States this use to be well practiced. Unfortunately the people have forgotten that they run the country. They have forgotten their rights. One of which is the right to vote. What happens when you have two politicians that neither one of them will do a good job in the position that they are running for? The practice has been to vote for the “lesser of two evils”. Or to not vote at all. During the 1970’s we saw a dramatic drop off in voters in elections. This has persisted to the present time. Voters forget that they have the right to vote a person in who is not running and who is right for the job. They forget that there is the right of “the write in vote”. We all have heard of people writing in Mickey Mouse or Homer Simpson as their write in vote and because of that there is the thought that write in votes don’t work.

What would happen if we all wrote in “None of the above”? That would throw a kink in the works wouldn’t it. If we did that wouldn’t there have to be a new election? Would those officials have to put up someone that the majority of us would feel would do the job well or at least good enough that they held up what we voted them in for.

Currently the people have been “led by the nose” by the media and other sources into thinking that there are only two parties and those two parties are the only ones that matter. Our founding fathers are turning over in the graves with this. This right of voting allows all of us to vote for what is the best way to lead our nation. Thinking roboticly and just voting for one party or the other only leads to more chaos and not order.

This is one of the major rights of a Citizen and when we give up this right we give up our right to be a citizen and we become prisoners of the system and those masters that wish to control us and enslave us. Giving this right to non-citizen also destroys the right and takes the control of the country out of our hands.

In my next update I will continue the rights of being a citizen. What other rights do we have?

 

I am an American. « I am an American Saturday, Feb 3 2007 

Uncategorized tcs157 1:10 am

I am an American. « I am an American

 

I am an American. Friday, Feb 2 2007 

Being an American and Politics tcs157 10:35 pm

I am an American. What does that mean these days? How can you define yourself as a citizen of the United States of America? Does it have to do with what you do in life? Does it have to do with where you came from? Does it have to do with an attitude you have to have? Does it have to do with how much money you have or does it have to do with what privileges you have?

Let’s answer a few of questions first. How do you become a United States citizen? You were born in the United States of America which includes her states, commonwealths and territories. Or you became a Naturalized Citizen. “NATURALIZED CITIZEN – One who, being born an alien, has lawfully become a citizen of the United States Under the constitution and laws. He has all the rights of a natural born citizen, except that of being eligible as president or vice-president of the United States. In foreign countries he has a right to be treated as such, and will be so considered even in the country of his birth, at least for most purposes.” (quoted from The ‘Lectric Law Library’s Lexicon ) Okay, we have now answer how you become an United States citizen but what does that mean? What rights to you have as an United States Citizen?

Many people will point to the Declaration of Independence as say that our rights are protected there. The Declaration of Independence does not do this nor does it define any rights; nor is it a legal document of the United States of America.

By the definition of citizen we are given some rights: This is the definition of Citizen of the United States as defined in Bouvier’s Law Dictionary of 1856:

CITIZEN, persons. One who, under the constitution and laws of the United States, has a right to vote for representatives in congress, and other public officers, and who is qualified to fill offices in the gift of the people. In a more extended sense, under the word citizen, are included all white persons born in the United States, and naturalized persons born out of the same, who have not lost their right as such. This includes men, women, and children.

2. Citizens are either native born or naturalized. Native citizens may fill any office; naturalized citizens may be elected or appointed to any office under the constitution of the United States, except the office of president and vice-president. The constitution provides, that ” the citizens of each state shall be entitled to all the privileges and immunities of citizens in the several states.” Art. 4, s. 2.

3. All natives are not citizens of the United States; the descendants of the aborigines, and those of African origin, are not entitled to the rights of citizens. Anterior to the adoption of the constitution of the United States, each state had the right to make citizens of such persons as it pleased. That constitution does not authorize any but white persons to become citizens of the United States; and it must therefore be presumed that no one is a citizen who is not white. 1 Litt. R. 334; 10 Conn. R. 340; 1 Meigs, R. 331.

4. A citizen of the United States, residing in any state of the Union, is a citizen of that state. 6 Pet. 761 Paine, 594;1 Brock. 391; 1 Paige, 183 Metc. & Perk. Dig. h. t.; vide 3 Story’s Const. 1687 Bouv. Inst. Index, b. t.; 2 Kent, Com. 258; 4 Johns. Ch. R. 430; Vatt. B. 1, c. Id, 212; Poth. Des Personnes, tit. 2, s. 1. Vide Body Politic; Inhabitant.

As you can see there are rights define in just the definition. Some have changed and are no longer valid such as having to be “white” to have citizenship. Now that we have discussed how you become a citizen and what a citizen is, we can discuss what it means to be a citizen. I will be covering that in my next entry.