Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
US Citizenship General Discussion	Passports !	What gets me is they don't even give us the satisfaction of seeing our case status online complete - it will be stuck in "Testing and Interview' forever! Yeah but we won't - so yippee ! It does mean that I can be tried for treason now if I contribute to wikileaks. Before, it was just a data protection charge. Lord haw-haw was hung for treason because he had a Brit passport even though he was Irish. Dangerous bits of paper. Now we are American we must become used to being scared by all sorts of things if we are to fully integrate - so I will start worrying about that and make sure I don't go to wikileaks or cuba... oh and tornadoes and hurricanes and earthquakes and bandidos and AIDS and shovelling snow off the sidewalk so my neighbor won't sue me and not driving at more than 25mph and ..and.. and... and... too late now... Being free does not mean being free from worries and we should remember that. It means my wife being free from not having a Briton sneaking into her bed or living in her house like in 1776...	Captain Oates	Male	England	2010-12-11 20:51:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	Passports !	Congrats on receiving the passport! I had a good day too - got the Naturalization certificate. Phew! Mega ! If we lived in Arizona we would have to stay inside until we got some documentation ! It's nice to know I am free to leave the country now and have got something to show Wife looks relieved now she is free from sponsorship It will take a while to get used to the idea that I am free of the USCIS and there is bound to be some anti climax and PTSD. However, my mind is now clear to look for some new challenges with no uncertainties built in ! A burglar alarm to protect the passport can be number 1 project. Had it with waiting and had it with uncertainty. The certificate will come Monday or Tuesday but if they lose it and it takes a year to replace I am not bothered because I have a passport !	Captain Oates	Male	England	2010-12-11 19:38:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	Passports !	ok we have the answer: Normal USPS mail man arrived 3 minutes ago I had to sign for the letter which is a thick cardboard USPS express mail I had to sign for it I have the passport and they spelled everything right and it's very posh No certificate but many report that comes back separately But never mind I can travel and have identity 5 minutes ago I had no GC and no certificate and no passport and I felt like persona non grata ok its the fireproof box for you bud Short lines at Seattle airport for me ! ps it was expedited , so normal system - we may not have to sign Edited by Alan the Red, 11 December 2010 - 03:47 PM.	Captain Oates	Male	England	2010-12-11 15:46:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	Passports !	Wifes' passport was expedient service whatever in the hell that means, expedient service in Venezuela or Colombia translates into giving the judge a thousand bucks under the table, or will take literally years before your case even gets on the docket. This was only like 30 bucks or so that covers the cost of overnight postage and that cardboard envelop. I had to sign for it, but live in a small town, if I didn't happen to be home, would have left a notice to come to the post office, that has happened before. But that was for just the passport, certificate came in three days later from exactly the same New Orleans address in a cheap paper envelop with untraceable first class postage. At least it was first class, I have received junk mail from the that neck of the woods faster than a first class letter. DOS could have saved 43 cents by inserting her certificate with the passport, would think after they approved the passport and printed it, would be done with her certificate, but with our government, never good to think. Thinking is not permitted, an unwritten amendment to our constitution. We also had additional concerns because Katrina was fooling around in New Orleans at that time, Chicago can make a passport, must pick the furthest service center. But like that British author said that now has formed a US company that is making fishing gear in China, all is well that ends well. Thing is, will it ever end? I hope it will end for me today Nick Its 8.25 am pacific and the mail man comes around lunchtime The DOS email from their auto alert system said it would arrive today saturday by overnight. Actually I received the email 7am thursday saying it had been mailed - so what is overnight to me is not really overnight (rip off). My fireproof safe is open and waiting. The passes have snow and the airport is closed - so it might be spring before it gets to my desert	Captain Oates	Male	England	2010-12-11 11:28:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	Passports !	Hubby's wasn't expedited. It came after 12 days via USPS Priority or Express, forgot which, we threw away the envelope. No signature required, it was sitting in our mailbox on Monday. No Citizenship certificate yet. Thanks for that - it all seems very risky with no signature for such important documents to stay out there by the roadside Every now and then a scruffy little kid about 5 years old comes along making out he is playing in the gutter and he looks in the mail boxes His mother looks very shifty and stands across the road while the kid does this. Eventually she makes out like he is being naughty and calls him back. The USCIS seem so tight on addresses for documents and letters but the DOS just whang em out there and good luck. Another 16 hours and perhaps I can get em and relax - that depends on the fog which cut us off totally today thanks again !	Captain Oates	Male	England	2010-12-10 22:24:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	Passports !	ok you guys who got your passports - how are they returned if it's expedited ? Is it USPS, or UPS or Fedex ? Is it to sign for ? Does that apply to the passport and the certificate which sometimes comes back separately ? My mailman has come and gone and no passport - but the airport here in nowheresville is socked in and there were no flights today I want to go away tomorrow but if its to sign for then I had best stay at home USPS is a.m. and UPS is late afternoon Edited by Alan the Red, 10 December 2010 - 06:42 PM.	Captain Oates	Male	England	2010-12-10 18:42:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	Fee inscrease reminder	They try to suck as much as they can. People immigrated to here about 250 yrs ago without paying that much When I was a kid it was £10 to emigrate to Australia and the ozzies paid the ship and the grub and the first x months house rent out of that We nearly went Then I wanted to go to NZ and I entered a competition in their newsaper which I won and they were sending me a bottle of champagne. But it never came so I said sod you and decided to stay in "the finest country that has ever existed in the history of the world" But then the secret got out and the world world came to live there and I was squeezed and had to sleep standing up - and so here I am. It's not bad actually.	Captain Oates	Male	England	2010-12-13 11:12:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	Fee inscrease reminder	Hi all, Just wanted to remind or inform everyone that the fees went up on November 23rd, 2010. So make sure you are sending the right amount. My aplication was rejected and returned today since I was unaware of the fee increase. I have attached the fee table on USCIS website: USCIS fees Mike. Looks like the N400 Naturalization fee didn't increase ah but the biometrics did Edited by Alan the Red, 11 December 2010 - 07:42 PM.	Captain Oates	Male	England	2010-12-11 19:40:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	Social Security	+1 Guess Alan's just testing us non-Brits. He's pulling our pants, legs, whatever . . . Na I blame the obergrupenfuehrer of the SS in washington. I couldnt remember a USC tick box on the 1040 but I thought it must have been brought forward data on turbo tax - but no it doesn't exist It was all my eye and Betty Martin (another useful phrase) http://languagelog.l....edu/nll/?p=234 Edited by Alan the Red, 13 December 2010 - 11:27 PM.	Captain Oates	Male	England	2010-12-13 23:24:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	Social Security	Hi, sorry to barge in on your thread. I am just thinking ahead for my husband's USC and also this will be my first time filling out a joint tax return. I just looked at the 1040 (because I didn't recall any box to check for citizen or non) and I don't see a designation for citizen v. LPR... just for SSNs. Am I missing something here? Is this a turbotax special thing? I do my own taxes. Thanks. I think you are right and the ss lady (young) was wrong... I asked her if the IRS would feed off her data and she went to see a supervisor and when she came back she told me the 1040 thing yes she was wrong she even forgot to make me swear at the end... anyway if my lady wife was to expire and the IRS sends me a bill for 40% thinking I am an alien, I have plenty of proof now that I am a citizen so it wont be a problem I asked her about Medicare in a few years and she said don't come in - do it online - however I will research it deeply at that time even if my wife is still working and providing insurance through her work I cant get Medicare until she is 62 but if she early retired, I could buy in for about $6k pa as I will have been here 5 years at that time (thats the min for buy in) That is the big snag in the USA - in Europe, a lot of people finish at 55. Here I would need 10 years insurance at say $14kpa ! = $140k - that's a lot of beer money. So Americans must work until they are old and then they just die of exhaustion like William Holbrook. I retired at 54 and I have had another life - it's absolutely wonderful ! Motorbiking all over and boating and traveling the world and it would have been impossible to meet and get with my wife had I not been retired at 54 Even poor people retire early in Europe on not much money but it cant be done here.	Captain Oates	Male	England	2010-12-13 23:21:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	Social Security	Thanks for the Brit lesson, interesting! They told us there would be no other Social Security card sent because we had already updated it after AOS (to have the "not employment authorized' removed). Do you have any exceptions written on your card? If not, I would think you wouldn't get an updated card. My card already had been updated so it didn't have the work restriction on it..and it didn't say alien or damned foreigner or anything. They didn't take the card so I will have 3 The last update was when we lived in Florida a couple of years ago So they might have a policy of updating if the address has changed don't know It did say you can have 10 in a lifetime and I think 3 in a year - so I can have 7 more This will be my last one with any luck coz I sure ain't getting married again. Told wife that and she said "what ?" I said - "coz I could never find another one like you" That was the right answer apparently It should be identical to the last card apart from the address So I now have the certificate and passport and the SS card will come. The copy certs are in another place and I am building a burglar alarm to protect the original and the a passport in the fireproof cabinet !!! No way do I want contact with the USCIS every again ! Edited by Alan the Red, 13 December 2010 - 10:39 PM.	Captain Oates	Male	England	2010-12-13 22:38:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	Social Security	Can you explain what does this mean? Well I am not a cockney from London - I am from the sophisticated North - but in London it is common for one's wife to be referred to as 'her indoors' as it was traditional for the wife to stay at home while the husband went out to work. This might be the origin of referring to a woman as a bird as in 'only a bird in a gilded cage' or a woman who stays with a man because she can't afford to leave Cockney rhyming slang is most difficult at first but easy once you get the swing of it.. eg. Daisies refer to daisy roots which rhymes with boots. So daisies are boots So if I say I am off to buy a 'whistle' - the phrase you need is 'whistle and flute' - so what rhymes with the 2nd word ? = suit. So I am off to buy a suit. Sounds complex but its easy once you grasp it So off home to see my trouble = common phrase 'trouble and strife' so what rhymes with 'strife' ? = wife So a trouble is a 'wife' It was a code original but I mught be telling porkies porky pies = lies Edited by Alan the Red, 13 December 2010 - 09:51 PM.	Captain Oates	Male	England	2010-12-13 21:49:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	Social Security	Got my passport on Saturday and Certificate back today Certificate was priority mail but no signature required ! Passport had to be signed for on Saturday Went down the SS office because if her indoors dies then they deduct 40% for aliens and nothing for citizens - a BIG advantage of doing naturalization Went in and took a number and a seat. 6 people there plus a big guard with a Glock 40 sat watching us - it isn't like Ilkley ! They didnt want the form I had filled out from the net - no form required They check if you know your mother's maiden and dad's first name. She took the info and said she would be asking me to swear it's true at the end - but she forgot - guess it's my big blue eyes again ! Anyway they need the certificate, not the passport - no drivers license or birth certificate =- nothing just the ss card and certificate All done - the new card comes in a week or so. She says remember to change tax return to citizen this time as turbo tax brings info forward as is.	Captain Oates	Male	England	2010-12-13 18:19:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	Filing Citizenship for parents	I have a scenario I was hoping to get the forums thoughts on: My parents had been granted permanent residency in 2001. They were shuttling back between the US and the home country for the first few years while they wound up their affairs at home. Starting 3/2008, they have never been out of the US for more than 6 months - with the max stay being a couple of months for travel abroad. Prior to 3/2008, they were in the US from 4/2007 to 5/2007. I am trying to figure out if we can start the citizenship continuous stay period from 4/2007. My parents are both retired as of 2006 and have been living with me. Since they haven't worked in the US or have a residence in their name, would a letter from me stating their residence with me help? I have them listed as dependents on my tax returns if that helps? Your help is much appreciated! Starting with the start date on their green cards, they must not have been out for more than 50% of the total time in the qualifying period (5years) and no trip to exceed 6 months They can file 90 days short of the 5 year anniversary of the date on the GC Dont pinch it for a day or two - do it day 88 Edited by Alan the Red, 11 December 2010 - 12:52 PM.	Captain Oates	Male	England	2010-12-11 12:52:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	Revoking US Citizenship	Ha, if they charged to enter, nobody would go there. Caracas did accept Bolivars at the current exchange rate at 4.3 VEF equals a buck. We were able to sell our bucks for 21.5 VEF so got by with $33.40 to leave that place. Good thing my wife knew about it, most tourists don't, like the people ahead of us in line, they were somewhat annoyed, not very well advertised. Actually, when people come on VJ and fall on the floor weeping and praying to god and giving thanks that they have become US Citizens, I can understand it, given some of the places they have come from. Us folks from both the 1st world and civilized countries cannot see what all the fuss is about - but if I came from some of those places I would be down there grovelling in gratitude with the grovelliest... I am suitably grateful for bigger parking spaces and less rain, but I was actually allowed to vote in the old country and my siblings were not raped twice a week by bands of illiterate police - so although I will be celebrating and vigorously waving my US flag on Thursday, my eyes won't roll over backwards and my tongue pop out and my legs give way with uncontrolled ecstasy like some. I will use my first aid skills if it happens to any of my fellow swearers and assure them that it isn't a dream.	Captain Oates	Male	England	2010-11-29 13:59:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	Revoking US Citizenship	Caracas only hits you for $167.00 for an exit tax at the airport and you really don't have to kiss anyone's feet, just empty your wallet. Oh, and don't drink the water. I stopped off in Turkey for a few hours and they charged me a one year visa fee ! Actually I cut across the southern tip of Switzerland on my motorbike when I was going from Heidelburg to NICE and they charged me one year's road tax So they can get stuffed too Johnny foreigner - wouldn't put anything past him	Captain Oates	Male	England	2010-11-29 12:09:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	Revoking US Citizenship	I don't know, I think very often the parents want to continue the tradition and ask for it. But this article makes you think twice before going there. I nearly died (literally) when the Saudis would not grant me an exit visa - I was living on green bananas and water (only) for 6 weeks and being seriously threatened on a daily basis- and I was told to lay on the floor and kiss their feet if I wanted an exit visa I never go anywhere that requires an exit visa I never go anywhere in that region of the world. When I go east, my boundary is Munich. US/UK/Europe/OZ/NZ/Canada - that's my world now. Edited by Alan the Red, 29 November 2010 - 11:34 AM.	Captain Oates	Male	England	2010-11-29 11:33:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	Revoking US Citizenship	BTW Venusfire... it's impossible to revoke the Maroccan Nationality. The Maroccan law doesn't allow it. We have a lot of Maroccans in Belgium that were born in Belgium but automatically were made Maroccans. They were not able to refuse it, even when they wanted it to. So the child of a Moroccan born anywhere in the world is automatically a Moroccan citizen without having to apply for Moroccan citizenship ? How does Morocco know who it's citizens are giving birth to in other countries ? does not compute	Captain Oates	Male	England	2010-11-25 19:04:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	Revoking US Citizenship	It's all here If the USCIS make a mistake they can go back and revoke Say they carried out the oath before the anniversary date because of their mistake ....They could revoke and start again. As far as the USCIS is concerned... 'You can check out any time you want - but you can never leave.' http://www.justice.gov/olc/ina340.htm	Captain Oates	Male	England	2010-11-25 14:45:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	Revoking US Citizenship	A Lot of Glen Beck and urban myth stuff going on here As I understand it, lying at any time during the whole of the Immigration process or commiting treason can lead to proceedings to revoke citizenship at any time and forever. Apart from that, rendering a person stateless is never done. I think even murder is ok but it is to be discouraged. The US is full of murderers so one more won't make a difference. Possibly the 2 year thing is that the USCIS needs to go through less court gymanastics if it's due to lying during the process ? Interesting and I had not heard of that 2 year rule - I will research it check this its called 'administrative revocation'>> http://wiki.answers....ship_be_revoked Edited by Alan the Red, 25 November 2010 - 02:12 PM.	Captain Oates	Male	England	2010-11-25 14:10:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	Dual Citizenship	Wife also has some advantages, an inheritance in Colombia, like a house, but has to be a citizen of that country to get it. She worked in Venezuela for some 26 odd years and will be eligible for their SS equivalent in a couple of years as they retire at 55 down there. Not sure how that would work as that money cannot leave the country under Chavez. But maybe he will go away. She is a different person in her home countries in a constant state of fear, not safe to even go for walk at night without getting robbed. She was already kidnapped in a life threatening situation, and they have bars on all the doors and windows, like living in a prison. I am not afraid, we were already approached but the character had different thoughts when I showed him my mean face. But the threat is constant. She has a large home here with a huge yard, attached garage with an automatic opener, can travel anywhere without being concerned about bandits. And a lot more to do around here. I am getting more used to the US - I go back to England 3 or 4 times a year. At first it was for homesickness but now it's just a habit and to see my daughter/grandkids. It takes about 3 days I and I am sick of the rain and the congestion and the litter and the drunks and no parking spaces and petrol prices - by the end of 7 days I am really ready to be back in my blue sky desert in Washington When I see what the NHS did for both my parents and the enormous care over 20 years and all the operations - even at the age of 92 - and the lovely care home for 10 years - that is wonderful and so hard to turn my back on. That really is so relaxing to know all that is there for everyone and always there with no registration or insurance companies or deductibles or lifetime limits and condition limits and co-pays and pre-existing and refusals. None of that - none. Nothing nada. Never mind the queen and all the hoo-har, I am proud of the NHS. When the USA gets that they will have all the world swimming the rio grande. Hum, praps that's why they don't. . Edited by Alan the Red, 14 December 2010 - 05:09 PM.	Captain Oates	Male	England	2010-12-14 17:08:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	Dual Citizenship	Nick, I'm not there yet, still have to take the Oath, but thanks anyway. Listen, I know exactly where you are coming from and the thingi with your wife and the insane laws of the Colombian Government which is heavily influenced by the all-mighty the drug cartels are really an exception to the rule. I can have a US passport (which I soon will have), my mom can be German (which she was), my dad Swedish (also true) and I can be born in South Africa. That still doesn't me an African American, not even a white African American like Theresa Heinz-Kerry, and so there would be no need for me to carry a South African passport for the rest of my life. Despite your personal dilemma, the country of birth means squat, especially since jus soli has rather been abolished from the civilized nations, save for Yankeeland. I would like the RIGHT to be President - but just so I can say I am not a second category American Citizen Edited by Alan the Red, 14 December 2010 - 04:54 PM.	Captain Oates	Male	England	2010-12-14 16:53:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	Dual Citizenship	Can say anything you want, but your US passport gives your nationality or place of birth if the same away. Its not that my wife is ashamed of where she was born, its the fact that she has to maintain her home country passport as well just to visit her mom. Thought this would be history after she got her US citizenship. It's not that I object to her having an extra passport, but to maintain that passport is a great expense and time consuming project, only three of those consulates in the entire USA! Wouldn't be bad if you could drop a check in the mail and receive that passport, but they want to see you in person. And some aren't exactly nice since you came here. Also wouldn't be that bad if it was legal for me to pound the living ####### out of them if they are nasty, but can't do that either, have to be nice. I hate being nice. That's not true because you have too much sense of right and wrong so you are a natural born 'Nice' If I had escaped from some fly blown garbage tip of a dictator's or anarchistic country, I would gladly throw my old passport away and start saying that the US is finest country in the history of the world and that I am deeply in love with it and the constitution was inspired by god etc etc like they do. As it is, I need my red passport in case I get sick and the insurance people kick me into the gutter to die in this land of milk and honey. At that point I jump on a yookay plane from Seattle, tell em hooray I am back to stay - and they spend a bundle on me for free - all of which they owe me for all my male ancestors soldiering and dying and the hundreds of thousands of tax I paid there. So between the two passports, I have a health care safety net and eight inches rain per annum - so I am doing all right. At that stage some people say 'I'm all right Jack so pull up the ladder' I am not like that so I will push for a fear-free and forever present health care system here. Health care IS a right as much as public protection from being murdered - and should be like a baby's mother - always there for us unconditionally. The rest of politics is up for grabs.	Captain Oates	Male	England	2010-12-14 16:22:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	Dual Citizenship	David Soul - am American becoming a Briton (too) http://www.independe...-is-535323.html	Captain Oates	Male	England	2010-12-14 15:24:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	Dual Citizenship	Just feel that your US passport should identify you as a US citizen and nothing else whether you were natural born or naturalized. Regarding any relations with your home country, that is your business as long as it does not conflict with the laws of this country. Just leave off the place of birth, not your choice where you were born. That's what I mean Nick - it all depends on your perspective and your perspective is the American perspective and so is mine while I am here While I am in Britain, I am a British passport carrying natural born British Citizen and that has not changed. When the border guy at Leeds asks me my Nationality - I say British - and it is true When the border guy at Seattle asks me my Nationality - I say American - and it is true When I travel elsewhere I have the choice - in Teheran I would probably go for Brit but it's close That is how it is and it is a lot easier for a Brit to accept that than a natural born American because of the powerful culture differences. Where I went school there was no hand on heart and facing the flag and pledge of allegiance and misty eyed mysticism. The Brits are pragmatic and whatever works. It's just a culture diff and who is to say which is right ? That jewish guy big j had it down right >> "Give unto Sarah that which is Sarah's, and give unto Yorkshire that which is Yorkshire's" ps David Soul (Starsky and Hutch)became a British Citizen and enjoys that - I bet he still calls himself an American when he comes back here.	Captain Oates	Male	England	2010-12-14 15:04:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	Dual Citizenship	The whole thing about dual citizenship mirrors our world and our lives in general. It depends which angle you are coming from. In Europe my Nationality is British. In the USA my nationality is USA. To a 16 year old I am an old gimmer. To a 75 year old I am a slip of a lad. To a Right wing Conservative I am a foreign commie who should be shot or at least deported. To a left wing union man I am a sell out to my birth class and a selfish fat cat. The answer is - if you can't please everybody then you might as well please yourself. It's great that I can live and work anywhere from Hawaii to Crete and Alaska to Tenerife and I will be 'at home' on a home passport. The only place I will get a stamp in my passport is the USA as the Europeans or British will not stamp my British pass - just wave me through. I want to vote in UK and European elections but I might have to give a proxy to my MP as the mailing deadlines are too tight If the USA played England at football (soccer) I would support the USA to encourage the game here If I was told to give up one passport – it would be the USA one as the British one might save my life if I got sick - and that of my USC wife as it is so easy to get her a UK green card Edited by Alan the Red, 14 December 2010 - 02:06 PM.	Captain Oates	Male	England	2010-12-14 14:05:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	Dual Citizenship	Great job Bob. It's nice to know there is nothing to worry about. Still... be aware we never will be considered the same as the natural born ones. You always will be considered a naturalized immigrant. I just hope they never get it into their heads to force American citizenship upon us because I would refuse to give up my Belgian citizenship. I am and always will feel Belgian in the first place. Wait until you get your passport and it says 'Nationality - USA' - its then it hits you. I thought I was just beoming a citizen, I didnt realise I was changing my nationality - joke - sort of Anyway it must be nice to be Belgian and the same Nationality as Plastic Bertrand	Captain Oates	Male	England	2010-12-13 22:43:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	Dual Citizenship	Dual voting is a myth for the Brits They send the voting forms out a few days before the election and they have to be back on polling day and you need to have another Brit living overseas to countersign For a Brit living in a desert on Pacific time, it takes 7 to 10 days to receive a UK letter and the same for return - so basically it is a totally impossibility to get one's vote recorded One can nominate a proxy, but my lot were either killed by the Germans or died or left the country or can't be arsed.	Captain Oates	Male	England	2010-12-13 16:26:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	N400 August 2010 Filers	Alan, you know what they say about drug addicts: they have to hit rock bottom, laying in their own vomit, ready to prostitute themselves for a quarter, before they will WANT to get away from drugs. The US is on the way downhill at an alarming speed. It was truly number 1, back in the 1950s and up into the early '60s. I remember when I was a young lad, driving a worn out Volkswagen Beetle, whereas the Americans drove Chevy Impalas and Cadillacs the size of a small house. Heck, the average American refrigerator had the size of a German garage, but of course we didn't have one. When my parents build their house in 1973, it was the first time we had a shower and at that time "Made in Germany" already was something that carried tremendous weight in the world. Today, the US is drifting in about everything somewhere near some African and Middle East countries. That's only possible because the intentional dummyfication of the American people has worked so well that they vote against their own interest, not knowing what they are doing and how they are hoodwinkeld by malicious propaganda. It won't change until corporate money has been completely eliminated from the political life and we have publicly funded elections. As history tells us, big change we can believe in comes after the people are so fed up with the sh*t that they rebel. Look at the French Revolution, look at Nazi Germany, look at the fall of the Russian Empire. I would not be surprised if some day, perhaps in only a few years, when unemployment is at about 25 to 30 percent, and the fat corporate cats are too fat to burp, We the People will not ask for change, but demand it by turning this country upside down. If the USSR can crumble, Yugoslavia can split up in 8 different countries, the USA is equally in danger to experience a dramatic transformation, indeed. With you on most of it BOB and I think the US' problem is the health system which is now 15% of GDP and that is unsustainable The gullibility level too is way too high. Us Brits are rightly criticized for our sour, negative cynicism but at least it counteracts the influence of the politicians and salesmen and the churches. That defense mechanism is not present in American society, members of whom are all easily convinced believers in all sorts of stuff by nature (positive, optimistic) This Thatcherite idea of no free education or pensions or anything at all and bigger and bigger militaries to attack more and more countries is strangely embraced by the poor and the becoming poor (the majority) Unbelievable but we watch it every day. Turkeys voting for christmas. Slaves voting for slave masters.. Personally, I will do well out of it as I am retired and a private investor and my health insurance is provided by my young wife's very safe job and my pension is guaranteed 100% by the UK government. I feel so bad for the rest - the blind rest who are voting to hand over their future to the billionaires - like serfs and supplicants and hoping they will be thrown a crumb from the rich man's table Perhaps by not voting for the well off capitalists, it is I, as one of them, who is a turkey voting for xmas. Warren Buffet the word's richest man, and George Soros the financier are also socialists on moral grounds - so I am not alone in voting against my own best interests. The tea party people who want to turn the clock back to the work houses and poor law can't see it, but they will when they get sick or old or unemployed or their children are killed in the wars and there is no 'society' of pooled financial security to help them in their misery. I digress	Captain Oates	Male	England	2010-12-02 11:44:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	N400 August 2010 Filers	One small step closer... Congrats on the step ! Every step is good. I have my ceremony in a few hours and it's like getting married - I have that sinking feeling like do I really want to do this Right now I can contribute to wikileaks and get away with it because I am a citizen of the European Union - but by later today they can charge me with treason and give me 500 years in jail with no phone calls and no review and allow me to be jail raped and watch over me with a shotgun. Should I run for the horizon ? Think I will have another coffee and a piece of cheese. The last time I wore a tie it was to get married. I think it's that feeling again. I could be putting my life in Sarah Palin's hands... I will try not to think about that. Anyway it's weird that we greet every USCIS step with glee but then comes the commitment. The judge. They may get stuck in the snow - the judge, the USCIS, there may be a reprieve.	Captain Oates	Male	England	2010-12-02 11:23:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	N400 August 2010 Filers	Guys I did not hear anything from USCIS since my Biometrics and I called them 3 times and said the processing time is 5 months! when I check my case it gives me a REFwas sent on August 24th! Am I the only one who did not hear from them till now? no letter for interview the case did not even leave Arizona Lock box! get an info pass appointment... the 5 mths stuff is the standard answer so dont take that as accurate your fingerprints appointment has got lost log onto uscis website make an account add your case number to the account see what it says don't hang around Everyone else - don't wait august to december if yours is not going at the same pace as everyone else...get on the case so at least you know what stage THEY think it is at That is what the August filers etc thread is for - don't wait - pressure on !	Captain Oates	Male	England	2010-12-01 21:30:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	N400 August 2010 Filers	I'm with you on that one 100%. But that's the problem with Democracy, you know: the majority wins. If you asked all prison inmates if prisons should have open doors, they would have. On contrast, if you asked our elected officials if corporate money should not be part of political life, if campaign donations should be prohibited, they would vote against it, as that feeds those bloodsuckers, about 99% of them. Since the majority of We The People does not see any merit in allowing an ex-foreigner to be eligible for the office of the President or VP, it ain't gonna happen until we have an individual so extraordinary, that he (or she) could pursue the masses. Imagine Buddha and Supergirl having a baby that has X-Ray vision, can fly, and is omniscient and invincible. Until then, the Constitution of the United States, as fantastic as it is in so many ways, is also its greatest enemy when it comes to amending it for the sake of the good. Right on.. I will have to give it some thought I don't think we can wait for an individual, coz after the disappointment of Mr O, (same as Jimmy Carter/Harold Wilson),visionaries and charismatics will be out of favor for a generation. Perhaps when 12 million illegals are made legal, the subject might come up again. Lets see now - 7 years for immigration reform, 9 years to qualify for a GC from the work visa, and then 5 years with a GC. So they should be able to vote in 2031. The election will be 2032 and then 1 year for the legislation so 2033 ready for the 2036 election. My ashes will have been scattered on Ilkley more for some time by then so I should find myself another interest like the campaign to declare deer as people... Edited by Alan the Red, 01 December 2010 - 06:41 PM.	Captain Oates	Male	England	2010-12-01 18:41:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	N400 August 2010 Filers	Alan, If you were such an exceptional individual that 99% of the US population would want you to be their leader, you could become Emperor of the United States, but we don't have to observe the Führer's rise to power in order to make you the elected President of the United States. If 99% of the population would want you as their President, the pressure of the electorate/constituency to their elected officials would be equivalent to a 5-ton rock pressuring on the body of an ant. Within a fortnight there would be a proposal to amend the Constitution of the United States which would receive a 99% (give or take a few percentage points) approval in both houses of Congress, of which less than 67% would be necessary. This bill would find quick and easy ratification by the conventions of the States for the same reasons, as all 52 States would approve it with an about 99% vote of "Hell, yeah!" If about every voter in the United States agrees with what you think should be done, anything is possible, quickly. Welcome Mr. President! It's the principle of the thing. Two categories of citizen is outmoded and belongs back with Jim Crow when black people could not be citizens (It must have seemed so sensible at the time) or Asian origin people could not even become citizens until 1952 Dahlip Singh Saund the first Asian Congressman famously said in 1952 "There is no room in the United States of America for second class citizenship". Sadly his words were ignored and it still persists. They are forever trying to stack the deck and keep equal rights in the Nativist club... It will certainly detract from my ceremony tomorrow and I shall advocate it's removal in the future.	Captain Oates	Male	England	2010-12-01 15:31:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	N400 August 2010 Filers	OH! I honestly did not know you meant truth. I really thought I was missing something.	Captain Oates	Male	England	2010-12-01 12:11:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	N400 August 2010 Filers	Alan, Mate, that's an incorrect statement which only proves that you have what it takes for a career as a Republican politician! But I want "my" President to be brilliant, have the grace of Her Majesty, the good looks of Prince Charles, and the intellectual capacity of Steven Hawkins. So prove to me that you are worthy to become the President of the United States by telling us how you could make that happen, with 99% of the population supporting you. I/m going to bed now, being sure you are as smart as I think you are. Don't let the country down! As the law and the constitution stands, if 99% of the population wants me to be president, I can't be - even after 4pm tomorrow. I will therefore be 'different' or in a 'second class' of citizenship and forever recorded as such. Of course it's even tougher for people like my friend's wife who was brought here at age 6 months as an orphan. 99.999% of persons in this second class citizen category do not want to be president anyway because it's too humid in DC and they would have to be around ####### after he has had his 'good lunch' ever day. However, 100% would feel better about their citizenship if they were truly equal to other citizens. What's in it for naturals to change the law ? - nothing - because they are the majority and democracy is the domination of the minority by the majority which is better than domination of the majority by the minority. Anyone naturalized in the UK today is qualified to be prime minister today if the people want it. UK citizens can therefore feel totally equal unless they aspire to be Monarch or become both royal and catholic. What a bad example to the world - Americans should seize the opportunity to differentiate themselves from the UK's arbitrary and discriminatory bans. My comments also apply to people aged 33 years old and less. If Americans want a 33 year old to be president - they are prevented. All this stuff is so arbitrary and needs to be swept away so that only the 'will of the people' is what counts and no artificial rules are set up by 'old naturals' rigging the process to make sure that only cardboard cut outs of themselves are elected.	Captain Oates	Male	England	2010-12-01 11:34:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	N400 August 2010 Filers	I didn't know it was a competition! LOL He interviewed after you so its not all that surprising that his oath would be as well. Its hubby's app so I can't really tick the days off to anything. Other than being done with Mimi, which honestly I hate. You can tick it off for him.. X's on the wall. Me too with the USCIS...lemme out. Apparently they have 2 years to find a mistake and cancel it without a court fight. Let's not think about that. I really don't like being an alien. I don't like being a second class anything and alien status is second class no matter how we think about it. A large percentage of the population think that 'non-citizens have no rights' although that is untrue and is nativist and supremacist. Also on GC, there is the ongoing danger that one slip can result in being thrown out of the country if it's deemed bad enough. Deeming is most subjective. I even resent the idea of being a second class citizen who can't be president even if 99% of the entire country want me to be. I will have to get over that Anyway in 2 days I can drive drunk and/or beat my wife up without being deported - so come on Thursday. Actually that might affect my gun club membership and car insurance rates so I will give that a miss. I can't effectively vote because anyone other than a Republican dare not stand around here and the Republicans are returned unopposed. It will be fun nevertheless and it finally severs my UK 'domicile' (not residency which is severed already) so that I can die after Thursday knowing that 40% of my assets won't be taken by the UK State. That is a great comfort. I have slight Stockholm syndrome mixed with PTSD so I will have to find a new challenge - but one that it is possible for me to overcome without relying on the unpredictable judgements of a large State organisation Wow - back under my own steam after 5 years of being a beggar and an 'asker'. The underdog. Waiting for other people to grant me this and grant me that. Perhaps I will learn more Spanish.	Captain Oates	Male	England	2010-11-30 21:44:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	N400 August 2010 Filers	Got oath letter yesterday for Dec 9th. Yeah beatcha by 7 days ! now you have to tick the days off... this is my last saturday as an alien... etc... ok now you have to iron your tutu for the ceremony My white marks and sparks shirt is ready and my union jack underpants too http://www.abcunderw...-boxer-red.html	Captain Oates	Male	England	2010-11-27 13:12:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	N400 August 2010 Filers	waiting for oath letter in the mail see my signature for my detailed timeline What an optimist putting 2010 next to your oath timeline ! Just teasing but it is fun anticipating I just had my last Thursday as an alien and today is my last Friday as an alien and tomorrow is my last Saturday as an alien The tension mounts	Captain Oates	Male	England	2010-11-26 15:40:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	N400 August 2010 Filers	Ta muchly !	Captain Oates	Male	England	2010-11-18 10:02:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	N400 August 2010 Filers	Excellent stuff another 6/6 can some kind person put my december 2 oath on the sheet next time they post as my screen doesnt work well.. thanks alan	Captain Oates	Male	England	2010-11-17 23:27:00