Comments on: Andy Rooney: How To Become A Citizen
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- One of the questions read from the new citizenship test is incorrect. The United States did not buy the Louisiana Territory, we only paid a still debated amount to Napoleon for his agreement to do nothing if we took the territory. Had he won the Russian campaign and defeated the British, he might well have used this legal technically to justify his ambitions to spread his tyranny to the New World. The point here is that even though most native born American citizens could not pass the new test, even the citizens who wrote the test did not know enough to get all of the questions right.
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- Andy, I wonder what France would give us for Louisiana now?
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- Dear Andy
Love yer articles..Ye asked if we could pass the citizenship test..Yep I could if it be in simple to read english and in large print..Sir,Teacher taught us American history..I am a birthright citizen..I was a sp ed student..Our flag is red ,white and blue..As a Maine born and raised ,learnt the history there..Did ye know King Charles named Maine in the 1600s..Our history is full of blood shed and hatred to the true Americans whom the land was robbed from them..The US Govt and that same bodies keep them in their place..Wrong as it is..Did ye know that America had white slaves..I heard about that as a girl..I am white..The American Indians were grated US citizenship in 1924. They are the true Americans..That is fact.. - Reply to this comment
- My Dear Andy Rooney:
I have had enjoyed watching your commentary on 60 minutes previously. However, how deep disappointment it was to listen your views last night on the issue of the US immigration and citizenship. It made me wonder if Andy too represent to the same group of people who are threatened by the increasing cultural, religious, social, political, and psychological diversity of this great society. Particularly, this group of people consists of individuals who strongly believe in self-proclaimed ?American Exceptionalism?, possess a Eurocentric perspective to tackle social issues, and aim to preserve a culture which has enjoyed supremacy during pre-globalization era when the US immigration policy was overly restricted and selective. And in quest of achieving their supremacy goals this group of people are very good at using the intellectual, meritocracy, and linguistic parameters to define the ?True American? in today?s world. However, at the same time this group easily forgets the gory history of seizing this continent from Native Americans (the True Americans), and overlooks the economical, social, and educational advantage they hold as sixth-seventh generation immigrants when compared to the first generation immigrants. By just distributing equal resources Monopoly ain?t become a fair game when actually your opponent player has started playing the three-hundred years ago!!
So my dear Andy, it is not very American of you to say someone to leave America if one cannot name the last year?s American Football (which is actually played by hands instead by feet) winner or if one cannot sing a poem written in 1814 which is set on the tune of a popular ?British? drinking song. As far as it goes to the reciting pledge of allegiance(which is modified almost 4 times so far), believe me, there is no one more loyal to the U.S.A. than its new citizen, and every proud new citizen will be overjoyed to reaffirm his/her loyalty to this society. The USCIS requires taking the ?Oath of Allegiance? not the ?Pledge of Allegiance? at a formal naturalization ceremony. There is also a legal provision to take a modified Oath as per ones religious training and beliefs. Last but not the least, I can guarantee you 138.95% that each and every undocumented immigrant will start paying taxes as soon as they get a well deserved and long waited legal status in this county. After all we need to keep Social Security and Medicare running to protect wellbeing of non-colored baby-boomers! Right!!
To the self-proclaimed ?True Americans??if you are wondering what we are doing here, let me clarify that we are nurturing an American Dream of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness and actively investing in the future generations of globalized Americans who will represent the moral standard of USA should strive.
Therefore my dear Andy Rooney, I have a proposition for you-- why not we start ask following questions on American citizenship test:
1) How many countries are in the world? And name the poorest 5 nations in the world.
2) Which sates of the USA have legalized same-sex marriages?
3) In a 1992 column, which well known US broadcaster made racist remarks against Native Americans by calling them ?Silly??
4) When did US Congress pass Voting Rights Act?
5) Which nation did win the last football World Cup (the real football, a.k.a Soccer)?
Your most sincerely,
60 Minute Viewer - Reply to this comment
- Juro fidelidad a la bandera
de los Estados Unidos de Am?rica,
y a la rep?blica que representa
una naci?n bajo Dios,
indivisible c?n libertad
y justic?a para tod?s.
The Pledge of Allegiance in Spanish. Get used to it as it is comming to a statium near you soon. - Reply to this comment
- How about being taken over by force in 1898, being converted into a second-class citizen with no constitutional rights by 1917 so you can be drafted into a world war (see territorial clauses), being submitted to military rule with no voting rights and allowed no freedom of expression until 1947 (google Ponce Massacre), fighting in all U.S.-involvement wars since WWI with no representation in congress (google 65th infantry division), having the U.S. Navy allow foreign nations to perform target practice with spent uranium heavy-metal rounds in populated areas (google Vieques), and coming stateside to be denied critical hospital services you can pay for because you are "an American citizen, just not from here" (sued and won that one, truth be told).
Yup, that's what it has been like to be an American citizen born in Puerto Rico for the last 93 years. Julie, you don't know what the heck you're talking about... - Reply to this comment
- The test should be easier than it is now. All of the questions on the test should be about common knowledge about the US history, president's names and questions relating to what kind of common laws we have in the US. The questions should be ones that most every American citizen knows the answers to.
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- Are illegals citizens?
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- SOMEONE MAKING FUN OF A LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT (BORN TO AMERICANS) SAID THE KID ASKED 'ARE KIDS CITIZENS?' THAT'S A TRICKY QUESTION. CITIZENS ALLEGEDLY HAVE RIGHTS. HOWEVER, IN THE U.S. CHILDREN HAVE NO RIGHTS. SO, ANDY, ARE KIDS CITIZENS???
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- For Pete's sake folks, Andy Rooney wasn't suggesting that the US dumb down the test - it was a tongue in cheek commentary - he does this all the time. He is a humorist! Did you actually watch the show last night?
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