Friday, November 17, 2006
Citizenship Ceremony
Went to a local citizenship ceremony (at the Loretto-Teikyo Heights University theater) where about 280 people from all over the world (81 nations) took the oath of allegiance (which has grown a little unwieldy) and then were led by a private first class fresh from Iraq in the pledge of allegiance and instantly, they were Americans. Welcome to the party, pals.
The ceremony itself had a tension between drivers license office bureaucratic grayness and uplifting American boosterism (as was appropriate). Maybe I have not been getting enough testosterone lately but the recorded message by President Bush and the music video behind Lee Greenwood's God Bless the USA, both made me a little misty eyed. And I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free...
Before the oath, the Immigration man named the countries where people were coming from and the crowd of soon to be Americans stood serially as their former countries were named. Lots from Canada. I was surprised. But when he named Mexico, about half the room stood up. OK. Thanks for obeying the law and not jumping the line, guys.
I was happy for Beata, who apparently represented Poland alone, and proud of all the new citizens and indeed proud of our welcoming nation. Everyone should see one of these ceremonies, once.
The ceremony itself had a tension between drivers license office bureaucratic grayness and uplifting American boosterism (as was appropriate). Maybe I have not been getting enough testosterone lately but the recorded message by President Bush and the music video behind Lee Greenwood's God Bless the USA, both made me a little misty eyed. And I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free...
Before the oath, the Immigration man named the countries where people were coming from and the crowd of soon to be Americans stood serially as their former countries were named. Lots from Canada. I was surprised. But when he named Mexico, about half the room stood up. OK. Thanks for obeying the law and not jumping the line, guys.
I was happy for Beata, who apparently represented Poland alone, and proud of all the new citizens and indeed proud of our welcoming nation. Everyone should see one of these ceremonies, once.
# posted by Roger Fraley @ 8:14 AM 
