Stay with me here: U.S. citizens who don't live here

[UTUSN]

O.K., so a couple of days ago we heard that there are 25,000 U.S. CITIZENS needing to be evacuated from Lebanon. And then on cable, there were PEOPLE being fitted with flak jackets and some of them had GAP T-shirts on, and some of them didn't speak in English.

I'm just saying. They were DUAL CITIZENS, living in ANOTHER COUNTRY, CHOOSING not to live HERE.

Yet, I know a GREEN CARD person, who was brought to the UNITED STATES at age three, who MIGHT be thrown to MEXICO, where he has NO relatives anymore (for whatever reason).

So: the 25,000 US CITIZENS don't live here, some speak BROKEN ENGLISH, yet the NON-USCs are HERE............oh, never mind.

Where's TANCREDO when you need him? Or my hostile groupies when I'm being SANE?

[Kagemusha]

1. The New Republic agrees wholeheartedly with you.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1679064

[AlamoDemoc]

3. I was going to respond ...but your well-put response said it all

[tuvor]

2. Why should one American citizen be more "equal" than another?

That is, if I'm understanding you correctly.

[UTUSN]

6. Well, I'm seldom understood

I'll re-state: I know a hard-working, honest laborer who was born in Mexico, but who was brought to the U.S. by his family at age THREE. But he is NOT a U.S. Citizen. He is a Green-carder. So he is now liable to be THROWN to Mexico if he has any more DWIs or whatever.

So the wingnuts DEMAND that all these immigrants SUBMIT to a ten year plan of PAYING back taxes, LEARNING ENGLISH, paying PENALTIES, and whatever-the-SHIT ----------- and demonstrate that they REALLY REALLY want to be ASSIMILATED here.

So why do these DUAL CITIZENS who LIVE IN ANOTHER COUNTRY get the ----oh, shit, just NEVERMIND.

[MadMaddie]

4. My father was Air Force and I was born in Germany...

I had the opportunity for dual citizenship....(at 18 what do you know) but I do know that if I am visiting Germany or any other country and I am an American citizen I would expect my hard earned tax dollars to get me and every other American on vacation, on business or whatever out of danger if a conflict should arise...

Why does the US always (over the last six years)have to be the last country to react to a tradgedy?) We are a second rate country with a second rate government and the citizens of this country are becoming second class citizens....

So they don't speak English...that doesn't make them less than an American citizen..

They are not illegal citizens but documented American citizens there is a difference.....

[JHH]

5. I am a US Citizen living in another country

I pay US TAX and Vote as well as keep up with all the F**ked up Sh*t going on back home. So your point is that close the gate to even CITIZENS because if you do not live in the US then F*ck em?

[Critters2]

7. Why do you pay US taxes

if you're earning your income outside the US? Honestly, not a flame or anything. I just don't understand. Why aren't you paying taxes to the country where you earn your income?

[JHH]

8. I pay them as well

[Cleita]

11. Our government laws demand that Americans working in

foreign countries pay US taxes. My father did until he retired although he spent forty four years working in Chile.

[UTUSN]

10. No, my point is, why is somebody LIVING HERE less? n/t

[JHH]

12. It is not where you live but what country you are a citizen of that matters

[UTUSN]

16. Yet some will be DEPORTED apart from contributions n/t

[JHH]

18. Please name one Country that does not retain the right to DEPORT

[Cleita]

9. There are a lot of expatriot Americans out in the world, my

father being one of them, who had children overseas, but who qualify for American citizenship. Many American children feel more at home in the country they were born in and grew up in. Several of my American friends often divide their time between the USA and the country they were born in or grew up in. I keep up with a website that a classmate of mine in Chile has set up to bring us all together. Now this guy looks more at home in Minnesota than Chile, however he doesn't feel that at home in the USA and prefers to spend most of his time in Chile. It doesn't mean he is any less patriotic or American than those of us who are here.

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

13. UTUSN, what you refer to as a "GREEN CARD" person,

is technically a legal resident alien in the US. The operative word is LEGAL and this person has the right to remain in the US as a legal resident alien for however long they wish.

They enjoy the same privileges as US citizens with one exception, they cannot vote.

I guess you would consider one of my dearest friends as someone to castigate. She was born in Chicago, but her parents moved her and the rest of her family back to Ireland in 1970. She even has an accent and lives in Ireland. OH THE HORRORS...

BTW, her five children all born in Ireland, carry American and Irish passports. You see, they all recieved American citizenship through their mother.

[UTUSN]

14. *I* said a green-carder is "someone to CASTIGATE"????????

Did you attempt to communicate with me AT ALL? To repeat, my message was, why should a green-carder who has LIVED HERE SINCE AGE THREE be thrown to Mexico for having a traffic infraction.

O.K., my blood pressure will subside IF I HAVE TO FORCE IT!!!!1

[JHH]

15. any non citizen can be kick out of the country they live in if they

break the law of that country

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

19. This is exactly what you said in the OP re: "GREEN CARD person"

"Yet, I know a GREEN CARD person, who was brought to the UNITED STATES at age three, who MIGHT be thrown to MEXICO, where he has NO relatives anymore (for whatever reason)."

You didn't mention the fact that this person has problems with DWI/DUI until further down the thread which I hadn't read until after I posted my reply.

In most states one conviction of DWI isn't a problem for US citizens or legal resident aliens unless it involves serious injury or death.
Financially it can be very costly but one conviction of DWI/DUI isn't usually grounds for deportation.

As well, I personally don't consider DWI/DUI a "traffic infraction". To me it's complete and utter stupidity. Doesn't this "GREEN CARD person" know how to call a cab or get someone else to drive he/she home?

You also seem to have some serious problems with US citizens who choose to live their lives abroad and raise their families in another country.
UTUSN, you might think the US is the best place in the world to live in and raise a family, but there are many other Americans that don't have the same "values" that you do.

[treestar]

17. Because we have a stupid immigration and naturalization law?

And we do nothing about it but whine and cry?

Our law was written in 1952 and we have done zilcho to update it. Oh, let's blame everyone but ourselves. After all, we may be a self governing entity, but we are entitled to the world bowing at our feet.

Our immigration law is stupid. It's our problem.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

20. The Lebanese I have known have kept close ties with the old country

for two or three generations.

I read an article this morning saying that it was common for Lebanese-American families to spend their summer vacations over there. That would be consistent with my experience of knowing families where immigrants or even their American-born and American-raised children might choose to go back and live there for a while.