A glimpse into the soul of a Nation
My view is that this Blog should be (much) less about the lives of the Blog authors and more about the world we live in within the self-imposed theme of the Blog; integrity.
However, what happened at 405 West Congress in Tucson, Arizona, last Friday morning is an exception to the rule.
405 West Congress is the address of the Courthouse in Tucson.
So what brings 50 people, family and friends to a court house in Tucson on a Friday morning in August?
The swearing-in of a group of people to be US Citizens or more properly described as the Order of Admission to Citizenship; the actual process of becoming a US Citizen, other than having been born in the Nation.
It gave me an amazing insight into the generosity of the United States of America and, indeed, of all other free countries in the world that welcome incomers.
Let me explain.
A little under 2 years ago, in December 2007, I was the guest in Southern California of some dear friends of many years standing. Part of my stay including a few weeks in San Carlos, Mexico where my friends had a winter home. It was there that I met Jean, an Englishwoman who, like me, had been born in London. We struck up a friendship and magically that led to us falling in love. I left England last September with a few personal belongings and my 5 year-old German Shepherd, Pharaoh.
Jean had been married to a American for many years who had sadly died a few years back. During her marriage, Jean had been a Legal Permanent Resident, or Green Card holder, but after her husband’s death decided it was time to become a US Citizen. Last Friday was the culmination of that process. At precisely 10:27.
There is a big difference between countries like America, Canada and Australia (and other ‘new’ countries), in that their populations are made up almost entirely by immigrants, and the ‘old’ countries such as England, where being English can be traced back many hundreds of years. Of course, if one goes back sufficiently far then every country has been invaded in one form or another. But it is not uncommon for an English surname to be traced back for over 500 years.
The Nation that is the United States of America has been built on the energies and commitment of millions of new arrivals and that cultural identity was very strongly evident during the naturalisation proceedings at the United States District Court in Tucson that Friday the 14th August.
People of 19 countries became US Citizens: Canada; China; Czechoslovakia; Egypt; Ethiopia; Honduras; India; Iraq; Jordan; Mauritania; Mexico; Montenegro; Nigeria; Philippines; Russia; Somalia; United Kingdom; Uruguay; Venezuela.
After the Oath of Allegiance and then the Pledge of Allegiance new citizens, and their family and friends, were invited by the Judge, Honorable Charles R. Pyle, to come forward and pass on their thoughts and feelings.
Many of the remarks were moving but, to me, none more so than a young man who had spent many months in detention in Egypt including 15 months being tortured and now had a new life and real freedom, having had his asylum application approved.
He, too, at 10:27 became a US Citizen.
Life in a free and just society.
Those of us born in such societies so easily take this for granted.
This wonderful ceremony served as a valuable reminder that those great countries in the world that uphold freedom, liberty and justice and welcome others from less tolerant regions are, indeed, brightly, burning beacons for all of mankind.
10:27. It was a good time.
By Paul Handover
(P.S. Grateful thanks to Bradley and Riley Attorneys who assisted in the preparation- thoroughly recommended)
Learning from Dogs 