A couple of years ago, I tried to obtain Italian citizenship, but the Italians don’t make it easy. All your vowels have to be in order – my last “i” was originally an “o”, and the documentation is complex – what the hell is an apostille! One relative attempted it before me and found it so frustrating that it was easier just to marry an Italian woman to accomplish it.
Unlike the U.S, where a pregnant illegal can slip across the border just before her water breaks, being born in Italy doesn’t make you Italian. Consequently, our 14th Amendment makes us the maternity ward for the world.
The women of Red China have perfected the “birthing tour,” inspired by the 2013 romantic comedy Finding Mr. Right – the mistress of a wealthy businessman comes to the U.S. on a tourist visa to buy Gucci bags and have her illegitimate baby. The “tours” average about $25,000, with an estimated 60,000 “tourists” arriving here annually before the pandemic. An expensive sojourn, but the rewards of having an American child are priceless. Such a child is a get-out-of-jail card if things go south in China. Moreover, the kid can return to the U.S. for educational and employment opportunities beyond anything in China.
My quest for Italian citizenship wasn’t that mercenary. Admittedly, I did consider universal health care in Italy and the European Union as a viable alternative for a dual citizen who might face the bottomless pit of chronic illness here. But, my overriding reason for Italian citizenship was to symbolically rejoin the nation that produced my ancestors and fathered Western Civilization. I say symbolically because I would pay no taxes to the Italian treasury and I would have few, if any, obligations. Yet, I could proudly say “Sono cittadino Italiano!” a phrase that harkens back to Roman times: “Civis Romanus Sum!” Of course, I would have the option of moving to my ancestral homeland if Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez became president. Other fringe benefits are Italian voting rights and easy passage throughout the European Union.
The Italic people pioneered the concept of citizenship. The ancient Greeks never conferred equal rights to anyone outside of their city-states, there was no “Greece” as a nation-state, just culturally Greek cities. Nor did the Israelites bless outsiders with citizenship. The “good Samaritan” that Jesus spoke of was considered a foreigner in Judea, despite Samaritans practicing a form of Judaism. In ancient Italy, the Romans eventually extended citizenship to fellow Italic peoples, Etruscans, Greeks, Ligurians, and Celts. But, they earned it. St. Paul, born a Jew in what is now Turkey, was a Roman citizen. When he was imprisoned for disturbing the peace in Macedonia, he famously invoked “Civis Romanus Sum” to be set free. (Acts 16:16-40)
So, what value does citizenship have today? There are plenty of responsibilities these days, with vaccine mandates, obeying laws, and paying taxes. But, there are fewer benefits. For example, no responsibilities apply to the nearly two million illegals who have walked across our southern border this year. In fact, their crossing is rewarded with a cash stipend and transportation to any final destination of their choice, essentially completing the travel arrangements of the Mexican cartels they paid to get here. Within weeks, they can openly apply for housing, schooling, health & child care, and food benefits – even a driver’s license – without paying a nickel in taxes. Some can even sue for “pain & suffering” during their illegal crossing.
While surfing the ‘net, I found this old satirical headline: Trump Sues U.S. Government For “Pain And Suffering” Due To Becoming President. I guess this refers to two impeachments and the Russia hoax. The former president could go to the ACLU for some pro bono advice on such a claim but that group is busy working on the “pain & suffering” of illegal aliens.
Seems that the ACLU filed a class action suit in 2019 on behalf of 3,000 illegal alien children who were separated from their parents during Trump’s term. Negotiations with Biden’s Attorney General appear to be close to a cash settlement. When asked if reports that each alien might get up to $450,000, Biden called that “garbage.”
The ACLU is using Biden’s own words to up the settlement: “We respectfully remind Biden that he called these actions ‘criminal’ in a debate with President Trump, and campaigned on remedying and rectifying the lawlessness of the Trump administration.”
Whatever the amount, expect it to be a settlement heard ’round the world. -JLM
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