Pro-Life, my Ass -

[kyburg]

An LJ user (yonmei) makes a list of observations by others - not short, but directly to the heart of the matter.

How many of us would avoid international travel if our only choice was to do it under an American passport?

Gee, wonder why.

Comments

[riverheart.livejournal.com]

That *is* my only choice; charlesks', too. We don't hold dual citizenship anywhere, so all we have is U.S. passports.

I wouldn't.

[ionotter.livejournal.com]

But then, I'm completely capable of holding my own, despite the arrogance of my countrymen.

The loss of Nicola Calipari is indeed, very sad. Though I have to ask, what exactly happened? The information I have is that they didn't stop the car when ordered to stop.

This had been proven, again and again, that this is the most effective way to commit suicide by soldier in Iraq, both by Iraqi security forces and American. Also, the report said that Agent Nicola was shielding the hostage with his body, so he wasn't driving. Why didn't the driver stop?

[filkerdave.livejournal.com]

An American passport is all I have, and I've travelled with it several times.

I refuse to let the Shrub stop me.

[brynna.livejournal.com]

Until I manage to work out some form of dual citizenship, I'm still forced to travel under only my US passport -- and I hate it, but I won't let it stop me, if I have somewhere to go. But I am one of those people who will identify herself as Canadian so long as no one's looking at paperwork (but then again, I do that even when I'm still in the States. This is nothing new, I've done it most of my life).

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

I'm Swiss, and it's high time I got my passport.

Shrub or no, it's not going to matter when I'm hated for being American.

And no, I'm not going to be proud in spite of it. They've got a valid point, in my opinion. Arrogance isn't going to change a thing about it.

[turandot.livejournal.com]

How many of us would avoid international travel if our only choice was to do it under an American passport?

I probably wouldn't travel. Then again, I'm not a US citizen now (though I could apply for citizenship based on both lenght of permanent residence and marriage to a US citizen), I've held back on becoming a US citizen based solely on fear of not being able to have Italian citizenship recognized anymore (they changed their laws about that after I left, though :P), and I'm even holding back now, because I'm still considering the implications of that: applying for citizenship still requires an oath that is supposed to be an act of faith in a country's government, and I'm just not confortable with this government right now. I'd bet some people don't place much emphasis on that part, but to me oaths do matter... :/

[caitlin.livejournal.com]

I want to give up my US passport for a Canadian one.

However, I need to be able to vote in this *(^*^*& country.

*sigh*

*tries to relax*

C.

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

Ditto.... and I'm *choosing* not to travel.

Something we Yanks screwed up on that the Canadians got right: The right of travel is explicitly written into the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Every Canadian has the right to leave, enter, and travel within Canada whenever s/he so desires. (Poor laan notwithstanding.) We have no such explicit right, which I think is a horrible defect in the Constitution.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

Why would an American want to leave? This is the best place in the whole world!

/snark.

Re: I wouldn't.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

The more I hear, the more convinced we aren't getting a complete or unbiased feed on the matter -

Why ask why, indeed....

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

I know of several die-hard Libertarians who have left for Costa Rica, not necessarily because they're disgusted with Bush, but because the Libertarian movement is doing so much better down there...

My biggest reason for not leaving is that I would have to live under that rat bastard's foreign policy. A problem you Swiss, thanks to your staunch neutrality, don't have; everybody knows better than to mess with a very peaceful, idyllic country whose citizenry think it normal to go practice on a regular basis with something full-auto... there are teeth behind the Eidelweiss, and I think that is a very good thing.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

That, and you can afford to live there.

*laughs* I have a collection of shooting medals that belonged to my late-husband's grandfather - they're gorgeous. And because he was such a good marksman, he was invited to become a citizen of the town he lived in - something rare, and of a great honor.

And I haven't met a Swiss yet who respected someone with a handgun. Handguns were for "small men" - and I found that VERY amusing.

Me, I'll be glad when I can shoot with people who actually do it as part of being a civilian militia - not a bunch of fools who demand guns, and then won't have a thing to do with being accountable for their use. I can tell you how many guns and what kind are in the house in Uetikon right now - I can do that without having been there for ten years. How? I know how many men live there - and that they are law-abiding. Why? The law makes sense, and they have direct control over changing it or complaining if they wish to about it.

Now I'm homesick again. Drat.

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

Natch, I take a slightly different view, but not as different as you might think.... For me, bearing arms, rifle or pistol, is both a right and a responsibility. I don't know where you ran across the no-accountability crowd, but I'd like to take'em out behind the woodshed and give them an old-fashioned hillbilly butt-whupping. Just fists and boots. Such attitudes themselves are irresponsible, and no gentleman should put up with it. (Nor should a lady, for that matter.)

As far as handguns in partcular... it's a defensive weapon, contrary to popular belief... and in my not-always-so-humble opinion, concealed carry is a necessary evil in a society where not everyone takes personal responsibility seriously.

Which I think is the real problem here. America used to be a nation of personal responsibility. For the most part, it's not anymore. Swiss law makes sense, and the Swiss having direct control over it is a good thing, precisely because of the sense of personal responsibility. It would be a Very Bad Thing to give Americans direct control over their laws. It's bad enough what with the Senate being elected by popular vote. If we were actually a democracy at this point, rather than a republic? We'd be dead of war or famine in 20 years.

I'm interested in hearing more about how the Swiss government works.... in trying to fix the one I'm stuck with, it helps to know how others do it, both successes and failures.