tabular_rasa (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
tabular_rasa) wrote2010-03-20 04:44 pm
tabular_rasa) wrote2010-03-20 04:44 pm
Entry tags:
Writer's Block: Citizen of the universe
[Error: unknown template qotd]
You know, I really do enjoy being an American citizen. While presidents and policies come and go, key documents like the Bill of Rights remain stable and grant me a litany of "rights" (how amazing to call them rights, when in so many nations they seem like unthinkable privileges!) I've come to believe I could not live without. I cannot imagine living in a country without free expression, free assembly, or a fair vote, whose governments rig elections, ban websites, and censor the media. (And I enjoy not having compulsory military service, too). For all the things wrong with the US, I have as much power as I possibly could to protest them and work for a change if I want one.
I think I would also be satisfied to be the citizen of another first-world nation like Canada, Australia, or the UK, but since I ultimately plan on making my home in the US it makes most sense to be a US citizen. Living as a Canadian (like Tiffany), Australian, etc, in the US wouldn't be bad, but I know from living in Japan that green card/foreign resident status has a lot of hassles. I might as well be a citizen of the country in which I make my home.
If I were more interested in staying permanently in Japan, I would probably answer this differently. Citizenship grants a lot of benefits to Japanese people that mere residents do not have, and yet it's near to impossible to become a Japanese citizen if you are not born one. But I don't want to live in Japan forever-- and I think even the rights I would have as a Japanese citizen in Japan don't even begin to compare to the rights I value as a US citizen both in and out of the US. So, proud to be an American, lol.
In other news . . .
I had a good day today. IT WAS 70F/20C OUTSIDE!!! I opened up my windows, did some laundry and hung it outside, and then went out for some errands. It started out sunny, but there were some clouds moving in and they drizzled-- sun showers! About an hour after I got back and had a snack of peach Calpis (SO GOOD!) and purin-flavored KitKat (not as good as I hoped, but not bad), it started pouring rain. So my clothes are not drying very well, but I'll just leave them and let the weather take care of it. It's supposed to get cold again, back in the 40F/5C-- but not freezing-- so whatever. Not looking forward to cold AGAIN (I wore short sleeves today! It was so wonderful!), but this gives me some hope. Ahh, I love warm weather so much . . . And this rain is such a nice spring rain . . .
You know, I really do enjoy being an American citizen. While presidents and policies come and go, key documents like the Bill of Rights remain stable and grant me a litany of "rights" (how amazing to call them rights, when in so many nations they seem like unthinkable privileges!) I've come to believe I could not live without. I cannot imagine living in a country without free expression, free assembly, or a fair vote, whose governments rig elections, ban websites, and censor the media. (And I enjoy not having compulsory military service, too). For all the things wrong with the US, I have as much power as I possibly could to protest them and work for a change if I want one.
I think I would also be satisfied to be the citizen of another first-world nation like Canada, Australia, or the UK, but since I ultimately plan on making my home in the US it makes most sense to be a US citizen. Living as a Canadian (like Tiffany), Australian, etc, in the US wouldn't be bad, but I know from living in Japan that green card/foreign resident status has a lot of hassles. I might as well be a citizen of the country in which I make my home.
If I were more interested in staying permanently in Japan, I would probably answer this differently. Citizenship grants a lot of benefits to Japanese people that mere residents do not have, and yet it's near to impossible to become a Japanese citizen if you are not born one. But I don't want to live in Japan forever-- and I think even the rights I would have as a Japanese citizen in Japan don't even begin to compare to the rights I value as a US citizen both in and out of the US. So, proud to be an American, lol.
In other news . . .
I had a good day today. IT WAS 70F/20C OUTSIDE!!! I opened up my windows, did some laundry and hung it outside, and then went out for some errands. It started out sunny, but there were some clouds moving in and they drizzled-- sun showers! About an hour after I got back and had a snack of peach Calpis (SO GOOD!) and purin-flavored KitKat (not as good as I hoped, but not bad), it started pouring rain. So my clothes are not drying very well, but I'll just leave them and let the weather take care of it. It's supposed to get cold again, back in the 40F/5C-- but not freezing-- so whatever. Not looking forward to cold AGAIN (I wore short sleeves today! It was so wonderful!), but this gives me some hope. Ahh, I love warm weather so much . . . And this rain is such a nice spring rain . . .
no subject
Needless to say I'm cold right now. I want to visit Japan, but I think I'll go to Okinawa where it's warm. :P
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject