I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God.
This is the oath sworn by people when they become a naturalized citizen of the United States. If you’ve ever seen one of the ceremonies where they actually recite this oath and become Americans, you know that it is a powerful moment. The recent controversy over immigration has been on my mind. I’ve wondered why anyone that goes through so much to get into this country wouldn’t just go ahead and become a citizen. I’ve been doing some research on that subject, and came across this oath. I’ve seen it before, but it has been a while, so I read through it again.
If you stop and think about what a person is actually saying when they take the Oath of Citizenship, you realize how profound a thing it is to become a citizen. Take a moment to read it and think about what it means. The very first sentence requires you to renounce any allegiance that you have for a foreign government or leader. No matter where you were born, where you came from, or what form of government that you lived under, you are saying that you will no longer follow that leader or form of government. That alone is a powerful statement and a step not to be taken lightly.
But then it goes on to say that you will obey and defend the Constitution, that you will bear arms against our enemies or serve the Armed Forces in a non-combatant role if required, that you will work for the national good if required, and that you will do all of this of your own free will. Wow. That is quite a commitment, especially for someone not even born here. How much love for a place and hope for the future must you have to take this oath? Seems like quite a bit to me.
In thinking about what this means, I was struck by the fact that so few of our elected leaders live up to what we require of naturalized citizens. I don’t think that most of them have even read the Constitution, much less are willing to support and defend it against all enemies, foreign and domestic, or bear true faith and allegiance to it! Some of them have actually borne arms on behalf of the United States and they are to be commended. But they are the minority. Can you imagine any of the self-important performers in Hollywood taking this oath? How about the faux-intellectual media hacks that tell us what to think every night? No chance.
Here’s something to ponder: would you take this oath today? Read it and think about it. Go line by line and ask yourself if you would do what it asks you to do. Would you make this commitment, knowing all the benefits and hazards of living in a free society? Could you do it without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion? I know that many of you reading this would do it without reservation. But the sad truth is that far too many native-born American citizens would not. Far too many of us have forgotten what it truly means to be a citizen of the United States. Thankfully, the naturalized citizen that takes this oath and native-born citizen that believes in what it stands for are what keep this country strong.
All I can say is “Right on !” I hope that your words if read by some of those self important eleitists will make them “squirm” a little. I wonder what might happen if every “natural borne citizen” were required to take this or a similar oath , say in order to register to vote, or receive Government assistance.