I am officially renouncing my US citizenship

I've been thinking long and hard about this decision, and it is not one that I have come to lightly. I won't burden everyone with a huge post about why since this is a personal decision, but I can no longer live in this country. I have come to the painful conclusion that the liberal mindset is losing the political war ... and losing to the point of imminent defeat. What I see is hatred, bigotry, and fascism overriding all good sense. America is an ignorant, benighted nation with narrow-minded, selfish goals for itself, a nation that resists and refuses to take its place in a larger community. We are in a state of serious decline, one that I no longer believe will recover. Canada, in fact, has just usurped America for per capita income, which shows that we are, in fact, in a free fall.

But worse still is that the population, the masses, have succumbed to lies and propaganda to such an extent that the Republicans no longer even try to hide their lies. They have realized that far too many people will believe whatever they say, irrespective of facts, and the small numbers of people like myself - who try desperately to get them to see reality - are making no progress. Instead, we are beaten down and drowned out with insults, bans, blocks, and being put on ignore. It seems everywhere I go, everyone I talk to, they believe in conservatism, the gospel of profit and money, and only refer to the Bible when they have someone to persecute, judge, oppress, or strip freedoms from.

I do not think Obama will win in November. And while I do not believe that Obama is some sort of savior, the reality is that he's the best we have right now. Nor do I stand against a Republican holding office. However, the conservatives have gone so far to the right now that a Republican victory this year will be the beginning of the end. I am embarrassed to be an American, embarrassed to call the majority of these benighted, ignorant, small-minded people my countrymen. The individual shining lights we have are too few, too powerless, too ignored for there to be any change. Instead, we as a nation will spiral into the "ash heap of history," to borrow Reagan's term, a nation once great but is no longer.

The American Century is over. I do not believe that the current electorate has the will, the intelligence, the vision, or the capacity to achieve anything truly great ... not in my lifetime. Today, I feel like a Jew fleeing the coming fascism of Nazi Germany. Many felt it, many knew intuitively the horrors that lay ahead ... and I feel that now living in America. As a liberal, I have no place here. During the McCarthy era, people were jailed for merely having left-wing views, and I fear we will eventually return to such a time, and perhaps as we relive history we should have learned from, the second time around will be far worse.

I have argued and debated as best I could, but now I am not even allowed to be heard. Only here, on a British board, can I express my views without insult, without bans, without being put on an ignore list. You all know me well enough now to know I do not name-call nor do I post things without facts to back them up. Yet for doing that, I am essentially a pariah in my own lands. If the Americans wish to chant their patriotic slogans as they sink into the abyss, let them ... but I will not go so quietly into the night.

To that effect, I have contacted the US embassy, the British embassy, and the Indian embassy in DC to begin the process of emigration away from a country I consider to be doomed. I may end up in the UK, so who knows ... I may get to participate more on UK discussion threads! But I cannot stay here unless Obama wins, and if he does, I will still have time to reconsider my decision. But alas, I am not too hopeful. The vehement hatred of liberals runs so deep now it has become a part of American culture. I find the constant struggle against insurmountable odds and numbers to be a thoroughly pointless endeavor, one that myself, and those like me, cannot possibly hope to win.

Should I move, I will inform Ivan and the rest should I need an extended absence from the board. Moving overseas is not a small undertaking. At any rate, that's that, but I thought I would let my friends here know, and perhaps understand, the gravity of the situation.

Best wishes.

Hi Shirina,

Although I confess I do not follow US political very closely ( Too much show and what we call here in the UK 'Cheese' for me ) I have to say that although Im am a conservative with a small c here is the UK, I would more than likely be a democrat if I lived in the US.

I was in the US (California) last year and was invited to the graduation of a friends son from high school that was held at their college football ground. Anyway the speeches that the students and teachers gave made me want to vomit (thick with cheese), but the vast audience was lapping it up.....whoops and hollas 'Way to go Brad ect ect'. I left me feeling that Many Americans will believe any BS thrown at them and the more showy, cheesey and cringeworthy that BS is the better.....I had to leave half way through...I couldn't take anymore of the crap they were saying

Shirina you are most welcome in the UK and by the sounds of things for you in the US, you could claim political asylum here

A personal decision is quite simply that, personal.

It is not appropriate for anyone else to make anything other than general comment.

I think I'm right in saying that British Nationality cannot be revoked or discarded. Some Countries have rules that say if you apply for nationalisation there you must formally abandon your original legal citizenship, which people do, but British Law has no provision for "losing" one's right to a British Passport, other circumstances being equal.

Shirina. From some of the anecdotes I've picked up on Twitter, the Republicans are indeed very scary and more obsessed with preventing women from having control over their own uteruses than making the USA a fair and decent place to live in.

From my limited research, I have a hunch that Obama will win in November, but I wouldn't put any money on it. I'm sure we would all welcome you in the UK, but at present we're on a rapid decline into corporate fascism, thanks to our hybrid so-called 'coalition' government. 'The Shock Doctrine' by Naomi Klein explains it all very clearly!

This may be the appropriate place to remind everyone of a piece of advice which is always reliable:

Examine the alternatives.

I'm going to give you a link to a forum (as such)LINK - make sure you select the News/Politics section from the choices along the top of the page. I don't post there myself, but a read a number of forums just to see what people are saying. There are many boards like this, but if you get bored, do some reading here. You will see what kind of frenzy people are in regarding Obama, communism, socialism, and ridiculous conspiracy theories ... not to mention the number of gun nuts who think that every citizen should conceal and carry a firearm so we can revert to the Wild West. It's a madhouse. You won't see it by walking down the street or chit-chatting with the person next to you in line at the grocery store. From that vantage, everything seems fine, people will smile and be friendly. But give them a chance to display the ugliness lurking just beneath the surface and it feels like some bizarre Mad Max post-apocalyptic movie. This country has become an intellectual wasteland.

Just recently, a utility company sent a man to install a new electric meter at a woman's house in Texas. The woman pulled a gun on the utility worker and refused to allow him to install the meter. Hundreds of people cheered this woman for refusing to allow the meter to be installed, but mostly, they cheered her for both having and brandishing a firearm. Many of them started talking about how this woman was their hero for refusing to allow government to control her life ... and a cyber lynch mob formed. Yeah! Way to stand up to the government and that evil Obama! We don't need the government knowing everything from which appliances we run to what programs we watch on television! Yeah, string 'em up!

Except ... the utility company that sent the worker out to the woman's house? Well, it is a privately owned corporation called CenterPoint Energy based in Houston, Texas. Let me repeat that ... it is a privately owned corporation. It has absolutely nothing to do with the government. It took me two clicks to find that out, but the level of stupidity and intellectual laziness prevalent in this nation has people believing that the government is responsible for this new meter. No one cares about the facts.

Another example centers around the recent shootings at the Aurora, Colorado theater a few days ago. Someone threw up a big headline saying the shooter, Holmes, was a registered Democrat and an avid Obama supporter. Really? So I clicked the link provided and ... guess what I found? The website which claimed this was operated by a private investigator (who may or may not have done any investigative work on the Holmes case). I'm sure, though, that many instantly jumped to the conclusion that, being a private investigator, he MUST have done his own investigation. Except, judging by the website, he hadn't.

Instead, what he did was post a standard news article from ABC, but he seamlessly inserted his own opinions at the end of each paragraph. He shamelessly made no effort to differentiate his opinions from the facts of the news story. The reason I know this is because I searched for the original news article he posted and, lo and behold, the crap at the end of each paragraph about Holmes' connection to Democrats and Obama was predictably absent. Not only is this private investigator trying to deceive his readers, it is actually illegal and he could be sued for misrepresentation. In fact, I sent a link to his website and a report to ABC News in the hopes that he IS sued.

But no one cares. No one bothered to do the research, to check and verify sources, and to make sure what was said even made sense.

I just can't stand it anymore. People like myself try to present reality, but all they care about is rhetoric, propaganda, and gossip. Our democracy in America cannot survive this way. Not when people are now saying that the poor should be stripped of their right to vote, women should be stripped of their right to vote (so no more Democrats will ever be elected), etc. etc. Oh, and speaking of that ...

First, let me explain that the poor often vote Democrat for obvious reasons. The Republicans have been pushing for voter ID laws. In other words, one must have a state ID like a drivers' license in order to vote. Many poor folks do not drive, do not own a car and therefore, do not have a license. Many disabled people, who also tend to vote Democrat, are sometimes barred by law from driving so they cannot even get a drivers' license. People like me know damn well that this push for a voter ID law is nothing less than an attempt to disenfranchise poor and disabled Democrats in the hopes that few of them will be able to vote. Of course, the Republicans counter by saying they're trying to eliminate voter fraud. Really?

Except that a state senator in Pennsylvania, a Republican, made a big oops and let the cat out of the bag. Well, instead of me explaining it, just watch this video:



Even our democracy is under attack by these fascists ... using the idea of protecting us from voter fraud to cover up the fact that the Republicans are *cough* committing voter fraud. This is just insane.

For now, I'll just leave you with some videos to watch should you feel inclined. Some of them, like The Young Turks, are a few of those bright lights of reason we have in this country, and, as you'd expect, they are largely ignored. Oh, and the irony? They're Turkish ... American citizens, perhaps, but still Turkish. If you get bored, have a watch ... and see why I can't stand this country any more.

I think I'm right in saying that British Nationality cannot be revoked or discarded.

Yep, I still have UK citizenship.

This one is an amazing video were Fox News tells an atheist that he is not allowed to criticize Christianity and is kicked off the show. Then another guest spends the next few minutes preaching. If this isn't a prelude to fascism, I don't know what is:



More fascism:

Hi Shirina,

I am so sorry that you have gotten to the point that you feel this way. I know politics can be very frustrating for us, especially this year. You know I have always respected and enjoyed your posts.
I have missed you at trivia.
Hugs,
Icey

Shirina wrote:

I think I'm right in saying that British Nationality cannot be revoked or discarded.

Yep, I still have UK citizenship.

Yep come to the UK Shirina as the right wing in the US are quite mad.

Our right wing is bad and mad but the US is something else entirely! Totally Tin foil hat wearing Bat S*** crazy!! They've had to much god bothering and Ayn Rand to stay sane.

Right-wing aggression stems from fear of course. Continuous propaganda extolling The American Way of Life has been so effective that many American citizens are terrified of any conceivable alternative.

They can't even define what The American Way of Life is beyond capitalistic greed. Everything is framed within the context of socialism and communism. Anything beyond that and they haven't a clue. In essence, all they can do is say what it ISN'T, but they have no idea what it IS.

What we can identify clearly as capitalistic greed has always been presented to Americans as the freedom of anyone to succeed through hard work. In practice of course the situation is the same as in most capitalist democracies - it helps to have had wealthy parents. The real rewards are reserved to Ivy League graduates and people from the right families.

Nevertheless aspirational voters think it natural to support that system, even though they will probably be viewing it as spectators.

Senate faces potential influx of conservative Republicans

The Senate is likely to assume an even more conservative tenor come January as a crop of insurgent-minded Republicans replace some of the GOP's old guard in the upper chamber.

A transformation within the Republican Party that was first set in motion during the 2010 midterm elections appears set to continue in the Senate, following in the path blazed in the House during this term of Congress.

“The goal is not only getting the Republican majority, but getting a conservative majority -- a majority of the Republican majority,” said Brendan Steinhauser, the director of state and federal campaigns for FreedomWorks, a group that’s worked to elect Tea Party candidates the last two cycles. “In a lot of ways, we're just getting started.”

While the Senate could flip to Republican control as a product of this fall's election, the chamber is even more likely to lurch rightward thanks to the ideological profile of its incoming measures.

I'm thinking that I have two choices - leave the country or commit suicide. Already, Obamacare has been gutted so that it does not help people like me, and it is clear that if these fascists get into power, A LOT of money that funded social programs will be siphoned off to defense spending ... and likely, America will be at war with Iran before the end of 2013. For a person like me who is still fighting to see a real doctor with real resources, there is no way I could hope to win this battle with these fat, greedy, warhawk Republicans in power. Instead, they'll eviscerate social programs and send millions of poor, disabled, and elderly folks into the streets to beg ... and that includes the mentally unstable. All the while, they'll make it infinitely easier for all of these disenfranchised, hungry, desperate, and sometimes mentally unsound people to obtain guns. Now THERE'S an excellent recipe for disaster, but ... what do they care?

I live with horrible pain every day, and I've only received "partial" treatment. Now I've been forced to rely on church basement clinics that have no equipment, machines, or abilities to run tests. If there is big tidal wave of conservatives winning the now-Democrat controlled Senate, even if Obama wins, he'll be landlocked by the Party of No ... a nickname given to the Republicans. If Obama wants it, they vote against it. Doesn't matter what it is. They even voted against an infrastructure bill that has passed every year since the Eisenhower administration - just to spite Obama. And that's with the Republicans controlling only one house of Congress. If they control both, forget it.

Welcome to the United Fascist States of America.

LINK

One of the wealthiest men ever was Dale Carnegie, who incidentally wrote a couple of what we would now call "self-help" books. In one of them he suggested that it was not worth worrying about things which haven't happened yet ....

Live your life one day at a time.

Shirina wrote:They can't even define what The American Way of Life is beyond capitalistic greed. Everything is framed within the context of socialism and communism. Anything beyond that and they haven't a clue. In essence, all they can do is say what it ISN'T, but they have no idea what it IS.

Hi Shirina
Just come and live in the UK. as the US is just turning very nasty with these extreme right wingers. there quite mad huni

Em xx

ow said: it helps to have had wealthy parents. The real rewards are reserved to Ivy League graduates and people from the right families.


A while ago whilst being interviewed, The Governor Arnold Schwartsaneger (however you spell it) was asked how he got into politics then a Governorship, He answered “being married to a Kennedy helps” .

So yes spot on ow.

Actually we can be heartened at Romney's choice of Paul Ryan to be running-mate. As a hard-line conservative, it confirms the Republicans as The Nasty Party.

and there are no quisling Lib-Dems in the USA to confuse the electorate.

Shirina wrote:They can't even define what The American Way of Life is beyond capitalistic greed. Everything is framed within the context of socialism and communism. Anything beyond that and they haven't a clue. In essence, all they can do is say what it ISN'T, but they have no idea what it IS.

I wonder if renouncing one's citizenship is the same as renouncing one's culture?

Stop the World! I want to get off.

Bloody hell , my first post in months and reading Shirina's OP was a massive shock, I salute your moral compass and integrity , inteligencia in America know what the score is , depending on what political side they are on , and 100% understand your vocation to depart from the US and renounce citizenship , still a bloody shock after being off the forum for months . The gravitas of your motives are massive and a condemnation of the right wing and the power they wield over the population.............. my fist is clenched in salute to you Shirina .

I think you're being very brave and honest Shirina. I agree with you 100% The USA is pretty much doomed unless people wake up and get educated. I could never ever live there, it'd drive me insane. Good luck, I hope everything works out the way you want it to, and america's loss will most definately be someone else's gain! I hope it's ours! xx

I wonder if renouncing one's citizenship is the same as renouncing one's culture?

Well, that's an interesting question given that, should Romney win the election, America would not *be* my culture.

One of the reasons why I know this is because I'm not calling for an armed revolt against the government if I don't get my way.

On the positive side Shirina, under Obama, America is currently the top weapons exporter in the world by a long way. Don't you just love a go get government!

On the positive side Shirina, under Obama, America is currently the top weapons exporter in the world by a long way. Don't you just love a go get government!

Yes, that's true ... and America has been the top weapons exporter in the world for a very long time - long before Obama. In fact, Britain has imported quite a few of our weapons from the F-4 Phantom you once flew off your carriers to the AIM-120C AMRAAM missile you use on Typhoon fighters and the RGM-84C Harpoon anti-ship missile you have in your navy.

America's weapons exports go to NATO nations and strong allies in the Middle East, not rogue nations. America doesn't sell M16A1 assault rifles to Afghani children or rebels in Somalia. You can thank Russia for that.

Do I think we should be selling weapons to Saudi Arabia? No. In fact, I think our government should tell the Saudis to either stop with the human rights violations and mistreatment of women or we pull our weapons contracts. They can always turn to the Russians, but what they export is junk. It's not that the Russians don't make good weaponry, it's just that what they export is junk.

The evidence is accumulating that Presidency of the United States of America is a commercial commodity which goes to the candidate with access to the deepest pockets. November 6 2012 could mark the end of the world as we know it, if the Republicans receive authority to carry out their declared Policies and beliefs.

The Party line is that climate-change is a hoax, that more production of carbon energy will do no harm. On immigration there is a desire to construct a wall along the Nation's Southern border, and eventually repatriate all 11million of illegal immigrants. As regards the budget deficit, the Republicans have no plans whatever to raise taxes, instead concentrating on Arms production, which worked so well for America's economy in WW2. Medical care would be cut for the elderly and poor, with Obama's health insurance repealed entirely. Legal recognition of gay couiples will be withdrawn. Foreign policy will support the construction of more Jewish settlements on the West Bank, action against Iran's nuclear program and acceptance of torture as a legitimate weapon of war.

The conflict in Afghanistan would not be scaled down, and China would be involved in a Trade War protecting American commercial interests, whilst all disagreement with Russia would be fearlessly confronted. The "Arab Spring" would be regarded as a threat to America as great as Communism.

Does the American Right have the will to vote for Racism?

The "Arab Spring" would be regarded as a threat to America as great as Communism.

Wow, you hit all the nails on all the heads with that post ... and you were SO close with the comment above. Republicans, however, don't think the Arab Spring is a communist plot. Instead, they think that it's all being caused by a massive infiltration of the Muslim Brotherhood determined to create a militant Islamic government in all of the affected nations.

Does the American Right have the will to vote for Racism?

Funny you should mention that ...

Texas Republican Party Platform Calls For Repeal Of Voting Rights Act Of 1965

The Texas Republican Party has released its official platform for 2012, and the repeal of the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965 is one of its central planks.

"We urge that the Voter Rights Act of 1965 codified and updated in 1973 be repealed and not reauthorized," the platform reads.

Under a provision of the Voting Rights Act, certain jurisdictions must obtain permission from the federal government -- called "preclearance" -- before they change their voting rules. The rule was put in place in jurisdictions with a history of voter disenfranchisement.

Some elected officials, including Texas Gov. Rick Perry, a Republican, have since argued that the rules put an unfair burden on certain places and not others. Texas is one of nine states that must obtain preclearance before changing its electoral guidelines.

The declaration by the state's GOP comes as Texas continues protracted fights over voting rights on several legal fronts. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder blocked the state's recent voter I.D. law, citing discrimination against minority voters. And a federal judge earlier this month heard motions in a lawsuit filed by Project Vote, a voting rights group that tries to expand voting in low-income communities, that claimed the state's laws made it illegally difficult to register new voters. (LINK)

What you say in sarcasm or satire, the Republican party says in truth and seriousness.

Shirina. I don't comment on here much but always have respected your posts as intelligent and well thought out, though not always agreeing with you. I would welcome you to our shores.

A long standing haven for disgruntled Americans has always been Canada, whether it be those that opposed the Vietnam war and refused to enlist, or tribes of indigenous natives ( usualy refered to as Indians ).

After the election of George W Bush there was a surge in emigration to Canada from the United States, many Americans who settle in Canada give social and political reasons for moving north.

For many Conservative Republican Americans, there is a certain unease at their northern neighbour been a more open, liberal society which has always been at the forefront of pushing back boundries and taboos.

There have only been 10 verifiable cases of individual voter fraud since the 2000 election.

With such a low rate of malfeasance, I have to wonder just why Republicans are pushing so hard for this law. In fact, this law reminds me of some of those old state and municipal laws still on the books ... you know, laws like being prohibited from washing an elephant in a bathtub or it being illegal to push a moose out of a moving airplane. Did people do these things so often that it was deemed necessary to pass laws prohibiting them?

That's why the Voter ID law sounds more like a Republican ploy to keep the destitute away from the voting booths. After all, the $15 or $20 it takes to obtain a license or state ID can mean not eating for a few days or being unable to pay the rent.

Until we have a true Constitutional Amendment guaranteeing true universal suffrage, these kinds of underhanded tactics will continue to be used.

A case could be made against this law by claiming that the fees necessary to obtain a valid ID is equivalent to a poll tax, something which is prohibited by the Constitution. Because the fees imposed for official IDs are charged by the government, and all monies collected are tallied and spent by the government, it is, in essence, a tax. If one MUST pay fees that would allow them to vote, well ... that is the equivalent of a government-mandated tax on voting, which is illegal.

Canadian Forces CF/A-18 Hornets

They really need to upgrade these to Super Hornets. Right now, they're only flying F/A-18As (not even the C model).

There does indeed seem to be a disparity between your care and mine, Shirina. I am constantly told by my GP, Consultant General Surgeon and my Oncologist that "There is NO reason in the Western World, for ANYONE to be in constant pain. I go to the GP and order up Morphine, tramadol, paracetamol and all the other bits and pieces, Diabetes, Menieres, and it costs me nothing at the counter of the pharmacy, even the GP prescription is free.

With the butchering of the NHS, this is what posters are frightened of losing altogether

My thoughts are with you.

Don

You don't need to be sick to recognise that the American electoral system is poised to bring an end to the world as we know it.

Shirina , you stated in your OP , July 23rd 2012

I do not think Obama will win and you state , I have contacted the US embassy , the British and Indian embassy to begin the process of emigration from a country [USA] that I consider to be doomed .

What is your position now regarding leaving the states as we lead up to the end game between Obama and Romney , you stated you were to begin the process of emigration , where are you at and what country have you in mind !

Your OP is three months old , are the wheels in motion .

What is your position now regarding leaving the states as we lead up to the end game between Obama and Romney , you stated you were to begin the process of emigration , where are you at and what country have you in mind !

Hey Scarecrow:

Everything is on hold at the moment until the election results. All I've done so far is to collect the necessary documents and completed them, but I haven't committed just yet. However, if the United States plunges into a quasi Dark Age where religious zealots, Social Darwinists, neo-fascists, pro-slavery Republicans, and sycophants for the top 1% hold all the reins of power, I see no reason why I should stay. It would be quite obvious to me that THIS rat will be first in line to leave this sinking ship. I will always love America, of course, but I would be in love with an idea, an idea that was brutally murdered by these nasty people and those that voted for them.

You better not.