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On Citizenship
by Mark A. Goldman      

 

If it is the duty of citizens to be willingly drafted into service by their country; and it is the duty of soldiers to face the heat of battle in defense of liberty and justice even at the peril of losing their lives, then it is no less incumbent for each of us who has freely pledged allegiance to the flag of our country, and/or who has taken an oath to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, to do as much, even at the peril of losing our jobs, our standing in the community, our license to practice law, or even a Presidential or Congressional election.

It is because we are each in a distinctive circumstance due to information that becomes available to us... due to the special trust that the public places in the work that we do... due to expectations that others have, based on how we say we live namely, that we regularly operate in and for and consistent to the public good that the public has a right to expect and we each have an obligation to act, in and for the public good, when we have the opportunity to do so, particularly when doing so is aligned with, and appropriate to the work in which we are regularly engaged.

Any United States citizen, who, by his special circumstance of knowledge and position, can benefit his country, (by speaking out or by taking other appropriate measures which are in his general purview or influence, in order to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States), has a duty and an obligation to do so, lest there be citizens who are damaged by his neglect, cowardice, or willful wrong doing.

This country could not have grown and prospered were it not for those who came to this land seeking refuge and hope in the one nation of the world that above all else loves freedom and democracy.

Immigrants to the United States, in order to assume the responsibilities of citizenship first must learn about our history and system of government. They then participate in a ceremony in which they voluntarily pledge allegiance to their adopted country. It is in this pledge that each new citizen promises to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States against all its enemies, foreign and domestic.

It is unconscionable to think that our founding fathers would have intended, or that we should suppose, that the responsibilities of citizenship in America should be more stringent for those who were not born in this country than for those who were.

Therefore, one can only conclude, that every citizen, (be that citizen foreign or native born), has a duty and an obligation to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States with the same zeal as did those who were the founders of this country, or those who fought and died so that we might remain free.

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Copyright © 1990 Mark A. Goldman