I'm not a "US person"...

I'm a US Citizen, natural-born and raised, dammit. And it's a distinction that makes a difference to me.

Apparently, though, "US citizenship" is an antiquated device; a relic from an earlier age when Obama's "Founding Founders" were all racists who never embraced or never could have conceived of the transnational "world without borders" view favored by our current President and the creepy, neo-totalitarian progressive radicals that prop him up.

Here is the Obama White House attempting to quell concerns over the intrusive reach of his NSA/Prism operations. Note the terminology:

President Obama: "If you are a U.S. person, the NSA cannot listen to your telephone calls and the NSA cannot target your emails."

— The White House (@whitehouse) June 18, 2013

Got that, you US person, you? You're totally safe and all.

Here was my Twitter reaction to it, after spending some time in contemplation of the President's semantic change:

I bet the Founding Founders are proud to have created a country full of US persons. Whoever they are.

— Jack's Not 4 Turning (@jackmcoldcuts) June 18, 2013

Isn't construction "US persons" revealing? I think it's an Obamaism to cater to illegal aliens...an "inclusive" phrase for non-citizens.

— Jack's Not 4 Turning (@jackmcoldcuts) June 18, 2013

That's further proof of Obama's disdain for America/Americans. He'd rather reinvent the language than stand for concept of citizenship.

— Jack's Not 4 Turning (@jackmcoldcuts) June 18, 2013

See, had Obama said "US Citizens" (likely the most common usage which a President would normally employ in a "reassure the nation" statement) he would have done something unforgivable to the left. This transgression would even have occurred if he had used the phase "US residents" (as it could have been interpreted to only include citizens and resident aliens): he would have not been offering reassurances to America's newest privileged class: illegal aliens.

But the construction of "US persons", why that covers pretty much anyone found within the borders! It's about as inclusive as you can get while defending a program operating within the boundaries of the United States. And if we have to sacrifice the concept of "citizenship" to promote "inclusiveness", why that's just a sacrifice we have to make, isn't it?

No.

Hell no.

See, I'm of a mind that the most valuable and precious status a person can hold in this world is that of "US Citizenship". I believe in American Exceptionalism, and I do believe that Americans are different than anyone else in part because we have a common history and unique culture that prizes liberty and elevates individual freedom and governmental restraint (2nd Amendment, anyone?) in a manner that 99% of foreigners simply don't share. The American experiment is different...and it is that innate difference, I would argue, that has long saved America from falling headlong into the depths of Statist tyranny that has long sought favor and refuge in the Socialist halls of 20th Century Europe, or that has expressed itself historically in the Totalitarian/Authoritarian rule of Asian empires (WW2 Japan, Current China), the dysfunctional Banana Republics of Central and South America, or the increasingly Theocratic Islamist spread of the Middle Eastern Mullahs.

"US Citizenship" is a bulwark against those excesses. As long as it stands for something, and carries its historic definition it means that we have a people who have been conditioned to stand guard as the last, shining city on the hill against those who would snuff Lady Liberty's light, or enclose her in a burqa, as soon as look at her. It's also why it should be difficult to obtain in the first place.

And, per Obama's tweet, that, apparently, cannot be allowed to stand.

Make no mistake, Obama's phrasing here is not accidental. It, like the Gang of 8 Amnesty bill has, as a core feature, the intention to water down and overwhelm "American Citizenship" by extending it to tens of millions who have no natural conception of what it means, or what its value truly is. It's about diluting the concept of American Exceptionalism to the point where Americans adopt the Obama approach: where Americans are "exceptional" just like everyone else. Remember his quote on the subject?

I believe in American exceptionalism, just as I suspect that the Brits believe in British exceptionalism and the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism.

A world where everyone is exceptional means a world where no one is exceptional. To Obama, that's a feature not a bug. It's a major reason why the Amnesty bill, and all those who embrace it, from lowly pro-Amnesty blog shills to glorified elected Senators, must be both repudiated and defeated.

I will also add this: in my family, there is a strong tradition of military service. I grew up listening to my Great grandfather recount tales of World War 1, my Grandfather recount tales of his service in WW2 and Korea, and my Father recounting his service in the jungles of Vietnam. These men fought, and very often bled, in the service of their fellow countrymen. I am proud of them, each and every one.

They didn't put it all on the line to protect "US persons". They put it all on the line to protect "US Citizens." They understood the difference.

So don't tell me it's a meaningless semantic change, Mr. President. I know better. And I'm convinced that there are still enough of us remaining who do as well. I hope so, anyway, because I shudder to think of how emboldened the left will become once they have convinced themselves that the last remnants of those who understand our unique tradition and history, and our traditional preference for limited government and individual liberty, have finally been overwhelmed.

posted by Jack M. at 12:04 PM

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