Expat Poles swearing allegiance to the US - how did you feel?

You can see this in Poland so much - I know several people who don't want to work far away, because they wouldn't be able to go home at the weekends. It's the same absurd reason that means students get such big discounts on the trains - because they would whine and complain if they couldn't go home every weekend.

Never quite understood if it's the people or the parents who are putting the pressure on, though.


"our" dollar? I thought you were Polish?

Incidentally, you might want to read this - money.cnn.com/2011/02/10/markets/dollar/index.htm

I don't think it's crazy when you want to spend time with ppl that are important for you.On the other hand many students don't go to home for weekends because of love but for money and food :)

just a general comment.
It seems obvious that those that have, or are applying for, second citizenship, do not have a real problem with the oath. Some might wish the wording was a bit different, but that's not going to stop them from their goal.

The group that says the oath is a betrayal, seems much more suspect. My guess is that they do not have much of a chance of obtaining a second citizenship to start with.

Yes,for many ppl their goal is more important than some oath.I understand it and accept this.That's why it would be interesting to know what emigrants think of the pledge.


I wouldn't say that.My friend's mother applied for German citizenship for her daughter and when papers came my friend refused to take German passport.Also,one of my teachers could have U.S. citizenship because of her husband but instead they're both living in Poland.

I respect your choice.

To me it’s a matter of the resources and options…

I could live in Krakow in M3, vacation in Egypt, be dependent on my family, driving 10 year old car in – 3 C winter
Or
I could live in around Houston, own a house, vacation anywhere I wish, be completely independent from my family and drive a new car in sunny 72 F degree weather.

You see, being able to have choices makes ME happy in life.

Overall the availability of abundant resources creates a better potential for enriching your life’s experiences.

I'm happy to be here.


Exactly, means to a goal and no one forces you to do it..

For Poles emigration is viewed through painful history lenses. Usually there were 3 reasons: you were send packing to Siberia courtesy of the best friend of Poland (aka Soviet Union) for what you may or may not did to displease Big Brother, you emigrated to the West to avoid option #1, or you went to the USA cos you were dirt poor and had no other options. Basically, nobody in Poland would wake up one morning with the thought "I feel like going abroad today". There is plenty of patriotic literature full of Polish emigrants crying after their motherland they had to leave behind. For some Poles, to this day, leaving Poland permanently is still unthinkable for that reason and I can understand that. Emigration is never easy.

I never had a problem with taking a new citizenship as I don't see it as betraying my old country. They asked me to act in the best interest of this new country, and since I was planning of doing that anyway - I don't have a problem with that at all. For me is just formality, not an emotional question.

It doesn't sound as either one of these people were swayed by the wording of the pledge they would have to take.

People have dual citizenships. They love both countries. No betrayal here, in my opinion.

What I've just recently found out (i'll admit to it) I didn't know that America which doesn't have a specific ethnicity has a law similar to many European nations that if you've had a grandparent for instance who was born here you could get a greed card or citizenship and be allowed to come to America. My friend told me this is how he came here, his grandfather was born here therefore an American who went back to Poland and stayed there until the end of communism not knowing his children and grandchildren could do this.

I thought there was a priority list: people with American spouses get to the front of the queue, then parents, kids... I don't know how far down are the grandparents.

Addiction ...

You're addicted to PF? That sucks man but i can see why.

I do have to admit that letting it loose by compulsively ranting about stupid sh*t and than reading the responses from other people like it could be addictive. Yeah...

Pennboy, I take it back! You are right!

immigrationvoice.org/forum/forum89-news-articles-and-reports/14525-citizenship-via-grandparents-article-in-wsj-today.html

No harm

@Bzibzioch. Exactly my take on it. I had no issue with the pledge myself either. I don't think I will ever be called to shoot at my siblings or cousins who remained in Poland.

That's just Harry's and dopehead delphi's justification for they lack any real reason to keep calling us traitors. Poland and the USA are members of NATO now so nobody is planning any mass murder of each other any time soon. Besides, I found it hilarious that two foreigners who can't even figure out their own national loyalties are lecturing anyone on the matter.

Don’t worry, obviously they never heard of Conscientious Objector clause.

They both see the world in black and white. A sad way to live.

Conscientious objectors in the US must prove that they are against all war (and that they were against all war before being asked to serve). If not, they get locked up. If the US were to go war against Poland for whatever reason, and Polish-Americans suddenly became conscientious objectors, they'd probably get shot by their neighbors.

G'night.

Top of the morning to you.
CO claimants with the Selective Service System and in the armed forces of the US have to "demonstrate" their moral, ethical, or religious belief in opposition to "personal participation in war." They must also show that their beliefs are sincerely held, not what you have claimed.

I worry about it when it happens. Anyway, my neighbors most likely don't have a clue about such clause. Then, by the time we get rounded up...put through the court system...etc., the war will be over :)

If someone is against ALL wars he has no business joining the army, don't you think? But I can see someone having conflict of interest going against one specific country so refusing to participate.

if they call you traitors, they have to call all Americans traitors. This is what this country is all about, everyone was (at some point) a foreigner before he became an American.

What a utter bs.

Haha hahaa boo hahaaa OMG hahaaaa boo haaahaaaa.Oh boy.


That's the part I don't get,I simply can't make up my mind who the domestic enemies are.And the locals are not very helpful either,some say the enemies are neocons others say the enemies are libs,I also heard Wall street bankers are enemies and some say Unions members are enemies.I guess I will stay neutral.

First you know nothing about America and second it wasn't a humiliating interview it was fun we laughed i didn't have to take the verbal since my English is flawless, it was easy. If you knew Polish history you'd know that it was Woodrow Wilson who pushed for Poland's independence after WWI, that is why city parks, metro stations and avenues in Poland bare his name, to the European powers they could care less about Poland being independent, your precious UK pushed for the Curzon line which gave half the country to Russia, later the French tried to steal the credit for winning the Polish-Bolshevik War 1920 because they sent a few advisors, some friends Poland has in Europe, pllz.


That is the key word you should be looking at whether legal or illegal this country has a problem with immigrants and surely doesn't need any more of them.

Lenka wrote:


Entertaining.

Lenka, Havok asked you, "What you've got going for you in Poland if i may ask?" and you said, word for word, "This is very reasonable question and maybe someone can answer that but I cannot."

So someone asked you why you continue to stay in Poland.....and you don't even know why.

you also said, "


To conclude, you are the typical pole that claims to have no idea why they don't leave home, even though "in some countries my life would be easier". You're only rationale for not getting out of there is, "For me it's more about emotions than reason."

So there's no reason for you to stay, other than emotional attachment. You could live better in other countries, provide for yourself better, give your children or future children a better life, have a better/easier lifestyle, yet you just can't seem to pull yourself away. THIS is specifically what I do not understand about people. Deep, incredibly dependent emotional attachments to mommy and daddy to the point where they'll give themselves along with their children a life several steps down from what it could be, all so they can eat mom's pierogi and piernik.

I'll never understand it but if that's the life you choose, you must accept the consequences.

Delph wrote:


YES! szach-mat, McDonald's!

A patriot should have no problems with his fellow kin coming to a country which isn't his own.

I mean, blood is thicker than water, isn't it?

Everybody except the native Indians, forgot about that did yah?

That is a good thing about America though all foreigners are in fact in the same boat. It is entirely a nation of immigrants. Good job the founding fathers were mostly of British origin, just think where you would be without us!

I suppose you mean US, all that and then some. LOL


Newsflash, all of the above arguments are out the door in relation to US.
Provide for yourself better – indeed, unemployment at all-time high, falling wages across the board, everything outsourced where it’s much more profitable for the patriotic American corporations to do business and no end in sight. That false patriotic pride of yours won’t change the facts or bring the jobs back, besides working at MacDonald’s and subsidies the riches of the rich through your taxes is not very aping prospect at, least to me that is.

Give your children or future children a better life – I’m afraid that if you’re employed at Wal-Mart you have a fat chance to afford some crappie Community College tuition for your children let alone a proper University education, another Myth debunked. That's a prospect for a better future in America for you.

Have a better/easier lifestyle – Did I mention that you would have to work at least two shifts at either of those jobs just to feed your family and pay for the roof over your head which doesn’t leave you much of a leisure time.

What I do not understand is why the Americans have the need to stick their nose in other people’s business repeating the same old when in reality the boat they are on is sinking yet they fail to see it, they just stand there singing America the Beautiful.

Fix your own before poking your nose in my,

Does anyone else have a ... umm question on how it felt swearing allegiance to the U.S.?