||| FROM PAUL KING |||
As a recent U.S. citizen, my journey to citizenship was marked by hope, aspiration, and a deep admiration for the principles this country was built upon. America, for me, has always been synonymous with opportunity, freedom, and democratic ideals—the notion that each of us has a voice, and that our voices matter.
Yet, today, as I reflect upon the current state of our government, I feel a blend of gratitude and concern. Gratitude because this country welcomed me, allowing me the profound privilege of calling myself an American. Concern because the very institutions that embody our ideals sometimes seem mired in partisan gridlock, division, and skepticism from the people they serve.
The United States government often feels paralyzed, caught in a seemingly endless cycle of debate and discord. Political polarization has intensified, and many crucial decisions that impact ordinary Americans—on education, healthcare, immigration, infrastructure, and climate—stall in Congress. Public trust in governmental institutions has eroded, and cynicism has begun to overshadow hope.
Yet, perhaps because my perspective is still relatively fresh, I see not only these challenges but also tremendous opportunity.
What drew me to America was not just the promise of individual liberty, but the unwavering spirit of resilience and reinvention that this nation embodies. American history has always been shaped by challenges—and the response has always been rooted in the belief that progress is achievable through hard work, compromise, and civic engagement.
As citizens, new or longstanding, we share the responsibility to participate actively, engage respectfully, and uphold democratic values. Our democracy thrives when ordinary people refuse cynicism and instead embrace responsibility—by voting, by volunteering, by voicing our concerns, and by respecting differing opinions. The beauty of America lies precisely in its diversity of viewpoints, experiences, and backgrounds; embracing that diversity can move us forward together.
As a newly sworn-in American, I feel a deep, personal stake in the health of our democracy.
America’s strength has never come solely from its government, but from the active engagement of its people. So, even as we acknowledge the very real challenges before us, let us remain hopeful. Let us recommit to the ideal of America—not just as a nation we live in, but as an idea we actively nurture and sustain through our participation and dedication.
I love this country deeply—not only for what it has already given me, but for its boundless capacity for renewal. America’s greatest days can still lie ahead, but only if we, as citizens, engage positively and passionately to protect and improve our democracy. Our nation deserves nothing less.
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Thank you, Paul, for your wise, heartening and optimistic words, so needed in these darkening days.
And I appreciate your emphasis on diversity, used twice in your essay. I like to remind people of the motto “e pluribus unum” — out of many, one — in the Great Seal of the United States, printed on the back of our $1 bills.
Paul your clarity on the meaning of being an American citizen resonates deeply with my beliefs. Living on our beautiful island is a constant reminder how a healthy forest has many diverse trees and the mycelium network of communication protects all its “sentient beings” from disease while sharing its life sustaining, sugary nutrients in it’s “communities.”
Paul, welcome. Congratulations on being sworn in as a citizen. The path to citizenship is difficult and lengthy but you know that having walked it.
Thanks, Paul, for your commitment to the future, and for sharing your what American citizenship means to you!
Let me emphasize one important thought: While you are correct the “idea of America” is based in democracy, what makes our democracy special is that our Constitution not only establishes governance by democratic majorities, it also has included many, many provisions which intentionally constrain the power of those governing majorities. That is where we get the “liberty” and “freedom” that you also were drawn to. Liberty and freedom have meant protections FROM the governing majorities.
Some of those constraints on the governing majorities lie in our system of checks and balances. Most notably, governmental power is allocated to three coequal branches of government (legislative, executive, and judicial). But also, the makeup of the Senate and the electoral college both were intended to help protect small states from the power of larger states.
The Constitution also constrains governments through a series of protections for political minorities and for individuals. Think of the “Bill of Rights” and our well known freedoms of religion and expression, the right to bear arms, freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures and from cruel and unreasonable punishments. And the one in the news these days: “No person shall be . . . deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law”. No person, not just citizens!
Since the Bill of Rights was adopted, there have many additional Constitutional amendments which extend individual freedoms, such as those which prohibit slavery and protect the right to vote. Each of these amendments can be traced back to a time when some governing majority was doing things which three-fourths of the state legislatures felt were wrong. The amendment process is intentionally difficult, which is yet another protection for political minorities.
It is precisely because of those important limitations on majority rule that “America” stands for liberty and freedom, as much as it stands for democracy. And our freedoms help ensure the political diversity that Paul and Mike have referred to.
As others have said, welcome to America and I presume Orcas Island. Certainly good choices depending upon your country of origin and reasons for leaving. As well as your reasons for location. As you intimate the ideals of America are about freedom of expression and participation in the real challenging work of maintaining a representative democracy. But I am troubled by some of my presumptions about your eloquent statement without context. Yours is a like a new love, a new journey of discovery with what seems to be be a very limited perspective and lofty view; you lack of a raw historical perspective, understandably, you lack the experience of a lifetime and multiple generations of being an American. This is not your fault of course. America is the most complicated and deeply conflicted of modern nations in part due to unrivaled global military power, geographic and climactic diversity, a huge population and immense economic power.
I , too remain hopeful for continued realization of lofty ideals, but also understand our many deeply disheartening failures to live up to those idealistic notions, These failings and misadventures have never been more obvious and dangerous than today. Thank you for sharing your heartfelt personal beliefs however ungrounded in experience.