I have lived in America since 1975. I studied in American schools from first grade to state college. I earned two college degrees. Yet, due to several reasons, some nonsensical, I have not applied for citizenship. I am a legal resident alien. I have every intention of living in this country and cannot imagine myself living anywhere else.
One of the main reasons I would like to be a citizen is to get the right to vote. This year would be a great year for that. But would my vote stop the war? Could it make a difference? Any choice would seem to be better than what we have now. Working in this country, paying my share of taxes, and going through the educational system of this country should give me some rights. Laws should be changed to allow legal residents to vote. What harm could it do, if one is a law-abiding citizen?
I am not eligible to serve jury duty. However, in my profession for the county agency I work for, I have been a court deputy, many times representing clients in court for my department. It is strange how I can write a court report to a judge and affect people's lives, but I cannot serve on a jury. Not that I want to be on a jury, but I'm just saying? It appears that I have to do what is required, fill out the documents, and become a citizen. What if my vote was the tiebreaker in choosing a candidate that could end a war over one that wants to annihilate the world? Would I have blood on my hands?
Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal, 35, was born in Cuernavaca, Morelos (Mexico), and has lived in Los Angeles County since age 7. He works in the mental health field. His poems in English and Spanish have appeared in The American Dissident, The Blue Collar Review, Pemmican Press, and Struggle Magazine. His first book of poems, Raw Materials, is from Pygmy Forest Press.