Would foreigners sign up to fight for Uncle Sam? I don’t see why not, because so many people are desperate to move here. Serving a few years in the military would seem a small price to pay, and it would establish beyond a doubt that they are the kind of motivated, hardworking immigrants we want.”
–Max Boot, LA Times Editorial
I am a fan of the idea that no one should be born a citizen. You should have to earn it. Obviously, I’m in the minority – that’s OK, most of my ideas aren’t exactly in line with mainstream America.
However, I was pleasantly surprised to stumble across an editorial in the LA Times by columnist Max Boot, suggesting that America offer potential immigrants from around the world the opportunity to earn citizenship by serving a set length of time in the military. The idea has merit.
I served in the Marine Corps for four years as a legal immigrant and discovered other immigrants were serving with me. Many of them were from the Carribean and Latin America. There is no shortage of third world males who would jump at a chance to earn U.S. citizenship. Our own population is, for the most part, far too lazy and self-centered to consider entering the military at this critical juncture in U.S. history.