 That was the question. I was at first a tad startled. Then I realized... must be Homeland Security... of course.
I was in the northern environs of what has been my United States home for close to forty years, Atlanta, in Georgia, USA. I had ventured north to a small shopping center near Roswell, a city in itself, but a part of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which encompasses a huge land area containing some four plus million people.
I was there to renew my Georgia driver's license. I wanted to exchange my current one for one that had the maximum length in Georgia (five more years), as well as to change my resident address from one daughter's home to another's.
I hadn't at that time thought of the concomitant need to change my precinct for voting in federal and state elections. My purposes were actually two-fold. When in the United States or elsewhere,
I worry whether Avis, Budget, et al will rent me a vehicle with only my Ukraine driver's license. For one, a lot of folks don't read Ukrainian (although it also has a description of the document in French). Mainly though, I can find no expiration date, which I imagine an employee of a rental car company might find vexing, to say the least.
The second reason, Grady Memorial Hospital. Grady, simply, as we Atlanta people call it with universal recognition, is an excellent hospital. It's a teaching hospital. A resident (as in doctor) generator and staffed in large part by graduates of Emory University Medical School, a fine institution. While I have pretty good insurance, it's mostly for European usage. Given a choice, I'd rather be at Grady for major anything. Residents of Fulton and DeKalb counties Georgia (taxpayers) have a right to Grady services. Most of my adult life I've been a taxpayer of one or the other of those counties (presently DeKalb). Of course, Grady is large, busy as the dickens, and a prime Atlanta emergency service center, so, for really immediate emergency service, best to use a gun or knife and at least establish a bloody flesh wound for really quick service.
But I digress. Perhaps for reason. Clearly, a Georgia driver's license is at least a beginning for citizen services in Georgia. Plus there's that voting thing.
Now, the large middle-aged black man clerking at the initial line I had to stand in was presumptively, himself, a United States citizen. I say presumptively...
I mean to me. After all, his accent was something like mine. We, again to me, were together Southerners, and U.S. citizens. As fellow ethnic Southerners, I knew he'd know the difference between hoodoo and voodoo and what a snipe hunt was.
But, most of the others that day at the Georgia DMV license center looked Hispanic or Asian. Percentage-wise I'd say about 95 percent. Actually, of the 75-100 people I saw there on that day (approximate time-30 minutes), other than the DMV clerks there were only two, maybe three, that resembled me.
Of course, the other two or three could have been from Great Britain, a Scandinavian country, a lot of Slavic countries (Ukraine?) or any of many places and those folks may or may not have been U.S. citizens.
The point. There was only the question.
I answered yes, and living in Ukraine for the last nine years, I happened to have my documents with me. But after I answered, "Yes" to the question, that was it. I was given a number and moved along to another section for further processing. There, I presumed there would be further query into my citizenship and right to a Georgia driver's license.
But, I filled out a form (mainly name and address for the license) then when called approached another clerk who asked me two questions. The first, again: Are you a United States citizen? The second: Do you want to register to vote? I answered "Yes" to both questions (the second to change my voting precinct only as I was already registered).
Now, I didn't ask if they wanted any proof of my citizenship. They asked for no proof either. Just the simple questions.
What's going on here?
Homeland security, my ass.
I could have answered "Si", "Da", "Tak", affirmative in any damn language. I could have been wearing a dishadasha, a kufi, and carrying a backpack that housed an IED. (Note: this was not a secure building, no security checks and search, as is normal with a routine government building in my country.)
So, why ask the question? My theory: yes, homeland security procedure.
But, why not require some proof of citizenship? My guesses: political correctness gone loco, again; overwhelming emphasis on getting voters signed up for political reasons, whether citizens or not (no blame accessed to any particularly political party here); plain stupidity and incompetence.
Who knows? But, it's an expensive proposition. The ability to vote, the possession of a driver's license allows for a lot of privileges. From the simple ability of acquiring more credibility when job searching to the application for social benefits from food stamps to low-income housing. Plus a driver's license with a DeKalb or Fulton county address along with proof of payment of a utility bill in one of those counties is about all that is needed to acquire all the considerable resources of Grady hospital, even without payment. The Atlanta area has many illegals. Mostly, Hispanic, primarily due to our southern border, but others too.
And then there still is that question…
the security implications.
So what's my complaint? Well, I have a lot of them. And I want to write more on the subject and related matters. By related matters I mean about the need to have control over immigration into my country (note: I largely favor openness to all, and to the many... we are a large country) but with requirements for assimilation.
More important. I started writing Christmas Eve. I finish early now on the Day. Earlier I was with my younger brother and his wife Donna for a Christmas Eve afternoon celebration. My mother Mary who turns 85 on the 27th was the honored guest there. Also about 25 other people. And one heck of a lot of kids, many very young. It was a grand time. Many presents. My brother Alan and Donna do a great job with kids.
I'm in Orlando, Florida. Tomorrow, to my sister's in Melbourne on the east coast of Florida. Looking forward to it. Good weather, some thunderstorms, but very warm. Then tomorrow, really, back to Atlanta, then home to Ukraine before New Year's Day.
It's been a good trip. Visited with daughters Stacy and Whitney and grandchildren in Atlanta. Also visited some friends and did a little business. I'm ready for Kyiv and points west in Ukraine.
I'm anxious. I do miss Ukraine.
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