New "Declaration of Independence"

[Russell Kanning]

I will be handing the city of Keene my unregister to vote paper.
I asked the nhla to take my name off their rolls also.
We can see which one acts first.

Maybe I need to send in a little DofInd to the feds and renounce my citizenship.

[Lloyd Danforth]

You registered to vote?

[Russell Kanning]

Yea ... what was I thinking?
We have asked them to take our names off ..... but they need a note and then they still might not do it.
They say noone has ever done this in Keene.

[president]

Maybe I need to send in a little DofInd to the feds and renounce my citizenship.

http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4_229.html

You're going to protest by renouncing your citizenship? I'm disappointed. Whatever happened to going to the U.S. embassy and setting yourself on fire?

But OK, I understand, it's the 90s.  [Well, it was when I wrote this. --C.A.]   And you probably read in the papers about this guy Terry Nichols, Timothy McVeigh's co-defendant in the Oklahoma City bombing, who supposedly renounced his citizenship in 1992. You're thinking, "Wow, hanging around with future mass murderers while working as a farmhand and selling army surplus. What a cool lifestyle!"

Whatever butters your bagel, pal. But you have to do it right. You probably have the idea that renouncing U.S. citizenship consists of going down to the town square, post office (the "all services" window, maybe?), or other public place and announcing, "The U.S. sucks. I quit."

Wrongo, Benedict Arnold-breath. The process is actually pretty complicated, and for good reason. Renouncing your citizenship is irrevocable, the political equivalent of a sex-change operation. While the powers that be are willing to make the big slice if that's what you really want, they don't want you waking up next morning and going, "Oh, @#$%!!"

Here's the procedure:

(1) Leave the country. There is no procedure for renouncing your citizenship while still physically present in the U.S. The government has the idea that if you're mad enough to renounce your citizenship you probably don't want to keep living here (although most militia types seem to want to stick around, presumably to keep their disgust fresh). Also, frankly, most of the 800 or so people who renounce their U.S. citizenship each year aren't protesters but rather are cases of "dual citizenship" who haven't lived in the U.S. for a long time. What typically happens is that someone is born in the U.S. to non-U.S. parents, who later return to their native land. Such a person is automatically a U.S. citizen but has a claim to his parents' nationality also. While dual citizenship is usually not illegal--the U.S. "tolerates" it--it can complicate your life, notably in connection with taxes. So many people choose one or the other on reaching adulthood.

(2) Apply for citizenship somewhere else. Strictly speaking this is optional, in the sense that it's optional to put on the parachute before you jump out of the plane. But if you're a stateless person living abroad and you get in a jam with the local authorities, or you want to get a passport to travel to yet another country (or back to this one), you're up fecal matter creek.

(3) Go to a U.S. embassy or consulate and tell them you want to renounce your citizenship. Often they'll try to talk you out of it, tell you to come back after you've slept it off, etc. Persist. Eventually they'll have you sign an oath of renunciation, an affidavit affirming the oath, and a "statement of understanding," which basically asks you if you're sure you know what you're doing. You also have to supply certain tax-related info and turn in your passport. The consular officer overseeing the proceedings must sign an attestation saying that in his opinion you're not off your nut. The papers will then be forwarded to the U.S. state department, which in the fullness of time will issue you a Certificate of Loss of Nationality. You're officially un-American. Lotsa luck.

One of many things to consider before you take this rash step is the kind of company you'll be keeping. Setting aside cases of dual nationality, emigration, etc., people who renounce their citizenship typically are war criminals (who do it under the baleful eye of a judge to avoid the expense of a deportation hearing), the aforementioned militia members, and billionaire fat cats who do it to avoid U.S. taxes (although the feds are tightening up on this--that's why they ask renunciants for tax info). My guess is you're not going to want to get together with these guys in some kind of support group.

One last data point you might find interesting. In 1991 a survey asked two thousand U.S. citizens, "What are you willing to do for $10 million?" Twenty-five percent of this very classy group said they'd abandon their families; 23 percent said they'd become a prostitute for a week. Only 16 percent said they'd renounce their U.S. citizenship.

[Russell Kanning]

Yea ... what was I thinking?
We have asked them to take our names off ..... but they need a note and then they still might not do it.
They say noone has ever done this in Keene.

I haven't heard back from either yet. The city said they are not sure that they will take my name off.

[FTL_Ian]

Since the state has no obligation to protect, the citizen has no duty of allegience.  Of course there isn't really a state, just strangers with weapons.  Plus, if there is no state, there are no citizens, just people playing pretend.   

[tracysaboe]

There's no such thing as government.

"That government exists, is a myth."

Do we ever get out of Anarchy?

No "Government" is nothing more then a group of people in power wheo are, themselves ungoverned.

All I see are competing gangs of thugs.

Tracy

[Russell Kanning]

The city of Keene has not decided yet on my withdrawal request.

The nhla is still sending me emails to vote in their latest election.

They are running neck and neck.

[Russell Kanning]

The NHLA won. It took them less than a month to let me know I was off their list.

The city of Keene says they cannot take me off. I will continue this story after we raise a ruckus over taxes for a while.