Ok, I’m going to say this one more time; pay close attention. I am NOT a national, and neither am I international. I am a US Citizen, and as such have the rights that all other Americans do. Write that down in your notebook, cause this is lesson #3…
Let me start from the beginning… Recently my wife and I went to a popular business to send of a copy of our wedding CD to our family in Puerto Rico; you know, that tiny country that you can get to in about 8 hours if you head south into Florida (assuming you’re in the midwest), then drive right off the beach into the water in the general direction of Cuba. After filling out all the approriate information, including a 5-digit zip code (you know, like all cities in the US have?), I handed the clerk my paperwork and my sealed CD. “I can’t find the zip code on our system, what state is PR?”, was the question, to which, bemused, I replied “Uhmmm, that would be Puerto Rico…”
“Well, you’ll need to fill out an internationl form instead.”, and my reply was, “Are you aware that Puerto Rico is a US territory?”. And his reply? “Sorry sir, but that is company policy. Oh, and did you say that you were sending a CD? Then you’ll also need to fill out this customs declaration form; it’ll make things easier when your CD gets there.”. It really will, huh?
Let me start explaining here with a little bit of history. Puerto Rico was ceeded to the US (by Spain) in 1898 (that’s right, over 100 years ago), and thus, all its citizens, became UNITED STATES CITIZENS! You would think this enough time that this would earn us a sure spot on the citizen scope of this country; but no!!!, I still get stupid questions like “How long does it take to drive to Puerto Rico?” Or my favourite “How do people get around in Puerto Rico?” Why, with the old horse and buggy, sir…
In case you lost your dictionary, or don’t know how to use one, let me help here a bit. In the US, when you use the word “national”, you’re reffering to someone born outside the US, but has become a resident. If you are living in France, then you are a US national, living in France… Do you see where I’m going with this?
Now on to the point of being an international country… If you mail a package to Hawaii, are you sending that package to an international destination? Of course not! And why would that be? Well, because it is a US state. Ok, so “Puerto Rico is not a state!” is your response… But the fact remains… We are US territory, with representation in the senate, with a US postal service, etc.
I am an american citizen; you may not like it, but I am an AMERICAN nonetheless… So stop calling me a “national”, I am not from an international country, and don’t treat me like an illegal alien. This is my home, just as it is yours…
T.
