He remains an Englishman

The issue of birthright citizenship came up today. Some want to prevent people they don’t like from becoming U.S. citizens, even deport them, regardless of behavior.

Me over here singing Gilbert and Sullivan's song, "He Remains an Englishman": "For in spite of all temptations, to belong to other nations, he remains an Englishman..." In the song, a pirate becomes an acceptable spouse, not because he's a good guy and not because he's young and handsome, but because he was born in Britain. We fought a war over that notion, too, that people whose loyalty had switched to American, or who spoke English on American ships, should not be impressed onto British ships just because the British Navy wanted them. People should be allowed to choose which nation they want to support and where they want to live, but they should be expected to learn about their new home country and not try to change it into the place they came from. On the other hand, just because your neighbor annoys you or looks different, does not make them unAmerican. They have just as much right to be here as you do. And if they're obeying the laws of the land, why not keep them here? The challenge of being an American includes accepting other Americans, some of them troglodytes.