The military that defends our nation is willing to die for it.  Dr. Martin Luther King marched and shed his blood for it.  The Constitution guarantees it and Old Glory is the symbol of it.  It is the greatest gift that any American can receive.  “It” is United States citizenship.

U.S. citizenship is the envy of the world and yearned for by freedom-loving people everywhere.  The ancient Greeks considered citizenship to be a public office of equal stature to that of a governor or a president.  Our nation’s unprecedented special form of citizenship is based on liberty and justice.  It is the greatest form of citizenship ever bestowed upon a human being in the history of the world.

With citizenship comes powerful rights and important responsibilities.  Among those rights and responsibilities is the obligation to protect the institution of citizenship from attack.  The attack in the past decade has been relentless and damaging.  Public officials from the President to the Governor of our state have decided to violate the “rule of law” and respect for our citizenship by providing illegal aliens with benefits normally given only to our citizens.  This misguided philosophy has diminished the stature of our form of citizenship and subjected it to disrespect and exploitation.  The 20 million unlawful invaders who have crossed our borders receive the rewards of healthcare, education, social services, earning a decent wage, housing, and all of the gifts our society provides.

The citizens of this nation who should have the exclusive right to these rewards are exploited and forced to support the illegals with their hard-earned incomes.  The politicians who support an amnesty open border policy, along with their colleagues in the media, often use compassion as a weapon to promote their cause.  They claim the illegals are simple, hard-working, innocent people just trying to make a better life for their families.  At the same time, they resort to personal attacks and name-calling against their fellow American citizens who promote the rule of law and believe in citizens’ rights.  It is time to characterize this growing people’s movement in America with an accurate image.  The battle to stop the invasion of illegal aliens and the aggressive attempt to restructure our society into a multi-cultural, multi-lingual paradise should be rightly called “The Citizen’s Rights Movement.”  One is either for citizens’ rights or against citizens’ rights.

Recent developments have made it clear that an overwhelming majority of the American people demand that their citizen’s rights should be respected.  The defeat of the amnesty bill in Congress, growing state legislative initiatives, and even Governor O’Malley’s questionable flip-flop on illegal aliens’ drivers’ licenses is a clear indication that citizens are growing impatient.  I predict the 2008 Presidential election will be greatly influenced by the “Citizens’ Rights Movement” and the problems created by illegal aliens.

I have been a lonely voice in the wilderness on this issue during the past 5 years.  It is fair to say my leadership has generated a growing consensus of support from other elected officials.  The people have stood with me from the beginning.  We must continue our efforts because “Citizen’s Rights” are the most important part of our great

American tradition and heritage.

For information, contact Delegate Pat McDonough by calling 410-238-0025, e-mailing him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , and/or visiting his website at PatMcDonough.org.