Another TALENTED foreigner seeking US citizenship

"Give me your tired, your hungry, and your poor." ALL are welcome! This is what makes the US so damn awesome!

Lady Liberty,

Either put your arm down or use some deoderant

Why should anyone be surprised? This is America. We don't make anything in this country, except for the occasional token Culpepper(s), Drossin, or Runyan.

I should mention Jen Rhines, Sara Wells and Milena Glusac, but that's more of a lust thing. Anyway back to the point:

If we want something, we import it. Don't you people know anything about this country?

Or we just cheat to get it, right Rosie?

This reminds me of a quote from Olympic bronze medalist John Carlos about nationalism in athletics.

When criticized that he and Tommie Smith's protest during the medal ceremony had tainted the games, Carlos highlighted the highly political nature of athletics and the Olympic games:

"Why do you have to wear the uniform of your country? Why do they play national anthems? Why do we have to beat the Russians? Why do the East Germans want to beat the West Germans? Why can't everyone wear the same colors but wear numbers to tell them apart? What happened to the Olympic ideal of man against man?"

Vipam wrote:

secret fox

I think it is great that top athletes from other countries are becoming U.S. citizens. The intergrating of those athletes into our system will force U.S. athletes to adapt

to the new talent in order to make our National teams (ex: Abdi and Meb in the 10000m, Colleen in X-Country). Our country is a country of freedom and choices which is what attracts numerous non-athletic individuals, so why should athletes be any different? I do however think the athletes or non-athletes should not be granted emergency citizenship

or special consideration. The process of gaining American citizenship is just as important as obtaining the citizenship. The list of other countries who welcome the top athletes are going yearly, so why should it be harmful to the U.S.

Vipam

off to work

I'm not sure that Abdi and Meb are good examples of this phenomenon. I think both of them (Meb for sure) went to High School or actually started running in the US. They developed into top-level athletes here and are products of the American system. It's not like they switched at the peak of their careers, which would be questionable.

However, the fact that Boaz ran/studied in the US collegiate system and has lived several years in our culture benefits his case.

Perhaps maybe, just maybe Kenya isn't the paradise you all make it out to be, lots of AIDS, malaria, etc., high infant mortality, poor infrastructure, corrupt government, maybe these athletes just want a better life. Or maybe they want to run here because that is what they see there future as. I see no problem with people wanting a better chance, we have it and we've done nothing to deserve except be born here, they want to come over here and work to get what we were given. Go for it Boaz.

It shouldnt work like that??

Coming from the worlds oldest colonialists, I find your comments laughable.

Remember at one point in history, you COULD wake up and decide to be Kenyan, or Indian or Argentinian.

After colonizing every corner of the globe and randomly creating borders across lands and cultures your forefathers had no ideas about, its time for a little payback, old bean.

Ok,Ok. Paleo Indians came over the bearing straight, which means they are from Aisa. u freaking Americans need to trace u guys family tree and soon u guys will realize that everyone in America is a freaking Immigrant.

Jah bless.

Technically we're all immigrants unless you're African living in the original region of your ancestors. But I have to agree with Secret Fox here, changing nationalities for purely sporting reasons is wrong. Hargreaves is a sell out, he should have played for Canada. Same with the Canadian tennis player and also the female canadian distance runner (I'm too tired to remember names). They all left for better money which is wrong. The best solution: once you've competed for one country that should be it, unless there's extreme extenuating circumstances. Including junior national programs. What about putting something back into the program that has brought you along? A little national pride would be nice, even if you won't be better off financially. My 2 cents worth anyways, and I am an immigrant in every sense of the word.

Last I looked it was the American Team. No it is not about getting the best team..it never is in the US. It is about who can place in the top 3 at US NAtionals and have the standard. It is all timing. Who the F#%& want's to see two Kenyans and a Morrocan running for the US??? Its Bullsh*#! American's want to see Americans who they can identify with. With 270 sub 2:20 men's marathoner's in one year from Kenya soon we will have about 150 of them as US citizens....then what. American kids can't see success now as it is in distance running and quit to go work 50 hours a week. This will discourage them even more.

They aren't Kenyans or Morrocans they are Americans. Get over it. If you don't like the US get out. This is the way it is, you can achieve citizenship if you are persistant. Why do we keep bringing this topic up? Is someone planning on going to congress and Amend the Constitution or something? Get over it already. If Boaz wants to be a citizen and he is already living and working here then I say go for it.

In the States one can slide through the immigration process if you are "someone with extraordinary talent." This is some huge category the BOI uses that allows pro athletes or esteemed scholars to come over here with little trouble. Its alright they do this. It just bothers me that pro athletes from Africa can come here with little trouble when at the same time their countrymen back home are not allowed assylum in most cases if they are being persecuted. Seems kind of screwed up to me.

You are full of shit.

I agree. How many American college kids ran at the US Championships this year? How many were given the opportunity to run and fill out the fields? Did this inspire them to stay with it and pursue running beyond college? Lets hope so. Now imagine those spots are all gone with ageing forign talent that can't make their own national team. Good bye US kid. Nice dreaming. Get a real life, a job, a car, a house a family. Forget about the Olympics. 3 people who you never heard of and can't pronounce their names are going to represent you because they moved here last year, and the US is desperate for a winner. Are you an American just because you become a US Citizen? That is too easy. I think it requires more.

I seriously doubt the foreigners are apply for U.S. citizenship because they can't make their National team.

Colleen de Reuck could still make the South African team and she became a US citizen, it would be alot easier for Meb and Abdi to make the team in the country they were born in. Some of the athletes seek a better life and after spending time in the U.S. they feel this is the place to obtain that life.

The statement about taking spots away from U.S. born citizens is BS, if they can't beat the "SUPPOSEDY 2nd RATE

foreigners at the National Championship-they what hope do they have at the Worlds or Olympics. I agree with my former coach-Jim Spivey-foreign collegians and new citizens

forces our athletes to raise their level or be left off the team. Good Luck to Boaz and I am sure he will improve as a U.S. citizen.

Vipam

hurt wrote:

Ok,Ok. Paleo Indians came over the bearing straight, which means they are from Aisa. u freaking Americans need to trace u guys family tree and soon u guys will realize that everyone in America is a freaking Immigrant.

Jah bless.

Why does everyone make a big deal about Americans all being immigrants? So is everyone else. The Celts migrated to Britain and were eventually dispossesed by the Angles and Saxons who were eventually dispossesed by the Normans. Everyone's ancestors migrated from Africa.

But people have always come to the US to get a better deal. Go to any hospital and you're likely to find it filled with doctors from India or Pakistan. Why don't they go back "home" to practice medicine? Because they have a better standard of life here. Why is it wrong then if someone who runs for a living wants to move here because his/her opportunities are better?

We go on all the time in the US about being the greatest nation on earth. Why are we surprised then when people from other countries want to live here? Presumably, the immigration people will decide if a prospective immigrant athlete is the sort of person we want to admit. Once that's done we have no way to deny them any opportunities the rest of us have. If the immigrant is a better runner or doctor than someone who was born here, they'll likely get better jobs or more spots on national teams or more race or sponsorship money.

When I was a college sophomore I was the last man on our varsity xc team. The following year we brought in several new runners who looked good enough to boot me from that last spot. I decided that if I wanted to run in the big meets I'd have to beat those guys, a task that seemed impossible at the time. But I trained more over the summer than I ever did and actually moved up one spot in the team.

The immigrant runners can potentially raise the standard for everyone. If native born runners are afraid they'll lose their chances at an Olympic team or at substantial prize money they can figure out a way to run faster. It's not impossible. It happened in the past.

And if the native born runners lose their money and national team berths to the immigrant runners, so what? They can still train and race as seriously as they'd like the way most of us do, in their spare time with the goal of being the best runner they can be regardless of what others are doing. Love the sport, do your best and don't get bent out of shape over thins you can't control.

HRE makes some really good points.

I see some parallel of this with the whole trade deficet in cars between the US and Japan in the 80s. Buy the better car, and the other manufacturer will raise its standards to compete.

Let's see a few star American-born 1500m runners immigrate to Kenya and run at their Oly. Trials and see if the Kenyans bitch that the Americans are taking away a Kenyan-born runner's spot.

Has anyone here seen the dave chapel show where the blind negro is a white power movement leader? That was some funny shit.