Hey Cincinnati! Can You Pass The Latest U.S. Immigration Service Citizenship Test

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Click here to see sample questions that immigrants must answer to obtain U.S. citizenship.  If you were born in the USA, you get the rights and privileges automatically.  If you were born in another country, immigrate legally, and want to acquire those rights and privileges, you have to earn them by showing you know something about how our government works.  Take the test and see if you can pass.  Even if you fail, you won't have to pack your bags -- though you should be deeply embarrassed. The sample test includes 100 actual questions that could be asked by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, a branch of the Department of Homeland Security.  When the test is given, 10 questions are asked.  A passing score is 6 of 10 correct.  Try these on for size: 

Naturalization Self Test

Who makes federal laws?

the Supreme Court
the President
Congress
the states

The House of Representatives has how many voting members?
one hundred (100)
two hundred (200)
four hundred thirty-five (435)
four hundred forty-one (441)

In what month do we vote for President?
January
February
October
November

What is the name of the national anthem?
God Bless the U.S.A.
The Star-Spangled Banner
My Country Tis of Thee
America the Beautiful

What is one responsibility that is only for United States citizens?
obey the law
pay taxes
serve on a jury
be respectful of others

Name two national U.S. holidays.
Valentine's Day and Presidents' Day
April Fool's Day and Labor Day
Labor Day and Thanksgiving
Citizenship Day and Columbus Day

Who did the United States fight in World War II?
Austria-Hungary, Japan, and Germany
the Soviet Union, Germany, and Italy
Japan, Germany, and Italy
Japan, China, and Vietnam

When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
December 7, 1787
July 4, 1789
July 4, 1776
March 4, 1789

U.S. Appeals Court In Ohio Reopens Iraqi Christian's Asylum Plea

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- A federal appeals court in Ohio says the Bush administration ignored evidence that Iraqi Christians face persecution in the overwhelmingly Muslim nation. It ordered immigration officials to reconsider plans to deport a watchmaker who fled Baghdad seeking religious freedom in America. The government wanted to boot Tony Dawood out of the United States, and authorities dismissed reports of persecution as "completely incredible" when they rejected his petition for refugee status.

Now, a three-judge panel of the 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Cincinnati unanimously says the government's contention there was no religious persecution of Christians in Iraq appears at odds with reality. It said there was evidence of bombings, killings and destruction of churches and ordered the government to reconsider the decision that turned down Dawood's plea for refugee status.

The 6th Circuit ruling could be seen as an embarrassment for the administration of President George W. Bush, whose Justice Department last week said it was moving to beef up its protection of the civil rights of Americans who believe they have suffered from religious discrimination at home.

That announcement was designed to put the government squarely on the side of Christians. However, its treatment of Dawood was questioned by the three-judge panel, who said the Justice Department filed briefs to deport the Iraqi Christian.

"We also note that both the government in its brief and the administrative agency have asserted that there is no reason to believe that Chaldean Christians have a reasonable basis to fear persecution in Iraq today. On remand, the Board should review and reconsider this argument based on current conditions in light of the conditions described in the Department of State country report on Iraq in 2004. The report states in part:

"'There were numerous incidents of violence against the Christian community this year, ranging from individual killings to intimidation. The number of Christians leaving the country rose, after bombings of 14 churches in Baghdad and Mosul and the Chaldean Bishop's palace in Mosul from August through December. The bombings left 14 dead and 340 injured as well as damaging the churches.'"

The court went on to point out there are numerous press reports of attacks on Christians in Iraq. It wondered "whether the government continues to support the position" that there is no documentation Christians have a well-founded fear of persecution on account of religion. The full-text of the ruling is HERE.

Student Lawyers Win Gay-Rights Immigration Case

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- A victory in an Ohio federal appeals court by University of Michigan volunteer student lawyers who stopped the Bush's Administration's move to deport a gay refugee could add to faculty unease at another campus -- Southern Methodist University.

Last week, 68 SMU professors and theologians signed a manifesto questioning the school's plans for a $500 million presidential library and think tank that would open after President George W. Bush leaves office. They gave him low marks on gay rights, civil liberties and the environment.

But until now, few knew the 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Ohio invoked the Convention Against Torture and ruled last week a 47-year-old homosexual Guatemalan faced serious persecution at home. The man sought asylum in the U.S., claiming he had been raped, beaten, and extorted by authorities in his homeland. Justice Department lawyers contended he should be kicked out even though U.S. diplomats said authorities in Guatemala turned a 'blind eye" to violence against gays. The Bush Administration said the claim of government-countenanced gay bashing was 'without merit."

The appeals court noted there was evidence of ''social cleansing" in Guatemala and cited a U.S. State Department "letter that the Guatemalan police turn a deliberate blind eye toward the persecution of homosexuals in that country."
The full text of the 22-page opinion is available HERE.

Heather Bobkova and Rita Abro, the Michigan student lawyers, obtained the court order invoking the Convention Against Torture.

Official info about the presidential library is HERE , and the SMU campus portal is HERE.

The SMU faculty letter first draft is pretty critical of the president:

“We count ourselves among those who would regret to see SMU enshrine attitudes and actions widely deemed as ethically egregious: degradation of habeas corpus, outright denial of global warming, flagrant disregard for international treaties, alienation of long-term U.S. allies, environmental predation, shameful disrespect for gay persons and their rights, a pre-emptive war based on false and misleading premises, and a host of other erosions of respect for the global human community and for this good Earth on which our flourishing depends.”

“[T]hese violations are antithetical to the teaching, scholarship, and ethical thinking that best represents Southern Methodist University.”