Proud to be an American

105-year old man gets American citizenship:

In 1964, he was imprisoned in Cuba for smuggling weapons from the United States into the island for an insurrection against Fidel Castro. [Jose] Temprana got out at age 93, applied for a humanitarian visa and flew to Miami.

Once here, he worked to get his citizenship but fell short twice.

“I’ve wanted … it since I was 8 or 10 years old,” Temprana said.

“I feel different,” said Temprana, who served 30 years in Cuban jails. “Satisfied, very happy. It was worth the wait.”

As an immigrant, also from a Communist hellhole, I love reading stories like this. Despite what most of the America-haters would have you believe, the promise of America still looms so large for oppressed people around the world. I hope that in the criticism of President Bush’s backward, ridiculous immigration bill, it’s not forgotten that there are immigrants who come to America ready to love it with their whole hearts and to call themselves Americans first and foremost. This July 4th, we’ll be celebrating this great nation along with those of you lucky enough to have been born here. This year, so will 105-year old Jose Temprana, who finally got his wish.

Karol Sheinin blogs political at Alarming News and blogs poker at I Had Outs. She enjoys meeting right-leaning people in NYC.

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