![]() ![]() Although green-card holders have greater due-process protections than other non-citizens, the only true shield from deportation is a naturalization certificate. The country is riding a new wave of the nativism that has intermittently characterized much of American history, from the anti-Catholic Know Nothings to the Chinese Exclusion Act, to anti-Irish, -Italian, -Jewish, -Catholic, and -Japanese animus, to the two chief targets du jour: Muslims and Latinos. There are deeper cultural dynamics at play, too. As some news reports suggested, one reason for the uptick may have been fear of Donald Trump’s stricter tact on immigration. ![]() The last three months of 2016 saw a 28 percent increase in the number of naturalization applicants compared with the last three months of 2015. The idea of schoolchildren taking it at frequent intervals is one of the things that seem very strange about the USA to the British.There are many immigrants willing to take that pledge. Native-born citizens who don't become any of the kinds of public servant listed above normally go through their entire lives without taking any oath of allegiance, as I have. ![]() Presumably they are re-sworn when there is a new monarch. Some people, including police officers in England and Wales, and members of the Privy Council who have a more elaborate oath, swear only to the current monarch. Holders of various important offices take the oath as soon as possible after assuming office, and members of either house of Parliament and the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly must do so before they can take their seats. Judges, military personnel, public notaries, and clergy of the Church of England, do likewise on taking office or being admitted to their respective status. Non-religious people may affirm instead of swearing an oath. In the United Kingdom, persons who become naturalised citizens swear allegiance to the monarch and their lawful heirs and successors. Since the link to the blog was pulled down, the summarized opinion is that reciting the pledge always felt more of influenced by the law and the stiff government of the time, than one's patriotic conviction. So to answer your question, yes for Kenya, but more of a historical thing. ![]() It was mandatory to recite it then, unlike now, where only the national anthem is sung. This blog indicates a shared opinion of what it was really about. It was a time when the political environment was quite stiff. This is because it was used during the reign of the second president (Daniel Arap Moi, 1978-2002) as a means to instill patriotism especially in kids. In fact, if you were to ask an 18 year old to recite it they would probably be like 'we have such a thing?'. However, it has come to fade and does not receive much attention. We used to recite it while in primary school just after singing the national anthem. Answering for Kenya, we do have a loyalty pledge, though it is extremely rare to hear it being recited even in national holidays like independence day. ![]()
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