My Choice to Become an American

An amusing aside: in 1965, when I first worked in the USA, in New York (at the Latin Quarter theater restaurant), I applied for the green card (that is the permanent residence permit). Within two weeks I got a call from the authorities that I could come down and pick up my approved card. Weird. Too easy. Well, when I went down to collect the card, they said: “by the way, this also means that we can select you for military service in Vietnam.” I pushed the card back through the window, and declined the invitation to become an American.

Many years later, when I worked in Las Vegas, I applied again, now being too old to be drafted as a soldier. This time the application process was a lot more complicated, AND expensive. But eventually I was approved again. For a green card first, and then five years later, to become a naturalized American. At that time I gave up my Swedish citizenship. In other words I am not a dual citizen.

On 9/11 (2001) Bambi and I had just returned from a security presentation (police lecture) up in Detroit. My presentation was on September 10. It was very much appreciated, and centered or focused on North African pickpockets (with Muslim background) spreading out throughout Europe. The authorities asked me to stay one more day in Detroit and do another presentation for the hotel and transportation management and their security details. I declined as I had just returned from a long sejour in Europe for more than three months, and I had upcoming events in the USA. I simply could not change my itinerary. If I had accepted, I would have been stuck in Detroit for ten days, until air traffic was allowed again.

Bambi and I had a red-eye flight out of Detroit midnight on the 10th. When we arrived home in Las Vegas six hours later we turned on the morning news, and witnessed in real time the two attacks, the flights hitting the towers, and the Pentagon attack. Numbing and worrying how this all would fit in with our research in Europe with Muslim pickpockets and angry Arab elements in Paris and Rome.

Within sixty minutes after the attacks we started to receive text messages and emails from our “sources,” in Europe—the Arab pickpockets we had established rapport and communication with. They all categorically apologized for the horrific attack, and distanced themselves from the extremists. These were true and heartfelt expressions with not the slightest signs of schadenfreude, or glee that America now had suffered.

The 9/11 attack also changed our own journey forward, and career path. Instead of strictly being a comedy pickpocket entertainer with some good advice to stay safe when traveling, we now gradually slid into a whole new field. Understanding the “thinking process” by those who dislike our system and way of life. And that is a much longer story.

Today, Bambi and I reflect, as do most Americans, regardless of political leanings. We wonder where we are, what mistakes we have done, what we could have done different, and what we should now work at to have a safer world. For ourselves and for our partners; be they nations or friends splattered in all corners of the world. Close friends know my obsession with political trends, deceitful behavior, social manipulation, and real sincerity. Yes the word sincerity can be used in more ways than one. This is already long, so we’ll leave the rest, or the conclusions for another post.

Cheers,
Bob Arno