David Soul becomes British

Posted by: tahir

David Soul becomes British - 21/10/2004 13:53

David Soul: My home is where my art is

When David Soul was growing up on the prairies of America's Midwest, he never imagined that, aged 61, he'd be sitting in a grey council office, pledging his allegiance to the Queen of England. Here, he explains how it happened...

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/story.jsp?story=573855
Posted by: Daria

Re: David Soul becomes British - 21/10/2004 14:04

I remember in the 80s when he stood in solidarity with protestors here as steel mills were closing and lots of people were being laid off. By and large it didn't help; The steel mills I remember from my earlier years now lay fallow or have been leveled for shopping, office parks, and even a very small amount of industrial redevelopment (there's a gypsum plant on part of the mill site in Aliquippa)
Posted by: adavidw

Re: David Soul becomes British - 24/10/2004 20:02

Quote:
British citizenship does not mean that I am cutting my ties with America. My children and my ageing parents still live in the States, so I'll be visiting them, and I will be voting in the US presidential election next month...


Um, isn't there some idea that once you aren't a US citizen anymore, you shouldn't be allowed to vote in US elections? Don't we check for that kind of thing? Yeah, I know we probably don't, but still, hasn't anyone told David Soul?
Posted by: webroach

Re: David Soul becomes British - 24/10/2004 21:15

Quote:
Quote:
British citizenship does not mean that I am cutting my ties with America. My children and my ageing parents still live in the States, so I'll be visiting them, and I will be voting in the US presidential election next month...


Um, isn't there some idea that once you aren't a US citizen anymore, you shouldn't be allowed to vote in US elections?...


I think he may be doing dual citizenship?
Posted by: wfaulk

Re: David Soul becomes British - 24/10/2004 21:33

8 USC § 1481 states that you may lose your citizenship for any of these reasons:
  • becoming a naturalized citizen of another country, or declaring allegiance to another country, after reaching age 18
  • serving as an officer in a foreign country's military service, or serving in the armed forces of a country which is engaged in hostilities against the US
  • working for a foreign government (e.g., in political office or as a civil servant)
  • formally renouncing one's US citizenship before duly authorized US officials
  • committing treason against, or attempting or conspiring to overthrow the government of, the US
It used to be that doing any of those things automatically lost you your citizenship, but the State Department changed its tune in 1990 so that you have to tell the State Department that you intended to lose your US citizenship. Actually, before that, in 1986, Congress changed its tune enough to allow the notion that you might not want to relinquish your citizenship, but it wasn't taken for granted by the State Department until 1990. This means that dual citizenship is now legal in the US, and I'm sure that's what Mr. Soul has done.