What?
No seriously what?
I triple checked the story and checked the date because I knew it HAD to be wrong but yeah... Bachmann is Swiss now. Politico
Politco wrote:Rep. Michele Bachmann is now officially a Swiss miss.
Bachmann (R-Minn.) recently became a citizen of Switzerland, making her eligible to run for office in the tiny European nation, according to a Swiss TV report Tuesday.
Arthur Honegger, a reporter for public broadcaster Schweizer Fernsehen, told POLITICO the Swiss consulate in Chicago has confirmed that the former Republican presidential candidate became a citizen March 19.
The Swiss consulate in Chicago covers the state of Minnesota, which Bachmann represents.
Marcus Bachmann, the congresswoman’s husband since 1978, reportedly was eligible for Swiss citizenship due to his parents’ nationality — but only registered it with the Swiss government Feb. 15. Once the process was finalized on March 19, Michele automatically became a citizen as well, according to Honegger.
(ALSO ON POLITICO: Marcus Bachmann becomes sideshow)
Bachmann’s three youngest children are also now Swiss citizens, and her two older children are eligible to apply for a fast-track citizenship process, according to an email from the consulate provided and translated by Honegger.
Bachmann’s office confirmed that the congresswoman had received Swiss citizenship, and attributed the decision to her children.
“Congresswoman Bachmann’s husband is of Swiss descent, so she has been eligible for dual-citizenship since they got married in 1978. However, recently some of their children wanted to exercise their eligibility for dual-citizenship so they went through the process as a family,” said Bachmann spokesperson Becky Rogness.
The Minnesota congresswoman was interviewed by Swiss national public television in D.C. on Tuesday while with a group of Swiss parliamentarians.
“My husband is a 100 percent Swiss, and his parents were raised in Switzerland, they were married there, they came to the United States, they bought a farm in Wisconsin and raised their three sons there,” said Bachmann.
Asked if she would run for office in Switzerland — as she is now eligible to do — Bachmann joked that the competition “would be very stiff because they are very good,” referring to the parliamentarians behind her.
Each Swiss citizen belongs specifically to a canton, and Bachmann’s is the canton of Thurgau in Northeast Switzerland.
“It’s tough to find a place not to like in Switzerland,” said Bachmann.
The Minnesota congresswoman ran for president this election cycle, and won the Ames straw poll last year, but a sixth-place showing in the Iowa caucuses led to her dropping out.
Bachmann’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Swiss consulate in Chicago was closed when contacted by POLITICO.
CORRECTION: Marcus Bachmann’s Swiss citizenship was filed on Feb. 15 and granted on March 19. An earlier version of this article said the registration was filed on March 19.
This goes under the what the hell news section.
"A cult is a religion with no political power." -Tom Wolfe Pardon me for sounding like a dick, but I'm playing the tiniest violin in the world right now-Dalton
Hmm, I wonder if this would disqualify her from holding a position in the cabinet, or from a high-level national security position now that she, her husband, and her children have a divided loyalty?
Is she sitting on any sort of House Committee that requires a clearance?
Turns out that a five way cross over between It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the Ali G Show, Fargo, Idiocracy and Veep is a lot less funny when you're actually living in it.
Pelranius wrote:Is she sitting on any sort of House Committee that requires a clearance?
She serves on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, which is charged with the oversight of the United States Intelligence Community on behalf of the House of Representatives, so she is privy to lots of top secret information.
Whether or not there are any legal problems with a dual citizen holding a security clearance I'll leave for others far more versed in U.S. security clearance procedures to answer (Did Henry Kissinger maintain his German citizenship after he was naturalized?), I am certain if a Democratic congressman had just become a Swiss citizen that Ms. Bachman would be amongst the first to question that congressman's patriotism.
Oh, and for the cherry on the cake, Switzerland has universal healthcare, including requiring the purchase of basic health insurance by all residents. So Ms. Bachman has just donned the “Crown jewels of Socialism”, as she so hysterically put it.
The more time she spends in Switzerland, the better for the States.
If The Infinity Program were not a forum, it would be a pie-in-the-sky project. “Faith is both the prison and the open hand.”— Vienna Teng, "Augustine."
I presume that by doing this, she has no intention of running for Prez again in a few years. I can't imagine a dual citizen as the teep candidate.
So, yay?
"Oh no, oh yeah, tell me how can it be so fair
That we dying younger hiding from the police man over there
Just for breathing in the air they wanna leave me in the chair
Electric shocking body rocking beat streeting me to death"
- A.B. Original, Report to the Mist
"I think it’s the duty of the comedian to find out where the line is drawn and cross it deliberately."
- George Carlin
As she applied for foreign citizenship, her United States citizenship can be revoked. Basically, the next time she has one of her flip-outs where she vows to leave the country because it is ruled by Communist Nazis, the State Department can determine that to be "intent to renounce" and strip her of her citizenship. It wouldn't happen, but it would be funny as Hell.
Did she apply for citizenship? The quoted article says she got it automatically as soon as her husband did.
Now, maybe you can argue that her husband is some sort of remote-controlled drone-meatpuppet who, let's be realistic, does exactly what Michelle says. Because otherwise she'll stop being his beard and his reputation as an anti-gay crusader will be ruined. Or something like that. But it wouldn't fly in court.
The part that gets me is, they're going through the citizenship process because Rep. Bachman's children "wish to exercise some of their citizenship rights", which is a statement that's considerably open to interpretation, to put it mildly. Are they fleeing the country now?
There are hardly any excesses of the most crazed psychopath that cannot easily be duplicated by a normal kindly family man who just comes in to work every day and has a job to do.
-- (Terry Pratchett, Small Gods)
Replace "ginger" with "n*gger," and suddenly it become a lot less funny, doesn't it?
-- fgalkin
"Aid, trade, green technology and peace." - Hans Rosling.
"Welcome to SDN, where we can't see the forest because walking into trees repeatedly feels good, bro." - Mr Coffee
On reflection this is the best possible explanation as the more places you have your money the less taxes you get to pay because of the dance you get to play telling all the countries your paying taxes elsewhere.
"A cult is a religion with no political power." -Tom Wolfe Pardon me for sounding like a dick, but I'm playing the tiniest violin in the world right now-Dalton
Pelranius wrote:Is she sitting on any sort of House Committee that requires a clearance?
She serves on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, which is charged with the oversight of the United States Intelligence Community on behalf of the House of Representatives, so she is privy to lots of top secret information.
Whether or not there are any legal problems with a dual citizen holding a security clearance I'll leave for others far more versed in U.S. security clearance procedures to answer (Did Henry Kissinger maintain his German citizenship after he was naturalized?), I am certain if a Democratic congressman had just become a Swiss citizen that Ms. Bachman would be amongst the first to question that congressman's patriotism.
Foreign citizens can have a clearance, but there are handling caveats that define some information such that only american citizens can see. She's still an american citizen so that particular one is a moot point.
Fenreer wrote:As she applied for foreign citizenship, her United States citizenship can be revoked.
No, it can't. US courts and law have even held that foreign citizenship oaths which require renouncing US citizenship are not binding.
It is extremely difficult to renounce US citizenship.
"If the facts are on your side, pound on the facts. If the law is on your side, pound on the law. If neither is on your side, pound on the table."
"The captain claimed our people violated a 4,000 year old treaty forbidding us to develop hyperspace technology. Extermination of our planet was the consequence. The subject did not survive interrogation."
He has already finished it and has renounced his citizenship.
The US is one of two countries in the world (the other is Eritrea) that taxes you on based citizenship, not residence, so that you have to pay the IRS no matter where you are and where you earned the money. This is why they make it as difficult as possible to renounce US citizenship.
I have an inkling that the fact that the US holds oaths renouncing American citizenship to be non-binding is a bad thing. Could someone more legally minded or with education/training expand on this and/or explain why I'm barking up the wrong tree please?
Baltar: "I don't want to miss a moment of the last Battlestar's destruction!"
Centurion: "Sir, I really think you should look at the other Battlestar."
Baltar: "What are you babbling about other...it's impossible!"
Centurion: "No. It is a Battlestar."
Corrax Entry 7:17: So you walk eternally through the shadow realms, standing against evil where all others falter. May your thirst for retribution never quench, may the blood on your sword never dry, and may we never need you again.
Eternal_Freedom wrote:I have an inkling that the fact that the US holds oaths renouncing American citizenship to be non-binding is a bad thing.
Because other countries have put renouncement requirements on citizenship and other oathes. US citizenship should not be beholden to the laws of other countries.
"If the facts are on your side, pound on the facts. If the law is on your side, pound on the law. If neither is on your side, pound on the table."
"The captain claimed our people violated a 4,000 year old treaty forbidding us to develop hyperspace technology. Extermination of our planet was the consequence. The subject did not survive interrogation."
Eternal_Freedom wrote:I have an inkling that the fact that the US holds oaths renouncing American citizenship to be non-binding is a bad thing.
Because other countries have put renouncement requirements on citizenship and other oathes. US citizenship should not be beholden to the laws of other countries.
Right. So are they saying that US citizenship is somehow more important that citizenship of another nation?
Baltar: "I don't want to miss a moment of the last Battlestar's destruction!"
Centurion: "Sir, I really think you should look at the other Battlestar."
Baltar: "What are you babbling about other...it's impossible!"
Centurion: "No. It is a Battlestar."
Corrax Entry 7:17: So you walk eternally through the shadow realms, standing against evil where all others falter. May your thirst for retribution never quench, may the blood on your sword never dry, and may we never need you again.
Eternal_Freedom wrote:
Right. So are they saying that US citizenship is somehow more important that citizenship of another nation?
No we are just saying that only America gets to decided that your not an American anymore.
"A cult is a religion with no political power." -Tom Wolfe Pardon me for sounding like a dick, but I'm playing the tiniest violin in the world right now-Dalton
Ah, because obviously the individual can't be allowed to decide things (sarcasm...or is it?)
Either way, thanks for the explanation.
Baltar: "I don't want to miss a moment of the last Battlestar's destruction!"
Centurion: "Sir, I really think you should look at the other Battlestar."
Baltar: "What are you babbling about other...it's impossible!"
Centurion: "No. It is a Battlestar."
Corrax Entry 7:17: So you walk eternally through the shadow realms, standing against evil where all others falter. May your thirst for retribution never quench, may the blood on your sword never dry, and may we never need you again.
