From: Vincent Cate <vince@offshore.com.ai>
Date: Tue, 20 Oct 1998 10:37:19 +0800
To: cypherpunks@cyberpass.net
Subject: My citizenship renunciation made difficult
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.3.95.981019212457.20660C-100000@online.offshore.com.ai>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain




My Barbados Embassy/Consulate contact Steve Steger (246) 228 4338 called
me up and told me that the state department has not approved my
renunciation - they say one of the forms the Barbados guys had me fill out
is old.

For those just tuning in, I renounced my citizenship to be free of US laws
on cryptography.

While I was at the Consulate they had me fill out a 1st set of forms, then
said those were obsolete (a few years back) and after waiting around for
hours they had me fill out a 2nd set of forms that they said was the
current version.  I filled out and signed everything they gave me.  They
then had an interview with several witnesses.  They took my US passport
and gave me copies of the 2nd version of all the forms with my signatures
and theirs on them. 

Now Steve says that I am supposed to travel down to Barbados again using
up my time and my money because of their error to do a 3rd version of
their forms. Both the time and the money make this a hardship.  They won't
mail me this 3rd version of the forms and they won't pay for my trip (let
alone time). 

It seems to me that since I told the New York times that I renounced my US
citizenship, and they told the world, that it should be a done deal. Also,
spending a day in the Consulate signing everything they gave me should be
enough to do it.  And why is a form saying basically "I renounce my
citizenship" that worked awhile back not effective today?

But most of all, the very idea that the US government has to give me
permission to renounce my association with it seems totally wrong.  The
people in the US are supposed to be free, not slaves or subjects.  Free
means free to leave. 

Any advice?

   -- Vince

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Vincent Cate                           Offshore Information Services
 Vince@Offshore.com.ai                  http://www.offshore.com.ai/
 Anguilla, BWI                          http://www.offshore.com.ai/vince
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You have to take life as it happens, but you should try to make it
happen the way you want to take it.    - German Proverb