A bad case of electoral dysfunction

Despite being a citizen for almost a year now, I still find it hard to get excited about electoral politics in the United States. Call it a bad case of E.D. (i.e. electoral dysfunction) if you will. I feel like I’ve been waiting my whole life for the day I could call myself a U.S. citizen. When it finally happened in a Department of Homeland Security office in Newark, N.J., I didn’t see what all of the fuss was about. I got asked if I was a terrorist, communist or Nazi, took a short civics exam and watched a government-issued DVD with a recorded greeting from President Barack Obama. I finally became a citizen when a squirrely man led a group of us through an oath while he reminded us of just how momentous this occasion was. I was expecting sparks to fly or to gain superpowers or to suddenly feel free. But nothing magical happened. I had some Dunkin’ Donuts with my mom afterward; it felt like an appropriate first meal as an American.

I’m going to be honest, the most exciting part of gaining citizenship for me wasn’t so much the ability to vote as it was the ease of travel that comes with having an American passport. Now, I can finally visit my family in Jerusalem and Nablus with greater ease. For some reason, Israel doesn’t readily hand out visas to young male citizens of Arab nations, even if they’d just like to visit their aunt who’s battling cancer. Now, a visa is no longer an issue. I can cross the Jordan River with my U.S. passport in hand and receive no hassle aside from a couple of hours of interrogation at the border because, even though I’m a full citizen of the Jewish state’s greatest ally, my name is still Ahmad. My passport doesn’t prevent me from getting “randomly” screened at any airport either, but I can travel with a smile because even if I’m being patted down at least I’m an American being patted down.

I was also excited that I would no longer have to live with the fear of ending up in Guantanamo Bay. For instance, I didn’t feel comfortable enough to start writing a column for this paper until I was a citizen. I had no idea what protections I had as a non-citizen expressing a critical opinion of our government’s policies. Call it paranoia, but I’m not so sure if I can blame myself when I’ve had friends detained by the FBI for “suspicious” behavior ranging from Palestinian solidarity activism on college campuses to performing prayers at a Giants game. Or when I take it for granted that whenever I walk into any gathering at a mosque, an undercover FBI agent will be present.

I have come to realize that I was just being silly. The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) signed this past New Year’s Eve confirmed that the government has full authority to detain me indefinitely, regardless of whether I’m a citizen or not, as long as they deem it necessary. With the assassination of Anwar al-Awlaki, the president has shown that he can become judge, jury and executioner for U.S. citizens in the name of counterterrorism, regardless if those individuals were taking part in combat or not. For those who tell me I shouldn’t worry as long as I’m not being a terrorist, I would ask them to consider what role they want due process to play in our society. Or to look al-Awlaki’s 16-year-old son who was killed alongside his father. Or to consider the scores of individuals who have been released from Guantanamo Bay with no actual charges ever leveled against them.

So what does all this have to do with my E.D.? Well, think of it as performance anxiety. If I have no confidence in my rights and freedoms as a citizen, how am I supposed to perform my duties as a citizen on election day? The ruling of Citizens United that has confirmed money as speech and allowed super PACs to basically buy out elections hasn’t helped either. Don’t worry about me though, because I think I finally got over it (and without a little blue pill). I won’t be keeping up with primaries or rushing to the polls or campaigning for Obama this election season, and I feel more liberated than if I were. I’ve decided that I’m not going to waste too much energy to put somebody in office so they can tell me I can live the life I want to live, especially when my life experiences have confirmed that the system is much better at ensuring the exact opposite.

Ahmad Jitan is a Trinity junior. His column runs every other Thursday. Follow Ahmad on Twitter @AhmadJitan