A Nation Like No Other by Newt Gingrich Page A

looked up to, despite all the criticism, for a reason. There is a nobility in the American character that has been developed over the centuries, derived in part, no doubt, from the frontier spirit, from the waves of migration that form the stock, from the circumstances of independence, from the Civil War, from a myriad of historical facts and coincidences. But it is there.
    That nobility isn’t about being nicer, better, or more successful than anyone else. It is a feeling about the country. It is a devotion to the American ideal that at a certain point transcends class, race, religion,
or upbringing. That ideal is about values: freedom, the rule of law, democracy. It is also about the way you achieve: on merit, by your own efforts and hard work. But it is most of all that in striving for and protecting that ideal, you as an individual take second place to the interests of the nation as a whole. It is what makes the country determined to overcome its challenges. It is what makes its soldiers give their lives in sacrifice. It is what brings every variety of American, from the lowest to the highest, to their feet when “The Star-Spangled Banner” is played. Of course the ideal is not always met—that is obvious. But it is always striven for.
    The next years will test the American character. America won’t be loved in this presidency any more than in previous ones. But America should have confidence. That ideal, which produces the optimism that generates the achievement, is worth all the striving. It is the most precious gift a nation can have. The world is changing. New powers are emerging. But this does not diminish the need for that American ideal. It reaffirms it, renews it, gives it added relevance. There is always one, more prosaic, test of a nation’s position: Are people trying to get into it, or to get out of it? I think we know the answer to that in America’s case, and that ideal is the reason.
    A friend of mine whose parents were immigrants, Jews from Europe who came to America in search of safety, told me this story. His parents lived and worked in New York. They were not well off. His father died when he was young. His mother lived on, and in time my friend succeeded and became wealthy. He often used to offer his mother the chance to travel outside America. She never did. When eventually she died, they went back to recover the safety box where she kept her jewelry. They found there was another box. There was no key. So they had to drill it open. They wondered what precious jewel must be in it. They lifted the lid. There was wrapping and more wrapping and finally an envelope. Intrigued, they opened it. In the envelope were her U.S. citizenship papers. Nothing more. That was the jewel, more precious to her than any other possession. That was what she treasured most. So should America today.

UTKARSH SATA
INDIAN IMMIGRANT CURRENTLY APPLYING FOR CITIZENSHIP, REAL AMERICAN STORIES 7
    I was doing my chemical engineering in India, and during my sophomore year, I always thought that I wanted to specialize in petro chemicals, and I was always watching Westerns and Hollywood movies in India, and always imagined Texas as a big state with a lot of space and big cars and big hats and everything big. So I came to Texas to get a degree in Masters of Petroleum and Tech Engineering.
    I make chemical warfare protective clothing for U.S. Army soldiers. Right now we are trying to come up with material that is better protective and has less logistic burden so that it saves lives. I was in the United States during 9/11. I was very sad that morning, so I chose this research area so that we can do something to protect the freedom of the United States and protect the people and the soldiers who are fighting for that freedom of the U.S., of which I want to become a citizen.
    It is very important for me to become a U.S. citizen. It gives me an opportunity to choose in elections people who share the true democratic