February 11 2005

Outraged American to Renounce His US Citizenship

An American businessman who has lived in Christchurch since 2001 says he will formally renounce his US citizenship on March 1 2005 to disassociate himself forever with the United States Government and its policies.

Harmon Wilfred says he has been considering the value of his US birthright for many months and made a final decision to renounce his citizenship shortly after the inauguration of President George W. Bush for a second term of presidency. However he says his decision, which is permanent and irreversible, is far more than a political gesture.

“I was raised to believe – and believed fervently– that the United States is the land of the free and the home of the brave. But the actions of the United States Government in recent years, and my own personal experience, have undermined my respect for the US to the extent that I no longer want to be an American.”

Wilfred plans to make a statement of renunciation before a US consular officer in Auckland, New Zealand and will live as a “stateless individual” while he and his Canadian wife, Carolyn, are being considered for New Zealand residency.

Since arriving in New Zealand to invest in new technologies, Wilfred has been involved in the development of wireless data transmission, Broadband Powerline communication (BPL) and Internet telephony (www.combined-tech.com and www.powerlinecom.net). He also oversees the development of humanitarian projects on behalf of his wife’s estate and is currently working with several charitable trusts to trial his newly proposed family/community support initiative.

Wilfred says he is confident his record of achievement in business and community support will make him and his wife strong candidates for New Zealand citizenship but he plans to also offer himself to the world at large as an “honest and productive citizen”. www.harmonwilfred.com

He believes the United States has reached a dangerous point in its history with what he calls an extravagant, self serving and dysfunctional government at the lead. “While over 2 billion people are starving around the world and 35.9 million Americans are living below the poverty line with 2 million literally homeless, we see US$880 million spent on an election campaign and $60million dollars expended on an inauguration ceremony for the winner; all the while American families are being ripped apart and impoverished in every US State by a twisted family court system and the government would have us believe that this excessive and abusive way of life is sacrosanct.

“Americans are literally brain-washed by paid political spin doctors into believing that they live in a representative democracy when in actual fact today, the US system is nothing more than a politically corrupt form of special interest capitalism. Around the globe we’re seeing the US Government act unilaterally and in its own interests while in direct defiance of the legal authority of the United Nations, in the deluded belief that it is delivering freedom and democracy in places where it has no moral or legal mandate.”

“I can no longer be a party to this kind of lawlessness, dishonesty, waste and hypocrisy.” Wilfred’s hope is that the irrevocable renouncing of his citizenship on principle will become a wakeup call to all Americans.

ENDS

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