Hello, All!   
   An essay about Love, State and humanity.   
      
   Why did I start to think of it? Here is a real story that has been   
   going on in Russia. Persons in action: Julia - a woman in her   
   thirtieths and her under age son Leo. Julia immigrated from Russia   
   to the US long ago and became an American citizen. Leo was born in   
   America, and he is an American citizen from birth.   
      
   Julia had her Russian foreign passport - the only thing that   
   connects her with the country she left almost fifteen years ago.   
   Many Russians prefer to keep it, even if they become citizens of the   
   US, because the procedure of leaving from the Russian citizenship is   
   very long, tricky and expensive. The US does not recognize double   
   citizenship, but does not demand from its people to refuse from   
   their former citizenship if they have one.   
      
   The Russian passport expired, but Julia had no time to renew it in   
   San-Francisco where the nearest Russian consulate was. But when she   
   was making the Russian visa for her son, she was told in the Russian   
   consulate that she could visit Russia with her present document   
   without trouble. Was it an accidental error, I don't know.   
      
   So she went. Nobody said a word when she entered. She spent in   
   Russia three weeks, said good bye to her relatives and went to the   
   airport to fly back home, to the US. That day was ill luck. First   
   they found that her luggage exceeded the allowed limit by 2   
   kilograms, and they demanded 70 dollars for overweight. The luggage   
   was unpacked and lightened. But the worst was ahead. When she was   
   asked for the passport she gave her American passport and then   
   Russian one, as she entered Russia with it, as a Russian citizen. In   
   this place the fact of passport expiration was revealed and Julia   
   got into hot water.   
      
   First she was fined. But, probably, it was enough. She was banned   
   from living Russia, and although it was possible to settle the   
   matter at Sheremetyevo airport or in a Russian consulate in the US,   
   she was told to return to Moscow and make the new foreign Russian   
   passport. When she came to the Moscow's FMS (Federal migration   
   service) department, she was told that before she can apply for a   
   foreign Russian passport she must do an internal Russian passport.   
   And the ready time for both documents are up to 4-6 months. Besides,   
   she had to go to another Russian town (where she had lived in 20   
   years ago) and get notary's certificate of her birth in Russia (the   
   original one remained in her home in the US).   
      
   Everywhere she was brutally kicked and mocked. She could spend three   
   hour in a queue and then hear a brutal refuse and nonwillingness to   
   solve her problem. When she came to the Russian Ministry of Foreign   
   Affairs she was told that she is a Russian citizen and she must put   
   her US passport in place that cannot be named here, probably venting   
   on the poor woman and her son all the hatred they had against the US.   
      
   The US embassy also refused to help her, pretending that if she went   
   in with Russian passport she cannot wait any help from the American   
   embassy. They refused to make even a single phone call to request   
   for speeding up the documents making. It is an interesting   
   position. The US does not recognize her Russian citizenship, and   
   actually refused to count her as a real American citizen, too.   
      
   Julia's under age son was born in the US, and entered Russia with   
   Russian visa in his US passport. This visa should get expired in a   
   few days. Julia was forced to buy a ticket for her son and send him   
   alone to the US (he had to change planes during this trip). Probably   
   parents will understand what did she feel during his trip.   
      
   Days have been passing along. The only progress Julia could get is   
   the agreement that her foreign passport will be made in several   
   months without obtaining an internal Russian passport. When she   
   asked for forms to fill she was told that they had not any and they   
   could not help her to fill them. They mockingly advised her to buy   
   printers and, better, to buy a dirigible for flying from Russia.   
   Both Julia and her mother who helps her as she only could started   
   smoking again after giving up this habit several years ago.   
      
   In this way Julia lives in Moscow now, without her son, without real   
   documents (her US passport is not a real document in Russia),   
   without possibility to participate in her family business where she   
   is the book- keeper. Nobody can help, and probably she will live   
   limbo for months.   
      
   How cruel is this world, however.   
      
   Maybe somebody will say something helpful?   
      
   Bye All!   
   Alexander (yAlexKo[]yandex.ru) + 2:5020/2140.91   
   fido7.debate 2012   
      
      
   --- FIDOGATE 5.1.7ds   
    * Origin: Pushkin's BBS (2:5020/2140.2)