N-400 denial: do you acknowledge or not?

I am very confused ;) When did valiko say that she got an oath letter? Have I missed anything? I don't think she has received an oath letter. If she received an oath letter after the notice of denial it would be good to go to the ceremony and explain the situation. No need to lie, just tell about the denial notice and the oath letter and let them sort it out. However, as I said, I am confused, when did this change to a go or not go to the oath ceremony?
 
I Was Right!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:mad: HA!!! :D

I WAS RIGHT!!!!:p

THE BLOODY DENIAL LETTER CAN BE IGNORED: 8 CFR sect. 336.1(c):
"§ 336.1 Denial after section 335 examination.
[...]
(c) Service of the notice of denial may be made in person OR by certified mail to the applicant's last known address, or upon the attorney or representative of record as provided in part 292 of this chapter.
"

The 2 options above are the ONLY ones: in-person or certified mail -- INS did neither!!! :D :D :D
I'm filing the lawsuit against the USCIS including the WA state Seattle district
director Jack W. Bennett with the US District Court for the Western District of WA in Seattle pursuant INA section 336(b), and 8 U.S.C. § 1447(b) violations.
As planned before.

WOW!!!

Am I GOOD, OR WHAT?!!! :D
I will file the appeal, and win the other case of stalling my naturalization and then get the money waisted on the appeal back from the INS.
 
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N-336 Appellate Brief

Good day to all reading.

As promised before, here is the brief that I submitted to appeal n-400 denial.

All and any comments, corrections, etc., are welcomed. The brief is somewhat frivolous, but I don't think that's a problem.

View attachment 16962
 
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:mad: HA!!! :D

I WAS RIGHT!!!!:p

THE BLOODY DENIAL LETTER CAN BE IGNORED: 8 CFR sect. 336.1(c):
"§ 336.1 Denial after section 335 examination.
[...]
(c) Service of the notice of denial may be made in person OR by certified mail to the applicant's last known address, or upon the attorney or representative of record as provided in part 292 of this chapter.
"

The 2 options above are the ONLY ones: in-person or certified mail -- INS did neither!!! :D :D :D
I'm filing the lawsuit against the USCIS including the WA state Seattle district
director Jack W. Bennett with the US District Court for the Western District of WA in Seattle pursuant INA section 336(b), and 8 U.S.C. § 1447(b) violations.
As planned before.

WOW!!!

Am I GOOD, OR WHAT?!!! :D
I will file the appeal, and win the other case of stalling my naturalization and then get the money waisted on the appeal back from the INS.


Um where in that entire thing says you can legally ignore an official denial? I don't see that wording anywhere in that 8 CFR sect. 336.1. You better look at that again...
 
In other words, the judge may simply decide to order the USCIS to send you their decision via certified mail (not the best outcome for you).
 
You base your brief on your belonging to Russian Eastern Orthodox Church rite.

Unlike other churches that expressly bar their members from performing military service, e.g. Jehovah's Witnesses, Mennonites or Russian Molokans, the Russian Orthodox Church does not prohibit its members from serving in armed forces, and in fact encourages so.

My advice is either to reapply by sending a new N-400 with question Part-10/37 marked "Yes", or obtain a written affidavit from 'batyushka' stating the grounds of refusal.
 
You base your brief on your belonging to Russian Eastern Orthodox Church rite.

Unlike other churches that expressly bar their members from performing military service, e.g. Jehovah's Witnesses, Mennonites or Russian Molokans, the Russian Orthodox Church does not prohibit its members from serving in armed forces, and in fact encourages so.

My advice is either to reapply by sending a new N-400 with question Part-10/37 marked "Yes", or obtain a written affidavit from 'batyushka' stating the grounds of refusal.

Thank you for the much appreciated input. The issue of the bearing of arms, as well as the extended absence are all provable by the exhibits/evidence that I sent to the INS w/ the appellate brief. The Orthodox Christian Church (OCC) position on warringis somewhat discussed in my brief but more in the exhibits, which unfortunately you will not have access to. No church supports violence. OCC has a very strict "encouragement" of defence -- it MUST bless the war -- so there were, are and may be wars which the OCC will not bless and yet the US will ask me to participate (Since we are talking about hypothetical situatins anyway, the kind that are "what if the US were to ask you to fight...." then, hypothetically I am providing a situation as well) then I will not pick up a weapon. Also, the difference in the OCC greek new testament John 15:13 is translated as "soul" not "life" - thus there's no mentioning of dying for anyone but devoting one's soul. These are all minor points.

The bigger point is that INS has never made any requests for evidence (RFEs) other than after the interview (which was delt by me fully and sufficiently.

And a bigger pointed still is that all really doesn't matter in comparison to a much worse accusation of disloyalty to US Constitution.

This was the entire point of appeal. My strategy is to pick on the most mistakes and contridictions and stalling and retaliation and lack of RFEs that the INS has displayed toward my case, so that when they deny my appeal (I'm pretty sure they will because they'll never admit to have made a mistake in adjudicating a case incorrectly) and the case goes to fed.court, I will have enough "wild cards" in my hands to have the case ruled in my favor and the INS's accusations striken. That's why I'm picking on wheather the INS served the denial properly or not, etc., etc..
 
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Well, I hope you have a lawyer, who has successful experience in cases like yours. Otherwise I imagine it'll be a long haul.
The thing to remember is that naturalization is not a right that an immigrant is entitled to, it's a privilege. It's just like the driver's license: none is "entitled" to it, but everyone can obtain it provided that all the requirements are met.
Every citizen is supposed to be ready to protect the country with arms if so required. If an immigrant seeks naturalization but refuses to be ready to serve the country if needed, then the question arises: why such an immigrant should be given the privilege of being a citizen?
Seems to me that such an immigrant seeks to receive the benefits of citizenship while getting away with responsibilities of it. No wonder that CIS has denied the application. One has to decide what's more important, faith or citizenship, then act appropriately. If faith is more important, then I don't see any reason why one has to be a citizen; staying in permanent resident status indefinitely bears no harm and also relieves one from minor obligations of being a citizen such as a readiness to die for the homeland... Like they say, на двух стульях не усидишь.
 
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Being willing to bear arms in combat is not a requirement for citizenship. You only have to be willing to serve in the military if required, and there are many important positions which don't involve bearing arms, such as being part of a rescue or medical team.

Even though naturalization is not a right, you do have a right to have your naturalization decision based on due process and the law and the facts.
 
Let me cite the law:

United States v. Schwimmer 279 U.S. 644

The Case: Schwimmer, a Hungarian, wanted to become a US citizen but said she was unable to take the oath of allegiance. Asked if she would be willing to take up arms in defense of her new country she said she believed in the democratic ideal but asserted that she was an uncompromising pacifist. “My 'cosmic consciousness of belonging to the human family' is shared by all those who believe that all human beings are the children of God.”

Decision: Schwimmer's appeal for naturalization was denied. In a 7-2 decision the Court rejected her claim, saying that the pacifism that Schwimmer professes may hinder her ability to develop the nationalism that the country attempts to foster. The reason for her pacifism is immaterial, the Court said, because she is not yet a citizen who possesses the rights of citizenship that allow for conscientious objection.

Significance: The Court held that it is proper for the country to prevent people who espouse feelings contrary to the nation's interests from the privilege of naturalization.
 
This was a 1929 Case.

One should take the court's decision in that light. Back then Southern and Eastern Europeons were not considered desirable immigrants.
 
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Let me cite the law:

I sympathize with Valiko's situation and I hope she gets her citizenship and in a timely manner.

This is a very good post from Amerikanus and pretty much summarizes the precedent in the legal system. Even the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit will not rule in Valiko's favor, IMO.

I do not think the USCIS even cares about what religious faith you belong to and what your convictions are regarding this.

One applicant/poster in a similar situation had his/her application approved. This was most likely because either:

1. The IO was probably liberal and held similar beliefs (and was unprofessional enough to let personal beliefs interfere with his duties).
2. The IO was not competent and overlooked this.
3. The IO decided to turn a blind eye for reasons unknown.

The only way applications like these are going to be approved is if the IO uses his/her discretionary authority in favor of the applicant.

If this goes to the courts, denial is almost certain.

Again, I hope things work out well for Valiko and hope she becomes a citizen soon.

EDIT: Actually I might be wrong - take a look at this thread: http://www.immigrationportal.com/showthread.php?t=200372
 
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Date doesn't matter. It's a precedent. There are plenty of cases from 18th century still in use.

As for "Southern and Eastern Europeons": if you read the summary carefully, you would surmise that Schwimmer was a Hungarian. Hungary is a Central European country, not Southern neither Eastern. Whether she was truly a peon or not, we don't know. All we know is that she was a pacifist.
 
Date doesn't matter. It's a precedent. There are plenty of cases from 18th century still in use.

As for "Southern and Eastern Europeons": if you read the summary carefully, you would surmise that Schwimmer was a Hungarian. Hungary is a Central European country, not Southern neither Eastern. Whether she was truly a peon or not, we don't know. All we know is that she was a pacifist.

Thanks to all for your generous input. I absolutely agree with the two points made by Americanus:

  • One cannot be seated in two chairs having only one butt.

  • Date of precedent matters not.

I do not have the case handy, however, I believe to have come across the 1946 case where exact opposite ruling took place -- a gentlemen has refused to bear arms.
Also, in the Swimmer case the court decided (I don't have direct quote right now, so I'll paraphrase) that Ms. Swimmer should not be subjected to conundrums -- she refused to take up arms when asked if a hypothetical war was fought and furthermore the hypothetical draft that would involve 46 year-old females would take place, would she take up arms. Swimmer, apparently, could have pursued the case further on the grounds of this ruling but she died (I don't have particular dates or further facts).

It is true that most of what's to be decided or has been decided was done subjectively as the evidence and facts in my case could be argued both ways.
It is also true that any individual will look suspicious if looked at intently enough to find something suspicious. As they say: "Locks are only effective against honest people." Some things the INS will have to take (and they do) on faith as their Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are not exact (see Depo_Paul_Pierre.doc in the "Anyone with a lawsuit thinking of suing INS" thread -- do a search (I don't remember the exact name of the thread)). The INS official there talks about SOPs and it's very limp.

Some things are impossible to prove, once the accusation is there. For example, how do you prove to be a moral individual? Or that you don't have a lack of attachment to Constitution?

Any argument will still have room for a reasonable doubt, and hence, wouldn't "fly" in court.
 
I think, I should post the INS's decision of denial letter that they sent me, so that we have more substance to talk about and for you all to see my reasoning better.
 
Court precedents are interpretations of the law. If the law addressed by the court has since changed, the precedent may become irrelevant. So the date of the precedent does matter to that extent.

In the Guide To Naturalization, there is a paragraph on page 38:
Changes to the Oath. If you provide enough evidence that your religious training and beliefs prevent you from bearing arms for the United States, you may take the Oath, without the words “to bear arms on behalf of the Unites States when required by law...”
 
Court precedents are interpretations of the law. If the law addressed by the court has since changed, the precedent may become irrelevant. So the date of the precedent does matter to that extent.

In the Guide To Naturalization, there is a paragraph on page 38:

This is precisely the part of my argument for the INS to be subjectively and selectively using the INA and USC in their favor by conveniently omitting the relevant parts of the statutes which defend my stance 100%, except I quoted the 8USC 1448:

"(...) Any such person shall be required to take an oath containing the substance of clauses (1) to (5) of the preceding sentence, except that a person who shows by clear and convincing evidence to the satisfaction of the Attorney General that he is opposed to the bearing of arms in the Armed Forces of the United States by reason of religious training and belief shall be required to take an oath containing the substance of clauses (1) to (4) and clauses (5)(B) and (5)(C) of this subsection (...)" [8USC1448]
 
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OK, here's the letter the INS sent me denying my N-400

View attachment 16922

Interesting reading. Thank you for posting it.

I think that the first section on Page 5 pretty much say it all. I wonder if you have obtained the letters from bishop/archbishop that they request in the first section. I doubt such documents can be obtainable. I suspect that CIS has a list of churches that take negative stance on the issue of arms bearing (Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh Day's Adventists, etc) and Orthodox Churches are not on the list.

Let's be frank and say honestly that Russian Orthodox Church does not prohibit its members from serving in military with arms. Just the opposite happens. In fact, on many occasions soldiers in Russian Army receive official blessings from Russian Orthodox priests when they go to "hot spots" like Chechnya, Ingushetia, Kosovo. It happens with permissions and encouragements from the higher ups, i.e. General Staff. Here are some photos of Orthodox priests performing their official blessing among soldiers in army and navy:
http://www.gold-cupola.ru/images/pogr.jpg
http://orthos.org/grodno/gev/july2005/images/pris_b.jpg
http://www.hramvsr.by/images/2007/20-02-2-1.jpg
http://www.hramvsr.by/images/2006/14-02-1.jpg
http://www.hramvsr.by/images/2006/23-04-2.jpg
http://files.pobeda.ru/fotor/ds_24.jpg
http://files.pobeda.ru/fotor/ds_23.jpg
http://files.pobeda.ru/fotor/ds_6.jpg
http://files.pobeda.ru/fotor/ds_25.jpg
http://files.pobeda.ru/fotor/ds_33.jpg
http://files.pobeda.ru/fotor/ds_36.jpg
http://www.nikita-bywalino.ru/photos/1-pps.jpg
http://www.nikita-bywalino.ru/photos/10-akra.jpg
http://www.nikita-bywalino.ru/photos/11-akra.jpg
http://www.nikita-bywalino.ru/photos/5-akra.jpg
http://www.nikita-bywalino.ru/photos/6-akra.jpg
http://www.nikita-bywalino.ru/photos/7-akra.jpg
http://www.nikita-bywalino.ru/photos/8-akra.jpg
http://www.nikita-bywalino.ru/photos/9-akra.jpg

The last five photos are the most relevant, because they show a priest performing an act of baptizing of young conscripts. The seventh photo is also interesting for it shows a soldier literally bearing arms (AK-47) and receiving a blessing.

There is one peculiar exception in Orthodox Church position: the Church bars it's deacons and priests (but not members) from bearing arms. My understanding is that if you are a deaconess then yes you have a chance of obtaining a letter from bishop/archbishop, or maybe even from Metropolitan Laurus.

Well, that said, my opinion is to find the best attorney to proceed with the appeal. Not only this should be a lawyer intimately familiar with immigration practice, but also with the peculiarities of naturalization process, and especially with proven successful cases like yours. Please do not rely on advices (including mine) that you get or will get on this forum or other forums. We do not perform surgeries or do dental work ourselves, right? There's a reason why doctors, dentists and lawyers earn big bucks, and it's because they know more than us. Please please please consult a lawyer.
 
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